Reading the Apocalyptic
Every few years there is a renewed interest in the end times. I think our good friend, Donald Trump, is the source this time. In the last few days I've overheard several conversations about the end being near, or "seeing this in the book of Revelation." Well, the sad thing is that since many pastors avoid teaching on Revelation, it leaves the Tim Lahaye's, Jerry B. Jenkins, John Hagee's, and guy on the corner with a "The end is near!!!" sign, to serve as the authority on all things apocalyptic. So I wanted to share some wisdom that I received on how to read apocalyptic literature. The word "apocalyptic" is translated as "unmasking" or "uncovering." It's a way of looking in order to see what is really there. Think investigative reporter, or whistleblower. That's exactly what the writer of John is capturing in his Revelation. A reminder that keeps me from end-timing the crap out of the book is remembering the 1st verse in chapter 4.
“After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this."
The "up here" is the vantage point from which John sees all the things that "must take place." But I think we go astray when we place the emphasis on "must take place," and begin trying to figure out what John was trying to describe when he saw a dragon. That's when we erroneously begin comparing the dragon to a nuclear bomb, F-16, or some other weapon that he wouldn't have been familiar with. But if the emphasis is on the "up here" in that verse, we begin to understand that John is looking at the life experiences in his day (Rome, oppression, greed, licentiousness, etc...), but he sees them "uncovered." As James K.A. Smith notes in Desiring the Kingdom, "The point of apocalyptic literature is not prediction but unmasking—unveiling the realities around us for what they really are."So it might be a good exercise to re-read apocalyptic literature, and practice seeing from the vantage point of the speaker. Study what was going on in their day, then see what the uncovered images might represent. Indeed, it would also be a good exercise to begin learning how to see what's going on in our day through apocalyptic lenses. You might just discover that some of the rituals and practices that you're being invited to participate in, are ravenous like a dragon, or consuming like a bottomless pit. To be sure, apocalyptic literature does allude to the end times, but the point of it is to teach the reader how to uncover, and see things for what they really are. Well, that's all I got today.