I’ve always known that I tend to view things differently than a lot of believers, but I had a little epiphany tonight concerning the way I view the book of Revelation, and end times study in general, that even made me think to myself, “Self, that sounds crazy. Don’t say that out loud or they will know you’re weird.”
But I’m old enough now that I’m not overly bothered if someone thinks I’m weird, plus, after I give an explanation to my epiphany I think that you just might agree with me about my thoughts.
Most people get overwhelmed when reading the book of Revelation. From what I’ve experienced, most don’t even have a real desire to read it more than a hand-full of times in their entire Christian career. They not only see confusing symbolism that seems impossible to understand, but they see suffering and wrath, bloodshed and loss, and fear quite often overcomes the reader when they consider the possibility of personally encountering the events within the book.
My epiphany: The book of Revelation is beautiful. Every word.
At first, "beautiful" didn't sound like the right word. But as I contemplated I had to accept that God has made me in a way that sees prophecy as beautiful, so I should just go with it. Prophecy is beautiful.
I’m not even specifically referring to the sections which speak of our eternity with Him. It’s a given that those prophecies are beautiful. But when I read the book of Revelation, the Olivet Discourse, Joel, Daniel, portions of Amos, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, etc, I’m overwhelmed with a feeling of beauty. Weird, I know, but when I search these writings the concerns of being confused, the bloodshed, and the fear of the possibilities is far outweighed by His power.
The One that can ordain the final, and ultimate, spiritual battle before He even created the universe comes to life on every page. The One who chose us before the creation of the world is actually letting us in on what very few people know, and is displaying it in advance for us in a brilliant style nonexistent in any other form of literature. The panoramic view of every chaotic event that will take place as recorded in the book of Revelation is able to be held together in harmony with little more than the lint beneath His little toenail, and when He completes this plan everyone from Joseph Smith to Mohammed to the Dragon will be silenced for eternity. That’s how powerful He is, and that is the beauty I see.
But I’m old enough now that I’m not overly bothered if someone thinks I’m weird, plus, after I give an explanation to my epiphany I think that you just might agree with me about my thoughts.
Most people get overwhelmed when reading the book of Revelation. From what I’ve experienced, most don’t even have a real desire to read it more than a hand-full of times in their entire Christian career. They not only see confusing symbolism that seems impossible to understand, but they see suffering and wrath, bloodshed and loss, and fear quite often overcomes the reader when they consider the possibility of personally encountering the events within the book.
My epiphany: The book of Revelation is beautiful. Every word.
At first, "beautiful" didn't sound like the right word. But as I contemplated I had to accept that God has made me in a way that sees prophecy as beautiful, so I should just go with it. Prophecy is beautiful.
I’m not even specifically referring to the sections which speak of our eternity with Him. It’s a given that those prophecies are beautiful. But when I read the book of Revelation, the Olivet Discourse, Joel, Daniel, portions of Amos, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, etc, I’m overwhelmed with a feeling of beauty. Weird, I know, but when I search these writings the concerns of being confused, the bloodshed, and the fear of the possibilities is far outweighed by His power.
The One that can ordain the final, and ultimate, spiritual battle before He even created the universe comes to life on every page. The One who chose us before the creation of the world is actually letting us in on what very few people know, and is displaying it in advance for us in a brilliant style nonexistent in any other form of literature. The panoramic view of every chaotic event that will take place as recorded in the book of Revelation is able to be held together in harmony with little more than the lint beneath His little toenail, and when He completes this plan everyone from Joseph Smith to Mohammed to the Dragon will be silenced for eternity. That’s how powerful He is, and that is the beauty I see.
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