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This morning, we are continuing in our sermon series on the meaning of Christmas. We are looking at the Old Testament book of Isaiah, a collection of prophecies from the 8th-7th century BC. The Christmas season can be a difficult time of the year. For many, there is loss, broken relationships, difficult providing for family needs, physical pain and limitations. There is a lot of joy, but also lots of suffering and pain. The passage this morning, as well as Christmas, speaks to the problem of suffering.

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One of the most fascinating conversations in the Bible in my opinion happens at the end of the gospel of Luke, after Jesus’ resurrection.  Luke tells of two of the disciples traveling from Jerusalem on a road to a village named Emmaus, and that the resurrected Jesus begins to walk along with them, but Luke says that they were kept from recognizing him.  The story goes that Jesus asks them why they are so downcast, and the disciples tell them about Jesus, that they had thought he was the one who was going to redeem Israel, but apparently they were wrong, since he had been crucified.  And Jesus, still not recognizable by them, tells them how foolish they are, that the Messiah needed to suffer those things before entering his glory.  And then in Luke 24:27 is this great line: And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

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After all is said and done, history ends with God destroying all evil and dwelling with resurrected believers. Heaven comes down to be joined to earth, renewing everything, and the dwelling of God is with men and women forever. 21:1–22:21 

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We have been going through the book of Revelation. Revelation was written by John and was intended primarily for 1st century Christians, to encourage them as they underwent intense persecution and suffering at the hands of the Roman Empire. Remember that Revelation is apocalyptic literature, and that continues in this passage. John sees literal visions full of things that are meant to be taken symbolically. As of last week, evil has finally been destroyed, and this morning and next week we’ll be looking at the last two chapters of the Bible that tell us where history is heading. Preaching through the whole book of Revelation, there has been so much suffering and judgment and evil and then finally it is gone and all that is left is us and God.

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Today, I am continuing through my sermon series on the Book of Revelation, the final book in the Bible. We will be in chapters 19-20 today.

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We will be looking at Revelation 15:5 – 18:24. I have been going through longer passages than usual during this series because a lot of the themes repeat themselves as John sees visions of what will happen from the time of Christ’s ascension to the time of His return – seven seals, then seven trumpets, then seven signs, and now seven bowls. I have also tried to focus on the main point of each passage instead of engaging in what I feel is pointless speculation about the end times and what each symbol or character might represent.

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I continue my sermon series through the book of Revelation, the last book in the Bible. Revelation was written by a man named John:  either the apostle John who wrote the gospel and the letters 1,2, and 3 John, or another John, an elder in the early church. It was written to 1st century Christians, and is primarily concerned with encouraging believers who were undergoing intense persecution and suffering at the hands of the Roman Empire.

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When I preach, if you notice, I usually preach through passages and books of the Bible, trying to communicate what the text meant in its original context and then what it means for us today. This is different than some other approaches, like the topical approach. This approach means that I can’t skip anything, can’t just pick and choose. This is both good and challenging. Sometimes you get Jesus and the good Samaritan, and sometimes you get Revelation 8:6 - 11:19. This is a very difficult section in more ways than one. All kinds of words have been spilled trying to figure out every last symbol. Let’s take a high level view. Don’t miss the forest for the trees.

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We continue through the New Testament book of Revelation, the final book in the Bible. Revelation was written by John, either the apostle John who wrote the gospel and the letters 1, 2, and 3 John, or by another John, an elder in the early church. It was written late 1st century, and is primarily concerned with encouraging Christians who were undergoing persecution in the Roman Empire. The biggest key to understanding this book is to read it according to its genre. It belongs to the genre called “apocalyptic literature.” In apocalyptic literature, matters of the future or the spiritual realm are unveiled, usually through the agency of angels, in visions, lurid colors and with many crazy symbols. Apocalyptic literature is very visual. Instead of saying “Jesus is the judge” it shows Jesus with a sword coming out of mouth. Instead of saying Jesus is sovereign over his church, it shows him holding seven stars in his hand, which are the angels of the seven churches. Instead of saying that the Holy Spirit is the spirit of all the churches, he writes that they are the seven spirits before the throne. And instead of saying that the churches are lights, it depicts them as seven lampstands. In other words, do not read Revelation literally, but recognize that it is communicating in most cases familiar truths in very unique and highly visual ways.

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We are continuing through the New Testament book of Revelation, the final book in the Bible. Revelation was written by John, either the apostle John who wrote the gospel and the letters 1, 2, and 3 John, or by another John, an elder in the early church. It was written late 1st century, and is primarily concerned with encouraging Christians who were undergoing persecution in the Roman Empire. The biggest key to understanding this book is to read it according to its genre. It belongs to the genre called “apocalyptic literature.” In apocalyptic literature, matters of the future or the spiritual realm are unveiled, usually through the agency of angels, in lurid colors and with many crazy symbols. Apocalyptic literature is very visual. Instead of saying “Jesus is the judge” it shows Jesus with a sword coming out of mouth. Instead of saying Jesus is sovereign over his church, it shows him holding seven stars in his hand, which are the angels of the seven churches. Instead of saying that the Holy Spirit is the spirit of all the churches, he writes that they are the seven spirits before the throne. And instead of saying that the churches are lights, it depicts them as seven lampstands. In other words, do not read Revelation literally, but recognize that it is communicating in most cases familiar truths in very unique and highly visual ways.