To a church facing persecution and fearing abandonment, John describes the vision granted to him of the heavenly throne room. God sits in ultimate glory – suddenly placing Roman imperial power in cosmic perspective – and holds in his right hand the plan for the consummation of the age. The scroll he holds is sealed with...
Tag: bible 101
Understanding the Bible 46: A Vision of the King, the Lamb, and the Plan of Salvation
Interpreting the book of Revelation requires we first understand the genre of “apocalypse” (from Gk. apocalypsis: “to reveal” – as in a secret, or in pulling back the curtain on a stage). Though it feels quite foreign to us, it was a well-known form of literature in the ancient world, particularly within 2nd Temple Judaism. The...
Understanding the Bible 45: Revelation – Jesus’s Delay and the Rise of Roman Persecution
While the early decades of the church’s history were hardly easy, they were nevertheless filled with optimism: Jesus was risen, the Spirit at work in and through the community of faith, and the body of Christ was growing as the gospel spread across the Mediterranean world. Local opposition – even to the point of violence...