Revelation here we come! Well we're starting a new three week series on Revelation today (Monday) on Back to the Bible. That means our readings for Powered by 4 will also be in Revelation. Now Revelation can be a little confusing. But please don't let that scare you off. This is a great place for us to go through it together!! (we love questions and dialogue you know).
Right away in Revelation 1:3 we're told "Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it." You've gotta love that. So let me encourage you to wholeheartedly jump into Revelation with us here on P4 and on Back to the Bible.
So do you have any questions about Revelation you're dying to ask? Send them over and let's start talking! And if you don't have any questions yet, here's one for you. Verse 8 says "'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God." What does the Lord being "the Alpha and Omega" mean for you personally? Tami W.
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P.S. If you're looking to do some further study in Revelation, here are a few excellent resources. Just click either product to find out more about it in our online store. I've included our Revelation Bible study as well as the 25 Portraits of Jesus in Revelation DVD series as seen and heard on Back to the Bible.
Reading Revelation for me is the the most interesting of all readings in the Bible. It challenges my thoughts and my dreams. For me personally "the Alpha and Omega" means our Lord is the head of our life and is with us from the beginning through to the end of our life here on earth and then at the beginning of our life in heaven much like a continuous circle.
Enjoy your day .... Linda
Can't wait to get into Revelations with BTTB! Looking forward to learning as much as I can. For me, "Alpha and Omega" points to God's vastness. He is so much more than we can comprehend! I think the name gives me a healthy "fear" (respect and awe) of Him.
Hi Tammy & Allen: thx for the blog. Just want you both to know that Me and my wife watch BTTB on TV, regularly. We also do the BTTB minute together, good study! I would say "Alfha Omega" means His eternal existence. The Book of the Revelation is a harsh warning to the Churches down through history and to individual believers as well to repent. " the blessings come to the ones who keep what is written in it" A challenge there!thx, Chris
Revelation is a great book, though it can be a bit scary, it is rich with wisdom, guidance and God's love and authority.
Alpha "the beginning" - Omega "the end" - Genesis "the beginning" - Revelation "the end" - God is the beginning and the end. There is nothing in between, nothing greater, nothing before and nothing after. He is GOD, our Creator, our very essence, the very breath we take.
Another take on Alpha - In the dog world there is a Alpha male. He is the head of the pack and all follow his lead. However, he can be challenged and at some point in his life he will loose. Our Lord is head we are to follow His lead. He will be challenged, but, He will not loose; therefore, the end (Omega) is in His timing.
There is no other I would rather follow and let lead my life then Christ Jesus, the Alpha and Omega.
Alpha and Omega, from the beginning through the very end and beyond. I like to think not only in terms of time, but also during episodes of challenge and trial; He is there at the start & is ready to see me through until the trouble is resolved, even if I feel isolated or abandoned... a misperception on my part. Jesus is faithful in His love!
I'm still learning the bible so I still have questions? Are the four horsemen good or evil? Will everyone get a second chance at salvation? How will God judge those who absoultely did not know him? For instance, the remote villages in the Amazons. Will God's people go thorough the tribulation or merely watch it?
Anjelica,
Thanks for all your great questions. That's exactly what we're all about on the P4 blog--sharing our thoughts & questions on the Bible passages. So thanks! The following a response to your questions from Allen Bean, a Biblical Correspondent at Back to the Bible. Tami W.
"Good" or "evil" are probably the wrong terms to apply to the four horsemen. They are symbols of God's judgment on a wicked planet. I'm sure those who experience this judgment will consider them "evil." Yet it is a just judgment against those who have rejected God and His Son, Jesus Christ. All of God's judgments are designed to cause mankind to repent and many do. John sees a great multitude in heaven and asks who they are. The angel replies, "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation" (Rev. 7:14). So, despite the pain and suffering caused by these judgments, the outcome is "good."
As far as a second chance goes, the answer is "no." Hebrews 9:27 says, "And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment." But what about those who are still alive when the Tribulation comes? Second Thessalonians 2:11-12 says, "And for this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness." So, those who have heard the Gospel and rejected it will not have a second chance.
Will those who have not heard the Gospel be judged? Romans 1:18-20 says, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse." So all will be judged. It is true, however, that some have had more light than others. While none will enter heaven apart from Christ (John 14:6), the consequences will be more severe for some than others (see the parable in Luke 12:42-48).
Will God's people go through the tribulation? There is no agreement on that issue. Some are pretribulationists (believers are raptured before the Tribulation), some are mid-tribulationists (believers raptured in the middle of the Tribulation), and others are post-tribulationists (believers raptured after the Tribulation). Back to the Bible holds a pretribulation position for the following reasons:
1. The verses that tell us to watch for the return of the Lord to remove the church do not tell us to watch for the Tribulation first (1 Thessalonians 5:4 6; Titus 2:13).
2. The Tribulation is neither destined nor intended for the Church. It is to come upon Israel and the world. The term "Jacob's trouble" (Jeremiah 30:7) refers to Israel’s experience of the Tribulation, not the Church.
3. The church is not appointed to the wrath of God, but for salvation (1 Thessalonians 5:9; 2 Peter 2:9).
4. In many passages of Scripture, we read about Christ's coming for the Church or with the Church (saints). Christ cannot come with His saints until He has come for them (1 Thessalonians 4:14).
5. Believers will already have passed from death unto life; and after their examination at the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10), there will be no further judgment for them. They will, therefore, be saved from the wrath to come (Romans 1:18; 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 1:10).
6. Christians live in light rather than darkness; they are referred to as "children of light." The "night" of Tribulation is a type of this darkness (1 Thessalonians 5:1 5).
7. The Lord has committed Himself to keep the Church from the hour of Tribulation (Revelation 3:10).
Allen, Biblical Correspondent at Back to the Bible
Thank you for answering my questions. I knew they were in the Bible but I just didn't know where to look.