The Mystery of The Revelation
We're now four days away from the start of our study of Revelation in Families of Faith.
When I first took a hard look at this book, about 20 years ago, I wanted to know all of the answers. I wanted to be able to explain the meaning of every symbol, every verse in detailed, concrete terms. This was probably because I came from a faith tradition that assumed all of scripture could be clearly understood in immediate, material terms.
But now I know better. While I can make sense of most of the symbols in this book in the context of the immediate purposes of the book (which I believe was to strengthen and comfort late first-century churches dispersed throughout Asia), Revelation is still, ultimately, a book of mystery. Not everything we are told in this book is altogether clear. And I'm okay with that.
One of my favorite texts is becoming Chapter 10, verses 3 and 4. I hardly paid it any mind twenty years ago, but now it captures my imagination. Revelation unveils much of how God is redeeming His people through Jesus, even as we continue to suffer and face hardships here on earth, but it doesn't tell us everything. Throughout the centures, Christians have had to wait and watch as God's plan unfolds.
And in that sense, the Revelation of Jesus continues even today.
When I first took a hard look at this book, about 20 years ago, I wanted to know all of the answers. I wanted to be able to explain the meaning of every symbol, every verse in detailed, concrete terms. This was probably because I came from a faith tradition that assumed all of scripture could be clearly understood in immediate, material terms.
But now I know better. While I can make sense of most of the symbols in this book in the context of the immediate purposes of the book (which I believe was to strengthen and comfort late first-century churches dispersed throughout Asia), Revelation is still, ultimately, a book of mystery. Not everything we are told in this book is altogether clear. And I'm okay with that.
One of my favorite texts is becoming Chapter 10, verses 3 and 4. I hardly paid it any mind twenty years ago, but now it captures my imagination. Revelation unveils much of how God is redeeming His people through Jesus, even as we continue to suffer and face hardships here on earth, but it doesn't tell us everything. Throughout the centures, Christians have had to wait and watch as God's plan unfolds.
And in that sense, the Revelation of Jesus continues even today.
posted by Matt at Wednesday, March 30, 2005
2 Comments:
Hi, Matt.
Came across your blog at Mike Cope's place. You're right. In the Revelation, the correspondence of "this means that" invariably breaks down. Some NT scholars now refer to its "theo-poetic" quality, which means something like "it's about God, but we're not sure what it's saying."
It's been a long time for me, but try this one: a book by Simon R.F. Price called "Rituals and Power." It's not about the Revelation per se. More about the emperor cult at the end of the 1st century, particularly in the province of Asia. Fascinating stuff. Reveals (couldn't resist) a lot.
Best wishes.
Hey Matt - I'll be home again next Sunday (Apr 10) for a wedding shower for my sister....maybe I can actually meet you in person this time!
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