Shining a Light on Revelation: A way to understand what this strange book reveals

For its original readers and hearers, Revelation addressed the challenge of being faithful followers of Jesus within the cities and churches of the Roman Empire, where allegiance to the empire—and in some places participation in the worship of the emperor through the imperial cult—was woven into public life. In that respect, Revelation is much like Paul’s letters, which were also written to Christian communities seeking to live faithfully amid the pressures, values, and expectations of their surrounding culture. Even though the writing is a maze of vivid imagery, dense symbolism, dramatic scenes, a unique literary structure, and many allusions to ancient stories, we can learn to discover spiritual wisdom and practical guidance that can help us live as faithful followers of the way of Jesus in our own time and place. 

A wonderful, helpful way to prepare for this series would be to simply read or listen to the whole Book of Revelation as if reading or listening to a short story. The total time would be up to an hour and a half. 

In addition to this series, Pastor Rockford will teach a pastor’s class of 3 more lessons on Revelation during the Sunday School hour, September 13, 20, and 27.