David Morris, who has just retired from being Pastor of St Andrew’s Street Baptist Church, has just published a book about the Book of Revelation. In his introduction David says “In a situation of extreme suffering under the Roman Emperor Domitian, John invites his readers to imagine that they are in a theatre and are about to watch the magnificent drama of heaven’s view of human history”.
The way in which the material is broken down is:
The Messages to the churches, in chapters 1-3 on Sunday 5th January
The Scrolls in Chapters 4:1-8:5 on Sunday 12th January
The Trumpets in chapters 8:6-11:19 on Sunday 19th January
The Plagues in chapters 12-16 on Sunday 26th January
Babylon and Judgement in chapters 17-20 on Sunday 2nd February
New Heaven and earth in chapters 21-22 on Sunday 9th February
While there is undoubtedly a future aspect to the material in this book, it seems to me that the text seems to describe the whole of history, for it repeatedly describes God as the one who was, and is and is to come (Rev 1:4, 1:8, 4:8)
At the start of a new year as we look to the past, the present and the future let us hear the words of John: “Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come” (Rev 1:4)