Revelation.
The least read, most avoided and misunderstood book of the New Testament. It is
also one of the most beautiful.
I have read books from opposite points of view.
On one side is the “Left Behind” interpretation – the Tim Lahaye series which
has garnered so much attention in the last twenty years. But he draws on the
interpretations of the 19th century, the popular idea of rapture and
the millennium known as dispensationalism. I have not read the “Left Behind”
series, but I did read Lahaye’s book, Mind
Siege and found it to be revolting.
On the other side is James Efird, a
Duke University professor who wrote Revelation
for Today. I heard Mr. Efird in multiple sessions teaching and read his
book. It discusses the meaning of Apocalyptic symbolism and how this helps us
understand passages in Revelation. He points out the origin of dispensationalism
and writes that if one wants to accept that system of interpretation then “one
is also under the obligation to determine honestly whether the teachings of
this system are in accord with the proper and correct meaning of the biblical
texts. It is one thing to believe in a system of interpretation, but it is
another to impose that system on texts which originally did not mean what advocates
of that system want them to mean.”
Weigh the evidences, seek the facts, study
and keep an open mind. Revelation can be a difficult book to read, but just
like any text, understanding the symbolism can open up meaning that had
previously been lost. I have heard friends say they wonder how anyone could
spend time reading such a frightful judgmental book. Yet I wonder to myself why this book
raises such conflict when the “Walking Dead” series along with innumerable other
dystopian series are so wildly popular. Ultimately, Revelation tells us that
God is in charge and that no matter how bad things get, he has got our backs. I plan to write several posts about the book of Revelation, but for today, here are lines from its last chapter:
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End . . . I am the Root and the Offspring of David” . . . And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life . . . “Yes, I am coming soon.”
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End . . . I am the Root and the Offspring of David” . . . And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life . . . “Yes, I am coming soon.”
