BEYOND WORDS with Dr. William Campbell

Revelation 17 & 18 focus on the utter destruction of Babylon through graphic and emotive poetry. What is Babylon and why must it be destroyed? More to the point, why are we urged to "come out" from her, and what does that mean? These and other issues relevant to our lives will be explored through Biblical history and personal application.

As modern Christians, we embrace Jesus as the Lamb, but have a difficult time understanding Him as a Lion. When confronted with the Biblical theme of God’s wrath in Revelation 15 & 16, we may find ourselves rushing past the descriptions of His anger and justice that we might get to the celebration at the end of the book. To accept God’s love, however, without embracing the necessity of His justice is to denigrate both. Understood correctly, God’s wrath will motivate us to love and trust God more deeply.

How easily we humans become entrenched in our patterns of thinking. The media rides on the rails of polarization, enforcing our tendencies to react rather than reason, making it increasingly difficult for the average person to look squarely at both sides of an issue. Revelation 14’s description of the 144,000 and of the winepress of God challenges us to see God and the world in a more holistic manner; our either/or mentality is challenged by a both/and God.

Movies and books about the apocalypse highlight “the mark of the beast.” But what is this mark really? Revelation 12 & 13 provide, through pictorial representations, an understanding about “the mark” that is often overlooked. Once we see this deeper meaning, our focus turns to being sealed with “the mark of the Lamb” rather than with “the mark of the beast.”

Revelation 10 & 11 contain four mysteries, that like hidden pictures, are easily missed by the average reader. We will reveal the often-overlooked pictures in this section to highlight four points of application for every believer. Together, these four application points can inspire us to move beyond debate and division that we might unite with fresh resolve, and strengthen our faith.