ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
August 20, 2026
The Shakespearean play, Othello, was based on some historical events, but Othello was a fictional character. My mother used to enjoy reading a lot of historical fiction, especially stories of families moving west in covered wagons. But what if I were to take Othello or one of the paperbacks my mother often had on her bedside table, and suggest that the real meaning of the story was to predict something that was going to happen in 2029? And if you looked closely, you would find hints and coded messages about things happening right now that would provide the pathway to the end times. Most people would laugh at the suggestion, and if laughter is all I got for presenting such a thing, it would show both grace and restraint. Well, something similar has occurred with the Book of Revelation. Revelation is not historical fiction, but it is a specific genre called Apocalyptic Literature. Since there was no title to this book we call Revelation until many years later, we look to a Greek word that is used in the first verse of the book, apokalupsis (transliteration of the Greek). It could be translated as reveal, disclose, or unveil. This is where we get the English title for the book, but also the word for the type of literature. Most all scholars would place the writing of Revelation at the end of the first century or early second century, and its intended audience was not some future group of people who were able to decipher “the real meaning,” but the recipients of the letter in those years around 100AD. In and around this time, there was some persecution against the Jesus followers, though probably not as bad as some have suggested in recent years. Though it was hard to be any sort of outside group in the Roman Empire, especially when some of your values did not align with the Empire’s values. The Book of Revelation was a creative way of speaking to the confused and struggling Jesus followers, pulling back the curtain (revelation) so they could see the world from God’s perspective. Feeling like an insider can be empowering when everything else feels as if it is out of control.
Holy God, Loving Christ, through your magnificent and creative ways, I pray for insights that may not be available to me in the given moment, especially when stress, fear, or grief hinders my vision. As you seek to bring heaven to earth, provide the eyes of my heart with the capacity to glimpse what a bit more of heaven would look like here on earth. Amen.
