Revelation, the last book of the Bible, is where we find comparison to the final stretch of the bike ride. Join me as we shine some light on the path.
Perspective
We had traveled over several trestles on the length of this bike ride. They first appeared far in the distance – I hadn’t even realized they were a part of the route.
As we progressed further I began to realize they were an integral part of the trail. I started to see them in relation to other sections of the landscape of this trek. We can make a similar connection to the book of Revelation against the backdrop of the whole Bible.
Return to the tunnel
One more book to go. Revelation. Remember that tunnel at the beginning of the ride? The shuttle bus dropped us back at the wrong end of it in my opinion, but that’s the only place it stops. I think it’s really good that I had no clue I would have to ride through this tunnel one more time. I personally think that would have been my undoing had I realized this traumatic tunnel where I had encountered my fears would be my point of escape.
Revelation
For me, the book of Revelation was kind of like that too. The letters of Paul and others were comprehensible and then came Revelation, steeped in imagery. If I had thought the Gospel of John was hard to read with all of its visuals, Revelation came across like a bad dream. Well, it is the vision of the Gospel writer John.
Avoided reading
For years I avoided reading Revelation. Since I didn’t initially get the imagery of the Book of John, I had an even harder time understanding Revelation, penned by the same author.
Like the tunnel at the beginning of the ride, my first attempt at reading Revelation was a plunge into incomprehension and darkness. Nothing made sense.
Connections to the beginning
Once I read through the whole Bible though I saw some connections to the beginning in Genesis. Which is fun since I had to ride back through the tunnel at the end of the ride. And if you recall from early posts about this bike ride I referred to the start of the Old Testament as the long dark tunnel.
Tunnel of darkness
At the start of the ride I ran into the 1.661 mile long tunnel of darkness and unknown obstacles, many of which were internal (fears). Which was the same tunnel I now approached on the return.
Trying to initially read through the Bible I also encountered the long dark tunnel of the first five books of the Bible – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
Same issues
The beauty of the similarity of this journey is that in some ways, the same issues I had with getting started with the Bible, were the same ones that prevented me from crossing the finish line with this behemoth book in the first place. This last book of Revelation, this prophecy for the next chapter with Jesus, revealed nothing to me initially, only confusion.
Confidence
So what changed?
Well, for one thing, my confidence to even open it and read what was in it.
When I did, I was astounded. No, I didn’t suddenly have a full comprehension of what was in it. I was still confused. But my Bible was open to Revelation, and I was open to taking a look at God’s Word this far into the Bible – at the end of the book but not the end of the story.
What I noticed
So what did I notice?
I noticed this Revelation was a vision, what God had revealed to the Gospel writer John while he was exiled on an island. (Revelation 1:1,9-10)
I recognized references from Genesis (tree of life, tribes) and names for Jesus – the Lion of Judah, the Lamb, and the Root of David. I remembered reading about Judah in Genesis, the Lamb in Exodus, and about David in 1 and 2 Samuel. And those are just some of the places we find them.
Did I understand everything I read? No. Did I read through it even though I didn’t fully grasp it? Yes. Did I gain more confidence having read through it and opened this book in the first place? Yes.
I recognized more from Revelation because I had taken a chance at the beginning to read from Genesis, Exodus, and further in.
The point wasn’t to comprehend everything, but have a better sense of what was there.
As with the tunnel. The 1.661 mile tunnel was still dark and much too long for my taste. The ceiling still dripped water and the road still slanted toward the gutters. But I knew that now. I was aware of those elements, those aspects of this previously unknown path.
I had ridden the length of the trail. I knew what to expect, even if what I knew was that I would still be traveling in darkness. That revelation provided a level of assurance as I made the return trip through this space that had tripped me up at the onset.
What changed
We raced through the tunnel. Partly because we were hungry and way behind schedule, but also because I had grown a bit on the journey.
It was the same tunnel, but I was changed.
I now had the strength to endure, the tools to continue on this journey in spite of the darkness I would inevitably encounter. And I knew for certain I was riding toward the light.
I knew for certain I was riding toward the light.
Through my experience of the entire ride, the clunky start, the angst, the hesitation, I had gained skills over the course of my journey. And perspective. As I learned more about the route I saw how the pieces fit together. I could see where I’d been and where I was headed. And though I still struggled periodically along the route, I gained skills that helped me as I continued along the path.
Had skills
So by the time I arrived at this tunnel that had plunged me into darkness and confrontation of my fears, I had skills that helped me cope with the darkness and confidence that I was indeed riding toward the light.
Remember that mud stripe I saw on the backs of the ones who had ridden through the tunnel on the way in? That stripe came from riding quickly through the tunnel. When my husband and I emerged from the darkness we discovered that we now had the tell-tale sign of an experienced rider.
I wore my mud proudly. Yes, I rode the route. I pedaled fast. I sailed through the tunnel. I had enough light on the way back. I had confidence to soar through the darkness to reach the light.
And much in the way we were tagged by the trail and our experience with it, so do we, as we dive into Scripture and pursue the length of the journey, emerge as ones who have been with Jesus.
“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13 NIV
Want a quick review of Genesis?
Through Genesis – shedding light on the journey
Or a few more insights on Revelation?