Why is a “heavenly perspective” important?

In the church, we tend not to preach much from the Book of Revelation, and I think this is because — let us face it — it does get pretty weird. It is like we have this eccentric aunt or uncle, and despite them being members of our family, we are a little embarrassed about their behaviour and tend to ignore them.

In the same way, the Book of Revelation can feel alien to our culture and experience, and we do not really know what to do with it or how to understand this book tacked on to the end of our Bibles.

But, let me emphasise that this is OK, for the Book of Revelation is very far removed both in context and writing style, from anything we encounter in our everyday world. We have inherited it and it has been included in the canon of scripture, therefore we must not ignore it, but seek to understand it, and then, rather than us reading it, allow it to read us — to affect us, as only Scripture can.

Understanding the context of each book of the Bible is essential to understanding the meaning. We must find out as much about the author, to whom the book was written and why. And if we are to make sense of the book's contents, we must also gain an appreciation of the social, political, religious, and economic climate at the time it was written. So it is with the Book of Revelation.

The book was written at a time when the Jews and Christians were being heavily persecuted by the Roman Empire. In fact, it was at the peak of what we call the Roman Religion; of Empire worship.

To cut a long and in-depth history short, the first people to come under the Roman Empire were thrilled with the peace and technology the Romans brought to them. This peace was called Pax Romana, and the grateful people swarmed into the streets to celebrate the success of Rome.

As the Roman Empire expanded, this veneration of Rome became replaced with veneration of the Roman emperors themselves. Such was their ultimate power, that they moved from being kings to claiming and embodying divinity.

What better way to unify and subjugate those belonging to different religions, tribes, and tongues than through a common religion and its associated rituals?

Therefore, if you lived under the Roman Empire then you could worship whichever God you liked as long as you first worshipped Caesar. Once a year you would have to appear before your local magistrates and burn a pinch of incense to the Godhead of Caesar, recognising his divinity, with the words, “Caesar is Lord”.

Well, therein lies the rub. At the time the Book of Revelation was written, the emperor was Domitian who heavily persecuted those that would not adhere to emperor worship, and this included the Jews and the Christians. What would God want to say to those Christian communities that were being persecuted? How could a Christian leader communicate God’s message in a way that would give those communities hope and a heavenly perspective?

The Book of Revelation was written in a style of writing that is called apocalyptic. It is a book that was not designed to be read literally, but was both vision and poetry, and this special way of writing communicated reassurance to a persecuted church through describing a deeper, spiritual reality.

It gave them hope and something to hang on to when they were losing everything, including their own lives. The message of hope in the Book of Revelation was that Jesus Christ is Lord — not the Roman emperor, nor anything or anyone else.

Therefore, when we read the book, we see echoes of language drawn from the Roman Empire where the emperor, his entourage, palace, throne room, and loyal subjects are replaced with the true reality and revelation of God’s heavenly palace, God’s entourage of angels and elders, God’s throne room, and at the centre, the Messiah or Christ, surrounded by the great multitude of those that praise and give the honour to “the Lamb“. Even though they may be accused and sentenced by the Roman empire, there is One who has truly redeemed them, acquitted them, and in whom true life can be found.

The Book of Revelation is a reminder for us to keep an eternal “heavenly” perspective. When we look at the world around us, at the various conflicts, humanitarian, and ecological disasters, and as we experience loss, bereavement, anguish, and pain in our own lives.

In those times when we feel our hearts being drained of hope, we can be assured that the Lamb at the centre of the throne, the one who is all powerful and all-seeing, hears our prayers, that they are precious and carried to the very throne of God, and that we have a hope that goes far and beyond that which we can see, feel, and hear. That hope is in Jesus Christ, our Saviour, our Lord, and our King.

Amen.

• The Reverend Gavin Tyte is pastor of St Mark’s Church. Visitstmarks.bm