The Best Is Yet to Come - Essay Example

The Best is Yet to Come: Revelation and the End Times The Book of Revelation, the last Book of the Bible, is also called in some versions as The Apocalypse. The term apocalypse may be defined as the Judgment Day or the end of the world or discovery. Of the twenty-two chapters, each chapter develops on a certain theme. The theme of each chapter are as follows: chapter 1 is the introduction about Christ’s coming. It starts with the revelation of the vision of the Son of Man to Apostle John at the island of Patmos; chapters 2 and 3 is about the Letters to the Seven Churches; chapter 4 shows the Open Door in Heaven showing the Throne of God and of the Lamb; chapter 5 discusses the Book with Seven Seals and the Lamb standing like slaughtered; chapter 6 is about the Opening of the 7 Seals; chapter is the Sealing of the Servants of God who are the 144,000 and the multitude; chapters 8 and 9 is about the Altar and Prayers, the Trumpets, and the Woes; chapter 10 is about the Mighty Angel and the open sweet bitter Book; chapter 11 discusses The Temple and the Two Witnesses; chapter 12 is about the Woman and the Dragon, the Church, and the 7 battles lost by Satan; chapter 13 is about the Two Beasts from sea and earth and the Antichrist; chapter 14 speaks of the Triumph of Christ with the 144,000, the Condemned and the Harvest; chapter 15 is about the Victorious, the Victory over the Beast; chapter 16 is about the 7 Last Plagues (or 7 Bowls, 7 Cups, 7 Vials); chapter 17 talks of the Woman on the Beast and Babylon, the Great Harlot; chapter 18 talks of the Doomed City, Babylons complete fall; chapter 19 deals with Armageddon, the King of kings on the white horse, the quadruple Alleluia and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb; chapter 20 discusses the Millennium and the Great White Throne Judgment; chapter 21 deals with the New Jerusalem and the New heaven and New Earth; and chapter 22 talks of the New Jerusalem and the River of Life (Dominguez 2006). Bible scholars have different interpretations of the Book of Revelations. Some say it is a description of the difficult times that the Israelites were going through during the Old Testament and ends with the birth of Christ. On the other hand, some scholars say it is about the journey that the New Testament Christians are going through beginning with Christ’s birth until His final return to take the believers with Him. What ever is the standpoint of these Bible scholars, the fact remains that as seen through the themes of each chapter of the Book of Revelation there is a pattern of a flow of events from dark to light. The dark times represent the difficult times and the light is the hope that finally someday all these trials will come to an end and that happiness will at last be attained for “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4). The first verse of the Book starts with the phrase: “to show his servants what must soon take place” (1:1). This projects that the things that are written in the Book are prophetic and will serve as a guide to the ones who read and believe it. True enough, many of the prophecies have already been fulfilled such as the reign and fall of empires like the Roman Empire and the rise of the Eagle which is interpreted as America, and others (Dominguez 2006). The last chapter echoes back the message emphasizing the eminence of the message, “The angel said to me, ‘These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place’” (22:6). The Christians to whom this Book was addressed were in a "great crisis of faith". “They lived in the catacombs, persecuted and killed by the Romans who threw them to the lions in ridiculous feasts of diversion, and it seemed that Jesus was doing nothing, he was not moving even a finger to help them” (Dominguez 2006). The term “soon” is repeatedly used to emphasize the imminence of the events described in the prophecy. This is to remind them that the troubles and tribulations they are going through are temporal; they will soon be over forever. This also is a call for the Christians to be patient in suffering, “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (22:12-13). Another term that is repeated is “blessed” which can stand for happy or sanctified. Such is the promise for all who read and believe the Revelation, “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near” (1:3). The triumph of Christ is the finale of all the suffering, persecution and oppression that the Christians are gong through. The believers are led by the hope that Christ is going to make them victorious and let them live in the New Jerusalem where “No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever” (22:3-5). There seems to be no better way of encouraging and comforting the people who have experienced all sorts of injustice and unhappiness than the words written in the Book of Revelation. The temporality of suffering and the imminence of Christ’s coming as the conclusion to such suffering and the entrance to a eternal life of happiness and reward are the main points that make the Book of Revelation an Apocalyptic literature, a genre that calls persons suffering oppression and persecution to display faith in God. At present, the people of the earth are bombarded with so much pressure from all aspects of life. The place and position of a person does not make him/her immune to these pressing times. The threat of terrorism is all about us, money seems to have less and less value, families are torn apart, and natural calamities are severe and unpredictable. The hopelessness and desperate condition the people all over the world are experiencing are making mental cases escalate. Crime rates rise due to poverty, unemployment and mere dissatisfaction and lack of purpose in life. Is there a better place to go to escape all these? How can science and technology solve these dilemmas? Do our government and even our churches exert enough efforts to lessen the effects of these times? Is there still hope for mankind or are we all going the downward flow to the “end of the world” or disaster? Is there even life after these and death? The Book of Revelation is a good antidote to these questions. What if most, if not all, of the suffering people of the present time take a look at the promises and prophecies in the last Book of the Bible? Will they ever find comfort and hope? I believe they would. The Bible does not lie; it is the Word of God even if some say the Books were written by men. The Word of God has power to change lives as evidenced by history. Moreover, many of the prophecies in the Book of Revelation have already been fulfilled. Who knows, this might be the only solution that we have all been looking for. The same effect it has on the early Christians may also be experienced by today’s generation. The best is yet to come, so they say. Works Cited Domínguez, J. Book of Revelation Apocalypse. (Last Modified: January 2006). The Holy Bible (New International Version) New Jersey: International Bible Society, 1985. http://www.siscom.net/~direct/revelation/daniel_-_second_coming.htm The Complete Picture of the Biblical Prophecies in the Book of Revelation Has Been Revealed http://www.biblesecret.com/ Read More