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The Redemption of the Nations

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The book of Revelation presents images that are jarring, paradoxical and, occasionally, subversive.They challenge human wisdom and institutional explanations of how God will consummate His kingdom, overthrow His enemies, and judge the nations. Just as his contemporaries did not understand what kind of Messiah Jesus was, so interpreters often fail to comprehend the Lamb of Revelation. The significance of the visions of this book is missed when we lose sight of Jesus in his role as the sacrificial Lamb who came to redeem humanity, not to destroy all but a tiny remnant of men and women. The clues are there but are too easily overlooked. For example, in the image of Jesus riding a white horse, some commentators see him as the agent of God’s horrific wrath, an enraged Messiah bent on lopping heads off heads with his great sword. He is coming to tread the wine-press God’s wrath; therefore, his robe is stained with the blood and gore of his slaughtered enemies. Perhaps we ought to remember the…
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John, A Fellow Participant in the Kingdom

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SYNOPSIS:  Exiled to the isle of Patmos for his testimony, John is a “fellow-participant” in the Tribulation and a surrogate for the suffering churches in his visions. 
Commentaries on Revelation include discussions about the identity of John. Who was he? Is he the same person as the Apostle John, the son of Zebedee (John of Patmos does not identify himself as apostle or son of Zebedee)? Some argue the author of the book of Revelation must be a different John.
Attempts to identify John are important, but it is all too easy to overlook the important role he plays in the book’s narrative.  He provides functional information about what he is and why he is in his situation on Patmos that paint a model for his first-century audience to emulate. (Revelation 1:9) - “I, John, your brother and fellow-participant in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance in Jesus.” John introduces himself as “I, John.” In doing so, he uses the emphatic Greek pronounegō or “I.” The beginning and end of the vis…
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