Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Thoughts on the last book of the bible


Last night.....actually only a few hours ago....I had the great treat of teaching the first of 14 sessions on the book of Revelation. It's an amazing book. I am teaching twice each week so we can fit everyone into the class so it's clear there is a real interest in this topic at this time in history. That interest is well founded. It appears, from all we see in the news, that we are living in the last days. Of course John, the author of Revelation, said this was true in his day as well, but as world events escalate I think people really want to study this last book of the bible. For me it's a great study in who Jesus Christ is....in fact that is the purpose of the book. The first 5 words of the book say, "The revelation (unveiling) of Jesus Christ" and that is what I've found so far.....a verse by verse unveiling of who Jesus Christ is and all that he has done. My only problem is that I already know that 14 weeks is simply not enough time to really study this book, so I am challenged already. I'm sure glad I have trusted Christ as my savior. As I watch the events of the book unfold and the end of time and space described I am so glad that he sought me out and by faith I have trusted him as savior. That decision and relationship give me a completely different perspective on this most amazing book. As I mentioned in the class last night this book has the greatest verse of victory and saddest verse of loss in the entire bible. I'll tell you about those another time, but for now...a little sleep. And, if you haven't read this last book of the bible I encourage you to do so. It may seem difficult, but there are some amazing treasures in these 22 chapters for you to discover.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Mike, all you say in your post is spot on, but I gotta say (a) you, sir, could find us some Jesus in an Uzbekistan phone book and (b) still fill up two classes. (Do they know you're the guy who went through Revelation in less than an hour one Sunday??? :))

Schweers' Mom said...

Mcfly3 is right. I remember you going through Revelation in Sunday school many, MANY years ago in just a couple of 1 hour classes. We didn't read ALL the verses that time. But I still have notes in my Bible from when we studied it as a group.

I am totally excited about the study! I can't tell you how badly I needed a Bible study to delve into! Thanks for being willing to take on such a challenging book. I know I couldn't do it. (That's why I'm leading a study in "selected Psalms.")

Kris Sorensen said...

Mike,

Sounds like a great study covering a great book of the Bible! Side note: I've often thought about the odd sense of "deja vu" that John will experience when all the events come to pass. =) I think of the moments where I too will think to myself, "I remember reading this; and now I'm seeing it!" ... Most of all I can't wait to see Jesus.