My rotation of daily readings has brought me back around to the last book of the New Testament. This book is known by several names; it is often referred to by an incorrect name.
The title most often used is “Revelation.” This is an abbreviation of the full title, “The Revelation to John.” Some translations will extend it to “The Revelation to St. John, the Divine.” Another title often used for this book is “The Apocalypse,” or simply “Apocalypse.”
The incorrect name, so often used in everyday conversation is “Revelations.” There is no “s” in the actual title. The addition of that simple little crooked letter suggests that there are multiple things made known in this book of our Bible. There is but one Revelation.
What is revealed to John, as he endures his imprisonment for the sake of the Gospel, is that contrary to all the outward indicators, God is in control. Even though John may feel as if his word is dominated by the forces of evil, God is the one who has the victory.
When read this book as a series of revelations, the temptation is to look for various markers. We search for what is going to happen next, then what will occur after that. Reading Revelation this way can become taxing and frightening. When read as a whole, as the revelation that it is, the book is the ultimate expression of hope and promise.
I am sure, over the next several weeks, I will be making references to various chapters and verses within Revelation. As I do so, I will make sure to keep the big picture in mind. It is important that we don’t get lost in the details and fail to see the whole of the book for the word of encouragement that it is.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment