Revelation Wrap-Up … A Happy Ending!

The events foretold in the book of Revelation are amazing. To think that when the Apostle John wrote this letter 2,000 years ago, much of what he described was not even fathomable to the readers of that day. But as the end of human history on this earth draws closer, the events that will wrap it all up don’t seem so farfetched at all.

The book of Revelation begins with Jesus’ warnings to the churches of the day. They were forgetting about the gospel message in the pulpits; tolerating immorality and compromise; and, afraid to rebuke or offend people with the truth. Jesus’ messages to them are just as true for us today. Remember the gospel. Don’t be fearful, but be faithful. Wake up. Hold on until the end. Be fully committed. Repent!

As Revelation goes on to unveil the future, we get a glimpse of what God’s coming judgment on the earth will look like. For thousands of years, people have asked the age-old question – “Why does God allow evil?” There has never been an easy answer to that except to say that He will not put up with it forever. And as evil and godlessness on the earth grow, it becomes more and more apparent that when God does decide He’s had enough, the repercussions will be mighty.

Yet even as God’s judgments unfold, we see that He is still being patient and merciful. He will continue to send witnesses to proclaim to the world the way to salvation. When the final judgment comes, no one will be able to say they did not know.

When the great time of tribulation comes, the anti-Christ will finally be revealed. (Matthew 24:15-22) The devil’s puppet will come along and promise to solve all the world’s problems. He will rise to power as the world leader that has finally arrived to save the day. It’s not a stretch to believe this will happen. After all, a one world government is exactly the solution many people believe we need. When someone finally comes along and offers this kind of leadership, people will follow him.

“What we want is a man of sufficient stature to hold the allegiance of all people, and to lift us out of the economic morass in which we are sinking. Send us such a man and, be he God or the devil, we will receive him.” – attributed to Paul Henry-Spaak, Secretary General of NATO, c. 1945

The people left on earth will flock to the anti-christ. They will receive his mark, eager to do things his way until he finally shows his true colors. Those that love Jesus will be sealed by God and although they may suffer physically during the terrible tribulation, their eternal reward will be secure.

Eventually, Jesus will come to harvest the earth. Those who gave their allegiance to the enemy of God will have no excuse. Everyone will stand before Jesus to receive their eternal reward. When that day comes, it will not matter what we accomplished or accumulated while we were on earth, everyone will be judged by the same standards. It will go one of two ways — You will either be condemned because you fell short of God’s righteous standards, or you will be saved because you have been made righteous through the blood of Christ.

As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one.” … This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. – Romans 3:10 & 22 NIV

Ultimately, the final world battle will take place and Satan will be defeated. The devil knows that this is how his story ends. His demise is certain, and he intends to wreak as much havoc as he can until he goes down in a fiery defeat at the hands of the Lamb of God!

Now we get to the good part, the happy ending for everyone who puts their faith in Jesus alone for salvation. Our righteous King, Jesus, will finally take His place on the throne and we will reign alongside Him. All the promises throughout God’s Word will be fulfilled when we finally stand in His presence.

Then the One seated on the throne said, “Look! I am making everything new.” – Revelation 21:5 NLT

The description of our heavenly home is amazing. It is described as massive, brilliant and perfect. Made of pure gold, precious stones, and crystal-clear glass. There will be no need for the sun or the moon because the glory of God will illuminate the city. No evil will be allowed to enter. It will be filled with only good! God will restore everything back to the way He originally intended when He walked with mankind in the Garden of Eden. Perfect fellowship with our Creator. No more tears, no more death, no more grief, crying or pain. Nothing that makes us sad or hurts us.

This world is getting harder to bare as the ugliness of evil descends like a black cloud, but one day those of us who have put our faith in Jesus and persevered through it all will experience an eternal home where no ugliness exists. Whether we believe that the description of heaven in the book of Revelation is literal (I do!) or symbolic – either way it will be beyond anything we can dream or imagine.

Revelation ends with a steady list of good news to give us hope. The saying “too good to be true” only applies to this world. Heaven will be everything God has promised and far more than we can even imagine. In the beginning, God created paradise. In the end, He will restore it! I can’t wait!

“Everything you have heard and seen is trustworthy and true. The Lord God, who inspires His prophets, has sent His angel to tell His servants what will happen soon.” – Revelation 22:6 NLT

He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! – Revelation 22:20 NLT