A Revelation Invitation

(The “How to Read Revelation” series begins here.)

Principle #1: The Theme of Revelation

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8 ESV)

From beginning to end, one theme permeates the pages of Revelation: the sovereignty of the almighty God and of his Christ. Every chapter is imbued with the power, majesty, strength, authority, might, glory and honor of the one who sits on the throne and of the Lamb. The one who sits on the throne rules his creation. And the Lamb of God is proclaimed King of kings and Lord of lords. Every act of judgment upon the earth originates from the throne. Every confrontation with the devil or his proxies results in Jesus as the victor. You cannot escape this conclusion even from a cursory reading—Jesus wins! Jesus always wins!

Interestingly, this theme is a two-sided coin. On the heads side is the sovereignty of God and the Lamb as I stated above. On the tails side of that coin we realize that if God and the Lamb are indeed sovereign, then his people have a safe, secure refuge in the midst of any tribulations. God will protect and preserve his own. Our current circumstances may not be rosy, but our future is bright. We are never forgotten. We are always accounted for. We may suffer, but evil cannot harm us. Thus, the believers’ security is repeatedly assured—Jesus wins and we with him!

Sometime soon I encourage you to read Revelation with highlighter in hand and this theme in mind. Note every way that God’s sovereignty and the Lamb’s victory and the church’s security are described, depicted or demonstrated. The great thing about this exercise is that you don’t have to interpret any of the symbolic language to see this theme play out. Do this in your daily personal devotional time; do this in a small group; do this with your family. It’s so simple, yet so encouraging to see God’s power depicted and proclaimed.

Why is this important? Because when you and I are convinced of God’s sovereignty, of the victory of the Lamb and of our security in their sovereign care, we will trust God with our well-being. We will be confident that he will handle whatever difficulties may arise in our lives. Even when we wonder why God delays intervening in the affairs of men to judge the world and set it right, we will trust that he sees what we see and will deal with it in his time. Then we will be emboldened to act and to serve in whatever circumstances we find ourselves in.

Sovereign Lord, reveal yourself to me in the pages of Revelation. Open my eyes to your awesome power and authority. Impress upon me your honor and glory. Assure me of the victory of the Lamb. Help me grow in faith trusting in your sovereignty over creation, over the present, over the future, over my life. Amen.

(Part 3 of “How to Read Revelation” is here.)