Day 40: Jesus Will Come Again

Read: Revelation 22:1-21 Reflect: The book of Revelation is the final book in the Bible. By this time, the gospel had begun to spread across the known world, and Christians everywhere were facing persecution. John, the writer of this book, had been exiled to the Island of Patmos for his Christian faith. One day during his worship John received a vision of what was yet to come for mankind. John got a view of what the cosmic struggle between good and evil looked like from heaven’s perspective. Satan, and the sin he unleashed on the world, had tremendous power. God’s people were being persecuted and martyred for their faith. But history would not end with evil unchecked. Jesus, through his death, had ransomed people from every nation for God. At present, God’s people could expect to face persecution and hard times. But the day was coming when God would finally pass judgment on sin and evil and cast Satan down for good. Everyone who had committed themselves to Jesus would ultimately be saved, though, because their sins were covered by his blood. God’s people would live with Him forever directly in His presence, without fear, for all eternity. Pain, sorrow, suffering and death would be gone, to be replaced forever by joy. People from every nation, language and race would surround God’s throne. All the promises God made to His people, that He would forgive their sins and make all things new, would finally be completely fulfilled. Jesus’ final message to his people, communicated through John’s revelation, was a promise that he would one day return. This time, though, he would come as the victorious king who had triumphed over sin and the grave. When the time was right, he would bring his people home to be with him and his Father forever. No matter what they might face in their lives in the present, they could be sure that the future was safe in Jesus’ hands. Taking it Further: In the Book of Revelation, we see another title for Jesus: he is the Alpha and Omega, beginning and end. History is ultimately God’s story. He was there in the beginning creating everything. All the events recorded in the Old Testament prepare the way for Jesus to come, live among us, die on the cross, and be raised from the dead. Everything that happens afterwards is the result of Jesus’ saving work on the cross and resurrection. And at the end of history, Jesus is there, his plans and work finally brought to completion. We have spent 40 days journeying through the Bible, looking at some people’s individual stories and how they fit into the bigger picture of God’s story. Think about the story of your own life. It is a part of the bigger story—the story of what God is doing throughout all of history to bless all peoples, redeem them from sin, and restore them to eternal life with Him through Jesus. What is God doing in your own story, and how does it fit into the bigger picture of His story?