Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
Revelation 21:1-4
Dear God, why are you telling us this? Why did you describe things in Revelation through John in such ambiguous ways? There are times when—well, I just haven’t had a lot of use for Revelation in my walk with you. I know it’s out there. I know it gives warnings for your people (and me). I know it describes some scary things as well as some hopeful and exciting things. But it can be so metaphorical that it’s hard to know what to take from it so I just kind of ignore it.
I guess one question to ask myself is what difference it would make if Revelation weren’t here and the Bible ended with Jude. what would it be like to not have any vision for hope? What would it be like to not have the warnings? What would it be like of you just told us in plain terms what you were trying to communicate in Revelation. Why the allegory? Well, when I consider my life and what it would be like without these descriptions, it feels like an emptier life. Even a promise of heaven seems smaller without the vague, incomprehensible descriptions John gives us. The warnings for the different churches are important too. They are warnings for me about not losing my first love, pursuing idols, etc.
Father, you have worked all of this together for my good—even in ways I cannot comprehend. I don’t always understand the ramifications of what you’ve done or what you are doing, but I know you are doing it. My faith is in you. Thank you for everything.
In Jesus’s name I pray,
Amen