Are you intimidated or excited by the book of Revelation?

 Revelation is the last book of the Bible, a letter written by Apostle John who was exiled to the island of Patmos. Some people are intimidated by this book because after chapter 3, i.e. the letters to the churches, it contains mostly apocalyptic images that we do not understand and we feel that it bears no relevance to our day to day lives. However, there are some people who are excited by the book of Revelation, as they try to decode the apocalyptic images in order to know the exact timeline of the second coming of Christ. They ask questions like, “Which seal are we up to now?”. So, which group are you in? For me, I was in the former group. When I read the book of Revelation, I did not get much and I read it just to finish the Bible. 

After I read Nancy’s book Blessed: Experiencing the promise of the book of Revelation, I have a different outlook on the book of Revelation. The most important thing that I learnt is that the book of Revelation is not mainly a revelation of end times but the revelation of Jesus Christ. Although Revelation ends with Jesus’ promise that He is coming soon, and we should be excited about it (Revelation 22:20), the core message of Revelation is not primarily about Jesus’ second coming, as it was written to strengthen the churches that were facing persecution to stand firm in their faith. It is meant to incite hope rather than fear. I’ve heard some preachers incite fear from this book. For instance, they say that when The Antichrist rules the earth, and everyone is forced to have the mark of the beast, as something that will be implanted in our body and without it we cannot buy or sell anything (Revelation 13:16 – 18). However, it is clear that those who will worship the beast are all those “whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain” (Revelation 13:8). 

Apostle John, who is the author of Revelation, wants to strengthen the churches in persecution to see what is happening on earth from heavenly perspective. He shows us that Jesus reigns over everything that is happening on earth, in our lives. Not only is the letter supposed to awaken hope, at the same time it is a rebuke. The letters written to the 7 churches are supposed to rebuke us from our compromises with the world, lukewarmness and many more. Hence, I’d say that the book of Revelation is as relevant to us who live in the 21st century as it was relevant to the churches back then.

Nancy’s book has helped me so much in unpacking the precious truths that the book of Revelation has, to help me understand how the apocalyptic images relate to the Old Testament and what the various symbols in the book mean. It is not written for scholars, but for lay people like us who want to understand the book of Revelation, but find it hard. I pray and hope that through this small book review that you will be excited to see Jesus revealed in the book of Revelation. Amen.

Revelation is the last book of the Bible, a letter written by Apostle John who was exiled to the island of Patmos. Some people are intimidated by this book because after chapter 3, i.e. the letters to the churches, it contains mostly apocalyptic images that we do not understand and we feel that it bears no relevance to our day to day lives. However, there are some people who are excited by the book of Revelation, as they try to decode the apocalyptic images in order to know the exact timeline of the second coming of Christ. They ask questions like, “Which seal are we up to now?”. So, which group are you in? For me, I was in the former group. When I read the book of Revelation, I did not get much and I read it just to finish the Bible.

 After I read Nancy’s book Blessed: Experiencing the promise of the book of Revelation, I have a different outlook on the book of Revelation. The most important thing that I learnt is that the book of Revelation is not mainly a revelation of end times but the revelation of Jesus Christ. Although Revelation ends with Jesus’ promise that He is coming soon, and we should be excited about it (Revelation 22:20), the core message of Revelation is not primarily about Jesus’ second coming, as it was written to strengthen the churches that were facing persecution to stand firm in their faith. It is meant to incite hope rather than fear. I’ve heard some preachers incite fear from this book. For instance, they say that when The Antichrist rules the earth, and everyone is forced to have the mark of the beast, as something that will be implanted in our body and without it we cannot buy or sell anything (Revelation 13:16 – 18). However, it is clear that those who will worship the beast are all those “whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain” (Revelation 13:8). 

Apostle John, who is the author of Revelation, wants to strengthen the churches in persecution to see what is happening on earth from heavenly perspective. He shows us that Jesus reigns over everything that is happening on earth, in our lives. Not only is the letter supposed to awaken hope, at the same time it is a rebuke. The letters written to the 7 churches are supposed to rebuke us from our compromises with the world, lukewarmness and many more. Hence, I’d say that the book of Revelation is as relevant to us who live in the 21st century as it was relevant to the churches back then.

 Nancy’s book has helped me so much in unpacking the precious truths that the book of Revelation has, to help me understand how the apocalyptic images relate to the Old Testament and what the various symbols in the book mean. It is not written for scholars, but for lay people like us who want to understand the book of Revelation, but find it hard. I pray and hope that through this small book review that you will be excited to see Jesus revealed in the book of Revelation. Amen.