Revelation For You: Seeing history from heaven's perspective (God's Word For You)

by Tim Chester

It’s worth considering the pastoral impact this vision might have had on John’s readers. “It’s not fair,” children cry from an early age. Adults are no different even if our words are more sophisticated. “Why doesn’t God help me?” “What’s God up to?” But John’s vision reminds us that we are not at the centre the world. This is God’s world, not mine. At stake is God’s glory, not mine. Everything exists to glorify God. The vision illustrates this and the song makes it explicit. God doesn’t exist to serve me or follow my agenda. For anyone who is enduring suffering, this perspective is both humbling and liberating. You are not in control in your life: God is. And he has the right to order your circumstances as he sees fit. You have no rights before God.