Revelation is a unique book. Beasts with seven heads. Locusts with scorpion tails and human heads. A woman clothed with the sun. Dragons. What kind of bizarre book is this?

It’s letter addressed to real people but written in the form of literature called apocalyptic. It features strange characters and uses wild imagery to communicate its message. It’s sort of like a modern political cartoon in that it communicates its message with pictures. And revelation has a powerful and important message.

God gives John a vision (really a series of visions that’s like a great drama) to show what’s really true and what’s really going on in the world … and who really is in charge. Then God tells John to write down what he saw to share with the churches to help them see the world for what it is and to strengthen them to be faithful to the world’s true Savior and Lord. Contrary to Imperial propaganda, it wasn’t Domitian. The true Lord is Jesus Christ, the lamb that was slain.