A Revelation Invitation

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. (Revelation 1:17-18)

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)

The book of Revelation is admittedly difficult and made more so by its many diverse interpretations. It can be frustratingly confusing with its profusion of bizarre symbols and grotesque images. Unfortunately, Revelation arouses fear when it was meant to afford comfort and inspire courage. It also possesses a delightful air of mystery, even when unsolved. At least this was how I found the book in my early feeble attempts to understand it. While I grew up in a faith tradition that all but ignored this great book, I remember during my high school years two different teachers’ attempts to unlock its secrets for us teens. But it was presented as little more than an exercise in arcane puzzle solving with solutions that seemed made up. At the Christian college I attended Revelation was not among the classes we were required to take. I’m sure there was a course for Bible majors, but most of the student body went through unaffected by its powerful message.

Soon after graduating from college, David Roper, the preacher at the local church my wife, Vicki, and I attended, taught a Wednesday night class where he presented Revelation in a way that finally made sense to me with solutions to the puzzles that came from Scripture! I am indebted to David for launching me on my own journey of exploration in, meditation on, wrestling with and finally teaching from this incredibly powerful, tremendously encouraging and vitally faith-building book.

I call this blog A Revelation Invitation. For too long and for too many people an understanding of Revelation has felt unreachable. Regardless of your past frustrations, I want you, dear reader, to invite Revelation into your life. (Come on. Give it another chance.) My quest in recent years has been to devise ways to make Revelation accessible. I believed there had to be an approach that conveys its relevance to modern readers who don’t live in the first century, Roman world and who aren’t steeped in second temple, Jewish apocalyptic imagery. While a commentary would be informative, my experience has been that dry, academic explanations leave most Christians unmoved. So, I will share meditations like you might find in a daily devotional. I hope that this approach will be more palatable so that Revelation’s message may inspire you to greater faith.

You won’t get answers to all your nagging questions, but when finished you will be strengthened by its message. Who knows? You may be stirred to dig deeper.

When John was confronted by one like a son of man, he sensed the omnipotence and holiness of the Lord. He found himself face-to-face with an infinite God. It frightened him. Anyone of us would have fallen in fear as he did. In that moment of terror he felt the comforting right hand of his savior on his shoulder. In that moment of intimacy he heard the reassuring words, “Fear not.” As you read my posts, I hope that you experience some degree of the intimacy that John experienced at that moment with his Almighty God.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” Will you invite him in? He is waiting expectantly to answer your invitation for him to enter your life. Invite him in. Invite Revelation in with him. Allow the Holy Spirit to bless your life as you hear maybe for the first time the vital and glorious message of this amazing book.