For as long as I’ve been a youth pastor, few topics pique the interest of teens (and adults too) as much as the book of Revelations. And I have a theory as to why that is.

The book of Revelations, which is the last book in the Bible was written by God through visions given to John while he was exiled on the isle of Patmos. It is the recording of exactly what John saw and was instructed by God to write down (Rev. 1:19).

As we learned in the “Digging Deep” series (which birthed this blogsite), we can confidently know that the Bible is truly the Word of God revealed to humanity. It passes all types of bibliographic, historical, extra-Biblical, and even archaeological tests. And since that is true, we can know that what we read in the book of Revelations is also true. And if that’s the case, that would explain why so many people (even non-believers) are fascinated and often confounded by what the book holds. Every other book in the Bible records what has already taken place. Revelations holds prophecies yet to come about. In essence, its a window into our future that cannot and should not be easily dismissed.

Through the centuries many people have come and gone trying to predict when the “end” will be. But let me remind you of the words of Christ Himself and I think you’ll agree that any such attempt at prediction is futile…”No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matt. 24:36)

Its not our business to know when the end will come. It IS our business to ready for it! Jesus spoke parable after parable after parable which gave clear instructions for us to be ready, and not to be caught unprepared for the Lord’s return. It is when we lose sight of the fact that this world is temporary that we start living like this is all there is. But what if we actually lived as if heaven were a real place? What if we truly believed in hell (which Jesus speaks of more than heaven!)? What if we lived with an eternal perspective instead of a temporary one? What if we lived as if Jesus were returning an hour from now? What would change?

No, we can’t know exactly when Jesus will return, but we can live a life that clearly says that He WILL return!