I need to
make a confession. The book of
Revelation in the Bible isn’t one of my favorites. In fact, over the years I’ve pretty much
skimmed over it, except for the beginning and the ending. Part of it is my experiences early in my walk
with Jesus and part of it is my personality.
I was born
in 1962. A lot was happening in the USA
and the world around that time. We were
facing huge culture shifts, the world was becoming smaller with TV screens bringing
into our front rooms images from wars, revolutions, politics and religion. With so much change happening, some people
thought it would be good to write books about the end of the world and the book
of Revelation was the source of some really crazy stuff that was written and
said. G.K. Chesterton is to have said,
“Though St. John the Evangelist saw many strange monsters in his vision, he saw
no creatures so wild as one of his own commentators.” I would have to agree. What people wrote about did – and still does
– seem really off the mark of what the Bible was about. So I left it alone.
The other
thing about the book of Revelation is it reads like science-fiction. I’m more of realist who thinks about the now
and the immediate future. I never got into
the sci-fi genre of books and movies.
All you sci-fi fans out there, relax.
It’s nothing personal – I just wasn’t into it.
But
Revelation is part of the Bible. And I
think it has an important message. So,
for the last few years I’ve entertained the idea of preaching through the
book….and then chickened out. But now
I’ve screwed up my courage and I’m jumping into it.
Revelation
was written during a time when things were going to hell in a hand basket. To be a follower of Jesus was a costly thing. The Christians of the time were an
increasingly persecuted minority, often just seen as a sect of Judaism. The Roman ruler of the time, Domitian,
thought it a good idea to make himself a god, ordering people to refer to him
as “Lord of the earth,” “Invincible,” “Thou Alone.” And if you didn’t, you got punished. Or killed.
It’s easy
to live in the here and now if the here and now is relatively peaceful. But when life starts going sideways, we want
to know what the future holds. We want
to have some hope. And that is where the
book of Revelation comes in. It is
ultimately a drama that creatively has reminded followers of Jesus for
centuries that, no matter how bad it gets, Jesus wins. Because Jesus wins and God is going to bring
justice to all things, there is hope.
Do you know
anyone who could use some hope? Invite
them along for the ride as we get a glimpse of God’s Kingdom and his
promises. It’s going to be
interesting. And oh - pray for me. I’m going to need it!
Peace and grace,
David
