The last book in our Bibles is called Revelation. The first word in the last book of our Bibles is “revelation”, as well. The Greek word for revelation is apokalypsis, a word that does not mean “the end times” or “Armageddon”.
It means, “the uncovering, the revealing… the disclosure of truth.”
On Sunday, August 20, 2023, we will begin what I suspect will be a lengthy journey through the book of Revelation. We will look at the book in what may well be a very new way for many of us—those of us raised on Left Behind, or, well before that, The Late Great Planet Earth.
It will be a challenging journey for us all… and it will (I hope) be an enlightening and revealing (see what I did, there?) journey, as well. If we give ourselves to the process and open ourselves to the Spirit of God, I also believe it will be—not a book of dread and fear—but a book of hope. It certainly was so for those who first received it and read it.
The book (a kind of letter, really) was written to seven churches in Asia Minor who found themselves in need of just such a disclosure of truth. We will ask what that disclosure said to them. We will talk about the kind of literature the author, John, used to say what he understood Jesus to want him to say, and we will ask what it means for us today.
Here’s what I am discovering as I do the deepest dive into Revelation I have ever done before—personally or pastorally:
- It is more strange, powerful, and challenging than I was taught.
- It had something to say to the Early Church, to today’s Church, the future Church, and to everything in between.
- It is more relevant than I was ever led to believe.
What I would like to ask of you is that you participate with us in reading, studying, reflecting, and learning to to fullest possible means. For starters, sign up for daily Scripture emails, if you haven’t already. You can do that by going here.
Second, would you take a minute or so, click on the button below, and fill out a one-question survey for me? It will give me a sense of where we all are in how we have been taught to read and understand the book of Revelation, and I would really appreciate it.