I used to sit in Sunday School mesmerized by the strange and compelling images of the Apostle John’s vision. Like most Christians, I grew up hearing frightening tales of the last days and the judgments that awaited us at the end times: falling stars, flaming hail, and flying dragons!
I watched, mystified, as traveling missionaries presented slideshows of timelines, terrifying creatures, and interpretations of symbols and images. I remember thinking, even as a young boy, that maybe this confusing book of strange revelations was one I would just as soon leave alone!
At the age of twenty-two, I served in the Army Reserves. While away at boot camp, I met a young man who had served as a missionary for a well-known denomination. He was on fire with things he believed to be true about Jesus and the nature of God. But somehow, the theology he was explaining seemed contrary to the Bible truths I had been taught as a child. I didn’t know exactly why because I had never read the scriptures for myself. But the years of Sunday school and church camps had somehow etched into my mind a different picture of gospel truth. I was extremely frustrated that I couldn’t defend what I felt was right. There, at Fort Brag, North Carolina, began a life-changing odyssey of Scripture study and exploration. I vowed I would never again be in the position of not being able to answer someone concerning the truth of God’s Word.
As my Christian journey progressed, I was blessed with an insatiable appetite for the Word of God. Beyond the Sunday school days and Bible school experiences, I needed to know for myself what Jesus said, what his disciples taught, and who this wondrous God was who held me in the palm of His Hand. I read and reread the Bible from front to – almost – the back. I took notes, organized indexes, developed study guides, and delved into the history of the Christian Church. But I always saved the Book of Revelation until “another day.”
In the fall of 1994, I accepted the job of Head Master of our church’s Christian school. I had been a teacher in the public school system and had ministered as a pastor, and looked forward to this new opportunity to serve. One of the Bible lessons that Fall was, you guessed it, the Book of Revelation. I could no longer sidestep it. I could no longer say, “Another day.” I had a school full of eager minds excited to learn more about this enigmatic portion of the scriptures. Just as I had, these students had accumulated snatches and pieces of brilliant, fantastic, frightening images. I decided I could not teach information from a curriculum without knowing the truth of the matter myself.
As I prayed about this new challenge, I became firmly convinced that Christ’s revelation to his servant John had become part of the canon of scripture for an important reason. If it was part of the Word of God, it was meant to be understood. It couldn’t be an indefinable, cryptic, puzzle parked at the end of the Bible, never to be comprehended. With that conviction, I started my prayerful pursuit of its treasures, confident that God’s Spirit of truth would be present on this new journey of faith.
Although my adventure started as research for Christian school lessons, the voyage has carried me far beyond those days. I continued to read and study John’s letter to the seven churches of Asia Minor. I researched the different methods of interpreting the images of John’s vision that had evolved through the centuries. The study was put aside for months from time to time, and once or twice for over a year, but the bones of this book have slowly developed and taken shape. And the foundational premise of my study has proven true! John’s Revelation can be understood by anyone who has the passion to knock, seek, and ask. Isn’t that the essence of God’s Wisdom and Grace? While I feel assured that I have a grasp on the truth of John’s vision, I know it’s only a grasp. While no one can fully comprehend eternity (1 Cor 2:9), and Like Paul, at our best, we see through a glass dimly (1 Cor 13:12), in God, there is forever a new horizon revealing unexplored wonders that sharpen our intellect and bring into focus our theology. That’s the eternal nature of God. And that’s the eternal nature of His revelation as John tried his best to pen it for the generations.
It was this realization – that everything about God is eternal and timeless – that became the key to my understanding John’s vision. And it’s just that, “my understanding”. If God’s words are truly eternal, then there is no beginning nor end to the impact they have on those who have faith in Him. Every child of God is a unique creation. A verse of scripture may have a particular impact on me but be important to someone else in a different way. Neither is the “right” way – both are the ways the Holy Spirit meets us where we are in our journey with the Father.
So it is with this study guide. I don’t declare my understanding of John’s Revelation to be the “right” or “only” interpretation – it is “an” interpretation. I’m confident that nothing I share here is new. If the revelation has always been meant to be understood, then thousands upon thousands through the centuries have comprehended its message. I simply present here my understanding, in my words. Hopefully, like a new song about an old message, my words will strike a chord in your heart that others may not have. I am not under the illusion that I have gained knowledge that no one else has. I do know that I have a very real sense of joy that God has once again faithfully shared the wonders of His caring love with me, because in Christ’s revealing vision to John are words of promise, hope, and victory.
Michael Roach