Death is the tyrant that threatens all creation with irreplaceable loss and ultimate meaninglessness. But the One who brings this prophecy has dealt with death and rendered death helpless by becoming the firstborn from the dead.
– Paige Patterson on Revelation 1:5 in Revelation (NAC)
Point your whole life toward that glorious consummation, and let everything you do between now and then be informed by that moment when Jesus will come. Live for him now so that you will enjoy him then. Meditate on these texts until the blazing purity of the Lord Jesus is more desirable to you than the filthy pleasures that are nothing more than twisted parodies of his good gifts. And do everything you can to make sure that your day-to-day activities are done in a way that honors the King.
– James M. Hamilton Jr. in Revelation
Theme: Behold the Coming of Our Triumphant King
Behold: Behold the visions John saw and recorded.
Coming: Jesus is coming soon. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
King: Jesus reigns as king over all.
Triumphant King: Jesus will defeat all his enemies when he returns.
Our Triumphant King: No matter how bad things look, we are on the winning side. Because Jesus wins, so will we.
So let us live with courageous hope. No matter what we face, we can have courage today because we have a sure hope for the future.
So let us live with faithful endurance. In the face of persecution, temptations, and suffering, let us endure faithfully for our King.
So let us live with awe-filled worship. We have a great King who is worthy of all praise, glory, and honor, so let us worship him in awe.
One of the main goals of the book, therefore, is to exhort believers to remain faithful to Christ in spite of present sufferings and in spite of the temptations to engage in idolatry represented by compromise with the world-system, because this faithfulness will eventually be rewarded in the heavenly kingdom.
– G.K. Beale in Revelation
– Joel Beeke in Revelation
The goal of Revelation is to bring encouragement to believers of all ages that God is working out His purposes even in the midst of tragedy, suffering, and apparent Satanic domination. It is the Bible’s battle cry of victory, for in it, more than anywhere else in the NT, is revealed the final victory of God over all the forces of evil. As such, it is an encouragement to God’s people to persevere in the assurance that their final reward is certain and to worship and glorify God despite trials and despite temptations to march to the world’s drumbeat.
– G.K. Beale in Revelation
Brian J. Mikul 