Anyone who is familiar with the music of the Beatles likely knows the song “Yellow Submarine”. The song, released in 1966, was a chart-topper in the United Kingdom as well as the United States, holding the #1 position on British billboards for four weeks, and staying on the charts for another 13. Two years later, “Yellow Submarine” then became the title and theme song of an animated film which tells the story of Pepperland, a music-loving paradise located 80’000 leagues under the sea which comes under attack by a group of music-hating creatures known as the Blue Meanines. The Blue Meanies take Pepperland captive, and it falls to the Fab Four – George, Paul, John and Ringo – to rescue them in (as one might expect if going 80’000 leagues below the sea) a yellow submarine. Once on board the craft, the Beatles find themselves winding their way through seven seas, encountering strange creatures and bizarre experiences along the way, before finally encountering the Blue Meanines and, with a song on their lips, chasing away the enemy and ending everything “happily ever after”.
With its bizarre yet whimsical story line and the enormous popularity of the Beatles’ music, the film was well-received at the time, and was even re-released in 1999 for a new audience to enjoy. But despite the success of the song and the film, “Yellow Submarine” has always had an aura of mystery and intrigue about it. You see, even though the band adamantly denied it, shortly after the song’s release in August of 1966, rumours began to circulate that the song was actually inspired while John and Paul were strung out on the hallucinogenic drug Nembutal, and some even suggested that the words “Yellow Submarine” referred to the yellow capsules the drug was packaged in. Now as I said, the band repeatedly denied the allegations; but the mystery behind the meaning of “Yellow Submarine” continues to this day.
I share this with you because the book which we’re going to take a look at today is, in the minds of many, no different than the Beatles’ jaunt in a yellow submarine. Today, we’re going to look at the biblical book of Revelation, which to many is as bizarre, though not nearly as whimsical, and definitely far more disturbing, than the Beatles’ music ever was. And indeed, as we peruse the pages of this apocalyptic narrative, we cannot help but reach the conclusion that the man who wrote this was definitely not himself when he did. And so for many, an air of mystery surrounds this book, with its horseman and dragons and iron-teethed beasts. But was the author of this book on the first-century equivalent of Nembutal? Was he suffering from a raging fever? Was he just so old that he was losing his mind? Who was this man – this John the Revelator as he’s been called – and what was he thinking as he wrote this stuff down?
These questions are important to answer, because the answers we come to will, in fact, determine how we approach this book. And how we approach this book will determine what we get out of it. And what we get out of it might just determine the rest of our lives.
(BEAT)
So are you ready to dig up some answers? Okay, let’s go. Turn with me to the Bible’s very last book. It goes by a couple names, depending on which version of the Bible you use. Some call it Revelation; others, Apocalypse. In fact, the two words mean the same thing. You see, ‘apocalypse’ is from the Greek word apokalupsis, which actually means ‘revelation’; so whether you call it ‘Apocalypse’ or ‘Revelation’, you’re really calling it ‘Revelation’ or ‘Apocalypse’. Make sense? Okay.
We get the book’s name – Revelation – from the first word of the first verse of the first chapter. Look with me there, please, at Revelation chapter one and verse 1: “The revelation of Jesus Christ” – the apocalypse of Jesus Christ – “which God gave to Him”. Now, I don’t know if you realise it, but already some of the mystery about the book of Revelation is being addressed, right here in these first ten words. Did you catch it? Let’s go back and look at it again.
First of all, what we’re reading is called what? The revelation. As I said a moment ago, the word ‘revelation’ comes from the Greek word apokalupsis. And apokalupsis is actually made up of two other Greek words. The first word is apo, which means ‘away’. You’ll remember that the 12 disciples were called apostles, which literally means “sent away ones”. Or if a person abandons certain tenets of a faith group, they are said to apostatise, “to go away from a certain position”. So apo means “away”. The other Greek word is kalupsis, which means “to conceal” or “to be unknown”. Maybe you’ve heard of “Calypso” music before – you know, the music played on steel drums? It’s called “calypso” music because nobody knows how it got started: its origin is hidden, lost in history.
Now, if you put these two words together, apo and calypso, what you have is “moving away from what is hidden” or “moving away from not knowing”. And if you’re moving away from not knowing something, then it means you’re moving toward knowing it – toward being able to understand it! You know, there are people who say this book is confusing, and you just can’t understand it: it’s too hard, don’t even try. But friends, the very name of the book is telling us that we can understand it: the very name “revelation” tells us that, far from being a big mystery nobody can crack, this book contains stuff that we can make sense of. In other words, far from being a book full of secrets, God has something in this book that He wants to reveal to us! Amen? That itself gives me confidence as I approach this book – I can understand what this book has to say because it is God’s will that I understand what this book has to say.
This point is actually underscored by John’s own understanding of his experience. Take a look at verse 9 (read v. 9)... This John, whom the early Church Fathers acknowledge was John the Apostle, speaks of being on the Island of Patmos “for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus”. Now, there are actually two ways of understanding what he says here, because the Greek word which is translated “for” can actually be translated two different ways.
The most common way the word is translated is “because of” or “on account of”. Looking at it this way, most commentators see this verse as John declaring that he has been exiled because of his proclamation of the Christian faith and his witness concerning Jesus Christ – both actions which were forbidden by the Roman authorities. History tells us that under Roman rule all citizens were required to swear allegiance to the Roman Empire, and to pay homage to the emperors, worshipping them as gods. Because Christianity expressly forbids the worship of any created thing, the Christian faith was declared religio ilicita – a forbidden religion – and its adherents suffered under the most miserable of circumstances. Thus, it is possible that John is here speaking of being exiled by the Emperor Domitian on account of his preaching and leadership in the Christian Church.
But there is another way in which this verse can be translated. The Greek word John uses here can also mean “for the sake of”. The difference between the two meanings cannot be missed: whereas the first translation suggests that John’s banishment was the result of the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus (that is, because he was declaring a message about Jesus), the latter translation would imply that the exile was caused for the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus. In other words, it is entirely possible that John, the aged apostle, alone on a desolate, rocky island in the middle of the Aegean Sea saw himself, not as the victim of a Roman emperor’s disdain for the message he was preaching, not as a prisoner in exile for his testimony about Jesus, but as a man in the very place God wanted him to be so he could receive a message from God – the Testimony of Jesus. And even while Domitian may have purposed by the banishment to silence the prophet, yet sitting on a rocky crag overlooking a troubled sea, the shorelines of his home far off in the horizon, John was in the very place he needed to be so that God could show him Jesus as he’d never seen Him before. And since it was God’s will for John to receive this vision; and since, recognising the providential hand of God over his circumstances, John faithfully recorded this testimony – this vision – about Jesus (as we are told in verse 2) – then I have no reason to doubt that the God who went to such great lengths to orchestrate the giving of this vision to the beloved Apostle – who in turn, we are told in verse 1, gave it to the servants of God (namely us) – I have no reason to doubt that this same God also has it in His will to reveal to us its meaning.
But now before we run headlong into the book thinking we’ll just get it “like that”, there’s more to it. Look again at verse 1: “the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave….” Friends, as much as this is a book that God wants us to understand – as much as there is truth that He wants to reveal to us – He makes it clear right here that our understanding is based on His giving us that understanding. The stuff that’s hidden in this book will only make sense to us as God makes sense of it for us. In fact, there are things in this book which we will never, never understand, unless God Himself personally intervenes and makes us understand. Oh, friends, God’s got some important stuff here in the book of Revelation, and He wants us to understand it; but He also knows that if we were to understand it apart from His giving us the understanding, it would not only be pointless, but it could be dangerous. You all remember David Koresh, don’t you? Former Seventh-day Adventist, most likely brought into the Adventist church through a Revelation seminar. But he started to study this book without God’s guidance; he started to try and get an understanding of Revelation without spending time with the One who could give him a correct understanding. We all know the tragic end that he and his followers met in that fiery inferno on the plains of Texas. No, friends, we are told in the very first words of this book that if we want to get a correct understanding of its contents, we have got to get in touch with the One who has promised to guide our understanding. That’s why we prayed as we began our study together – we realise that our own understanding is not enough to really get what God has promised to reveal to us in this book. And we don’t just pray at the beginning; no, we should pray the whole way through the book, asking God to give us His understanding, and to reveal to us what He wants us to know.
(BEAT)
So we’ve seen so far that God has something that He wants to reveal something to us in this book. Now we’ve got to figure out what it is that He wants us to know. And we discover what He wants us to know right here in verse 1 as well. Did you realise just how packed this first verse is? I bet you’ve usually just flown right over verse one on your way to the seven trumpets or something else; but there’s some good stuff right here, and we’ve only looked at ten words so far (though I promise it will go faster as we move along). But look again at verse 1: This is called “the revelation of…” who? – “of Jesus Christ”. Now, there are obviously other places in the Bible where we can learn about Jesus. We’ve got the entire Old Testament, which in precept, promise and prophecy speaks to us of the hope of a long-awaited Messiah who would come and change the course of human destiny. Then we’ve got four Gospels, each telling about the life and teachings of Jesus from four different perspectives. And we’ve got the letters of Paul and other early Church leaders, which point to Christ and explain so much of what Jesus did while He was on earth, and what He’s doing now on our behalf in Heaven. But what I am told I will find in this book – this last book of the Bible – is a picture of Jesus that’s clearer than any and everything else ever told about Him. See, the word “Gospel” means the “good news” about Jesus Christ: the good news about His first coming, about His earthly ministry for mankind; about His death, burial and resurrection, and even His ascension. And all of this truly is good news. But what’s amazing about the book of Revelation is that it takes that good news, and makes it even better! In the Gospels, Jesus tells us, “I go to prepare a place for you; and if I go prepare a place for you, I will come again”. But in Revelation, we read about Jesus tearing the skies apart, blazing across the heavens on a white horse, coming in power and glory to judge the nations. In the Gospels, Jesus tells us, “I will come again” (future tense, implying a promise); in Revelation, we are told, “Behold, He comes!” (present tense, declaring a certainty). The Gospels are about Christ’s actions the past; Paul’s writings are about Christ’s actions in the present; Revelation takes both what Christ did and what Christ is doing, and sets them in the context of what Christ will do. Unlike any other book, Revelation shows us that Jesus is indeed the answer, not only for today, but for tomorrow and on into the end. And friends, that’s the Jesus I want to know! And it’s here in the pages of this book – this apocalypse – that this Jesus is unveiled for us to see in all His glory. So if you really want to see Jesus in a way unlike any other, this is the place to go. That’s not to say we don’t need the Gospels, or Paul, or the Old Testament; what it’s saying is that when we read Revelation, it sheds light on our understanding of Jesus that we can’t get anywhere else.
Of course, what that means for us here today is that Revelation is about more than horses and beasts and seals and marks. In fact, I would propose that Revelation is not about horses, and beasts, and seals and marks at all. I would propose instead, friends, that Revelation is first and foremost about Jesus; and that the horses, the beasts, the seals and the marks, are all meant to help us see Jesus more clearly, and to understand what He has done, what He is doing and what He will do for you and me. Yet for too many of us – particularly in the Adventist church – the book of Revelation is approached as a textbook on the history of earth and a chronology of last day events. In fact, I recently saw a chart someone had designed called “a chronology of the last days”, which meticulously details the events outlined in Revelation to the degree that all that’s left out is the day and the hour of the Second Coming. But what fascinated me (and I wish I had gotten a copy of it to show you today) is that on an 8½ x11 sheet that’s jam-packed with details about trumpets and bowls and plagues, Jesus is only given a passing mention at the end, under the heading “Jesus returns” – as if that’s the only part Jesus plays in the whole scenario. And I’m afraid that too many of us have taken a similar approach to this book – we get so hung up on understanding what the signs and symbols are all about, that in fact we end up obscuring the real reason for which the vision was given – the real “Revelation” God wants us to have through this book: a clearer understanding of Jesus Christ as crucified Saviour, ascended High Priest, and soon-coming conquering King. Oh friends, the real treasure of Revelation is that it leads us into a deeper relationship with Jesus; don’t settle for the tinsel of being able to decode the story in which the relationship unfolds. Don’t just learn about the Remnant of Revelation 12: learn about the Man-Child who was born of the woman from whom the remnant comes. Don’t just learn about the 144’000: take a lesson from the 144’000, and learn to follow the Lamb wherever He goes. Don’t just learn about the seal of God: learn about the God behind the seal – the One who “created all things” – and that includes you and me, by the way – “and for [whose] pleasure they are and were created.” I’m convinced that as important as the prophecies of Revelation are, they’re not worth a thing if you don’t find Jesus in and through them.
While an unfortunate reality, it’s a common enough malaise even among Christians to mistreat this book and the message it contains. Too many have dismissed it as the hallucinations of a shell-shocked old man – an acid trip gone terribly, terribly wrong. And those who do see in it a message from God to His followers have too often limited their study to nuancing the horns and crowns and pinning prophetic time spans to the chronology of the cosmos.
And what can be done do cure this condition? How can we be healed of our apathy or our misguided zeal when handling this deeply intriguing and powerfully moving message? Again, the book of Revelation itself gives us the answer, found in the threefold blessing given in verse 3. Notice what it says… (read v. 3)
Reading… hearing… keeping. This process, which in fact summarises everything that we’ve learned from the text thus far – this process is the antidote for indifference, the inoculation against improper interpretation. “Reading”, we have seen in our study, means that we approach the text for what it is: a revelation from God. To read this book is to acknowledge that it has a message for us, and to seek from God the revelation which He desires to make known to us. It is a bold step to read something, for in reading we expose ourselves to the ideas and inspirations of the one who wrote it (and in this case particularly, to the One who inspired the writing in the first place). To read the words of this book is to take the first, bold step toward inheriting the rich blessing God has to bestow upon us through the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
It is not enough to read, however; the blessing is not obtained by merely putting the text in front of our eyes. It is further required that we hear what we read. More than merely letting the sounds reverberate in our ears, however, the Greek expression used in this place emphasises a hearing that leads to understanding. And understanding what this text is trying to tell us, we have learned, is only possible as we allow the God who gave the revelation to John, to give us understanding – to move us away from ignorance and toward enlightenment; to take away our confusion and instil in us a comprehension of the text that goes beyond certainty over the meaning of dates and symbols, to a sure and certain knowing of who Jesus is, and what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do in our lives.
Even so, it is not enough to read the text; not enough to hear and understand God’s revelation. To confirm the blessing in our lives, we must let our understanding have its full effect – we must let the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gives to us lead us to a deeper relationship with Him. This is the “keeping” aspect, for “to keep” is not just about retaining, not just about holding on to what you’ve got. Knowledge for the sake of knowledge is foolishness to God; understanding for the sake of understanding is vanity and vexation of the spirit. Our knowledge – our understanding – must be “kept”: it must be internalised, must change us, must move us farther from where we were, and ever closer to where God wants us to be, if it is to accomplish the end for which God gave the revelation at all. And the Scriptures tell us that this change is not accomplished through reading, nor even through understanding, but through a relationship with Jesus. Another meaning of “keeping” means “ever beholding”. And it is by ever beholding Jesus that we are changed from glory to glory.
Reading: exposing ourselves to the Revelation of Jesus Christ… hearing: getting in touch with the One who gives revelation and who can give us the understanding we need… keeping: ever seeking and beholding Jesus, letting Him move us and change us to be more like Him. This is God’s desire for us in the book of Revelation. This is why He gave it to us. This is the blessing that is ours.
If this is the blessing you want today, it can be yours. If you’ve never looked at the book of Revelation before, today you have an opportunity to say “Lord, I want to know what You want to reveal to me. I want to read what you have for me to read in this book”. Or maybe you’ve been reading the book but haven’t understood it. Today is your chance to say “Lord, I need You to give me an understanding of what I’m reading. I need You to bless me with the enlightenment of Your Spirit – the same Spirit that helped John understand what to write, I need to understand what he wrote”. And maybe you’ve been reading this book for years; you know all about the crowns and the horns and the beasts and the stars, but you’ve missed seeing Jesus. Today is your opportunity to say “Lord, I understand the details, but I need to see Jesus; I need to behold You, and to let You change me – move me from where I am to where You want me to be”. Whatever state you find yourself in, today is the day for you to make a decision as to how you approach this book, and how you’re going to let its message impact your life.
