Forgiveness as the Central Message of the Apocalypse
The Apocalypse, which precedes the return of Jesus Christ to earth, will begin, according to Revelation. The author of the book of Revelation, John, had several visions of how this would occur and provides the main answer to the question of how to recognize the real Jesus and how to win this war, to forgive his enemy, those who would destroy Christians in unimaginable numbers. John believed that the witnesses would be resurrected and that mankind would realize what lesson God had planned for us (Peros, 2022).
Even though it appears that a lot of individuals are still uncertain whether the Apocalypse has begun or if it is imminent, many are terrified of what God has in store for them. Many people are still unsure whether they are doing the right thing and are concerned about those who may make mistakes or lose faith in the second coming. The most important message that John is trying to convey to us in this battle is to forgive the enemy who will make many sacrifices for Him and who will love Him as Christ did when He sacrificed Himself for all of humanity.
The Challenge of Forgiving National and Personal Enemies
For humanity, forgiving their adversary remains one of the most difficult tasks. Many people, especially when their adversary commits atrocities, are unable to forgive him. Individuals believe that it is God’s responsibility to forgive, but they continue to hate. If forgiving an enemy is difficult for a single person, it is exponentially more difficult when the entire nation has a common enemy. After all, John says that all Christians will face an enemy who will destroy them, and people will question God, “Why?” When a country has a common enemy, it is difficult not to hate them, let alone forgive and love them (Peros, 2022). However, the book of Revelation makes it abundantly clear that hatred and vengeance will not triumph; only love will. Peace will come when the majority of people realize that it is love that is important. As a result, the task of the priests who interpret Revelation is to teach forgiveness rather than to support anger and malice because they have no idea what they are doing.
Corruption, Confusion, and the Enduring Call to Mercy
It is difficult to explain to even a small group of people that only forgiveness and love can save humanity, just as it is difficult not to respond to those who destroy us with hatred and anger. People will see such people as accomplices to evil and traitors and will miss the point entirely. This is why mankind wants to know what the book of Revelation is about, what it describes, and what John is pointing out to us. He assumed that by then, the churches would be compromised and that many churches would be corrupted, which is why what is happening is happening (Peros, 2022). That is why nations will be skeptical of the church and those who are told by the church that the enemy must be forgiven.
People will be desperate, searching for answers but failing to find them. Every day, it will appear that the end is near or that there is no end. Many people will give up because they will be unable to make sense of everything. However, John did not simply write a book in which there will be a way out at the end and people will simply need to follow these instructions. This lesson, like any other, people need to learn for themselves and thus endure everything that God denounces us, but only to realize their mistakes and understand what to do, which is mercy.
Reference
Peros, N. (2022). Revelation revealed. Wipf & Stock Publishers.