After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." – Revelation 4:1

Today's Scripture Reading (July 14, 2024): Revelation 4

Chronology is important. Maybe more important to those of us today than it was to those who lived during Bible times. We often treat the Gospels as if they were a historical record. But the truth is that they were written with a thematic structure in mind and not chronology. Therefore, the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) present us with a story, but they often tell a tale that includes the same events but differ in order. Each author wanted to tell us what happened but grouped the events differently according to the message they wanted to give us.

Acts of the Apostles appear to be much more chronologically grounded. It tells the story of what happened after Jesus's death and resurrection. "After" is a chronological word. It indicates order.

Revelation 4 represents a transition to a third section of John's Revelation. The first section was an introduction and a vision of Christ. The second section was the Letters to the Seven Churches. And now, the third section begins in heaven. John says "After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven." The Greek word for "after this" is "meta tauta" and indicates a chronological connection, something that takes place "post" something else. The obvious connection is with the previous section; the events about to be described occur after the era of "The Letters to the Churches."

If we are trying to puzzle a meaning out of Revelation, it would seem that we need to decide what the "Letters to the Seven Churches" means or at least their time frame. Most of Christendom would seem to treat Revelation as if it is a road map into the future. This interpretation may arise from the idea that the "Letters to the Seven Churches" describe different historical eras. According to that theory, we are currently living in the last era, the time of Laodicea, marked by a church that is neither hot nor cold, a time when we think we are rich, but in reality, we are "wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked" (Revelation 3:17). It is a description that seems to be accurate to the times in which we live.

But if the Letters to the Churches were really anchored in John's time, then it would seem just as plausible that these events took place in the years of the second century. What appears to be impossible is that these events were fulfilled before or during John's time. The words "after this" just don't seem to allow us to apply that interpretation.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Revelation 5