Category Archives: Revelation

The Beast from the Land The second beast, from the land, functions primarily to promote the worship of the first beast (13:12). It operates with borrowed power and by means of deception. Its lamb-like appearance is a mask for Satanic … Continue reading →

In the last post, we saw how John the Seer received a vision of the Trinity. The pages of Revelation are filled with images of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. But in the Revelation, the members of the Trinity … Continue reading →

Gorman does not attempt a verse-by-verse interpretation of the next several chapters of the Revelation. Rather, he works his way through the text to demonstrate the meaning of key symbolic “actors” in the vision seen by John. He first outlines … Continue reading →

To me, this is one the most significant passages in the entire book. It’s a turning point — a “revelation” of a deep truth. (Rev. 5:1-5 ESV) Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on … Continue reading →

We turn next to chapter 4 — (Rev. 4:1-11 ESV)  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, … Continue reading →

I’m not going to attempt a verse-by-verse exposition of the introduction or seven letters that begin the Revelation. The territory is familiar, and there are many helpful resources, including Tim Archer’s and Steve Ridgell’s Letters from the Lamb. (Tim often comments … Continue reading →

So what is the over-arching theme of the Revelation? According to Gorman, In other words, the purpose of the book of Revelation is to persuade its hearers and readers, both ancient and contemporary, to remain faithful to God in spite … Continue reading →

Gorman suggests that we read the Revelation through a combination of three schools of thought. This pastoral-prophetic approach is bound to be closely related to the [poetic and political]. If we read Revelation poetically, concluding that Babylon is not merely … Continue reading →

[From February 2009, with some editing] We have members of my congregation who are firmly persuaded that contemporary Christian music is a sign of the Apocalypse — rather like sword, famine, plague, and wild beasts. It’s just one more way … Continue reading →

Gorman writes, As a prophetic summons to first-commandment faithfulness, Revelation is both a call to worship the true God and a call to forsake all false deities. These two aspects are connected, and both appear in sharp relief at the … Continue reading →