We see Jesus as God most clearly in Revelation chapter 1_______“What’s Going On?” prayed Daniel as he and his compatriots were taken into exile by the Babylonian Empire, and Jerusalem was left abandoned. “How can this be happening, Lord?”. The answer God gave him forms the book of Daniel. The Babylonian Empire had risen up to rule God’s people, but yet God’s plan was not lost. There would be three further empires to come as well, and there was more to hear but, for now, Daniel was to seal it up. The Messiah was coming, that was enough to focus on for now.
“What’s Going On?” prayed the early disciples, among them John, as they watched the Romans destroy Jerusalem and its Temple and all the people fled or were removed from the land of Israel. The answer God gives John forms the book of Revelation. The Roman Empire was part of the Babylonian pattern, and now God reveals that all these Empires are ruled by the ancient Serpent from Eden. Yet God’s plan is not lost, and John learns of the triumphs of God’s Kingdom in the centuries to follow.
“What’s Going On?” I have been asked year after year in the school Christian group that I led, as young believers wanted to understand the book of Revelation. I have always told them that in order to understand it they should get to know the rest of the Bible first, as much of the imagery and references in Revelation come from there. “You don’t do your A Levels until you have done your SATS and GCSEs” I would say. Yet still they asked.
So I have set myself the task of seeing whether it is possible to teach the message of the whole Bible using the Book of Revelation as the lens to look through. As each image is introduced, to see where it comes from and what the message behind it is, and to see the structure of Revelation through an understanding of the scriptures rather than through the latest news bulletins.
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