My favourite Christmas song is Michael Card’s song ‘The Final Word’, which speaks of Christ’s incarnation, looking at His title ‘the Word’ (John 1:1-3, Hebrews 1:1-3). I am always reminded that God had the first word (speaking creation into being, Genesis 1) and will have the last word in our world.
In our Bible studies on Revelation, we are seeing many woes: times of trouble, disaster and judgment. Revelation 8, after speaking of silence in heaven for half-an-hour as creation waits in fearful expectation for God to move, goes on to speak of seven trumpets. The woes associated with the first four of these are dark indeed: hail and fire mixed with blood resulting in the destruction of a third of the earth; destruction of the sea, poisoning of the waters; a lack of light. Woe is pronounced at the end of the chapter (Revelation 8:13) as if the woes described already were not enough.
Is woe all we have to look forward to? Is the future really so bleak?
There will indeed be difficult days ahead if this part of the Bible is to be believed, but it is important to remember that this is not the end of the story. Every story, if we take a ‘freeze frame’ in the middle, has this tension and apparent disaster, but a good writer then develops the storyline to bring about resolution and that coveted ‘happy ending.’ God is the greatest storywriter of all. He has a wonderful ending for all who believe in Him. His final word is one of restoration and light and life.
So don’t give up on the story because of the present (or future) woe. Remember God has the final word, and He’s told us it will be a positive one!
