Theology

The Place of Christians in the World

“the sovereignty of God and Christ in redeeming and judging brings them glory, which is intended to motivate saints to worship God and reflect his glorious attributes through obedience to his word (see, e.g., on 22:9)” (Beale, Revelation, 174).

Revelation’s most significant and dramatic expressions of worship occur where God’s glory is highlighted (chs. 4-5; 7:9-12; 11:15-19; 15:2-8; 19:1-8).

John’s vision provides Christians with values that run counter culture. (e.g., the ironic victory through martyrdom).

The Place of Christians in the World

The goal of this book for Christians is to be God-centered.

Unbelievers are called “earth dwellers”

Christians are like pilgrims that merely pass through this decaying world.

The letters are written to the angelic representatives of each church.

Note the importance for meeting together in a church every week. It is so that we can participate corporately in what is already happening in heaven, and so that we can convince ourselves that we are living the true paradigm of existence as opposed to the pagan world.

Revelation’s Relevance Today

Today, Revelation finds a place of supreme importance in the church, in that it

reiterates and expounds the doctrine of God. A purpose of which most

churches have failed to preach, yet they have succumbed to culture by

preaching pop-psychology and quality of life sermons from the pulpit rather than the nature and doctrine of God.

The Meaning and Use of Symbols

“However, if the images are not timeless symbols, but relate to the ‘real’ world, we need also to avoid the opposite mistake of taking them too literally as descriptive of the ‘real’ world and of predicted events in the ‘real’ world. They are not just a system of codes waiting to be translated into matter-of-fact references to people and events. Once we begin to appreciate their sources and their rich symbolic associations, we realize that they cannot be read either as literal descriptions or as encoded literal descriptions, but must be read for their theological meaning and their power to evoke response” (Bauckham, Theology, 20).

The Meaning and Use of Symbols

There is a specific reason why John uses such vivid symbols in Revelation. It is mainly a shock tactic.

“The literary form of symbolic parable appears whenever warnings are no longer heeded, and no warning will ever be heeded by people who are spiritually callous and intent on continuing in disobedience” (Beale, Revelation, 176).

Example: John’s use of Isa 6:9-10 “the one who has ears let him hear” It both reveals and conceals at the same time.