Tag: Revelation

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

Beginning with the Book of Revelation

Book of Revelation

The last two posts focused on the song “Is He Worthy?” which references Scripture from the Book of Revelation. So what is Revelation and how do I read it?

If Revelation is the first book of the Bible you’ve looked at, then congratulations! I’m thrilled you jumped right in. If Revelation is a book you’ve avoided reading for any number of reasons, and yet, you opened your Bible to take a look at what’s in it, then good for you! I’m so glad you took that step.

Perspective

Now that we’ve seen some of what’s in it, how about a little perspective? I’m not going to tell you how to interpret this image-filled book of the Bible, but I will give you some information that will hopefully help you approach it with a bit of curiosity.

Gospel of John

Revelation is the last book of the Bible and was written by the same person who wrote the Gospel of John.

The New Testament begins with the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

The Gospel of John, also filled with imagery, refers to Jesus as the Bread of Life, the Good Shepherd, the Vine, and the Word, which introduces chapter one:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 NIV

In the beginning

If you’ve opened your Bible at the front before, do you recognize similar wording?

From Genesis, the first book of the Bible:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 NIV

John’s Gospel harkens back to the beginning of the Bible, the Old Testament, with familiar words from the first chapter of Genesis.

 “In the beginning,” bridges the Old and New Testament, and weaves a beautiful connection to this gospel writer who penned the last book of the Bible.

A revelation

The Book of Revelation is exactly that, a revelation, a vision that God gave to John while he was exiled on the island of Patmos. (Revelation 1:9-10)

Read Genesis

When my Bible study read through Genesis, we had no idea how much it would help us with Revelation.

If you aren’t sure how to even start reading Revelation, then first try reading Genesis. You can find some helpful tips on how to read Genesis here.

Correlation between Genesis and Revelation

See if you can find correlation between Genesis and Revelation, landmarks where something comes up again, is connected or includes related content.

Here are some that I noticed:

Tree of Life

The Tree of Life comes up in Revelation 2:7 and Revelation 22.

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. Revelation 2:7 NIV

Genesis 2 and 3 provide the origin of the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden.

Read Revelation chapter 22 for additional insight.

Lamb

The Lamb is mentioned throughout Revelation, including chapters 5, 6, and 7.

From John’s Gospel, we see John the Baptist proclaiming the Lamb:

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29 NIV

This post on the song “Is He Worthy?” provides additional insight.

Tribes of Israel

Tribes of Israel (Revelation 7:4-8) is a reference to the sons of Jacob (Genesis 35:23-26).

God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.” So he named him Israel. Genesis 35:10 NIV

Revelation

Whether this is your first time opening your Bible or glancing at the Book of Revelation, may you find connection in the Scriptures to our God who is worthy.

 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they were created
    and have their being.” Revelation 4:11 NIV

Amen

Music Speaks: Is He Worthy? part 2 – Scripture in song

“Is He Worthy?” sung by Chris Tomlin has a chorus filled with Scripture references. In this new series, Music Speaks, I’ll show the connection between Scripture and song. In this post, the second devoted to this song, we’ll focus on names of Jesus found in the chorus.

Is He Worthy? part two

Ok, so I didn’t set out to do a two part post on the song “Is He Worthy?” I just didn’t want the debut post of this “Music Speaks” series to be so long that nobody would have time to read it.

So much Scripture is reflected in this song. I do realize that if you are new to reading the Bible or the Book of Revelation, that this is a pretty intense and crazy introduction to the Bible, probably generating more questions than answers.

Questions

That’s ok. Reading the Bible is about discovery. Questions are a good thing. We ask questions of a person when we want to know more about them. When we have questions about the Bible, we are engaged with what’s in it, and that’s good. Let your questions motivate you to keep looking and searching the Scriptures. That’s what I do.

Chorus:  Is He Worthy?

Speaking of questions and discovery, in the second half of the chorus we see names of Jesus: Lion of Judah, Root of David, Lamb, and ransom. Where can we find Bible verses that reflect these?

Names of Jesus

If this is your first introduction to Revelation, those names may be a bit confusing. Where did they come from?

Tribe of Judah

From the Old Testament book 1 Chronicles 28:4 we find the tribe of Judah. Read chapter 28 for context.

King David is speaking:

“Yet the Lord, the God of Israel, chose me from my whole family to be king over Israel forever. He chose Judah as leader, and from the tribe of Judah he chose my family, and from my father’s sons he was pleased to make me king over all Israel.” 1 Chronicles 28:4 NIV

We found Judah, but what does he have to do with Jesus?

Genealogy of Jesus

If we look at the beginning of the New Testament, in the Gospel of Matthew, we stumble upon the genealogy of Jesus. I say stumble because most people like to skip this chapter, but we’ll dive in to discover the treasure.

This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:

Abraham was the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

and Jesse the father of King David. Matthew 1:1,2,6a NIV

King David connection

Bet you didn’t think you would actually read a Bible genealogy now did you? But that’s not all. Do you see how these two Bible passages are connected? Both include King David.

Look at you, connecting Scripture from the Old and New Testament. Way to go! Don’t you just feel smarter? Hold that thought, we have two more descriptors to go.

Lamb and ransom

Our remaining two Bible passages include the descriptions of Lamb and ransom.

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29 NIV

[This is John the Baptist speaking, not the author of the Gospel of John.]

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 NIV

Remember

These are great New Testament verses to remember. They describe who Jesus is and what He did for us. By the way, notice I said “remember” and not “memorize.” I am lousy at memorizing Scripture, so I don’t put that pressure on myself. I do, however, try to remember what Scripture says, especially passages like these.

From the chorus of “Is He Worthy?” and the Scripture passages we find connection in the Old Testament to Jesus’ story and, through New Testament verses, we are reminded of God’s great love for us through His Son.

This beautiful song can help us remember and rest in the truth of these words.

Worthy is the Lamb.

Music Speaks: Is He Worthy? – Scripture in song

Music speaks

Reading the Bible has helped me recognize the Scripture connection to songs I am hearing. Here is a look at the connection to “Is He Worthy?” sung by Chris Tomlin.

Welcome to this first music post. I’ll look at songs on a regular basis, interspersed with the other types of posts featured in this blog.

Christian songs

I enjoy listening to Christian songs on the radio. When I worked in the music department at a Christian bookstore, people would come into the store asking for a song they had heard. They didn’t know the name of the song or the artist and could only recall some words. I had fun figuring out their request based on a few random clues or phrases.

Songs speak      

Some songs are just fun to listen to and others really speak into an aspect of my life or a situation I am dealing with.

As I began reading more of the Bible, I started to recognize phrases from the Bible in the melodies I was hearing. I wonder if you have too.

Song: Is He Worthy?

When I first heard “Is He Worthy?” performed by Chris Tomlin, I was driving in my car. The music enveloped me. I also loved the call and response aspect and the incorporation of a choir.

Recognized words

The chorus drew me in. I recognized words like, “worthy, seal, and scroll,” and realized I knew them from Scripture. I didn’t know where in Scripture, but I knew they were from the Bible.

Recognizing Scripture references was cause for celebration. Years ago that wouldn’t have been the case. Not until I gathered some friends together and we read through the whole Bible, did I have this background knowledge to realize some of these lyrics were direct from Scripture.

Scripture references

I’ve heard “Is He Worthy?” several times now and recognized quite a few phrases as having Scripture references. For the sake of brevity I’ll focus on the chorus.

Chorus

The title of the song gives us the focal point of the question, who is worthy? A Scripture that focuses on this phrase is in the last book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation. This is also reflected in the first half of the chorus.

2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” Revelation 5:2 NIV

The second half of the chorus reflects elements of this next verse:

5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Revelation 5:5 NIV

The Lion of Judah is Jesus!

Revelation

Recognizing Scripture from the last book of the Bible was a personal victory for me. I don’t know if I ever would have read Revelation on my own if I hadn’t read it as a part of a group. Some of the fun of reading with a group is muddling through the sections of Scripture you don’t understand, together.

Continue reading

Notice both of these verses come from Revelation chapter five. As I continued reading in this chapter, I saw the answer to the question, “Who is worthy?” In addition, I recognized words of praise like “honor and glory,” and, from the bridge of the song, the words “people, priests, and reign.” These are all found in Revelation 5:9-10.

Just by reading a little further past the verse I had initially noticed, I discovered additional verses connected to the song and unfolding scene. By reading these words in the Bible, the next time I heard the song, the experience was even more moving.

Listen

I encourage you to listen to the song (link below) and read Revelation chapter five, even if you’ve never opened your Bible or read from the Book of Revelation. For me, finding these connections between Scripture and song helps me remember what’s in the Bible and to keep searching and reading the Scriptures.

This song is beautiful. Hearing words that come directly from the Bible is powerful. Allow yourself to really connect with the song, and as you do, recognize that the real heart behind this song is based in Scripture.

When you read these words in your own Bible, you, too, can experience the depth of knowing this Scripture song connection.

We’ll look at one last verse from this chapter. In verse twelve, countless angels are speaking.

12 In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
    to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
    and honor and glory and praise!” Revelation 5:12 NIV

He is.

Here’s a link to the song if you want to give it a listen.

What aspect of this song speaks to you?