The news can be overwhelming on a good day and depressing on a normal day. Wars, scandals, financial crises, social decline, and political buffoonery are enough to make anyone exhausted.
We need to learn to read the news the biblical way. Revelation can help us.
When I talk about reading the Bible with the help of Revelation, you may think I’m talking about trying to decipher specific visions and tying them to current events. That’s not what I mean. I mean following three key themes in the book of Revelation that will help us read the news today.
Our Challenge is Us, Not the World
Revelation was written in uncertain times. The news would have been equally disturbing in John’s day. Believers were a small and persecuted minority. They faced pressure to compromise and participate in the imperial cult. The poor were exploited. Earthquakes were common. The emperor ruled with an iron fist.
In Revelation 2 and 3, Jesus brings messages to the seven churches of Asia Minor. The messages differ, but they’re not focused on the situation in the world. They’re messages that encourage faithfulness in the church and rebuke the drift that was happening in some of the churches.
The world’s a mess, but our primary focus should not be on what’s wrong with the world, but on staying faithful even in the hardest of times. Our biggest challenge isn’t the world. It’s ourselves — our own obedience and perseverance. May God help us to stay faithful.
God Is on His Throne
Revelation begins with an awesome vision of the son of man (Revelation 1:12-18). After Christ gives his messages to the churches, John is given a vision of God’s throne in heaven (Revelation 4 and 5). What we need most in turbulent times is a vision of God on his throne.
In his book The (Not-So-Secret) Secret to Reaching the Next Generation, Kevin DeYoung describes what the next generation needs. It’s also what we need in troubling times:
Give them a God who is holy, independent, and unlike us—a God who is good, just, full of wrath, and full of mercy. Give them a God who is sovereign, powerful, tender, and true. Give them a God with edges. Give them an undiluted God who makes them feel cherished and safe, and small and uncomfortable too. Give them a God who works all things after the counsel of his will and for the glory of his name. Give them a God whose love is lavish and free. Give them a God worthy of wonder and fear, a God big enough for all our faith, hope, and love.
We need a vision of God on his throne.
History is in God’s Hands
The rest of Revelation has a clear message: history is in God’s hands, and it’s unfolding exactly as it should. God is not worried about the chaos in the world. He will bring everything to a beautiful resolution, and the hardships of God’s people are only temporary. Our future is secure, even if things seem out of control to our eyes.
Revelation is the book that we need when the news is hard to read. The challenge isn’t the world out there, but our own faithfulness. God is on his throne, and history is in God’s hands. These three themes will help us to read the news more biblically.
