The book of Revelation is the strangest book in the New Testament.
It opens with an unusual vision of a person who has hair white as
snow, eyes as a flame of fire, feet like burnished bronze; and from
his mouth comes a sharp, two-edged sword. The narrative continues
with One seated on a throne who is described with precious jewels.
He is surrounded by twenty-four elders and four living creatures.
In the throne area a Lamb appears and looks as if he has been
killed. But the Lamb is alive, and he takes a scroll from the right
hand of the One on the throne. Action in Revelation intensifies
with seals opening, trumpets sounding, and bowls pouring. Strange
creatures appear: a beast with the qualities of a leopard, bear,
and a lion; a woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet,
and a crown of twelve stars on her head; an enormous red dragon
with seven heads, ten horns, and ten crowns on his head; an army of
locusts with human-like faces and tails that sting like scorpions;
and a rider riding a white horse and wearing a robe dipped in
blood. Readers of Revelation encounter frequent use of numbers such
as seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls, ten horns, and ten
crowns. They wonder about a beast numbered 666, a reign of a
thousand years, and the appearance of 144,000 people surrounding
the One on the throne. The book of Revelation closes with the
appearance of a celestial city with streets of gold and gates of
pearl. Though Revelation is a strange book, it is intended to be an
understandable book. Do you think God would have given a message to
John that the seven churches of Asia could not understand? The
reason Revelation seems so different to modern readers is because
of its unusual language. The kind of writing is called apocalyptic
literature. First-century readers knew about Jewish apocalypses and
the messages they conveyed. The writer of Revelation adopted the
figurative and symbolic language of apocalyptic literature to
communicate God's message to seven churches. Revelation was
understandable to its first-century readers. It can be understood
by any reader who takes the time to learn the book's life situation
and its unique, apocalyptic style. Under God's inspiration John
writes to believers in an alien, hostile environment. These readers
desperately needed the message of Revelation. They suffered
persecution from the Roman authorities. It was a time of chaos,
uncertainty, and fear. The future seemed extremely dark and
painfully hopeless. God instructed John to lift the veil so the
readers could look beyond the visible. The central truth John wants
to communicate is that the world and all its events are under the
control of God.
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