Disciples Global Network

Are  Revelation ’s visions presented in chronological sequence as they unfold? If we assume this is the case, things quickly become untenable as key events are repeated over several visions. For example, the  “ sixth seal ”  culminates in the final day of wrath accompanied by celestial and terrestrial upheaval, yet the same events also occur in the “ seventh trumpet .”

The  Book of Revelation  communicates symbolically, and it  provides several interpretations of its images. For example, it states that the “ Seven Golden Lampstands ” represent seven congregations. Likewise, the “ Seven Stars ” held by the “ one like a Son of Man ” symbolize angels or “ Seven Messengers .” Pictures of the smoke of “ incense ” rising to heaven represent the “ prayers of the saints .” And so on.

The relevance of Revelation for today is lost if we ignore its historical context and read it with incorrect presuppositions . The  Book of Revelation  presents a sweeping picture of the church age that highlights the cosmic “ war ” that is being waged behind the scenes of History with individual “battles” that manifest in the daily struggles of the Assembly. Its visions show God working through the “ Lamb ” to implement His Kingdom, and it begins in the first century with the “ Seven Assemblies of Asia .”

The  Book of Revelation  is divided into four main literary units, each identifiable by the entry of John “ in the Spirit ” and his relocation to a new visionary vantage point (Patmos, the Throne, the Wilderness, “ great high mountain ”). Each division is easily subdivided into smaller units; for example, the series of the “ seven seals ” or the “ seven trumpets ” - (Revelation 1:9, 4:1-3, 17:3, 21:10).

In his letter to the “ messenger ” of Laodicea, the Risen “ Son of Man ” is called the “ Beginning of the Creation of God .” In his death and resurrection, he inaugurated the New Creation. In the same sentence, and in the present tense, he also is called the “ Amen, the faithful and true witness ,” appellations applied to him previously in the Book’s prologue.

The Incommunicable Name of God, its meaning and significance, according to Joseph Bryant Rotherham .  The following article is from the Introduction to the 1902 edition of the  Emphasized Bible  by Joseph Bryant Rotherham ( Public Domain ). It explains the background and meaning of the Hebrew name of God, Yahweh, and the key reasons why it has been lost to a great many Christians over the centuries - [ Photo by  Will van Wingerden  on  Unsplash ]. In what follows, I have preserved as much of the original formatting as possible.  ( The Emphasised Bible, A New Translation , by Joseph Bryant Rotherham, Published originally in 1902 { Public Domain }).