BIBLE STUDY—REVELATION - All Saints Parish, Brookline MA

By John the Apostle, scriptorium at Reichenau. Bamberg State Library, https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bvb:22-dtl-0000087130. Cropped and light adjusted from original photo. – Bamberg State Library, https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bvb:22-dtl-0000087130, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

APOCALYPSE NOW (AND THEN): Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Book of Revelation

Join Richard for an engaging study of Revelation—one of the Bible’s most misunderstood and fascinating books. During the Easter season Revelation will be featured weekly in our lectionary, making this the perfect time to explore it together.

Revelation is one of the weirdest and most problematic parts of our scriptures, often either overly scrutinized (for the wrong reasons) or actively ignored, causing many to miss its spiritual wisdom. Embracing the weirdness of Revelation is vital today. As the Bible for Normal People puts it: “It has never been more important to read Revelation well. Whether you love it, hate it, or avoid it like the plague, the last book of the Bible’s influence permeates our cultural, political, and religious landscapes.” In this course we will strive to understand some of its ancient contexts and discover where it might provide some meaning for our time. We will be using Revelation for Normal People: A guide to the strangest and most dangerous book in the Bible, by Robyn J. Whitaker.

4 May (Sunday), after church—Introduction and gathering of your questions
12 May (Monday), 7pm on Zoom—Letters and Visions
- Rev. 1:1-3:22—vision of Christ and his message to the churches
  Rev. 4:1-5:14—vision of God and the Lamb reigning in the heavenly throne room
- Whitaker: Intro-Chapter 3
20 May (Tuesday), 7pm on Zoom—Dragons and Destruction
- Rev. 6:1-16:21—sevenfold judgments of God
  Rev. 17:1-18:24—judgment of Babylon/Rome and its monsters
  Whitaker: Chapters 4, 5, 6
2 June (Monday), 7pm on Zoom—The Heavenly Vision and The End?—Zoom Link
- Rev. 19:1-22:21—Judgment conclusion, re-creation: a new heaven and new earth, God living on earth with creation
- Whitaker: Chapters 7, 8