The Book of Revelation and Our Past, Present, Future

I happened across these two short videos about the book of Revelation.

What I particularly like about them is the way they depict the past, present, and future of the story of the creation that is present in this one book of the Bible. I have one critique: the videos would have been more complete a vision if the authors had included how ALL CREATION – non-human animals, humans, and the earth – will be restored to all together worship the Lamb on the throne on the new earth under the new heavens. This is part of the revelation of this book and the Bible’s overall message! The wolf will live with the lamb…they will not hurt on my holy mountain (Isaiah).

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”

Revelation 5:13

Jesus followers so need to embrace this vision in a more vivid, direct, and bold way.

Humans use the rest of creation today in unprecedented abominable ways, destroying God’s revelation that scripture says happens through the creation to us and to the world. Humans have no excuse, they know God but neither give thanks nor do they characterize (glorify) Him in their their treatment of creation. Romans 1:20, 21 —

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts.…

The church has a responsibility to treat the earth and animal kingdom as though the New Jerusalem on earth “as it is in heaven” has already arrived (Matthew 6, “The Lord’s Prayer”). Bearing witness to the earth’s magnificent future by treating the creation around us as we will when the New Jerusalem finally and forever is ushered in at the end of this age is part of the Christian’s witness to the world arounds us. All evil will be vanquished, so to the best of our ability under the machinery of the modern age, we have this task, our mandate, our calling, to put this peaceable kingdom on display now.

The book of Isaiah offers us a clear vision of this bright future under the lordship of the Saviour Jesus Christ for those who choose to believe in, follow, persevere, and emulate Him. Praising Abba God – Father, Son and Spirit for his great love and provision for all creation! Isaiah 11:1-9 —

Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse,
and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him—
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and strength,
the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD.
And He will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what His eyes see,
and He will not decide by what His ears hear,
but with righteousness He will judge the poor,
and with equity He will decide for the lowly of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth
and slay the wicked with the breath of His lips.
Righteousness will be the belt around His hips,
and faithfulness the sash around His waist.

 

The wolf will live with the lamb,
and the leopard will lie down with the goat;
the calf and young lion and fatling will be together,
and a little child will lead them.
The cow will graze with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play by the cobra’s den,
and the toddler will reach into the viper’s nest.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all My holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the sea is full of water.

Thank you for reading and following our blog. We pray you are blessed by it and will share it with others! Thank you ~ Kathy