Sorry to have been incommunicado for a while...
I will exlain in detail in person, later..
So... I got better, and fiestier... and I noticed the Christian world has not changed... to my changrin... so here is my personal contribution...
'Christian preacher predicts imminent end of the world'
Or some such headline in the newspapers or on the internet or local news.
It does seem that some -some!- Christians (and I use the term 'Christian' loosely) seem absolutely, maddeningly, utterly obsessed with the End Times, the Apocalypse.
(It annoys the atheists almost as much as the young earth creationist debates, and not just the atheists, mind.)
Now, why anyone would happily rejoice and even actively seek the end of all Creation is beyond me, but then again, a lot of the stuff the Christianists get up to boggles me. But I digress.
Apart from some passages in the book of Daniel and the gospel of Matthew, the main source for the apocalyptic overdosing by these groups is found in the last book (yes that's ironic, I get it) of the Bible: the Apocalypse, aka the Revelation of Saint John the Divine (if you're a KJV aficionado), or just simply Revelations.
For centuries this book has been the inspiration of artists and lunatics alike -and some of them were both, I'm sure.
While it must have been of great comfort to those first century Christians under persecution (I wonder if it does the same for persecuted Christians in our times?), already the second and third generations were bewildered by it, even the Patristics were doubtful about it. In some of the early canon lists Revelations wasn't even included! Sometimes it was, sometimes it was taken out again.
While the canon grew organically where the Spirit was at work in humans, the end list was a conscious decision in the fourth century, so Lutherans wishing to jump the inerrancy bandwagon do well to remember this.
Whether or not the book should be part of the Bible, is neither here nor there, it's there now and we have to deal with it. But as it is part of the canon it should be read in the context of the canon, not just by willy-nilly verse-cherry picking.
Luther in any case wasn't very appreciative, to say the least: "Christ is neither taught nor known in it"! he wrote in his introduction to his translation (Luther's own intro to the translation is another thing that should be on the -Lutheran- literalist reading list. But again I digress).
Of course Luther's objections make sense in light of the sola fide principle; scenes of Revelations adorn churches all over the world, and in the Middle Ages (unless I'm completely of the mark, and I stand corrected) it was one of if not the most depicted Biblical narrative. That is to say, some of its more gruesome parts were.
It was literally meant to put the fear of God, or rather hell, into people. And what did the frightened populus of the day, from the highest lady to the lowest peasant, do in order to dodge those horrific torments so exaggerated and enlarged and splayed all over their parish chapels and city cathedrals do? Yep, you got it: saints, pilgrimages, private masses and -wait for it- indulgences! No wonder Luther wasn't a fan.
And some Christianists still abuse Revelations for their own pseudo-religio-psycho reasons, for their conservative politics, their lack of environmental concern or socio-economic engagement. After all, if the world is coming to an end tomorrow, why bother, right?!
Wrong!
Because (and here I -shock, horror!- disagree with Luther, I suppose) I actually think Revelations is in fact a very positive book full of wonder and imagination and optimism.
Bet you didn't see that one coming, did you?!
Or at least that is what Revelation could be, especially seen in the light of Creation theology.
So, here's what helps me reading through this part of Scripture:
1- It talks about Jesus' visions (Rev. 1:1), not John's. They are Christ's message, the same Christ God-man incarnated for the salvation of the world, not its destruction (Jn. 3:13-18…even with the difficult 18th verse). Jesus, not the Apostle, comforts me.
2- It mentions seven letters to seven churches, some of which we don’t know about anymore (Rev. 2 and 3). The number seven in the Bible is one of those numbers that represent something , in this case perfection, completion, universality. Christ here is addressing His Church universal, that universal church we profess in the Creed. There is no distinction.
And there's another personal reason why Revelations is a positive book to me at this point in my life; where I've left home and hearth and hart, and moved once again to start a new adventure, an adventure of a part of my life that's been patiently waiting its turn, but which is anything but easy, anything but straightforward, exciting but nerve wrecking at times, frustrating, stressful and a whole plethora of emotions: Rev. 7:17, “and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
So while still optimistic
Because of the “new heaven and new earth” (21:1 –quite late in the book, I’ll admit). It, for me personally, represents a very Creation-orientated view (I’ve said this before, but we often miss Luther’s theology on Creation); it’s cyclical –like the liturgical year (yes, I’m a traditionalist…with different conclusions)- trustworthy, optimistic, renewing. It’s comforting, but for me not matter-of-fact. Every year has its basis, but not the same exact dates (that’s why I’m wondering if a fixed date for Easter would be a profitable thing). The search, the question, the calculation, is part of the anticipation, the excitement
For me, it also teaches us how the Early Church dealt with opposition and persecution…there are lessons to be learned here… we in the West are NOT persecuted!!!
It’s a disgrace to think that we in NW Europe are by any shape or form discriminated against –least of all, persecuted- today.
As I’ve written before –sorry to be repeating myself- if you want persecution…try Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, even parts of Egypt, Sudan, …
So, while Revelation remains a ‘difficult book’, it for me at least also remains one of the most inspiring –art, literature, B-Movies, TV-series, debates, and a good night’s rest- because in the end “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all the saints. Amen.” (22:21).