I'm going to start a few days early on the January blog study because we're going to begin looking at the final book of the Bible, the Revelation to John.
I have spent innumerable hours poring over commentaries and studies about the Revelation which led to a rather large Bible study that I created in 2006-2007. I plan to take this month to go over that study, re-write much of it, edit like crazy and then finish the thing at some point.
While I'm doing that, it seems like a good idea to share what is happening with you. The greatest thing I learned while studying and researching this book was that all of the symbolism and imagery used was very familiar to the early Christians. If we knew our Bible as intimately as they did, it would be just as familiar to us. The Revelation draws on passages from Genesis to Jude. Jesus speaks to us from both the Old and New Testament. He stands among the churches as a lampstand - shedding light on God's Word.
The Revelation is not "The Revelation of John." It is "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw - that is the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ." (Revelation 1:1-2)
God gave Jesus this revelation, which was sent by an angel to John. This book reveals Jesus Christ to us from the first chapter, where we will find an intimate portrait of Christ to the last chapter, where we hear Jesus say, “Behold, I am coming soon.”
The entirety of scripture points to Jesus Christ. He is the Word of God – He was there as the Word when God spoke creation into existence. He was there as the word spoken in silence to Elijah. He was there as the words were written on the wall for King Hezekiah. Everything in the Bible points to the moment when Jesus returns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We will find that moment in the Revelation.
Tomorrow, though, we start by looking at the man who received this revelation and wrote it down exactly as he experienced it.
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