Monday, October 24, 2005

The Book of Revelations

Before you skim over this entry to see if you are interested, take a look at the title. Look again.

See anything amiss? The Bible does not have a book in it called "Revelations". Somebody might say that I am being picky. That's OK. This is America; you have the right to be wrong. I am not being picky.....what I am is a shepherd watching over the flock by night and I have witnessed a sick wolf stalking the flock.

Skinny and mangy, but he is the most hazardous type of wolf to the sheep because he is a wolf of doctrinal purity and theological precision. He can quote 10 scriptures more quickly than you can say the Pledge of Allegiance. This wolf has intentionally misrepresented the character of God and the beauty of Jesus Christ with impunity on Christian TV and in Christian book sales. This wolf believes that the last book of the Bible is a spooky collection of revelations about the (scary organ music please) "end times".

The simplicity of the book of Revelation is found immediately in its opening verse; "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants--things which must shortly take place." That simple statement has been mangled, twisted, abused, stretched, ignored and plural-ized. What if the book is not at all about any end of the world business? What if the book is not at all about a 7 year anger itch that God has buried in His nasty side? What if the word pictures, the mysterious images, the mystical portraits and the colors, numbers, scrolls, trumpets and symbols are just exactly what the first verse says? What if it is about Jesus Christ and things that have taken place and will always take place in human history?

The dear man who wrote Revelation, John, was a man of poetic eloquence and passion. He laid his head on the chest of Jesus at the last supper. He was a man of deep feelings who must have struggled mightily to find words and means to express the unimaginable things revealed to him.

God took a magnificent risk in trusting such a soul to write this book, but it was a necessary risk in order to paint the portrait that emerged. Now then, think of this book as the most majestic original word painting ever created.

It is not a collection of revelations. It is the depth, width, height and length of a Jesus most have never seen. It is an artist's view of history from the heavens. It is rich in metphors, symbols and word pictures that point to a Jesus Christ who must be rediscovered by the church.

I dare you who read this to completely shed yourself of the religious baggage you may taken on and join me in a passionate treasure hunt for the real, one and only Jesus Christ. I believe we have not yet seen and known the Real Jesus and I believe He can be found in the book of Revelation.

Oh, and remember that sick wolf roaming around the edge of the flock? When you have a true revelation of Jesus Christ, he is "left behind".

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Count me in too, I think I've already begun thanks to you Pastor Randy. Thanks too for building the bridges for us!! I am blessed to be your steel wooley sheep!!!