You might be surprised to hear that Pastor Mike is preaching a sermon series on the book of Revelation. Maybe you’ve heard that Revelation is a scary book filled with troubling images. Or perhaps you’ve tried to read it yourself and were confused by all the numbers and symbols. Indeed, the book has some disturbing themes and has a great deal of symbolic language. However, the book of Revelation was written not to confuse or frighten its readers but to comfort and encourage them. To understand its message, we can go back to a story that shaped the identity of God’s people and serves as a backdrop for the last book of the Bible: the exodus.

Do you know that story? The one where Moses leads God’s people out of slavery in Egypt? Maybe you heard it in Sunday school, read it in your Bible, or perhaps you’ve watched the DreamWorks movie The Prince of Egypt. The story in the Bible comes right after the book of Genesis.

That event took place about 3,400 years ago. The nation of Israel had been enslaved in Egypt for 400 years. God raised up a man named Moses to confront the bad, bad king of Egypt. But the hard-hearted king, or pharaoh, would not loosen his grip on God’s people. So God sent plague after plague to get his attention. Nothing worked. Until finally, God caused the angel of death to pass over all the houses in Egypt, and all their firstborn sons died. Only the Israelites’ firstborn sons were saved because they had put the blood of a lamb on their doorframes.

Fast-forward to the book of Revelation. In the same way, Rome and other oppositional powers set themselves up against God’s people. Like in the days of Moses, God sends troubles and plagues to get their attention. But nothing seems to work. So finally, God brings his final judgment. And all those who are covered in the blood of the Lamb of God, which means to believe in Jesus Christ, will be set free and rescued. And all of God’s enemies will receive God’s justice.

As challenging as the book of Revelation is, it all points to a central message: God will deliver his people. In Jesus, God covers his people with his forgiveness and protection. We need not fear those who fight against us or the judgment to come. Just like with the ancient Israelites, our story will end in victorious freedom.