God's Final Word, Understanding Revelation Author: Ray C. Stedman

I read this book recently and really enjoyed it. Here is a review from here: http://awell-wateredgarden.blogspot.com/2013/01/review-gods-final-word-understanding.html

Review: God's Final Word, Understanding Revelation by Ray C. Stedman

Title: God's Final Word, Understanding Revelation
Author: Ray C. Stedman
Publisher: Originally published 1991/Discovery House Publishers 2012
Genre: Non-Fiction
Labels: New Testament, Revelation, Bible, Bible Commentary
Format: Paperback
Age: Adult
Pages: 384
Rating: 5 Stars


Revelation is a book in the Bible that is often misunderstood and or ignored. A casual reader of the Bible will read through the book, not stopping to try and understand it. It's treated as if it's something to be feared, rather than studied and embraced.

Ray C. Stedman explains Revelation in terms that are easy to understand.
Some of these topics are:

• The letters to the seven churches. 
• The various horsemen. 
• Angels and other created beings. 
• God's judgment.
• The meaning behind the symbols.
• The seals that are opened.
• God's Word that stands alone.
• The Holy City.

After reading God's Final Word, Understanding Revelation, there are two things that stand out to me.

1. Revelation is a book of hope. I live in a world that is steadily becoming more violent. People are eager to find a way to protect human life, albeit with other innocent life they call that (a choice). It's a mixed-up world, and I feel as if I don't belong in this world. That feeling of not feeling as if I don't belong here is because I don't, I'm a child of God, and someday he will call me to my true home, which is with Him in heaven. Revelation is a book of hope, because at some point God will say enough. Enough of the selfishness, greed, hatred, strife, war, murder, arguments, pride, arrogance, vengeance, and apathy, that has continued to morph and fester until it's hard to imagine it could get any worse. Revelation gives me hope that someday all these things will pass away, they "will grow strangely dim", and will be forgotten by us.
2. Revelation is a book of judgment. Ray C. Stedman calls our age, an age of grace. "God's dealings with mankind enter a new phase. At the end of human history God at last turns from grace to judgment." page 128. Throughout the Bible we are shown God's grace, especially in the New Testament. But there will come a time when God will "turn from grace to judgment." For those who are unbeliever's this judgment will fall on them and crush them, for those who've accepted by faith Jesus as God's Son and believe in His Gospel message, they will be saved. Talking about God's judgment is not something people take kindly to. Human nature is rebellious and defiant. People want to be the master of their own life. There will come a time when all mouths will cease spewing out what they will or will not do, and our Holy God will say "enough".

Thank you to Discovery House Publishers and Ray C. Stedman for my free review copy in exchange for an honest review.