Many people shy away from reading the book of Revelation because it is hard to understand. It’s hard to understand because the book is a record of a vision that John received from Jesus, and as is the case with visions generally, what John saw was a series of images. So it’s the imagery that makes the book seem nonsensical and thus hard to understand.
But as the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” An image can communicate information, emotions, memories that would take several pages to communicate if written out. An image of the twin towers of the World Trade Center being struck by planes will communicate a whole host of ideas, feelings, and memories for most Americans. Communities are held together by shared memories and histories that folded into shared images. And so it is with the book of Revelation. The community of the Church has a whole host of shared history and images that can easily communicate truths faster than detailed descriptions. Those shared images are found in God’s Word. So that images that John records in Revelation are drawn from the Old Testament, and they communicate truths and realities to us in a much more effective and engaging way than mere descriptions.
The imagery in the first chapter of Revelation draws on Old Testament descriptions of God as the divine King of the Universe, mainly from the book of Daniel. Jesus is presented to us dressed in Old Testament imagery of the Almighty God in order to impress upon us that Jesus is divine -- that is, fully God -- and that He is now ruling over all of human history as God. Furthermore, we are assured that He is with and in His Church and controls all things for the sake of His Church.
The opening verses tell us in fairly plain language what Revelation is about (“to show his servants what must soon take place” v. 1), who it is from (God the Father and Jesus Christ; v. 1), and how it is to be received “blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it” v. 3). In this first chapter, then, we are told that the book of Revelation will tell us about things that will happen in human history between the time of Christ’s ascension into heaven and His Second Coming, things that will serve as a warning for us and things that will greatly encourage us.
Week 20 (Monday), Reading 96: A Voice and A Vision -- Revelation 1:1-20
Click here for today’s reading: https://www.biblestudytools.com/revelation/1.html
Many people shy away from reading the book of Revelation because it is hard to understand. It’s hard to understand because the book is a record of a vision that John received from Jesus, and as is the case with visions generally, what John saw was a series of images. So it’s the imagery that makes the book seem nonsensical and thus hard to understand.
But as the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” An image can communicate information, emotions, memories that would take several pages to communicate if written out. An image of the twin towers of the World Trade Center being struck by planes will communicate a whole host of ideas, feelings, and memories for most Americans. Communities are held together by shared memories and histories that folded into shared images. And so it is with the book of Revelation. The community of the Church has a whole host of shared history and images that can easily communicate truths faster than detailed descriptions. Those shared images are found in God’s Word. So that images that John records in Revelation are drawn from the Old Testament, and they communicate truths and realities to us in a much more effective and engaging way than mere descriptions.
The imagery in the first chapter of Revelation draws on Old Testament descriptions of God as the divine King of the Universe, mainly from the book of Daniel. Jesus is presented to us dressed in Old Testament imagery of the Almighty God in order to impress upon us that Jesus is divine -- that is, fully God -- and that He is now ruling over all of human history as God. Furthermore, we are assured that He is with and in His Church and controls all things for the sake of His Church.
The opening verses tell us in fairly plain language what Revelation is about (“to show his servants what must soon take place” v. 1), who it is from (God the Father and Jesus Christ; v. 1), and how it is to be received “blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it” v. 3). In this first chapter, then, we are told that the book of Revelation will tell us about things that will happen in human history between the time of Christ’s ascension into heaven and His Second Coming, things that will serve as a warning for us and things that will greatly encourage us.