Some people find Revelation the scariest book in the Bible. I am encouraged by it. Why? For these dozen reasons:
1. “Grace and peace to you from him who is, who was, and who is to come, from the seven spirits in his presence before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the First-born from the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the earth. He loves us and has washed away our sins with his blood, and made us a line of kings, priests to serve his God and Father; to him, then, be glory and power forever and ever” (1:4-7).
2. “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, the Almighty; he was, he is and he is to come. You are our Lord and our God, you are worthy of glory and honor and power, because you made all the universe and it was only by your will that everything was made and exists” (4:8, 11).
3. “There is no need to cry; the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed, and he will open the scroll and the seven seals of it. You are worthy to take the scroll and break the seals of it, because you were sacrificed, and with your blood you bought men for God of every race, language, people and nation and made them a line of kings and priests, to serve our God and to rule the world” (5:5,9).
4. “The Lamb that was sacrificed is worthy to be given power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and blessing. To the One who is sitting on the throne and to the Lamb, be all praise, honor, glory and power, forever and ever” (5:12, 14).
5. “Victory to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! Amen. Praise and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength to our God forever and ever. Amen” (7:10,12).
6. “We give thanks to you, Almighty Lord God, He-Is-and-He-Was, for using your great power and beginning your reign” (11:17).
7. “Victory and power and empire for ever have been won by our God, and all authority for his Christ, now that the persecutor, who accused our brothers day and night before our God, has been brought down” (12:10).
8. “How great and wonderful are all your works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are all your ways, Who would not revere and praise your name, O Lord? You alone are holy, and all the pagans will come and adore you for the many acts of justice you have shown” (15:3-4).
9. “Then a voice came from the throne; it said, ‘Praise our God, you servants of his and all who, great or small, revere him.’ And I seemed to hear the voices of a huge crowd, like the sound of the ocean or the great roar of thunder, answering, ‘Alleluia! The reign of the Lord our God Almighty has begun; let us be glad and joyful and give praise to God” (19:5-7).
10. “And now I saw heaven open, and a white horse appear; its rider was called Faithful and True; he is a judge with integrity, a warrior for justice. His eyes were flames of fire, and his head was crowned with many coronets; the name written on them was known only to himself, his cloak was soaked in blood. He is known by the name, The Word of God” (19:12-14).
11. “You see this city? Here God lives among men. He will make his home among them; they shall be his people, and he will be their God; his name is God-with-them. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes;there will be no more death, and no more mourning or sadness. The world of the past has gone. Then the One sitting on the throne spoke: ‘Now I am making the whole of creation new,’ he said” (21:3-5).
12. “The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in its place in the city; his servants will worship him, they will see him face to face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. It will never be night again and they will not need lamplight or sunlight, because the Lord God will be shining o them. They will reign forever and ever” (22:3-5).
(All Scriptures from The Jerusalem Bible, Doubleday Publishing, 1966, 1967, 1968)
What do you think? Do these passages encourage you, too? Which is your favorite?
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
12 Reasons Why I Find the Scariest Book in the Bible Encouraging
Some people find Revelation the scariest book in the Bible. I am encouraged by it. Why? For these dozen reasons:
1. “Grace and peace to you from him who is, who was, and who is to come, from the seven spirits in his presence before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the First-born from the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the earth. He loves us and has washed away our sins with his blood, and made us a line of kings, priests to serve his God and Father; to him, then, be glory and power forever and ever” (1:4-7).
2. “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, the Almighty; he was, he is and he is to come. You are our Lord and our God, you are worthy of glory and honor and power, because you made all the universe and it was only by your will that everything was made and exists” (4:8, 11).
3. “There is no need to cry; the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed, and he will open the scroll and the seven seals of it. You are worthy to take the scroll and break the seals of it, because you were sacrificed, and with your blood you bought men for God of every race, language, people and nation and made them a line of kings and priests, to serve our God and to rule the world” (5:5,9).
4. “The Lamb that was sacrificed is worthy to be given power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and blessing. To the One who is sitting on the throne and to the Lamb, be all praise, honor, glory and power, forever and ever” (5:12, 14).
5. “Victory to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! Amen. Praise and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength to our God forever and ever. Amen” (7:10,12).
6. “We give thanks to you, Almighty Lord God, He-Is-and-He-Was, for using your great power and beginning your reign” (11:17).
7. “Victory and power and empire for ever have been won by our God, and all authority for his Christ, now that the persecutor, who accused our brothers day and night before our God, has been brought down” (12:10).
8. “How great and wonderful are all your works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are all your ways, Who would not revere and praise your name, O Lord? You alone are holy, and all the pagans will come and adore you for the many acts of justice you have shown” (15:3-4).
9. “Then a voice came from the throne; it said, ‘Praise our God, you servants of his and all who, great or small, revere him.’ And I seemed to hear the voices of a huge crowd, like the sound of the ocean or the great roar of thunder, answering, ‘Alleluia! The reign of the Lord our God Almighty has begun; let us be glad and joyful and give praise to God” (19:5-7).
10. “And now I saw heaven open, and a white horse appear; its rider was called Faithful and True; he is a judge with integrity, a warrior for justice. His eyes were flames of fire, and his head was crowned with many coronets; the name written on them was known only to himself, his cloak was soaked in blood. He is known by the name, The Word of God” (19:12-14).
11. “You see this city? Here God lives among men. He will make his home among them; they shall be his people, and he will be their God; his name is God-with-them. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes; there will be no more death, and no more mourning or sadness. The world of the past has gone. Then the One sitting on the throne spoke: ‘Now I am making the whole of creation new,’ he said” (21:3-5).
12. “The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in its place in the city; his servants will worship him, they will see him face to face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. It will never be night again and they will not need lamplight or sunlight, because the Lord God will be shining o them. They will reign forever and ever” (22:3-5).
(All Scriptures from The Jerusalem Bible, Doubleday Publishing, 1966, 1967, 1968)
What do you think? Do these passages encourage you, too? Which is your favorite?
