In this episode of Tell Me More, Whit and Casey talk about the spiritual dimension, how creativity connects us to God, and God’s will for humanity.
Have you ever noticed how art bypasses logic and goes straight to our hearts? Art makes us ask, “What does it mean?”
Just think about how a song can transport you into a memory. Art has the special power to connect us to a deeper truth.
Revelation 4 & 5 are filled with artistic language meant to function in this same way — to describe the indescribable.
The genre of these chapters in Revelation is apocalyptic literature. Out of all the biblical genres, apocalyptic is often the most difficult to understand, due in part to its frequent use of figurative language and vivid imagery.
Rather than getting lost in decoding the meaning of every symbol, youre meant to experience these chapters as John experienced them. His writings pull you into to the story through pictures, sounds, and feelings.
With its poetic and symbolic descriptions, it encourages us to engage with scripture on an imaginative and emotional level. It’s not just a pragmatic guide but a work of art meant to our hearts and minds.
There is a reality that we can touch and see with our physical eyes, but it’s not the only reality. Revelation invites us to step into a truer picture of what’s happening.
In Revelation 4, a door opens from one dimension to the next. The invitation to us is to step through that door as John did and experience a different realm.
Revelation was written to churches suffering in the present. They needed to be reminded their current suffering was not the only reality.
That’s the very nature of faith: believing there are things that we can’t always describe or see in the moment.
Why would Christ go to the cross if he wasn’t convinced in himself that there’s another reality apart from this? Why would ten of the disciples die a martyr’s death?
If this life were all there is, why live any differently than we want? Revelation challenges us to live with purpose, knowing that a more significant reality awaits us.
In Genesis, the door to heaven gets shut. But in Revelation, the door is cracked open.
Rather than a distant place in space, heaven is a parallel reality to the reality we’re living in right now. Jesus not only opened the door for us, He is the door. “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (John 14:6). Did you notice which gospel that verse is from? John!
The book of Revelation beckons us to engage with Scripture in a deeper way than we ever have. We catch a glimpse of God’s majestic throne room and the unfolding of His divine plan.
Let us remember that the door to heaven is cracked open, inviting us to experience a truer reality.
Listen to the message: The Throne, the Scroll, & the Lamb
Find more episodes on Revelation: https://churchonthemove.com/approachrevelation/
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