The last book of the Bible, like an antiques fair, entices and surprises. It has, in the view of some, the magic and the mystery of a crystal ball or a pack of tarot cards. In their eyes it is a coded guide, an occult composition, a cunning disclosure of future events. It is just what you would expect of a prophet in possession of secrets that can be shared only with the initiated. If there is such a thing as popular prophecy, then this is 22-carat prophecy with knobs on. Here is no supposedly historical narrative, no humdrum rehearsal of aphorisms and homely wisdom. This is full-on, take-it-or-leave-it, crash-bang-wallop disclosure. A reader cannot temporise or seek to accommodate. He or she can merely take note of daunting and ambiguous signals from beyond.
Well, that is one way of looking at ‘Revelation’. It is not the only way. We should notice that John’s Apocalypse was far from being the first composition of its kind. In the Jewish scriptures the books of Daniel and Ezekiel had familiarised readers with weird and wonderful imagery. The ‘little apocalypse’ of Mark 13 ventured into the same territory. ‘Revelation’ makes no concessions, it takes no prisoners, it puts its message in terms that evoke a sharp intake of breath. It gets under the guard of a reader who may expect coherence and reticence. It strikes at the imagination.
It should be no surprise to find that the last book of the Christian Bible is uncomfortably enticing to us 21st century people. A generation with a ready appetite for sci-fi, fantasy, horror and the cultic proves itself eager to offer a welcoming response to a glittering religious treasure trove. In the four horsemen there is a recognition of something grim in the offing that makes uncomfortable reading today. As for war in heaven, we are reminded that our earth-bound understanding is ill-equipped to measure the vastness of God’s purposes.
Edward Irving, leader of the Catholic Apostolic Church that came into being in the 19th century, is not the only one to have dipped into this extraordinary book. He found there a pattern for ministry based not on bishops but angels (chapters 2 and 3). When the last angel died, the CA Church collapsed. Should we be wary, then, as we turn to the last book of the Bible? Yes, undoubtedly. We may find it disconcerting and enigmatic. We may feel that it unsettles our customary perception of the great mystery. It may leave us unhappily mystified. But we should also read it as we read Blake’s ‘Tiger’ – with a readiness to be shaken and stirred out of any rut we may have slithered into.
FINDING HUMPTY
Our blog address is something of a mouthful. I notice there is a somewhat easier way to get to it: home humpty dumpty dido dub.
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