Approaching Revelation
Approaching Revelation
As we have seen, the first and primary message of Revelation is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last is revealed in Revelation from the first words to the last.
Next, we began to see the importance of interpreting the text in the manner it was given, as signs and symbols. This is a concept central to accurately interpreting the book and understanding its message and one we will be expanding upon in the coming segments.
If we find Revelation frightening and unsettling, that is a strong indication (dare I say “sign”) signifying to us that we are not interpreting it correctly. Fear and worry are not from our Father.
Rather, we should expect to find our Glorious Bridegroom, our Kinsman Redeemer, our Majestic Lord. We should expect to see His view of us and of the evil that would seek to do us harm. This is the only book in the New Testament that contains a blessing for the reader and the hearer. Blessing is what we should expect to find here.
An important principle of Bible study and interpretation is that we use scripture to interpret scripture. When we encounter passages that are difficult to understand or can be understood in multiple ways, we look to the rest of scripture to guide us. This principle will be employed throughout this study because of all the books in the Bible, this one is by far the most enigmatic. Of all the books in the Bible this one echoes the others, particularly those in the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament) most frequently and clearly.
Revelation helps us connect the writings throughout the Bible and see the intricacy produced over 1500 years by the hands of about 40 writers. That such a diverse group of individuals separated by such long periods of time could produce such a singular message is nothing short of supernatural.
It is important that we not get so distracted by the details of the trees that we fail to see the forest and miss the central truth being communicated. This will require us to employ a viewpoint that transcends time and place so that we can see the entire message and, as Jim Fowler says in his excellent commentary on Revelation, “recognize spiritual realities that take place ‘above history.’”
To that end we will avoid pressing every detail into the form of specific events or precise times. A great deal of the imagery recorded by John takes place in heaven. That alone should make it clear that the things we are reading cannot be stuffed into temporal boxes along some chronological continuum. To try to do so causes our time-bound thinking to get in the way and we lose the eternal perspective of God.
Ephesians 2:6 tells us that we have been raised up with Him and seated with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Seated there, we can recognize the spiritual truth and reality being presented without necessarily connecting it with historical events. While there may sometimes be a connection. There could even be more than one. This message was communicated in the first century and it had value for the saints of that time. Likewise, the saints in every generation since have been blessed. One thing we know for certain. The Lord Jesus Christ is victorious and that is something the saints of every period in history can see in this book.
Inevitably there will be some who feel compelled to apply a timeline to some or all of what is written. Those who are strongly convinced of their particular view may well find themselves dissatisfied with this study. My purpose here is first of all to provide some guidance about how to study Revelation, and second by providing my perspective on the book I hope to bring additional clarity for some. I have no plans to argue eschatology. As Jim Fowler says, “Let us see what God’s Spirit has to teach us about Jesus Christ from this portion of scripture.”
Some Credit
Frank Friedmann, more than any other individual, has been an inspiration to me in this study. His stellar sermon series “The King is Crowned” on YouTube rocked my world about two years ago. You can find that here: https://www.youtube.com/live/uGj1-AFxnPk?si=qWm0weuHfoLN7Cjh
I am indebted also to James A. (Jim) Fowler. His valuable commentary, “A Commentary on the Revelation of John; Jesus: Victor over Religion” has been helpful in many ways. It’s available here: https://amzn.to/3wpkhIi
Dr. Paul Ellis of Escape to Reality through his book “Letters from Jesus: Finding Good News in Christ’s Letters to the Churches” provided useful insight. You can find his book here: https://amzn.to/3UKABgM
Gordon Fee, whose perspective does not align with mine, provided useful insight through his commentary, “Revelation (New Covenant Commentary Series)” which you can find here: https://amzn.to/3SKR4ij
There are a number of others, many of whom see things very differently from me, but whose work has been very beneficial as well.
Of course the Revelation of Jesus Christ itself is of primary importance. It is this Spirit inspired text that is both the subject and the source of this study.
