The End of the Book

Many years ago I read a book that ended horribly. I don’t mean it was that the good guy didn’t win, or lovers weren’t reunited. The ending was so horrible that I am still haunted by it. I think I was somewhat traumatized by it, and I still remember it to this day. I don’t remember the title of the book or even the whole content. But, I remember that ending.

That experience with the book with the bad ending led me to develop the habit of reading the last page of any book to make sure the ending wouldn’t leave me traumatized. I kept this up for several years. With the introduction of online books, I don’t do this so much anymore.

I felt compelled to write this page for my blog in the midst of all that is happening in the world. This madness is not coincidence. All this was warned about many, many years ago. God knew what we would become, so He had an ending all ready planned. He knew our privilege of free will would be abused and would turn ugly. He is calling us to turn away from the wickedness and come back to Him.

I know every generation has felt the end of the world was near. All the bad was a sign of end times. The truth is, none of us know when this world will end. So, those of us who believe in life everlasting with Jesus, continue to read the Bible, try to practice the principles taught, and wait for the second coming of Christ!

The Bible IS the greatest book ever written. A novel, so to speak, packed with all the tributes of a best seller. There is the beautiful beginning, the book of Genesis. In the Bible Handbook, What the Bible Is All About, by Dr. Henrietta C. Mears, Genesis is referred to as “the book of beginnings”. There is “the beginning of the word, the beginning of the human race, the beginning of sin” and other beginnings. The following chapters , or books, tell of happy times, trials and tribulations, death, life and resurrection, consequences of sin, and joys of obedience. There are villains and heros, damsels in distress, broken lives and hearts. But; there is love, hope and forgiveness. Just like any novel, there are some chapters more intriguing than others. Then there is the last book, Revelation, one of the most intriguing.

Revelation packs a whole lot of punch! No sugar coating, no hidden truths. To quote Dr. Mears, “ this last book of the Bible identifies itself as the revelation of Jesus Christ, and is the only book of prophecy in the New Testament”. It’s filled with drama and eternal victory over Satan. If you have any doubts about what is going to be, or why things are the way they are now, I encourage you to read this powerful book. Like a lot of the books in the Bible, parts may be hard to understand. I mean, look how long ago it was written! I suggest an application study Bible with footnotes that put the verses in a simpler prospective.

I did read the ending of the Bible before studying it. And, spoiler alert, God wins! Knowing that, wouldn’t it make sense to want to be on the winning team? Here’s some analogies. Say you are going to the horse races and somehow you are able to see how the race ends. You know which horse you need to bet on but you like another horse better, so you put all your paycheck on the other horse. That horse loses, the one in your vision wins, and now you can’t pay your bills. You know which team wins the Super Bowl, but you don’t like that team so you put your savings on the opposing team, and it loses. Now you are broke. Both instances, you had known how the story ended, but you made the wrong choice and now it’s too late. Don’t let this choice be too late!

Revelation can be scary. A horror story for the non-believer. But for the followers of Jesus, it’s a story of promise and hope, a reason to not give up!