Tiny Revelations
Did you ever have a dream, so real that you woke up remembering everything clearly?
And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true, for the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.” “See, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me; but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your comrades the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!” And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.” “See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” - Revelation to John 22:6-13
In all, John has five visions in his encounter with the angel.
The first is a letter to the seven churches of Asia. The second is in the Throne Room of Heaven, the seven seals and seven trumpets. The third vision is of the great cosmic war, Armageddon. Next is the judgment of Babylon. And finally, we have the New Jerusalem.
We are almost at the end of his revelation, and it is a lot to swallow.
Like a dream, the series of visions are filled with imagery, pieces of prior stories, stories known and studied for generations, and yet there is a symbolism that doesn't often present itself in a dream, at least not that we comprehend.
I am reminded of Joseph who was able to interpret the symbolism in dreams, like the seven years of feast followed by seven years of famine.
When God sends a revelation, there is a need for interpretation, a way to understand the meaning of the symbols. The seven horns and eyes of Jesus, for example, are ways of showing that Jesus is all powerful and knowing.
I wonder if God isn't sending messages to us all the time and we just don't see them.
Instead of unusual images, like Jesus with horns and eyes, or scrolls with seals, He might be showing us signs through the actions and words of others.
I don't think of these as obvious signs, like the religious mems we see on social media, where people want the world to know they believe.
I think of them as small things, encounters, perhaps, that catch our eye, if only for a second, and make us stop and think.
It could be something out of place, and yet when you stop and consider it, there is a reason for it being there, at that moment, in that particular place.
To paraphrase Jesus, it is like a coin that you find and pick it up, and you want to tell everyone you know that you have found it.
May we all have tiny revelations and not miss them altogether.
More to come...