Reading Revelation
This month our church is starting a sermon series on the book of Revelation. Revelation has long been a book of mystery and fear for many Christians. Some have made predictions about the end times, the Antichrist, and the rapture from this letter. Others have given warnings about the seals, trumpets, and symbols. There have been many who have run to decode Revelation’s contents, and those who have run far from it.
In fact, as early as the 300s, bishops in the church were declaring that the Antichrist was around and the end was near. In the year 500, this continued with more predictions based on the dimensions of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21 and Noah’s Ark in Genesis. Then again, in the year 1000, more predictions were made about the Antichrist and the end of the world. Ironically, these predictions were updated to 1033 after they didn’t come to pass in 1000.
Fast forward to contemporary times, and over the years, there have been many more predictions that Christians have made about the end of the world, the Antichrist, and the rapture. And just like before, they were made, failed, and revised (ex., the book 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Could Be in 1988, followed by the book 89 Reasons Why the Rapture Could Be in 1989). These predictions have spawned more denominations (the Adventists), more faith groups (Jehovah’s Witnesses), more books and films (Left Behind, The Late Great Planet Earth, etc.), and more fear.
But what if the book of Revelation wasn’t a message about fear, but a story about Jesus and the hope we have in Him? What if this letter was written to specific people in the first century, calling them to repent of sin, resist the ways of the enemy, and remain faithful to the ways of the Lamb? What if this book of the Bible wasn’t about trying to decode its symbols and metaphors for leaders, nations, and the end times, but rather a lens for us to learn more about Jesus and His story, and become the people of God He’s invited us to be?
The Good News is that Revelation is a letter that reveals the triumph of God over sin, injustice, and evil, and the promise of God to make all things new. The blessing of Revelation is that all who hear it and read it are filled with the hope of Christ and invited to follow Him into eternity with victory, grace, and life. Revelation isn’t about fear; it’s about Jesus, and He’s calling us to have hope, remain faithful, and trust in His promise to make all things new.
With that said, I want to provide a few helpful insights as we approach this sermon series, so that we can engage in the study and application of God’s Word. Here are five statements to frame a holistic approach to Revelation and invite us to respond with open hearts, heads, and hands.
ONE: The Revelation of Christ Jesus is about Jesus. It is not titled All About the Rapture, Antichrist, and End Times. It is not titled Left Behind. In fact, the words rapture and Antichrist don’t even appear in this book. Revelation is about Christ Jesus. It is the revelation of and from Jesus to His Church. And Jesus’ message calls us to Him. If we walk away from our study and application of the book of Revelation with a lesser view of Christ Jesus, we have missed the main message and revelation of the book. In fact, if we don’t approach all of the Scriptures through the lens of Jesus, we will miss the main message. We must take off any other lenses we have on and see how the Bible is a story that all points to Christ Jesus. The letter is called The Revelation of Christ Jesus. He should be the lens through which we interpret its meaning.
TWO: Revelation is meant to be read in its entirety and understood in community. The more we look at speculative theology based on this letter, the more we see how these predictions come from individuals reading parts of the book and using “proof texts” to confirm their ideas. Revelation invites us to understand that we are blessed when we read this letter aloud, hear it, and take it to heart (Rev. 1:3). Let’s start with Christ Jesus as our vision, read Revelation wholly and communally, and then allow Revelation (and all of God’s Word) to read us.
THREE: We must recognize the importance of the historical context, genre, and symbolism of the letter. Revelation was a letter written in the first century to specific Christians in churches in the Roman Empire. This letter is described as prophetic and apocalyptic, imitating and quoting Old Testament prophets and visions. The symbols and imagery used reveal important messages to the church both in the first century and today. Studying and understanding these aspects of Revelation helps us not to use the symbols as rigid codes, weapons against others, or predictions for Antichrists or the end of the world. Rather, we can read the Revelation of Christ Jesus in its context and receive its message to the church then and the church today.
FOUR: Revelation is a message of hope in Christ’s reign, now and forevermore. The letter includes a powerful message about the evils and injustices of this world, and an invitation to repent of sin, resist the markers of the beastly figures and their empires, and remain faithful to the Lamb who reigns with unshakeable power and the promise to eradicate evil and make all things new. The Revelation doesn’t call us to fear. It calls us to hope in the One who holds all power, has overcome sin, death, and evil, and has promised to restore creation.
FIVE: Because Revelation is about Jesus and our hope is His reign, we recognize it’s not about a theology of evacuating believers from this world or predictions of the end times. Rather, the goal of Revelation is to examine our own lives, prophetically challenge the beastly markers of empire around and within us, and faithfully worship God alone, giving witness to our eternal hope in God and His promise of making all things new.
If you’re still with me, here’s why this all matters: Revelation speaks a message that invites us to live differently in the world today. In the midst of our politically polarized and idolized society, we need people who are faithful to the Lamb more than to the donkey or elephant. In the midst of our overwhelmingly sexualized and greedy society, we need people who will repent of their sin, resist the evils of the world, and follow the Lamb more than the desires of the flesh. In the midst of the growing violence, militarism, and economic exploitation, we need people who will overcome the enemy through the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony, and by not shrinking back from death (Rev. 12:11). In the midst of the arrogance, we need humility. In the midst of fear, we need hope. In the midst of escapism, we need faithful followers of the Lord who will give witness to the Lamb and join with the Spirit to pray, “Come, Lord Jesus!”
And when the people of God live out these invitations and postures, they participate in God’s promised renewal of all things. When we humbly repent of sin, resist evil and injustice, and remain faithful to the worship of the Lamb alone, we overcome the enemy and give witness to the One who is victorious and will make all things new.
That brings me hope. That brings me faith. That brings me a story I want to share with others. And our world desperately needs hope, faith, and a story worth sharing. The Good News is that Revelation is filled with all of these themes, and as we dive into the Scriptures, my prayer is that we will be informed, transformed, and better equipped to express the message of the Lamb to the world around us. Amen.
Resources
As we engage in this sermon series, we want to invite you to utilize the following resources:
