Week 52 Revelation 22
I finished reading the book of Revelation a couple of days ago (so there was no New Year’s Eve scramble-to-finish).
As usual I tried pretty hard to understand what John was talking about. However…if I had a Revelation-Comprehension Test Scale that numerically evaluated how much I actually understood then I’d grade out at a pretty low number. Raw score? Scaled score? Standard deviations? They wouldn’t make difference for me. For the most part Revelation is still a mystery.
At the very end of the book John gives a sober warning to his readers: if anyone adds to them (John’s words), God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of the book…God will take away his share of the tree of life and the holy city.
So there are three possible ways to read the Revelation of John:
1. Read the content of the book
2. Read the book (but add some of my own extra content)
3. Read the book (but remove some of John’s content).
John endorses #1. No additions. No subtractions.
I think it’s a good general rule for all bible books. But Revelation – with its visionary & apocalyptic & mystical elusiveness – is a standout example of a book that puts pressure on a reader to add & embellish (or else suppress & dismiss & downplay). Two seriously tempting options. Both of which will take me where I don’t want to be.
Note: quote from Revelation 22:18-19 (CSB)