The Revelation of Jesus Christ....Rev. 1:1.
Our household and many others share a certain custom. When young people get hungry, they tend to shout, "Mom, what's there to eat?" But if Mom is too busy to answer or has stepped outside, the next step is to head into the kitchen and see if something is cooking. If there is, they lift the cover off the pots on the stove (or open the oven door if something is baking) to see what is inside. Cooking smells can be a wonderful thing, but often they raise a good deal of curiosity. What is it that smells so good? What can we look forward to eating in a few minutes?
The word for "revelation" in the original is apokalupsis, the Greek word from which the English word "apocalypse" comes. The word apokalupsis consists of two Greek words, apo, "from," and kalupto, "to cover." So the word apokalupsis means "to take the cover off" something. If that something were a pot, removing the lid allows you to see what's cooking. You are "unveiling" the pot's contents. In the book of Revelation you are "taking the cover off" Jesus--learning something about Him that would be hidden if you didn't have access to this book of the Bible.
In what sense does Jesus need uncovering in the book of Revelation? Think for a minute what we would be missing if it hadn't made it into our Bibles. When Jesus was on the earth, He was a human being, in the flesh. He walked as any other person, talked in human language, and dressed like the people around Him. Jesus lived in a particular culture, time, and place. As did others, He got tired, dirty, and sweaty. It would be easy to look at Him and say, "Well, He is a great teacher, a great man, and great prophet. But surely He's not the king of the universe, is He? Would the king of the universe get sweaty and tired?
If all we knew about Jesus were what we have in the Gospels, we would be missing a great deal. The book of Revelation "takes the cover off" Jesus of Nazareth. It shows us that He is no longer just a human being who came from Nazareth but the one who sits on the throne in heaven and who has rulership over the entire universe.
If we did not have the book of Revelation, we would not have a full picture of who Jesus is. It was the King of the universe who was willing to become a human being, willing to serve and bless, willing to subject Himself to shame and abuse, willing to suffer and die for us. The greatness of Jesus makes His sacrifice all the more remarkable. The book of Revelation takes the cover off that greatness so everyone can see it.
Lord, give me a "hunger' to know Jesus as I have never known Him before. May the images of His greatness in Revelation open my eyes to the privilege of relationship with Him.
Our household and many others share a certain custom. When young people get hungry, they tend to shout, "Mom, what's there to eat?" But if Mom is too busy to answer or has stepped outside, the next step is to head into the kitchen and see if something is cooking. If there is, they lift the cover off the pots on the stove (or open the oven door if something is baking) to see what is inside. Cooking smells can be a wonderful thing, but often they raise a good deal of curiosity. What is it that smells so good? What can we look forward to eating in a few minutes?
The word for "revelation" in the original is apokalupsis, the Greek word from which the English word "apocalypse" comes. The word apokalupsis consists of two Greek words, apo, "from," and kalupto, "to cover." So the word apokalupsis means "to take the cover off" something. If that something were a pot, removing the lid allows you to see what's cooking. You are "unveiling" the pot's contents. In the book of Revelation you are "taking the cover off" Jesus--learning something about Him that would be hidden if you didn't have access to this book of the Bible.
In what sense does Jesus need uncovering in the book of Revelation? Think for a minute what we would be missing if it hadn't made it into our Bibles. When Jesus was on the earth, He was a human being, in the flesh. He walked as any other person, talked in human language, and dressed like the people around Him. Jesus lived in a particular culture, time, and place. As did others, He got tired, dirty, and sweaty. It would be easy to look at Him and say, "Well, He is a great teacher, a great man, and great prophet. But surely He's not the king of the universe, is He? Would the king of the universe get sweaty and tired?
If all we knew about Jesus were what we have in the Gospels, we would be missing a great deal. The book of Revelation "takes the cover off" Jesus of Nazareth. It shows us that He is no longer just a human being who came from Nazareth but the one who sits on the throne in heaven and who has rulership over the entire universe.
If we did not have the book of Revelation, we would not have a full picture of who Jesus is. It was the King of the universe who was willing to become a human being, willing to serve and bless, willing to subject Himself to shame and abuse, willing to suffer and die for us. The greatness of Jesus makes His sacrifice all the more remarkable. The book of Revelation takes the cover off that greatness so everyone can see it.
Lord, give me a "hunger' to know Jesus as I have never known Him before. May the images of His greatness in Revelation open my eyes to the privilege of relationship with Him.
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