DVD Series Looks at Book of Revelation

"God Wins," a new, eight-session DVD packet accompanied by a leader's guide, provides an alternative, more peaceful look at the Book of Revelation than the one promoted by the best-selling "Left Behind" series of apocalyptic novels by authors Tim Lahaye and Jerry Jenkins, says Rev. Lew Vender Meer, a pastor who adapted the video series from several sermons he preached on the topic.

Published recently by Faith Alive Christian Resources, the video series and leader's guide portrays the Book of Revelation as a highly symbolic look at the trials and tribulation man has experienced through history and how Christ, having achieved victory by dying on the cross, will return one day "in majesty and glory."

Faith Alive Christian Resources is the publishing ministry of the Christian Reformed Church.

As described in "God Wins," there is no period of tribulation following Earth-destroying events, probably no real anti-Christ, and no Rapture in which believers will be suddenly swept away to heaven, leaving behind the rest of humanity to deal with horrors that follow. In the "Left Behind" series, these things are portrayed as real.

Regardless of the approach, the "Left Behind" series as with "God Wins," triumph comes in the Lord, but the issue is what happens in the process.

"I take on the 'Left Behind' series and look at the book from the perspective of the reformers," says Vander Meer.

So far, the Left Behind series of books have sold more than 11 millions copies with their grim, world-rattling portrayal of the Book of Revelation.

"This book in the Bible is highly symbolic. It's kind of a picture book. It's poetry. It's not about some idea that fighting is coming and you'd better be worried about it," says Vander Meer, a long-time high school Bible teacher and pastor of New Community Church, a non-denominational church in Grand Rapids, MI.

The Reformed approach to the end times is called Amillennial, a view that, contrary to what is called Premillenial, teaches that there is no literal 1,000 years of bliss awaiting Christians in the future, no Rapture and no seven-year time of tribulation of intense suffering for those left behind before the Lord returns.

Coming out of the historical context of the persecution of early Christians by Rome, Amillenialism is a view that says "Revelation focuses primarily on the past, but – like any good history lesson – also looks at the present and the future," says Vander Meer in the leader's guide booklet.

"This view (Amillenialism) says that Revelation is a symbolic record of the testing of the church throughout history, but offers a clear message that the church has been (and will continue to be) victorious."

Looking back in history, we can see the terrible things that have already happened – the Muslim invasions of the Christian west, the black plagues of the Middle Ages, and the two world wars, says Vanander Meer. "Until Christ comes back, we will continue to have problems, but there will be no Armageddon."

Armageddon is, according to the Left Behind books, a battle that supposedly takes place at a site in the Middle East and God's wrath is poured out. Before this time, the view says, Israel must be back in Palestine before the last seven years of tribulation can begin.

Vander Meer says he may not have it all right and that there are parts of the book, and its symbols, that he is still grappling with. Making it difficult is the fact that John Calvin, the founder of the Reformed faith, did not write a commentary on this book like he did on most of the other books in the Bible.

The tough thing, he says, is interpreting the symbols in the Book of Revelation in light of a serious, literal reading of the Bible. Careful attention needs to be paid to the symbols and what they mean. In his series, Vander Meer discusses his view of what the "rainbow" contained in Revelation 4: 4 means.

Among other things, he says, the rainbow symbolizes the "the brilliance and beauty of God's presence … Also the rainbow reminds us of God's covenant with Noah. The amazing God we see is the covenant God who is forever faithful to us."

Vander Meer also looks at what certain numbers symbolize and how the Book of Revelation is divided up. In addition, he quotes respected Reformed scholars on the subject of suffering and how we might want to look the end times. Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., for instance, wrote, "God's good is often hard for us to understand. In fact, it's sometimes hard to measure… Could it be that the saints are sometimes called to bear a fearful disease with grace so as to encourage those of us who are weak?"

Although Vander Meer is featured solely on the videos, he had help from Bob Rozema in writing the leader's guide. Rozema, an editor and former high school teacher, in a separate article in the guide, writes about the view that Jehovah Witnesses take on this passage from Revelation 7:4: "Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel."

Many Jehovah Witnesses believe that 144,000 people will be members of the "anointed little flock" and will rule with God in heaven, writes Rozema. He also writes that taking the book literally or symbolically can have a "great impact on what we believe."

Contrary to the Left Behind view, Vander Meer reads Revelation to mean that heaven will not necessarily always be way up there, existing in a dimension well beyond ours'. Instead, he takes the Book of Revelation as talking about heaven descending to earth, so that heaven can be where we live now.

"In summary," says the leader's guide, "the Reformed historical view is not filled with anxiety, war, violence, and fear, and with ongoing (and usually contradictory and unfulfilled) predictions of violence and destruction brought by various 'evil' nations."

Aware that the Christian life isn't easy and that battles of various kinds are always being fought, Vander Meer tries to bring the Book of Revelation into a clearer, less overwhelming perspective.

"I want to help people see this as a book of encouragement," he says. "My hope and prayer is that this series opens up the Book of Revelation to the church and makes the book more available to people," says Vander Meer, who previously did a video series on the Belgic Confessions for Faith Alive.