And yet when I found my heart shattered over the brokenness of this world and the feeling of evil triumphing instead of Jesus, this was the book God used to bring healing, a deeper understanding of the love of God in suffering, and reminding me of God’s sovereignty over all—past, present, and future. Perhaps you have struggled with the darkness of this world and feel as though evil is prevailing. Maybe you’re confused about where God is in the midst of painful circumstances. Perhaps you are weary with resisting the lies of this world and pondering if it’s really worth it to keep following Jesus. My dear ones, the book of Revelation is for you—it’s for all of us. This book can sooth our fragile hearts because it speaks of the deep love of God in the midst of suffering, the worthiness of Jesus, and the promised day when He will bring justice.
3 REASONS TO STUDY REVELATION
Studying Revelation can feel like trying to take a sip of water from Niagara Falls. While no one has all the answers to this well-crafted book of the Bible, here are my top three reasons every momma should study the book of Revelation (and why you should sign up and join me as we dive into this study).
1) Revelation promises to bless anyone who seeks to read and obey it (Rev. 1:3).
Those who dare to study and obey Revelation will indeed be blessed. No other book of the Bible promises such a direct reward, but perhaps some incentive is needed as its contents are daunting and involve some heavy lifting. This promise of blessing isn’t from some door-to-door salesman or internet scammer, but straight from the pages of Scripture. The One who made this promise is faithful to deliver on it—and it will not be rationed, but overflowing as fits the generosity of our Creator. The reward is Jesus—and this is something we do not want to miss.
Whatever amount of time we have to devote, the one who commits to studying Revelation will not be sorry, but receive the promised reward for digging into and obeying this final book of the Bible. And this offer isn’t a one-time, limited deal. We can return to study Revelation again and again over the years as our understanding expands and Jesus calls us into deeper intimacy.
This book should be at the top of our list as we process the love of God in our suffering. Revelation was written to churches experiencing suffering and persecution. Believers during the time period Revelation was penned (around 90 AD) were being killed (Rev. 2:13), put in jail (Rev. 2:10), persecuted by the government for not worshipping the emperor (Rev. 13:15), wading through false teachings (Rev. 2:2, 14), banished from society for their faith (Rev. 1:9) and struggling with sins like sexual immorality (Rev. 2:20).
During the Emperor Domitian’s rule (the same time frame Revelation was likely written), worshipping the ruler became commonplace. For a season, Christians were spared because of their association with Jews who had been previously exempted from this decree because Christians weren’t yet considered a separate religious group. But as time progressed, Christians became identified as a separate group (perhaps even from angry Jews who wanted Christianity to cease and notified the government of this) and were now subject to participate in the cult of emperor worship. Believers were forced to either remain faithful to Jesus or succumb to worldly pressures. Those who refused to worship the emperor suffered the consequences—socially, economically, and physically.
Revelation addresses the difficult path believers found themselves on and provides the encouragement of a God who walks among us in our suffering and an eternal perspective necessary to endure in their faith.
3) Revelation provides a fuller picture of who Jesus is.
Since Jesus is the author of Revelation (Rev. 1:1), this book helps Christians gain deeper insight into who He is. While Jesus described Himself as “gentle and lowly in heart” (Matt. 11:29), He uses Revelation to shed light on the powerful warrior He is—which is a necessary component to grasp as it sometimes can feel as though darkness is triumphing over light. Our Messiah is not weak (Rev. 1:14-16; 5:5; 19:11-16), but the One who is coming and reigns over all (Rev. 1:6,7; 5:13; 19:16; 22:7). He will defeat the evil one, mete out perfect justice, and bring the final judgment.
Jesus unveils the warrior king aspect of His character, but His fierceness does not diminish His love or gentleness. He is the Lamb who was slain, yet leads His people in victory over the forces of darkness. Jesus remains the God who delights to be with His people (Rev. 7:17; 21:3), but those who are not His will be punished. The only right response to the mighty Jesus depicted throughout the book is to fall down on your face and worship Him (Rev. 1:17; 5:6-10; 7:9-11). Revelation teaches us that everything is not as it seems from our worldly perspective and that a slain Lamb can indeed defeat evil forever. We need to be reminded of who Jesus is to persevere in our faith—because who He is compels us to endure with hope.
As we struggle to faithfully follow Jesus through our own paths of confusion, pain, sin, and trials, Revelation is Jesus’ letter crafted to give us hope in this broken world.
1) Join my FREE 10-week study, "God's Love When It Hurts: A Study Through the Book of Revelation." Sign up soon because it launches on May 10th!
2) What typical comes to your mind when you think about the book of Revelation? Do you see this as a book that could impact your daily life? Why or why?
3) Have you studied the book of Revelation before? Why or why not? Which of the three reasons to study Revelation most stands out to you?
4) Spend some time meditating upon who Jesus is and what He has done on our behalf from Revelation 1:5, “and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To Him who loves us and freed us from our sins by His blood and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
3) Have you studied the book of Revelation before? Why or why not? Which of the three reasons to study Revelation most stands out to you?
4) Spend some time meditating upon who Jesus is and what He has done on our behalf from Revelation 1:5, “and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To Him who loves us and freed us from our sins by His blood and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”