Issue 1277 – Turbulent Times – October 20, 2023

The river almost seems to boil around the rocks in this series of rapids. Immediately downstream of them, not far from where I stand, just out of the image, it takes a fifty-foot drop over some falls. The water is turbulent there before sorting itself out and carrying on its journey.

The river could be a metaphor for life. Sometimes, it is calm; other times, it can be turbulent, and the water never knows what is coming next. It can only continue moving forward; it can’t return to where it was.

We are living in turbulent times. There is undoubtedly more to come. When times get turbulent, Christians often show their particular end-times theology when the going gets hard. 

We dig into John’s Revelation of Jesus the Christ and look to it, hoping to find answers. In addition to having complex symbology, the Revelation doesn’t have a uniform interpretation. There are at least four primary views (with many lesser-held views) on interpreting the book, ranging from purely metaphorical to having been entirely fulfilled, partially fulfilled or yet to be fulfilled.

The scope of these views is too broad to cover within the space of this post. An excellent introductory read can be found in Four Views on the Book of Revelation (Zondervan). Each of these views holds a high view of Scripture and attempts to use good hermeneutics in their interpretation.

They generally hold some critical things in common. As summarized by one source, “All views believe that God is sovereign and in charge of all that occurs in history and its ultimate conclusion. Except for full preterism and some forms of idealism, all believe in the physical second coming of Christ. All views believe in the resurrection from the dead. All believe there will be a future judgment. All believe in an eternal state in which believers will be with God, and unbelievers will be separated from Him. All agree upon the importance of the study of prophecy and its edification for the body of Christ.”

Will things get better or worse? Will we be raptured before or after the tribulation? Have the prophecies been fulfilled in whole or part? Are we living in the last days? Who is the anti-Christ? The questions are all valid and lead to tons of speculation, each adherent convinced that their view is the only correct one.

The most commonly held end-time scenarios held by people in the evangelical pews seem akin to the “Left Behind” series of books and movies. This is also probably one of the newest forms of interpretation and the one least held by scholars.

So what are we to do with all of that? How can we know for sure what will come in these turbulent times?

However we interpret the Revelation (and related prophecy), we can plainly see that life will be challenging, particularly for believers. That isn’t anything new. Saul of Taurus was killing Christians soon after Jesus was resurrected, and it hasn’t changed.

We can hold fast to the truth that no matter how we interpret the book, it is clear that the battle belongs to the Lord. Jesus wins, and the outcome has never been in doubt.

At some point in the future (today, next year, a thousand years from now?), all believers will be with the Lord in glory to reign with Him forever more.

It’s going to be marvellous.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. Revelation 21:1-7

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. Revelation 22:1-5

Hold on tight, my friends. This life is turbulent and can even threaten to overwhelm us. We can’t be confident of what is coming in the near future. We can trust in the sovereignty and victory of God. We can trust in Jesus and His promises.

The rewards will more than compensate for the difficulties. Rejoice! Even in times of trials, we have victory in Jesus.

Be blessed

Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

Kevin

Gleanings From The Word

Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life. 

Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)

__________________________________________ 

Please like and share this post with friends and your circle of influence. Also, feel free to comment. 

Did you know that we have an email version? It has the same great content but in a different format. Subscribe today https://mailchi.mp/f27bbeb09c22/gleanings-1 

______________________________ 

All contents, “Gleanings From The Word” and “Experience an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Life,” are © 2001, 2023 KF “Kevin” Corbin Gleanings From The Word.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV). 

___________________________________________

#love #peace #hope #Gleanings #theWord #devotional #gospel#Christian #hope #encouragement #Biblestudy #faith #dailyBible #verseoftheday #grace #KevinCorbin #god #life #Jesus #father #son #HolySpirit #grace #mercy #hope #endTimes #leftBehind #Eschatology #Revelation #prophecy #waterfalls #rapids #turbulence #FourViews