Biblical Prophecy, Eschatology: Why Believe in Revelation?

In post modern times, everyone says that it does not matter what you believe provided that it makes you feel good.  I could not disagree more.  

 It’s only worth believing in if it’s really true.

 The real merit to believing in anything really comes down to whether or not the belief held is in fact true.  Why believe in something that does not really matter?  Even the Bible affirms this fact.  If Christ Jesus did not in fact rise from the dead, then Christianity itself would only prove a futility.   Placing your faith in Jesus Christ (or any other entity labeled God) only has merit as long as the belief is in fact true. Blind faith has never been considered a virtue by anybody.  To place your faith in something untrue will only prove to everyone you are a fool in the end.  Whether a bridge I cross holds me depends only upon whether it’s construction is sound.  If it is not sound, all the belief in the world will not keep me from falling through it.  Biblical faith is defined as a hope that has made itself sure; sure of the object it believes in.

Don’t pretend to know if you really don’t

 The Christian faith is an objective faith.  Objectivity implies a focus on object; basing your opinions on what is clearly revealed rather than imagined.  Why should Christians believe in revelation, you ask?  It is not because we have personally witnessed the existence of hell or heaven ourselves.  It is not because we can actually predict the future.  I can say with complete certainty I cannot tell the end from the beginning.  I am also fairly certain you cannot either.  So talking as if you had actually been there when you have not is quite silly.  It’s equally silly to talk as if it does not exist when you in fact have no way of proving the contrary.  Both stances are examples of thinking you know when you really don’t.  Nobody can really add or take away from what is revealed.  Objectivity always has to get real with itself.  Objectivity must always distinguish between knowing something and believing in it.  No person really knows the future until the future actually happens.  Anybody who thinks different is only kidding themselves.   

We believe in Biblical Revelation because they derive from a very credible source.

To find truth about things we do not know firsthand for ourselves always requires one to look objectively at what is revealed.  Christianity accept biblical revelation not because they know these things firsthand for themselves, but because of the credibility and the authority of the ones who told us.  They believe in Biblical revelations because they believe in Christ and his words.  It is not illogical to believe in something you have not seen if you believe it because of the reliable testimony of a credible source.  Only people who have actually been to heaven can speak with any authority on the subject.  Only a God who has a proven track record for predicting future events already can be considered credible.  Their personal experience and identity uniquely qualify them for this.  The miracles Christ performed and his resurrection from the dead all lend authority to his words.    The persecutions both Jesus and John endured for their testimony demonstrates their lack of motive for fabricating such a story.  All of this gives their words incredible weight; a weight of evidence that cannot be really dismissed or ignored.

Revelation is always more objective than imagination.

A person can choose to disbelieve such historical evidence, but that would only be letting your vain imaginations get the best of you.  A person cannot be objective when their own biases cloud their perception.  Believing in revelation requires first being open to what is clearly revealed by the data itself.  It means letting the truth speak for itself.  God may be trying to teach you the truth.  The very word Revelation itself really implies this; the Word means unveiling and it requires a willingness to listen on your part.  A person always seems to hear what they listen for.  It is why God said “He who has ears let him hear.”