Introduction to the Book of Revelation
In this kick-off message to our series on Revelation, we lay the groundwork for understanding the apocalyptic genre in which the book was written. Also, we unpack the first three verses of chapter 1 setting the stage for what comes next.
Transcript
The End Times is a hot topic these days:
Global plague – check. Wars and rumors of war – check. Hail from the sky – (this week) check.
Some Christians believe that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is prophesied in Ezekiel 38. Spoiler alert – it’s not.
Even Relevant Magazine posted an article just this week, “Why Hasn’t Jesus Come Back Yet?”
There is no shortage of Christians who are trying to connect things going on right now with signs of the end times. Some are intelligent and thoughtful, but many, eh, not so much. (I’m looking at you, YouTube.)
So, we are going to spend the rest of the summer talking about the Book of Revelation. This is the longest sermon series I’ve ever done. And, by the end, my hope is that we will both come to understand and appreciate this otherwise bewildering book.
When I say the word “apocalypse,” what comes to mind?
Maybe for some of you, it’s this – total destruction, cities on fire, chaos, dogs and cats living together, and mass hysteria.
For others, it’s this – surviving the zombie apocalypse. My secret: treadmills around the house.
For you older folks, maybe you think of a gritty war movie.
For others, you think of a bad X-Men movie.
Or, there is the granddaddy of them all –
Left Behind. Maybe you read the book.
Or all the books.
Or the kids’ books.
Or the movie.
Or the sequel.
Or the remake
Or the video game. (Did you know they made a Left Behind video game?)
There’s a problem with all of these. They’re all…wrong. Yes, the dictionary defines apocalypse as “the final destruction of the world.” But that’s not how the Bible defines it.
This is what the biblical word “apocalypse” means. Have you been curious about what’s under the sheet? Wanna see? Are you sure? Drumroll, please. Da-dah… That was an apocalypse.
Apocalypse actually means “unveiling.” Our English word apocalypse is a transliteration of the Greek word apokalypsis, which means unveiling or revealing or revelation. In fact, you see it in this graphic right above me. Right under the Chapter 1 heading, it says, “A revelation of Jesus Christ.” That actually reads, “An apocalypse or unveiling of Jesus Christ.”
What does this mean? In this book, God peels back the curtain between the physical reality and the spiritual reality. We can see, albeit through symbols and metaphors, the spiritual truths about the past, our present, and the future.
If you’re a Marvel fan, you know what I’m talking about. In Spiderman: No Way Home, their universe tears open to reveal other realities. If you’ve seen the new Dr. Strange, remember the end-credit scene? You know the one I’m talking about. [No spoilers!] That’s getting a peek into another reality.
So, each week, we’re going to take a journey to look together as God pulls back the curtain to a spiritual reality. We’re going to begin this journey together by talking about apocalyptic literature.
I could’ve named this sermon “How Not to Screw Up Reading Revelation.” Because if you don’t understand this very foreign genre of writing, you’re not going to understand The Revelation. We have no comparison for this in modern literature. That’s why it’s so easy to get wrong.
So, I want to start by watching a great Bible Project video about apocalyptic literature. [PLAY VIDEO]
Let’s talk about 5 Things to Know about The Revelation
It’s centered around Jesus Christ.
It uses lots of symbols and images.
It uses numbers symbolically.
It draws heavily on the Old Testament.
It’s difficult to understand.
1. IT’S CENTERED AROUND JESUS CHRIST
Jesus is the #1 subject of this book. This is the unveiling from Jesus Christ about Jesus Christ. He is present in every chapter of this book. But when I hear people talk about Revelation or post videos, it seems like talk about everything except Jesus. Who’s the beast? Who’s the antichrist? What’s the timeline? Are you premillennial or amillenial? Pre-trib, post-trib, trib-trib? Is this sign of the end times happening? Is that sign happening?
Notice that Jesus wasn’t in any of that. All of those are secondary issues. Jesus is primary. Don’t fall into the trap of looking for the antichrist but forgetting the risen Christ.
Revelation is good news about Jesus, the risen Lamb who shares God’s throne and who is the key to our past, present, and future. Therefore this book is also about uncompromising faithfulness to Him, which leads to undying hope, even in the face of hardship, evil, and oppression.
2. IT USES LOTS OF SYMBOLS AND IMAGES
The primary language of The Revelation is metaphor. It wants to speak to your heart and imagination, not just your head.
We all understand symbolism. If I show you this book, you don’t immediately think that bears sleep in beds and blond-haired girls will steal your food. Why? Because we understand the genre of nursery rhymes.
Likewise, if I show you this cartoon, you don’t immediately exclaim, “Eagles wear hats!?!?” But people will read The Revelation and say, “Eagles wear hats?!?
This book is full of fantastic symbols, images, and animals that are used to convey broader ideas and truths. Don’t get stuck on what the text says; focus on what it means. And resist the temptation to say, “Eagles wear hats?!?”
Here are a couple of examples:
Psalm 91:4 says, “God will cover you with his feathers, and you will find refuge under his wings.” Nobody here says, “God has feathers?!? He has wings!?! Is God an eagle?!? Does he wear a hat?!?” No, we understand that’s symbolic language of God’s care and protection of us.
In Revelation 1:16, Jesus is described as having a sword coming out of his mouth. He doesn’t actually have a sword in his mouth. That would be very uncomfortable. 4 out of 5 dentists would not recommend having a sword in your mouth. Instead, it’s symbolic of God’s holy word.
Isaiah 49:2 – He made my mouth like a sharpened sword
Hebrews 4:12 – God’s word is sharper than any two-edged sword.
This image says that Jesus speaks God’s words.
Why do so many people have trouble with this? One reason is that modern evangelical Christianity has a focus on and even pride in reading the Bible “literally.” They call it a “plain” reading of Scripture.
That’s actually terrible advice, and I would argue that nobody really does that 100% of the time. (Remember, “Does God have feathers?”) We have to read the Bible faithfully according to how and why it was written, and sometimes that means not literally. Sometimes the Bible is figurative or symbolic or hyperbole.
3. IT USES NUMBERS SYMBOLICALLY
We understand that sometimes numbers don’t actually mean their numerical value.
“If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times.”
“I can’t dance. I have two left feet.”
“I got the raise! I’m on cloud nine.”
These aren’t meant to tell you a numerical value. They’re meant to be symbolic of something or make an impression on you.
The same goes for numbers in The Revelation. They are usually symbolic of something or meant to make a big impression. Here are some of the common numbers.
3 represents God
Think of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
“Who was, and is, and is to come”
“Holy, holy, holy”
“Gory, honor, and power”
6 represents humanity and sin
Humans were created on the 6th day
Of course, the worst possible evil is represented by 666.
7 represents divine perfection and completeness
God rested on the 7th day
The Lamb in Revelation, which is Jesus, has 7 horns and 7 eyes, representing complete power (horns) and knowledge (eyes).
12 represents God’s people
12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles
The New Jerusalem has 12 gates, 12 angels at each gate, 12 foundations
1,000 simply represents a really, really large amount
So, be careful interpreting numbers literally. Instead, think about what they represent instead.
4. IT DRAWS HEAVILY ON THE OLD TESTAMENT
I had a seminary prof tell us, “You can’t understand Revelation unless you understand the prophets.” So much of The Revelation comes out of books like Ezekiel, Daniel, Isaiah, and others. There are literally hundreds of references, allusions, and symbols from the Old Testament.
I think that’s why the first-century listeners would have understood this, and we don’t—because we don’t know the Old Testament very well. I certainly didn’t prior to seminary. It’s like we’re reading a book in a different language—the language of Old Testament symbolism.
There are references back to Egypt, the plagues, the Song of Moses, the Passover Lamb, Babylon, the Dragon, visions of a throne, angels, the river of God, and so much more.
So, if you’re trying to figure out what some part of The Revelation means, don’t go to YouTube, don’t go to the headlines. Instead, go to the Old Testament. Google the “verse + Old Testament”. Start there.
5. IT’S DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND
Any person that says, “It’s obvious that Revelation says…” they’re wrong. The only thing obvious in Revelation is that few things are obvious. It’s written in a language that is completely unfamiliar to us—that of apocalyptic literature.
The most important thing you need to interpret Revelation properly is humility. There is no place for rigidity, arrogance, or dogmatism when it comes to understanding this book. We need an open heart, a reliance on the Holy Spirit of God, and faith that God will help us understand his Word.
CLOSING
How do we read the book of Revelation faithfully? Remember:
It’s centered around Jesus Christ.
It uses lots of symbols and images.
It uses numbers symbolically.
It draws heavily on the Old Testament.
It’s difficult to understand.
We’re going to utilize these 5 principles every week for the next 13 weeks.
But for today, we’re just going to start with the first three verses, which thankfully are very easy to understand. Let’s read it together out loud. And after we read this, you’ll already have tomorrow’s reading assignment done in our summer reading plan. Woohoo!
REVELATION 1:1-3
“1 The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”
Did you catch that? There is a literal beatitude at the beginning of the book of Revelation. It’s the only book of the Bible that has a blessing like this. God gives you a promise—you will be blessed when you read this book.
Blessed. That is not the reaction I typically have after reading something from Revelation. Maybe confused, freaked out, or ready to give up on the whole book. But God promises that we’ll be blessed.
So, as we venture out together in this book, I am going to trust in faith:
That God will reveal Jesus Christ to you through this book.
And that God will bless you for reading and listening to this book.
