One Year Ago
By Hal Lindsey
One year ago this month, we launched a new television program, Hal Lindsey Presents. And what a year it has been!
We always began The Hal Lindsey Report with the words, “Yesterday’s prophecies, today’s headlines.” The new program would be oriented toward direct Bible teaching instead of current headlines. So, we altered the opening a little. It begins with the words, “Yesterday’s prophecies for today’s world.”
But the dynamic of God’s word is such that the new program, Hal Lindsey Presents, is as up to date as the old one had been. The words of Revelation were written down almost 2,000 years ago, but they feel like they were written especially for us today.
In chapters one through three, we looked at the seven churches in Asia to which the book was originally sent. Jesus Himself addressed those churches, and what He said applies to churches to this very day. Look around and you can still see the “church that lost its first love,” the “persecuted church,” the “compromising church,” the “corrupt church,” the “dead church,” and the “faithful church.” Most of all, today we see the “lukewarm, vain, and corrupt church” like the one in Laodicea. Those studies are as current as anything you will find in one of today’s church-oriented magazines.
In chapter 4, we saw the rapture of the church. At that point, the storyline of Revelation moved upward into heaven. You might expect talk of future events and of heaven to be anything but timely. And yet such study is more current than a social media newsfeed. That’s because heaven is a reality right now! As the years go by, more and more of our friends, relatives, and other loved ones reside there. Revelation gives us a fantastic glimpse at life in that amazing place.
It portrays God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit as they rule in heaven. It shows the glory and honor given to Jesus in that place. It uniquely expresses the Lord’s greatness. Revelation 1:1 tells us the real name of book. It is not “The Revelation of Saint John” as it is often called. It is, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.”
One of the great and abiding benefits of studying this book is that it forces us to raise our vision of Jesus. He was placed in a manger at His birth, but He didn’t stay in that manger. He was nailed to a cross for our sins, but He didn’t stay on the cross. They buried Him, but He didn’t stay buried! He lives! Just as He promised, God raised Him from the dead and lifted Him to the Father’s right hand where He makes intercession for us.
This is the Jesus revealed in Revelation, and He is glorious. I feel like saying that Revelation’s depiction of Jesus is beyond words. But it is with words that Revelation presents Him. The Holy Spirit gave John some of the most magnificent, mind-boggling, beautiful, soul-inspiring words ever to grace a page.
Revelation also presents a vision of the terrible world of tribulation. We Christians will be raptured before the tribulation begins, but even today we see the tribulation-world taking shape. Studying Revelation reminds us to do all we can in the cause of the Gospel every day, for the time is short.
As I write this, we are about two-thirds through Revelation, but you don’t have to have seen the other programs to understand what’s going on. Just start watching. And if you would like to get the whole picture, it’s easy to catch up. To purchase DVDs, transcripts, or downloads of previous programs, go to “Store” at the top of the HalLindsey.com page.
Or you can catch up without buying these products. At the top of the page, you will also see the word, “Videos.” Click on that word. It will bring up the most recent programs. Click on any of them to view them. If you want to start at the very beginning of our study, you will need to keep scrolling down. You will see the words “Video Archive.” Keep on scrolling until you get to “Load More.” Click on that, scroll down to the May 26, 2019 episode, and you can begin at the beginning — or at any place you like.
This study of Revelation continues to be a thrilling adventure. Thanks for coming along!
