Surviving Revelation

Get ready for another "when-I-was-your-age" story! But I promise, this one has a point!

When I was in high school, I attended a small church in my hometown. It was the church I grew up in, and my parents were very active. . . meaning my brother and I were, too. At some point in high school, we started having a student-led Bible study on Wednesday or Sunday nights in the church basement.

There were three of us. Three. Seriously, this was our youth group.

Here's the deal: we were all Christians, but most of us, me included, hadn't made much of an effort to go very deep in our relationships with Christ. We knew Him; we loved Him; but we didn't pursue Him or let Him make a daily difference in our lives. So really, this Bible study was probably a good thing for us, because it was a step in the right direction. We were at least trying to put some spiritual disciplines into practice in our lives.

But here we were, three high school students who hadn't gone very deep in our relationships with God trying to study Revelation. Yes, we picked Revelation to begin our Bible study! It was sort of like the blind leading the blind.

Don't get me wrong: I think studying Revelation is important. I think studying the whole of Scripture is vital. The Bible is one of the ways God reveals Himself to us. We have to read His Word to know Him more. But if you're anything like me all those years ago in that Bible study, you know it's easy to get more caught up in the study of end times than seeking to learn and apply God's Word in your life.

As an adult, I realize that there are a lot of differing viewpoints on the various aspects and events that will lead up to and follow Christ's return. And it's all too easy for us to get caught up in trying to figure out which one is right. Here's what we do know: Jesus is coming back some day; He'll be victorious; and God has a plan for His children to spend all eternity with Him. That's the source of our hope.

The Bible doesn't spell out every last detail of what will happen at the end of time. But it does instruct us, multiple times, to love God, love others, and proclaim the gospel.

So study His Word and ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand. Rest in the hope that God doesn't forget you, and, one day, Jesus is coming back. Spend your time doing things that have eternal value, like loving God, loving others, and proclaiming God's message of hope.