(…continued) #5: The Vision. This raises another question. What was the nature of John’s vision? Was it like a dream, or did he really see these things? Was he transported from Patmos, into the future, and then to heaven, and then back to his prison cell? Or was the vision a creative literary device? How does this work? I have only guesses here. We do believe all of Scripture is inspired by God, so whether John saw these things, or was simply led to write this way, either way, we do believe that what we have is what the Holy Spirit inspired John to write. But we can be sure that much of what is in Revelation is ‘symbolic imagery,’ so you don’t have to keep your eyes peeled for four horsemen in a physical sense, or someone trying to tattoo 666 on your forehead; nor is the population of heaven limited to 144,000 who are saved. Those are symbols of something else, and we have to remember how symbols work. Symbols truthfully describe things for us, but not in a literal sense. When Jesus said symbolically that He is the door, there is a significant truth communicated there; but no one asked him, ‘Where are the hinges?’ And then, when Jesus also said he was the Good Shepherd, Peter did not say, “Come on, Jesus, I thought you said you were a door.” Symbols are images that point to a greater reality. Much of Revelation is written in that sort of symbolic language, so we need to be careful how we interpret and explain.
#6: The Outline of the Book. This is simple. There is a three chapter introduction, a 17 chapter account of the end times, and a two chapter concluding vision of heaven. The introduction and conclusion are the clearest parts. In the first three chapters, John addresses the book to seven of the ancient churches, with words of advice, encouragement, warning, and admonition. There is much there we can apply to our own situation. Then, the middle 17 chapters contain all that strange and symbolic language illustrating all the troubles to come and the end of the world. And finally, the two-chapter conclusion is to me the most fascinating part of the book, because it serves as a wonderful conclusion to the entire Bible. It does so by harkening back to the first three chapters of the Bible with some incredible parallels; but like a mirror image, reversed. In the early chapters of Genesis, we see the creation of the world, and how God’s good world was ruined by sin. In the last chapters of Revelation, we see the re-creation of God’s New Kingdom and our new home, and the restoration of all that was lost in the first three chapters of the Bible. In Genesis, paradise is lost; in Revelation, there is a return to paradise. In Genesis 3 death enters the world, in Revelation 22 there is the promise of eternal life. The curse in Genesis 3, is removed in Revelation 22. And Satan, the trouble-maker in Genesis 3, is defeated and destroyed in the lake of fire in Revelation 20. Everything that was broken and destroyed in Genesis, is restored and recreated in the last chapters of Revelation.
#7: Some Wonderful Verses. Even as we begin to understand some of the meaning and background of Revelation, it remains a difficult, frustrating, and often boring book. But tucked away within all the mysteries and oddities of the book, are some of the best and most hopeful verses in all of the Bible. I close by reading a few of these passages:
1:17– Jesus said to John, “Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last. I am the Living one. I was dead, and behold I am alive, forever and ever. Behold, I hold the keys to death and Hades.” There is the key we need! It is not the key to a precise timetable, but someone who can give us the key to life after death.
3:20– Jesus says, “Here I am. I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will go in and be with him.” Don’t ignore that knock on the door of your heart. Welcome Jesus in, and make him a part of your life every day of your life.
14:13– John wrote, “I heard a voice from the throne say, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord… for they will rest from their labor.’” You know, sometimes I get tired of the troubles of this life. Not all the time, and not even most of the time. But sometimes, I do get so tired, that I do look forward to that ultimate rest, that blessed sleep in the arms of Jesus; and then, most of all, to the promise of what comes next.
And what comes next is the resurrection to life in that place described in the wonderful words of Revelation 21:1-5– “Look, now God’s home is with us. And he will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and there will be no more death or grief or pain, for the old order of things will have passed away.” That sounds good to me.
Let us pray: O God, our Father, help us so to live that, whenever your final call comes for us; it may find us ready, with our work completed, and our hearts at peace with you; so that we may enter at last with joy into your nearer presence and into life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who in the last words of the Bible said, “I am coming soon.” To which John replied, “Amen. Come Lord Jesus.” The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with all God’s people. Amen.
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Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. –Revelation 2:10
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