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A bike and the Bible – Revelation – part 16

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?

Beginning with the Book of Revelation

A bike and the Bible – New Testament Letters – part 15

The New Testament letters written by Paul and others draw our attention at this next stage of the bike ride and our journey through the Bible.

Where I’d been

This next stretch of the ride was really about the notion of seeing behind and before. We were past the tunnels and trestles and on to the open trail for most of the remaining path. In these open spaces of the bike trail I could see where I’d been and where I was going. I was far enough along on the ride to have a better sense of my location in relation to the entire route.

We were also running late. The ride had taken way longer than we’d realized. Longer than the person at the registration desk had indicated. We needed to hurry so we didn’t miss the shuttle bus back to the trailhead.

Rest of the letters

If you look at the Bible widthwise, there aren’t that many pages to go. What’s left is several shorter books – the rest of the letters – and Revelation.

This will be a fast trip through this section of Scripture. At this point on the ride we were running behind and still had to get back to the initial tunnel.

Did I mention that? This was a big deal. Somewhere along the way it dawned on me that I would have to ride back through the first really long dark tunnel. Say what? Once through was traumatic enough.

I tried not to think about it as I continued the ride. Eventually I stopped thinking about it. I got caught up in the views, the scenery, and my surroundings. I had enjoyed the ride across each remaining trestle.

More information

Because we were running late I could only glance at the information boards we encountered along the route. We took pictures of some of them so we could look at them later. Each information board had a different set of details on it, but they all related to the ride in some way.

New Testament letters

That’s one way we can think of all these letters near the back of the Bible in the New Testament. Information we may not have time to read now but can come back to later.

Paul’s letters to churches

As I mentioned last week, this next part of the Bible is a collection of letters. Paul, who wrote the book of Romans, also wrote letters to several other churches. These next books of the Bible are the letters of Paul and the group of people to whom the letters were sent.

1 and 2 Corinthians (two letters)

Galatians

Ephesians

Philippians

Colossians

1 and 2 Thessalonians (two letters)

Each letter was sent for a specific reason and with a specific function. The content of the letters gives indication of what issues were being dealt with and which situations Paul felt called to address.

Paul’s letters to individuals

The next few letters Paul wrote to individuals, some of whose names you may recognize from letters to the churches.

1 and 2 Timothy

Titus

Philemon

Hebrews

Hebrews is a letter whose author is not named in the book. The content of this book draws connection to the Old Testament and many of its key players. This New Testament letter is one of the best reasons to read the Old Testament and make the connection to the New Testament and to Jesus.

Letters by individuals

The rest of the letters are named after their author including two letters from Peter and three from John. Note each individual’s direct connection to Jesus.

James – half-brother of Jesus

1 and 2 Peter – disciple of Jesus

1, 2, 3 John – disciple of Jesus and Gospel writer

Jude – brother of James, half-brother of Jesus

This is a quick trip through this section of the Bible. The purpose is really just to know where it is so we can come back to it again.

What to remember from New Testament Letters

When I read the letters of Paul, I like to keep in mind his story in the book of Acts. Some of the details he shares come from his own experience recorded in Acts.

If we remember that Acts tells of the history of the church, including events and stories that occurred, we can make some connections between it and the letters that follow. The letters are written by people who lived during the time of Acts. Some of them are mentioned by name in that book of the Bible.

Two of my favorite passages of Scripture describing Jesus are in the letters:

Philippians 2:5-11

Colossians 1:15-20

Interestingly enough, the Philippians passage is about Christ’s humility and the Colossians passage is about His supremacy.

I encourage you to read these two passages if you haven’t already.

Looking for the Gospels and the first of Paul’s letters?

A bike and the Bible – The Gospels, Acts, and Romans – part 14

Curious about that crazy tunnel?

Tunnel ahead

A bike and the Bible – The Gospels, Acts, and Romans – part 14

We’ve finally made it to the Gospels, Acts, and Romans, on this journey through the Bible. Join me as we take a quick ride past these first several books of the New Testament.

If you’ve followed this trek you’ll know we just made our way through the Old Testament. On the bike ride this brought us to a trestle high above a creek.

The Gospels

The Gospels – Mathew, Mark, Luke, John – are where Jesus came to earth, walked the land, healed the sick, and taught about the Kingdom of God. This is where we encounter the tangible Jesus, living among the people.

Viewed from above

The creek at this point of the bike ride was viewed from the height of a train trestle far above the water below. Matthew’s Gospel starts with a genealogy which at first glance appears far removed from the story of Jesus. Many people are confused by this list of names, still others skip it entirely, and some like me initially get lost in it until we find some familiarity and discoveries in it.

Matthew Mark Luke John

Matthew gives us Jesus’ lineage and Kingdom teaching. The genealogy in the first chapter of this Gospel links Jesus to King David, whose story we discovered in 1 and 2 Samuel in the Old Testament.

Mark walks out the gospel with Jesus on the move in ministry.

Luke shows us the shepherds and a whole lot of “carefully investigated” details. (Luke 1:3)

And John just confused me the first several times I peeked inside. What was this Word stuff right at the beginning of this Gospel? After reading Genesis I recognized the connection to John’s Gospel and the beginning of the Bible.

As I continue to look into these four books of the New Testament that share details of Jesus’ life and ministry, I start to understand a little more about the Gospels and the love of God.

Look around

Once I grew accustomed to riding on gravel I could look around and see my surroundings instead of just the rocks under my bicycle tires.

When I glanced out past the trestle across the vast forest of trees I recognized parts of the trail I had ridden over. This section folded back around so I could see out over a segment of the path on which I had already traveled.

Bigger picture

Taking a step back gave me a more encompassing view of the bike trail.

I hope that if you’ve followed along on this ride that just rolled through the Old Testament that you, too, have started to grasp a bigger picture of what’s in the Bible.

More tunnels

I relished this moment on the ride because soon we were riding through two more tunnels.

Acts and Romans

Tunnels. That’s what the books of Acts and Romans felt like to me at one time.

When I first read Acts it was a cure for insomnia. I couldn’t get through it. Too many details. Too many storylines. After spending more time with my Bible open I began to recognize the names of people in Acts and connect them to other places in Scripture.

Where Gospels leave off

Acts takes up where the Gospels leave off. In fact, Acts is the move of the people in ministry, the early church, after Jesus heads back to heaven (resurrection and ascension) at the end of the Gospels.

Connections to books around it

If we skim Acts we’ll see names from the Gospels and names mentioned in the books of the Bible that follow. No need to spend much time in it now, just note the connections to the books around it. This basic knowledge will help anchor more of the content of the Bible.

Tunnels

I think just being accustomed to riding through several tunnels on the trail helped me travel through these next two.

Although some of the details in Acts were hard to remember, I was starting to grasp more aspects of Scripture so I knew the feeling of being in the dark wouldn’t last.

This tunnel and the next one were not as long as the first few. I think I was able to see the light shining through as I entered one of them.

Having a glimpse of visible light was helpful at this point in the Bible – for the book of Acts and the one that follows, Romans.

Romans

My first glimpse at Romans was probably similar to my experience with Acts. A lot of information that I couldn’t keep track of. This book was different from the Gospels and Acts. Romans is the first of the letters in the New Testament. This one happens to be a letter to the church in Rome written by Paul whose story can be found in Acts. See how these connections work?

The Book of Romans is Paul’s teaching about Jesus. This is another book that becomes clearer to me each time I return to it.

If you are reading along in your Bible, I encourage you not to get bogged down by Acts or Romans. We’ll keep rolling through the New Testament to glance at the next section of letters. Ready?

For a reminder of where we’ve been:

A bike and the Bible – Daniel and the Minor Prophets – part 13

For a refresher on 1 and 2 Samuel (and King David):

A bike and the Bible – Joshua to 1 and 2 Samuel – part 8

A bike and the Bible – Daniel and the Minor Prophets – part 13

The Book of Daniel, followed by the Minor Prophets, including Joel and Jonah, is the next phase of this journey through the Bible, and concludes the Old Testament.

After the series of tunnels on the bike ride, we came to a gate. In some ways this signified the next phase of the ride, kind of how Daniel transitions us from the Major to the Minor Prophets.

Major Prophet Daniel

Daniel is the last of the line-up of the Major Prophets. His book is shorter than the two that precede it. Rather than start with visions as Jeremiah and Ezekiel did, Daniel starts with a narrative which for me makes it easier to follow.

2 Kings connects to Major Prophets

As with the other Major Prophets, Daniel’s opening verses help us place it in the time of the kings. Just an aside, I think when I first read through 1 and 2 Kings I slogged through them. Since then I have referred back to 2 Kings often as I look for the connecting points to the Prophets.

Daniel

The Book of Daniel gives a bit of this young man’s back story before he begins to interpret the dreams of a king. The second half of this book consists of Daniel’s own dreams and their interpretations.

I appreciate that God gave Daniel (and us) the interpretation of the dreams. I’m not always quick to catch the vision of what Scripture says. I’m thankful when God spells it out for me.

Trestle

A series of trestles followed the gate on the bike ride. If you recall from my mention of Isaiah, you might remember my first experience with a trestle was rather tentative. I could barely look over the edge. By the time we reached the one with the creek I was leaning over the side.

Minor Prophets Joel Jonah

Having made it through the Major Prophets, this look into the Minor Prophets was somewhat easier. The Minor Prophets like Joel and Jonah are shorter in length, but the messages God gave each of them still pack a punch.

Message

The Minor Prophets are a mixed bag of visions which refers not only to what message God revealed through each prophet, but also how God gave instructions to each of them. Often the prophecy that God revealed was a warning if things didn’t change.

Joel

Imagery of a locust plague is found in Joel. If you think about the passage in Exodus 10 that describes the first mention of a locust plague, you can get a sense of how terrifying this warning was.

Acts

Joel is also quoted in the book of Acts during Pentecost. (See Acts 2:16-18) Here is the passage that originates in Joel:

 “And afterward,
    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
    your old men will dream dreams,
    your young men will see visions.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
    I will pour out my Spirit in those days.” Joel 2:28-29 NIV

Acts is in the New Testament and follows the Gospels. Joel is just one place in Scripture that establishes a connection between the Old and New Testament.

Jonah

If you want a good grasp on a Minor Prophet, read Jonah. His story is familiar and only four chapters long. It walks through God’s call for Jonah to deliver a message of warning in Nineveh and what transpires when he ultimately does. There’s a whole lot more in the middle, but these are the book-ends of this narrative.

Minor Prophets

Here are the names of the Minor Prophets:

Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

Malachi

Malachi concludes the Minor Prophets and the Old Testament.

Congratulations! If you’ve been riding along you just made it through the Old Testament!

I still had a good portion of the bike ride to go, but this is certainly a milestone on the journey through the Bible.

Catching up?

A bike and the Bible – Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel – part 12

A bike and the Bible – Ecclesiastes Song of Songs Isaiah – part 11

A bike and the Bible – Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel – part 12

Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Ezekiel plunge back into tunnels of darkness, as did the next section of bike trail. In this quick look at these Major Prophets, let’s see if we can find some connections to other places in Scripture to help us understand what’s in them.

More tunnels

Well it’s a good thing I had such a refreshing moment at the creek because soon we were plunging back into darkness. More tunnels.

Major Prophets – Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel

Following Isaiah comes more of the longer prophetic books, the Major Prophets of Jeremiah, Lamentations (Jeremiah’s lament), and Ezekiel. Like Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel each received messages from God.

As with the bike path which at this point alternated between dark and light, tunnels and trails, these prophetic books have moments that might make sense and others that simply confuse.

Not my favorite

These three books were not my favorite part of Scripture, just like the tunnels were not my favorite part of the ride. But we had to ride through so many tunnels, that after a while I got used to them, even rode through some pretty quickly, much faster than I did through the first tunnel. Riding fast was more enjoyable.

Read fast

Reading fast helped me see things I didn’t when I plodded along wondering how much longer it would take to get through these Major Prophets.

Quick look

So let’s take a quick look at Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Ezekiel, and see if we can find some connections to other places in Scripture to help us understand what’s in them.

Connect Jeremiah and Lamentations

Right away we can connect two of these books of the Bible together – Jeremiah and Lamentations. These were both written by the prophet Jeremiah.

Jeremiah

Jeremiah preaches doom and gloom to the Israelites before Jerusalem falls to Babylon. This lengthy prophetic book of the Bible may feel like a long dreary, dark tunnel, but we can also find some connecting points in it.

Overlap with 2 Kings

When I started reading Jeremiah, I noticed reference to a number of kings. I glanced back and found the same names in 2 Kings which ended with the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. Remember him from 2 Kings?

The fall of Jerusalem is also covered in the last chapter of Jeremiah, chapter 52.

2 Kings 24:18 through 2 Kings 25 overlaps with Jeremiah 52.

That helps us place the timing of Jeremiah’s prophecy. Clear as mud?

For fun, read this passage in 2 Kings:

2 Kings 24:18 – 2 Kings 25

Then flip to the last chapter of Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 52

Bonus points if you compare the two sections and note the subtle differences.

See how some of this starts to make sense in a murky sort of way?

Lamentations

Jeremiah laments the fall of Jerusalem in the Book of Lamentations. This book is short but still just as gloomy.

Another tunnel on the bike ride.

Lamentations like the Psalms, gives us a place to anchor into sorrow.

“I called on your name, Lord,
    from the depths of the pit.
 You heard my plea: ‘Do not close your ears
    to my cry for relief.’
 You came near when I called you,
    and you said, ‘Do not fear.’” Lamentations 3:55-57 NIV

Ezekiel

Ready for another tunnel?

Ezekiel preaches from Babylon where he lives among the exiles. His message isn’t any brighter than Jeremiah’s. From Babylon he describes the bad that will befall those who remained in Jerusalem.

Ezekiel does however include a message of hope for those in exile:

“Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.’” Ezekiel 11:16 NIV

Connection

Once I noticed a connection between these books and 2 Kings, I started flipping back and forth to try to better understand the context of these Major Prophets.

A glimpse of light

On the bike ride these tunnels were still dim and some stirred up reminders of the experience with the first really long dark tunnel. But these were shorter and I could see farther inside them and at least catch a glimpse of light from the other side. Riding through them and not stuck inside them I was able to continue moving forward.

I hope you will be able to do the same with these three books of the Bible – move through and not get stuck in the middle of them.

Recognition

When I recognized the correlation between 2 Kings and the Major Prophets, I found a way to stay grounded and move through them, all because I had read 2 Kings.

See how cool this is?

For a refresher on the creek I mentioned:

A bike and the Bible – Ecclesiastes Song of Songs Isaiah – part 11

Want a review of 1 and 2 Kings?

A bike and the Bible – 1 and 2 Kings to Nehemiah – part 9