We’ve almost reached the end of our journey through The Last Word for Today, our series in the book of Revelation. This week we turned to some of the most sobering yet hope-filled passages—Revelation 18–20, with special focus on 20:11–15.
The word judgment makes most of us uneasy. It feels like condemnation. We picture harsh caricatures, or we hear echoes of fear. But John’s vision in Revelation insists that judgment is actually good news. As I said in the sermon:
“Judgment is the reassurance that evil will not triumph. When God judges, evil ends. When God saves, life begins. And both of those are good news.”
Babylon’s collapse in chapter 18 isn’t bad news—it’s the end of exploitation. The wedding feast of the Lamb in chapter 19 isn’t just a distant hope—it’s salvation as celebration. And the great white throne in chapter 20 is not a scene meant to terrify, but a picture of God setting things right, once and for all.
We don’t have to fear God’s judgment. As Eugene Peterson put it, “Judgment is God’s strange work, but mercy is His characteristic work.” The last word belongs to the Lamb.
May this truth help us live with courage and hope, sharing the Gospel as good news—not condemnation.
We’d love to see you in person at Lincoln Park-Lynnwood United Methodist Church, 3120 Pershing Street, Knoxville, TN. Come as you are. We’re not in the judging business. We’re in the welcoming business.
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