7 Reasons Why you Should Read the Book of Revelation
“Behold, I make all things new.” Rev. 21:5
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Albrecht Dürer, via Wikimedia Commons
The Apocalypse: John’s Message of Hope in a Dangerous Time
It’s fair to say that when most people think of the Book of Revelation, they tend to associate it with images such as “the four horsemen,” “the number of the beast” and “the end of the world.” But a closer look at the Book shows us that there is much more going on.
In upcoming posts, I will examine in greater detail each of the seven points listed below. I hope you will follow along as I offer some reflections on the meaning and relevance of the Apocalypse for our time.
1. As one world comes to an end, John’s visions lead us to reflect upon the arrival of “a new heaven and a new earth.”
Yes, one world will come to an end, but ours is a God who is in the process of making
“All things New” (Rev. 21:5).
2. St. John’s message is one of hope, more specifically, hope in a time of danger.
Scholars point out that while the hope expressed in the writings of the prophets tends to be a hope in the future, apocalyptic hope is “hope in a time of danger,” hope in a time of crisis, hope in an era of failed conditions.
Apocalypse Flamande, the New Jerusalem, 15th century Wikimedia Commons
3. John’s visions reveal a world, but they also create a world.
As one world falls apart and a new creation dawns, the Prophet of Patmos invites us to step into God’s world and to be transformed in the process. We are offered a place to stand amid the shifting sands of postmodern thought.
4. The Book of Revelation teaches us about Worship.
John calls us to Worship God and God alone, adoring God and the Lamb alongside the angels in heaven. For we are transformed in accordance with the object of our worship and ultimately, we become what we worship.
“Militia est vita hominis super terram.”* Job 7:1
5. Beyond visions of the cosmic struggle between the forces of good and evil, we are led to reflect upon the spiritual struggle at work in the human heart.
The processes at work at a “macro-cosmic level” are also at work at the “micro-cosmic” level. The Kingdom is already in the process of being won and lost in the here and now, in the ongoing struggles that rage within our hearts.
(I offer some reflection on this struggle between the forces of good and evil in my book “The Christ of the Apocalypse: Contemplating the Faces of Jesus in the Book of Revelation.”)
6. John is – even now – issuing call to brave, heroic witness to the values of the Kingdom of Heaven against the values of the earthly empire.
God calls each of us to give courageous witness to our faith without compromise. We must never risk our eternal salvation for the sake of our own safety and well-being.
From Grace to Glory: John’s Vision of Human Transformation in Christ
7. Finally, the Book articulates an inspired and exalted vision of the human person transformed by God’s Grace.
John’s visions offer a deeply spiritual and powerful corrective in a post-modern era that would build a world without God. Ours is a time when there is more and more talk of the “post-human” and “transhuman,” and some would go so far as to speak of the human person as a “hackable animal.”
In sharp contrast, John articulates an inspiring and compelling vision of the human person transformed, “angelified” or “divinized” through the power of the Holy Spirit and through a life of courageous witness to the values of the Gospel.
Archimedes once said:
“Give me a place to stand and I shall move the world.”
John’s visions offer us a “place to stand” above the sorrows and illusions of this passing world.
The Seer of Patmos invites us - through the power of the Holy Spirit - to gaze with him through the open door to heaven (Rev. 4:1), to contemplate God’s world as we gain clarity upon our place in this world, and as we are transformed in the process.
With the assurances of my prayers for you and your loved ones.
Pax Christi
Revelation was the first book of the Bible that I fully read through when I was younger.
I found this really interesting. There certainly is a lot of hope contained within Revelation, although it is not always immediately clear.
To me as a seven year old, it was pretty scary. I like to joke that it shaped my outlook on life. haha