Revelation

Revelation 10:1-11 (NRSV) And I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. He held a little scroll open in his hand. Setting his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, he gave a great shout, like a lion roaring. And when he shouted, the seven thunders sounded. And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down." Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and the land raised his right hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it: "There will be no more delay, but in the days when the seventh angel is to blow his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, as he announced to his servants the prophets." Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, "Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land." So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll; and he said to me, "Take it, and eat; it will be bitter to your stomach, but sweet as honey in your mouth." So I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it; it was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. Then they said to me, "You must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.  When I opened my email from the ELCA today and found that this reading from Revelation was the text for the day, warning bells literally sounded in my head:  danger, danger, danger! Revelation has become so wrapped up in modern fundamentalist theology - as well as popular culture - that it's hard to read without being swept away by the drama that surrounds it. The warning bells also went off on my head because it is far too tempting to just lift from something I just read recently this week.  I mentioned in another post that Rob Bell was blogging about the Bible.  What he wrote about Revelation is probably one of the best things I've read about it in a long time.  You can find his full post here: http://robbellcom.tumblr.com/post/75064606787/what-is-the-bible-part-37-kurt-cobain-and-the-book-of If you aren't inclined to read it, there are a few points I want to highlight, as well as my own comments: - The book of Revelation (no "s" on the end, by the way...) was written for a certain people at a certain time.  John wrote to churches that were suffering.  People looking for hope in the midst of living in a terrorizing empire.  The violence depicted in Revelation acknowledges in a real, true way that the people experienced violence in their lives in the Roman empire. - John wrote to those people to encourage them in their present, not about a distant future of world's end.  If you were writing to a group of people who were suffering, would you write to them about someday?  Or would you write to them about images and ideas and visions that would be meaningful to them then and there? - John was a poet and visionary.  But his words of encouragement for his people might not be comforting or even meaningful to us.  Not all poetry (or art) speaks to everyone in every time and situation. - Revelation is a book of worship.  It describes worship of God in all God's glory. - As worship and poetry, Revelation was not meant to be analyzed, but rather experienced through emotion. - The fact that Revelation is poetry and allegory and vision and encouragement does not take away from the fact that it is important.  John is dealing with the large themes of good vs. evil, and coming out quite emphatically that God has ruled against evil and has in fact through Jesus Christ triumphed over evil. If you want to know more about Revelation, turn not to the "Left Behinds" of the world, but instead, look more deeply into the text itself for what it is.  Talk about it and think of art and poetry that we use today that offer us the same kind of encouragement and hope when we are faced with evil. God of revelation, continue to reveal to us your triumph over evil.  Inspire and encourage us through art and music and poetry and visionaries who point us more deeply toward you.  Amen.