Interpreting Revelation

It can be a bit intimidating to be the resident ‘Bible scholar’ when morning staff devotion time comes around.  As our staff look at the Bible together, there is an opportunity for people to make comments or ask questions.  When a thorny theological question comes up, I know I really ought to be ready to shed some light on the subject.  That’s what I went to school for all those years, right?

 

So, recently morning devotions have been a bit nerve-racking, as we’ve been moving through the book of Revelation one chapter at time.  If any book of the Bible holds the record for the number of ‘thorny theological issues per page,’ it would probably be this one.  Now, I can’t say that I don’t know anything about the book.  I practically teethed on dispensationalism.  My Dad was a great lover of Biblical prophecy, loving to discuss all the details in his devoted eagerness for his Lord’s triumphant return.  So, Revelation is NOT unfamiliar territory.

 

But I still have my own questions about the book – as about eschatology in general.  So, lately, I’ve just kinda been hoping that people won’t ask too many questions.

 

It became clear this morning, however, that an M.Div. isn’t necessary (!) to get God’s point in this final book of the Bible.

 

We had just read Revelation 12, which is of course packed full of detailed symbolism.  The woman clothed with the sun.  The red dragon.  1260 days.  In my mind, I’m already figuring out how to phrase my interpretation of the symbols.

 

And one of our staff speaks up with her interpretation.  Something like this:  The dragon is the devil.  He’s doing everything he can to hurt the woman.  But the woman is following God’s ways.  And God takes care of the woman.  He protects her, and even the devil can’t hurt her.  So, if we follow God’s ways, He will take care of us too.

 

Now, she didn’t really articulate all the symbolic nuances in the passage.  But that’s when it hit me.  She got it.  She didn’t get bogged down in symbolic details.  She just summarized the basic message of the “big picture” of the entire book of Revelation:  The devil is going to try to do a whole lot of stuff to make the people of God suffer.  Things are going to get tough.  But God is victorious over the devil, and if we just stick with God, then we’ll find ourselves on the winning side.  Because in the end, God wins.  End of story.

 

I’m not trying to say that the details in the book of Revelation aren’t important.  They’re there because God wanted them there.  But I know from experience how easy it is to miss the forest in our zeal to examine the proverbial trees.  This staff person didn’t make that mistake.  She got it.

 

 

Listen and Obey

The words "listen and obey" are words I'm using a lot these days. My son, after all, just turned three. He came through the "terrible twos" without being terrible at all, to speak of, but his independence - and the stubbornness that goes with it - has been kicking into higher gear recently.

He loves Jana Alayra music, and knows the lyrics which talk about how we "choose this day" whether or not we will "listen and obey." So, I find myself citing those familiar words quite frequently as remind him that he needs to be attentive and obedient to the instructions his Mommy and I give him.

Obviously, an attentive and obedient child is a lot easier to live with. It's easier to protect him, care for him, enjoy him, and get out the door to church on time - when he listens and obeys!

But it hit me the other day that this whole theme of listening and obedience goes way beyond my own parenting convenience. It goes way beyond me as his father.

I realized that, in my own relationship with the Lord, I still have to face the continual choice whether or not to "listen and obey." Listening can be quite a challenge, since the Lord's voice directing my own life journey isn't quite as clear as me saying, "Come wash your hands" to my son. Listening requires attention to the Lord's leading, and a willingness to hear whatever it is He might be saying. Obedience is a challenge too. I'm not so different from my son, after all. I get my own mind and heart set on something, and I often want to keep doing what I want to do rather than align myself to the Lord and His plans.

So, as I teach Davey Will to "listen and obey," it's not just about being a "good little boy," as important as that might be. It's about learning a skill that he will need to apply the rest of his life as he learns to walk with the Lord - saying no to self and personal inclinations, attending to His leading, and committing himself to follow even when it's not easy or comfortable.

I can't say I'm the best example to Davey Will of listening and obeying, but I've got new perspective on why it's so important. For both of us!