Should churches avoid the books of Genesis and Revelation?

Abstract

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to speak with a well-known Creationist and author who was speaking at a homeschool convention we attended. Later, at his booth, I introduced myself and we talked for a bit about a range of things. He told me one thing in particular, however, that stood out and stayed with me ever since. He said many conservative pastors wanted him to speak at their churches, but their deacon and elder boards wouldn’t allow it. When I asked why, he said it was because they had a general policy to avoid the books of Genesis and Revelation. Wow! I was floored then and have been ever since.

But, I know it’s true. Whether consciously or subconsciously, many churches avoid Genesis 1-11 and Revelation. Not all, of course, but I think it’s safe to say, most. And it begs the question, why?

In this article, we’ll delve into some of the “controversial” aspects of Genesis and Revelation, which may be fueling their avoidance. To be sure, they are different books, but they share some intriguing commonalities. What are these commonalities and do they warrant avoidance? More to the point, does God want churches to avoid these books?

After a careful examination of Scripture, we’ll see the answer is a resounding, NO. The only thing we avoid by avoiding Genesis and Revelation is God’s blessing.

Too Much Interpretive Controversy?

The first controversial commonality might be interpretation controversies. There is no question, Genesis and Revelation invite disagreement and argument. That’s a given. Genesis, as we know, has seen a surge of alternative interpretations since the rise of the deep-time/evolutionary paradigm, and Revelation has always been the subject of disagreement, albeit for different reasons.

Churches today want to focus on unity, and taking a stand on either of these books is a surefire way to rock the boat. Let’s be honest. Members have left over less.

But interpretative controversies should never be a reason to avoid any part of God’s word. This would be the worst possible way to promote unity. Remember, the Church is not trying to achieve unity at all costs. Jesus, himself, said he would be a source of controversy and division (Matt. 10:34-37). The Church, rather, should be seeking unity in the faith and in the knowledge of Christ so it can combat the doctrinal trickery of men. Listen carefully to how Paul instructs church leaders to promote unity in the body of Christ.

Eph. 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

It is the unity of the faith that joins and knits us together. Scripture prevents the children of God from being tossed around by the various false doctrines that divide us. We don’t want the type of unity that comes from avoiding Scripture. That is a false unity that could inflate the number of tares in the Church. We need Scripture to stabilize us, and not just some Scripture. We need all of it.

Paul told the overseers of the Church that he had fulfilled his duty to them by declaring the “whole counsel of God.” He then warned that savage wolves and false teachers would arise and attempt to divide the flock. Nevertheless, he was confident the “whole counsel of God” would protect them.

Acts 20:26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27 For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. 28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.

Scripture is God’s Counsel to the Church, and we need all of it, from beginning to end. Paul told Timothy that “all Scripture,” including the Old Testament which Timothy knew from childhood, is able to make us “complete,” and “thoroughly equipped for every good work” (1Tim. 3:15-17). Are we so foolish to think we just need a little Scripture?

There is no question unity in the Church is difficult, but without the whole counsel of Scripture, it’s nearly impossible. Avoiding the beginning and end of the Bible can’t possibly be a good solution to the problem.

Too Much Bad News?

That said, there’s another commonality in these books that might play an even greater role in their avoidance. Both Genesis and Revelation are rife with bad news.

It’s not all bad, of course. Genesis contains the protevangelium¹—the very first Gospel prophecy (Gen. 3:15) and Revelation contains the Gospel throughout. Both books have good news, throughout, and both proclaim Jesus throughout. But, if you’re looking for positive, uplifting, inspirational stories, I can see why some shy away.

Bad News in Genesis

Genesis chronicles humanity’s fall from grace and the entrance of sin and death into the world. All the suffering we see around us today is the result of events recorded in Genesis 2-3.

God didn’t create the world this way, initially. In the beginning, everything was good.

Gen. 1:31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Adam and Eve Driven out of Eden by Paul Gustave Doré

“Adam and Eve Driven out of Eden” Paul Gustave Doré, engraving – 1865

This all changed, however, when Adam ignored God’s warning, and brought judgement on himself and his descendants.

Gen. 3:17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, “You shall not eat of it’: ‘Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”

From that day forward, human beings have had an innate, hereditary sin nature that has rendered them accountable to God. As wickedness multiplied on the earth, so did God’s judgments.

Rom. 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned…

The Fall is truly the most tragic news in all of history, and its effects continue to multiply.

Bad News in Revelation

Revelation, on the other hand, chronicles the culmination of sin and judgment which began at the Fall. It contains the terrifying conclusion of the Fall. Sin entered through Adam, but will reach its apex in the last days, when the last Adam² (Jesus Christ) will carry out God’s judgement (Acts 17:31).

A time of tribulation is coming when the world will suffer like never before (Mat. 24:21). Jesus is the Lamb, but he is also the Lion (Rev. 5:5) who will release terrible wrath on the world (Rev. 6).

It’s easy, therefore, to see why some churches are reluctant to dive into Genesis (1-11) and the apocalyptic portions of Revelation. Isn’t Church supposed to be about Good News? Doesn’t the world need to hear the Gospel?

Bad News Provides Needed Context

The folly of this argument should be apparent. The fall of man and coming wrath provide vital context for the good news. The historical fall of Adam created the need for the historical sacrifice of Christ (Rom. 5:12-19), and the coming final judgments reveals our desperate need to receive forgiveness through faith. “Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men…” (2Cor. 5:11).

image from Answers in Genesis

Without the bad news, the good news makes no sense. If there was no fall, no curse, and no future judgment, there is no need for the Cross. They are all linked together in an unbreakable storyline that must be told from beginning to end. Jesus specifically referred to himself as the Beginning and the End.

Rev. 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

Funny how we rarely think of him in these terms. The bad news argument is definitely a non-starter.

Too Much Wrath?

This brings me to a third commonality of Genesis and Revelation which might steer some well meaning pastors and teachers away. Both contain epic accounts of worldwide wrath. We see judgment throughout Scripture, but nothing comes close to the Flood and Apocalypse.

The Flood

For the antediluvians (people who lived before the Flood), God’s wrath culminated at the time of the Flood when He killed millions, perhaps over a billion people.

Gen. 6:5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Gen. 7:23 So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive.

The Deluge, exhibited 1840, Francis Danby 1793-1861, Presented by the Friends of the Tate Gallery 1971

The Noachian Flood is often depicted as a fun children’s story. We’ve all seen the pictures of jolly-Noah and his wife stuffed in the cute boat with the protruding giraffe. This is a tragic misrepresentation (as Ken Ham often points out). The Flood was the most terrifying demonstration of God’s wrath the world had ever seen. Countless, millions of people and creatures were pummeled and drowned by the flood waters. There is nothing fun about this account. Imagine listening to crowds beating the outer walls of the Ark and screaming until their voices are muffled. Noah was a man of sorrow who witnessed the terror of the Lord like no one else.

The Apocalypse

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Viktor Vasnetsov-1887

And yet, as terrifying as the Flood was, the coming tribulation will be worse. Jesus said of this time, “…there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matt. 24:21). The terror aspect of the Flood lasted perhaps a few days or weeks (maybe a little longer) until the last living creature on the earth drew its last breath. The terror of the Apocalypse will last 7 years. The book of Revelation reveals 21 future judgments that Jesus himself will unleash over this period of time. They will consist of 7 seal judgments, 7 trumpet judgements and 7 bowl judgements. They will make the sufferings of the Flood seem mild. From GotQuestions.org:³

The seven seals include the appearance of the Antichrist (Revelation 6:1–2), great warfare (Revelation 6:3–4), famine (Revelation 6:5–6), plague (Revelation 6:7–8), the martyrdom of believers in Christ (Revelation 6:9–11), a devastating earthquake causing terrible devastation, and astronomical upheaval (Revelation 6:12–14). Those who survive the six seals are right to cry out, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Revelation 6:16–17).

The seventh seal introduces the seven trumpet judgments. The trumpets include hail and fire that destroy much of the plant life in the world (Revelation 8:7), the death of much of the world’s aquatic life (Revelation 8:8–9; 8:10–11), the darkening of the sun and moon (Revelation 8:12), a plague of “demonic locusts” that torture the unsaved (Revelation 9:1–11), and the march of a demonic army that kills a third of humanity (Revelation 9:12–21).

The seventh trumpet calls forth seven angels who carry the seven bowls of God’s wrath (Revelation 11:15–19; 15:1–8). The bowl judgments include painful sores afflicting humanity (Revelation 16:2), the death of every living thing in the sea (Revelation 16:3), the turning of rivers to blood (Revelation 16:4–7), an intensifying of the sun’s heat (Revelation 16:8–9), great darkness and an intensification of the sores from the first bowl (Revelation 16:10–11), the advance the Antichrist’s armies at Armageddon (Revelation 16:12–14), and a devastating earthquake followed by giant hailstones (Revelation 16:15–21).³

Both the Flood and the Apocalypse are tragic accounts of God’s patience coming to an end. They are terrifying worldwide outpourings. I, therefore, understand the concern. It’s hard to preach about these things with a smile (nor would I expect anyone to). But they are important accounts that warn us of God’s justice. True, they can elicit fear, but the fear of the Lord is a much needed blessing. It is the beginning of wisdom (Psa. 111:10, Prov. 1:7, 9:10).

The Blessing of Fear

Many Christians do not want to be seen as fear-mongers. Isn’t the Gospel about eliminating fear? Do we really want to be scaring people into heaven?

Actually, we kind of do. Christianity is not about ending fear, but rather, refocusing fear. Jesus said,

Matt. 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

We need to be very careful to differentiate the fear of the Lord from the fear of everything else. It is the fear of the Lord that drives other fears away. The fear of the Lord can also lead to wisdom, which can lead to the Cross.

The Pardon of the Good Thief by James Tissot

James Tissot (French, 1836-1902). The Pardon of the Good Thief 1886-1894. Brooklyn Museum, Purchased by public subscription, 00.159.296

The best example of this might be Luke’s account of the two thieves crucified with Christ. You’ll recall one entered Paradise, the other did not. One accepted the Gospel, the other did not. And yes, one feared God, the other did not.

Luke 23:39 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” 40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” 43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

The fear of God was a fountain of life for one of the thieves who found himself condemned alongside Christ. It lead him to the Cross—literally—unto faith, salvation and Paradise. The other approached the Cross without fear, and perished. We definitely don’t want this fate for others. We want them to have a healthy fear of God when they are confronted with the truth of the Cross.

The content of wrath in Genesis and Revelation is definitely not something to avoid. It is indeed a blessing. The world needs to know about God’s wrath that they might fear Him unto wisdom.

This leaves me with one final objection I’ve heard many times.

Preach Only The Cross?

Many Christians claim that Paul urged the Church to avoid everything in Scripture except Christ and him crucified. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the following argument.

Stop worrying about Genesis. Just talk about Jesus! Preach Christ and him crucified and let everything else go. Have you not read Paul? “For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1Cor. 2:2).

First, let me say, yes, I have read Paul, and we Christians are definitely all about the Good News. I love the Good News. There is no salvation apart from it. Paul said, “…I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…” (Rom. 1:16) He also said, “…woe is me if I do not preach the gospel,” (1Cor. 9:16).

But, this does not mean we avoid the rest of the Bible and it certainly doesn’t mean we ignore Genesis and Revelation. The objector fails to understand that Paul handled various audiences in different ways. Yes, there were times when he focused on Christ and him crucified, but there were other times when he gave background information. Mars Hill comes to mind, where Paul actually focused on historical judgment and prophetic wrath.

Paul at Mars Hill

The men and women gathered at Mars Hill were a very different audience than Paul was accustomed to. They did not have the foundational knowledge of the Jews and God-fearing Greeks in the synagogues. They did not know the true history of their origins,⁴ nor the nature of their Creator. Somewhere along the line, they lost their history and were limited to fantastical mythologies and legends. We’re all familiar with Greek mythology. It’s fascinating, but it’s not history.

They also took great pride in their ability to reason, and were quite good at it. But they had no foundational truth to reason from. Human reasoning is futile if it does not start with God’s wisdom. Human wisdom can only lead to confusion and pride and never to the fear of God which is the beginning of true wisdom. Paul recognized this and proceeded to provide them with some desperately needed information.

Historical Judgment

“Paul in Athens” Raphael — 1515

Look carefully at Paul’s words to the philosophers at Mars Hill (Acts 17:22-34). He told them they were religious, but worshipped idols in ignorance and needed to know the true God (v. 22-23). He proclaimed God as Creator and Lord (v. 24), not an idol (v. 25). He then revealed that God made all the nations from one man and that He was sovereign over them (v. 26). He proclaimed all men should seek after God (v. 27) who is the sustainer and Creator of all (v. 28). He denounced their idolatry (v. 29), urged their repentance and warned them God’s patience was coming to an end. (v. 30).

Prophetic Wrath

After laying a foundation of historical judgment, Paul, interestingly, moved to prophetic wrath. Look closely at what he said next.

Acts 17:31 “because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”

Paul, amazingly, went from historical judgment to future wrath. He did not preach about the sacrifice of the Lamb, but rather the wrath of the Lamb. He warned them of a day in when a resurrected man would judge the world. This is profound. Believers will rejoice at the return of our resurrected Lord, but unbelievers will have a very different reaction.

Rev. 6:15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

The “wrath of the Lamb” is rarely preached today, and it’s tragic. The world needs to hear about the Jesus of Revelation that they might fear and embrace the Jesus of the Gospels. They need the whole counsel of God.

Mars Hill Reactions

Many scoffed at Paul, at this point. The idea of a resurrected man carrying out God’s judgments ran counter to their “wisdom.” Others, however, took heed and wanted to hear more.

Acts 17:32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.”

Strangely enough, that’s where Paul ended things on Mars Hill—no cross, no forgiveness, no good news.⁵

Paul Departed, Some Followed

You would think, after laying the foundation of historical judgment and future wrath, Paul would have segued into the Gospel right there on Mars Hill. He didn’t.⁵

Acts 17:33 So Paul went out of their midst.

For whatever reason, Paul did not see an open door to continue to the Gospel with this particular audience at this particular time.⁵ He did give them a blessing, however. They received the bad news of historical judgment and prophetic wrath which can foster fear, wisdom and a desire to seek. And that’s exactly what happened.

Acts 17:32 …others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” 33 So Paul departed from among them. 34 However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

The fear of the Lord is a blessing that leads to life (Prov. 14:27, 19:23, 22:4). Luke tells us Dionysius, Damaris and many others desired to hear Paul again and followed after him. Soon, they heard the message of the Cross and believed.

Know Your Audience

Some will point out that this was rare for Paul. He normally preached the Gospel and didn’t get into origins and future wrath the way he did at Mars Hill. I would agree. Paul’s custom was to preach in the synagogues to the Jews and God-fearing Greeks (Acts 17:1-2). His typical audiences were already acquainted with the bad news of history and prophecy, and already possessed the fear of God (Acts 13:16, Acts 17:4, Acts 17:17). But this was not true of the men and women at Mars Hill, and is definitely not true of most cultures today.

Most today are like the Greeks at Mars Hill. They have a false view of God, history and the future. They desperately need messages like the one Paul preached at Mars Hill, which was, in essence, the message we find in Genesis and Revelation.

Desperately Needed Messages

Proclaiming Genesis

Ark Encounter, Williamstown, KY

This is why I thank God for creationist ministries who proclaim the book of Genesis.⁶ I recently visited the Ark Encounter exhibit in Northern Kentucky.⁷ It features a full size replica of Noah’s Ark, 510 feet long.⁸ The wrath of God became particularly vivid to me during this visit as I pondered what the Flood judgment must have been like.

I also visited the nearby Creation Museum,⁷ which proclaimed the complete story of the Gospel from beginning to end (the whole counsel of God). I saw Adam and Eve in Paradise in one exhibit and their banishment from Paradise in the next. Later I saw Christ (the last Adam) on the Cross, offering reentrance into Paradise. The story is complete and comprehensive. God saves many through these ministries.

Proclaiming Revelation

I also thank God for guys like Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins who ignited a revival of interest in end times through their Left Behind books.

The book series was based almost entirely on the 21 judgements of Revelation referenced earlier.² That’s about as much bad news, wrath and judgment as you can fit into a series, and it took a whole lot of books to cover them!

The 16-book series was published by Tyndale House Publishers @tyndalehouse, topped multiple bestseller lists, and has sold more than 80 million copies, making it one of the bestselling series of books in history.⁹

All in all, LaHaye and Jenkins produced 16 Left Behind books in the original series, 40 books in the “kids” series, and a few other spinoffs. They are page after page of terrifying wrath. But, the Church and the world were captivated and couldn’t put them down. Many readers developed a healthy fear of the Lord through these books, which lead to wisdom, seeking, and eventually salvation at the Cross. (I know one of these, very well.)

Final Thoughts

There is no possible good reason for a Church or any Christian to avoid the early chapters of Genesis, or the latter chapters of Revelation. The only thing they will avoid in doing this is God’s blessing.

Rev. 1:3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

These are the testimonies of our Creator, Judge and Savior. They contain the Good News (Gen. 3:15¹, Rev. 21), and also the vitally important bad news, historically and prophetically. They warn us of the wrath of God which can lead to fear, wisdom and seeking. God help us if we rob the world of this blessing.

Eccl. 8:12 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. 13 But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.

Footnotes

1. The protevangelium (first Gospel) is a term many of the early Church fathers used to reference the prophecy of the Seed in Genesis 3:15. “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” It is the imagery of a man stomping and crushing the head of a snake and injuring his heel in the process. The bruising of the head of the Serpent’ symbolizes a fatal permanent wound, while the bruising of the heel of the Seed symbolizes a temporary wound. The prophecy foreshadowed the Cross, where Jesus would suffer temporarily, rising the third day, and Satan suffering eternally in the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:10).

2. Paul referred to Jesus as the “last Adam” in contrast to the first Adam.

1Cor. 15:45 And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

3. GotQuestions.org, “What are the seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls in the Book of Revelation?” (https://www.gotquestions.org/seven-seals-trumpets.html)

4. The Greeks descended from Javan, the son of Japheth, the son of Noah (Gen. 10:2-5).4 The name Javan is a transliteration of the hebrew word yavan meaning Greeks and Greece (KM Hebrew Dictionary). It is translated Greeks and Greece in the rest of the Old Testament, but the first occurrence is in reference to a man, the ancestor of the Greeks—ironically forgotten by the Greeks.For more information on the grandsons of Noah and the nations they founded, see our article, “Where was Eden located?“

5. Some Christians disagree with me on this point. Some believe the mention of the Resurrection, and the eventual faith of some of the hearers on Mars Hill, proves Paul preached the Gospel on Mars Hill. I maintain they are wrong. Paul mentioned the Resurrection in the context of the coming judgment and “wrath of the Lamb,” not in the context of the Cross and forgiveness. Luke is clear they believed after Paul departed and after they joined him, later. Examine the Text carefully for yourself to discern which view is correct.

6. Most Churches today teach compromised views of Genesis: Gap Theory, Day-Age Theory, Framework Hypothesis, etc. It’s a sad fact. But many others are proclaiming the truth. Here is a list of creation ministries that adhere to biblical authority and a straightforward interpretation of the Genesis: Recommended Links

7. Ark Encounter in Williamstown, KY and the Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY are sister exhibits of Answers In Genesis.

8. The Ark replica at Ark Encounter is based on a long cubit of 20.4 inches, which is why it’s longer than what is written in some Bibles that translate the cubits to feet. For more information see: “How Long Is a Cubit?” from the Ark Encounter website.

9. LeftBehind.com, “Tim LaHaye, Left Behind coauthor and evangelical leader, passes at 90” (http://leftbehind.com/05_news/tim-lahaye-passes-at-90.asp)

Should Churches Avoid Genesis and Revelation?