Scriptural Consistency

REVELATION

Scriptural Consistency

Having begun to examine the first three verses of our text, let’s momentarily turn our attention to an important point about the study of scripture generally and The Revelation in particular.

I want again to underscore that a primary reason I view The Revelation as I do is because this view seems to me the most consistent with the whole of scripture. Of primary note, I expect to find that The Revelation will speak of and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. That is, I expect this book to be “Christocentric.”

This is my expectation because The Lord Jesus Christ is the subject of the entire Bible. The Hebrew Scriptures point to Him. The Gospels record His earthly life, death, and Resurrection. The New Covenant letters and historical books expound the full meaning and ramifications of His fulfillment of the prophecies and promises in all the other scriptures.

I also expect The Revelation to be consistent with the other scriptures. As such, I anticipate that it shows the goodness of God, His love for His children, and His wrath against the evil that would harm them. The Revelation shows this with clarity as it pictures in many ways the unrepentant evil of the world systems, religion, human government, and the evil one, our old enemy himself.

As this book uses pictorial language, I expect that the pictures should evoke earlier depictions. As Jim Fowler writes in his “A Commentary on the Revelation of John, Jesus: Victor over Religion”, “The entire Old Testament can be viewed as the ‘picture-book’ illustrating what God was to do in Jesus Christ.” Therefore, when I see images in The Revelation, I look for counterparts, precursory views, and similarities of expression in the earlier writings.

The Revelation is filled with symbolism. Symbols do not point to themselves as the subject of examination. Rather they point to the thing symbolized. When we see the symbol of a cross, we do not search for meaning in each detail of the particular expression of the symbol we see. Instead, our minds go, almost without thinking, to the death and resurrection of our Lord, our Redeemer, our Savior. It’s the same with a corporate logo. When we see a “swish” on the side of a shoe, we do not analyze the color and texture and stitching of the symbol. Instead, we think of the company to which that symbol points us.

Symbols can be clearer to people of one time or place than to those in another. For example, if we here in the United States see a red elephant with three white stars on its back, or a blue donkey with four white stars on it, we know that they represent and point to specific political parties. For people in other parts of the world, that significance might be lost. Imagine how someone 2000 years from now might struggle to understand their meaning.

We can expect to encounter such difficulties in our study as well, but we have a special Helper. The Holy Spirit who lives within us and always leads us into the Truth can be trusted to lead us through this maze as well. Please hear me. I am not saying that we have failed or are “less spiritual” if we are uncertain about how to interpret the symbols in The Revelation. I am saying that Holy Spirit is our helper and guide, and we will find peace and rest as we listen for His guidance.