The word translated in English as “revelation” comes from the Greek word “apokalupsin”. This is why you may have heard this book referred to as the “Apocalypse”. The word means “to unveil, to uncover”. As a dignitary pulls down a fabric-covering to reveal a sculpture or painting, so the book of Revelation reveals things that once were hidden and presents them in the light for all to see.
God
has a deliberate purpose in showing things the way he did. In his sovereign
wisdom and knowledge, he composed the symphony of divine thoughts in order to
play the wisdom and knowledge of God to every generation of believers for our
constant hope and joy. The song is his; the presentation is his; the timing and
cadence are his. Ours is to receive what he has revealed, to “revel”[4] in the Revelation.
Knowing
that “the revelation” uncovers hidden
things, rather than hides things under strange word-pictures, saves us from any
sense that we need to fix what God gave us in this book. We cannot treat this
revelation as if it is not revealed. Neither can we fall into the sarky[5] trap of thinking that God gave it his best shot and now he needs
brilliant men to tell people what God couldn’t figure out how to say in his own
words.
As
we journey through Revelation I want my constant aim to be “Preach the word!”[6] God has already done what he wanted in revealing it. He
breathed-out the words he specially chose for the occasion[7]. Nothing is hidden that he has uncovered. Nothing need be proclaimed
beyond what is written[8]. So let us simply echo Isaiah’s cry, “To the teaching, and to the
testimony!”[9]
So
far, in the first few words of the Revelation, my heart is growing in this
wonder, that God has unveiled his thoughts to us. GOD HAS! TO US! He has
uncovered to our eyes what was hidden from our sight. Nothing is ever hidden
from his sight[10], but much is hidden from ours. Not only is there far more knowledge
in the universe than we can ever hope to contain, but, in our sinful condition,
we are BLIND! We cannot see the half of what is all around us. The heavens
declare the glory of God[11], but we do not see it. We are blind to it[12] until God awakens our hearts to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
and lets us see what was hidden[13], but is now unveiled for our longing hearts to see.
“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of
darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the
glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”[14]This
is what God’s children can expect from the book of Revelation.
© 2012 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, Canada, V1K
1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com
[1] II
Peter 1:20-21
[2] I
Corinthians 2:13
[3] John
14:26
[4]
def: to take great pleasure in something
[5] “Sark”
is the Greek word for “the flesh” which refers to that part of ourselves that
is totally focused on “self”. It is attracted to sin and opposed to God. “Sarky”
simply refers to a fleshly thought, attitude, desire or behavior.
[6] II Timothy 4:1-2
[7] II
Timothy 3:16-17
[8] I
Corinthians 4:6
[9]
Isaiah 8:20
[10]
Hebrews 4:13
[11]
Psalm 19:1
[12]
II Corinthians 4:4
[13]
Isaiah 60:1
[14]
II Corinthians 4:6
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