Image by Cailin Valente
Usually, when we go to the movies, we sit through a series of trailers that advertise movies coming soon. The best trailers catch our interest and make us want to see the actual movie. Today’s passages from Revelations is like a really good trailer, showing a city made of gold and jewels, four creatures that look like they came out of a fantasy novel, and the King of Kings on the throne with a throng of subjects singing his praises.
The best thing, though, is that this passage is not just hyping up a movie, but something that will actually happen someday. Advent doesn’t just make us anticipate the coming of Jesus in the world as a child, but His second coming into our world.
When we hear the word “Apocalypse” we usually think of those movie trailers that show people in a gritty, futuristic world, complete with shaky cam and photogenic young adults. Revelations, however, shows that the actual apocalypse is a joyful one. When you get past the plagues and demons, the actual story of Revelations is a sneak preview of Heaven.
It’s a lot to take in, I know. Some of the stuff in Revelation seems too bizarre to be true. But the point of the text is that great things are still to come. As long as our lives are, they are still temporary compared to the eternal life that we will have in Heaven.
So how the heck can we make the most of our lives until then? By living with joy. When we lead joyful lives, we lead others into the light of the Lord’s salvation. Through leading joyful lives, we become daughters of light and can anticipate the Savior’s coming and our eternal lives in Heaven.
Rejoice, sisters in Christ, because the Lord is coming soon.
Study Questions
1.What do you think of when you think of the end of the world? Do you think of movies like The Hunger Games or do you actually look forward to when Jesus comes? Why?
2.How do you think living with joy can help us in this Year of Mercy? What do joy and mercy have in common?
This year's study journal is broken into 4 parts.
To view each, please scroll to the middle of the above link