Have you ever turned on you television and caught the end of a movie that was so exciting, or interesting that you wanted to see it from the beginning just to see how it came to that ending. How about hearing about a daring rescue and wanting to know the story leading up to it. Then there are the national and world leaders, athletes, entertainers, artists, heroes and other interesting people, living or dead, that make us want to know more about them and their lives.
These endings make us want to start at the beginning to learn how we got to the end. It’s that way about the Bible. If you start at the end in Revelations (I know it’s a hard read with lots of images and metaphors) with its descriptions of the end times and the eternal kingdom of Jesus, it makes you want to know how and why we got here.
The end of the book says that those who are the elect, those God has chosen will be citizens of a kingdom that is beyond words. It makes all the trouble and heartache that we experience today seem as but a blip in time when compared with eternity. I am not diminishing those things which hurt and confuse, because they are real but as Jesus said He overcame all those things so we can rejoice (that’s in the middle of the book)
John 16:33 NKJV These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
We need to live every minute of everyday knowing that no matter what we face, we can truly say, “God’s got it!” In other words the end of the book says “God's got it” and you will see that when you start reading from the beginning.
Genesis 1:1 NKJV In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
These endings make us want to start at the beginning to learn how we got to the end. It’s that way about the Bible. If you start at the end in Revelations (I know it’s a hard read with lots of images and metaphors) with its descriptions of the end times and the eternal kingdom of Jesus, it makes you want to know how and why we got here.
The end of the book says that those who are the elect, those God has chosen will be citizens of a kingdom that is beyond words. It makes all the trouble and heartache that we experience today seem as but a blip in time when compared with eternity. I am not diminishing those things which hurt and confuse, because they are real but as Jesus said He overcame all those things so we can rejoice (that’s in the middle of the book)
John 16:33 NKJV These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
We need to live every minute of everyday knowing that no matter what we face, we can truly say, “God’s got it!” In other words the end of the book says “God's got it” and you will see that when you start reading from the beginning.
Genesis 1:1 NKJV In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
God’s Got It!
Mary Southerland
When we focus only on what we can see and understand or explain, we will worry.
Fear and doubt will become familiar companions if we live each day against the backdrop of this broken world and our desperate circumstances.
Our only hope is God.
And it is not enough to just know about Him. We must know Him. A personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ assures us that no matter what the world throws our way, God’s got it.
The Bible is a stunning piece of literature, even If you don’t believe anything written in it! It was penned by at least 40 traditional authors (inestimably more contributed in some capacity) and written in three languages, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. In reality, we know many languages were used to pass down oral stories from the earliest times in the biblical narrative until they were later codified in the book and language we find them in today. However, what is more impressive yet, is the story it is telling.
It tells the epic story of God and his creation, of blessing, temptation, sin, exile, and salvation. For those of us reading this today, we have the advantage of knowing the entire story was leading to Jesus. All in all, it is an epic book telling an even more epic story, which begs the question, how does it end?
That, my friends, is the book of Revelation, a story about Babylon, Jesus, and judgment, which is too much to cover in one blog, so we are going to focus on the very end-of-the-end of the most epic story ever told.
With that, we jump to “the end”.
The Revelation concludes with a final vision of the marriage of heaven and earth where an angel shows John a stunning bride that symbolizes the new creation that has come forever to join God and his covenant people. God announces that He's come to live with humanity forever and that He's making all things new.
Father, I am tempted to worry about so many things. Our world is a mess! Forgive me for focusing on anything or anyone but You. Thank You for the Bible that equips and empowers me to live each day. Right now, I declare that You are my only Hope. Please help me remember that You really are in control.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Mary Southerland
- When our child is going against everything we believe in and stand for – God’s got it!
- When we need a job, but every interview and application leads nowhere – God’s got it!
- When the doctor says the test results are not good – God’s got it!
- When our marriage seems to be falling apart – God’s got it!
When we focus only on what we can see and understand or explain, we will worry.
Fear and doubt will become familiar companions if we live each day against the backdrop of this broken world and our desperate circumstances.
Our only hope is God.
And it is not enough to just know about Him. We must know Him. A personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ assures us that no matter what the world throws our way, God’s got it.
The Bible is a stunning piece of literature, even If you don’t believe anything written in it! It was penned by at least 40 traditional authors (inestimably more contributed in some capacity) and written in three languages, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. In reality, we know many languages were used to pass down oral stories from the earliest times in the biblical narrative until they were later codified in the book and language we find them in today. However, what is more impressive yet, is the story it is telling.
It tells the epic story of God and his creation, of blessing, temptation, sin, exile, and salvation. For those of us reading this today, we have the advantage of knowing the entire story was leading to Jesus. All in all, it is an epic book telling an even more epic story, which begs the question, how does it end?
That, my friends, is the book of Revelation, a story about Babylon, Jesus, and judgment, which is too much to cover in one blog, so we are going to focus on the very end-of-the-end of the most epic story ever told.
With that, we jump to “the end”.
The Revelation concludes with a final vision of the marriage of heaven and earth where an angel shows John a stunning bride that symbolizes the new creation that has come forever to join God and his covenant people. God announces that He's come to live with humanity forever and that He's making all things new.
Father, I am tempted to worry about so many things. Our world is a mess! Forgive me for focusing on anything or anyone but You. Thank You for the Bible that equips and empowers me to live each day. Right now, I declare that You are my only Hope. Please help me remember that You really are in control.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
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