Confusing symbols, mysterious imagery, and sometimes unpleasant descriptions make Revelation daunting to read and difficult to understand. How much is it a prediction of the future? How is it relevant today? And how should we go about interpreting it? In this session we will look at some principles to help us understand this book, and the picture it paints of Jesus.
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John’s first glimpse into heaven is a dazzling picture: strange creatures, precious jewels, and a dramatic scene with thousands of worshippers. Here we look at the Lamb on the Throne in Revelation 4 and 5, learn to interpret the symbols and consider how this picture helps us to understand the major theme of Revelation.
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John describes a series of shocking events: natural disasters, plagues and catastrophes falling upon the Earth. How should we interpret these? Are they literal predictions of a bleak future? How and when might they happen? And what do they tell us about the trajectory of time and the character of God?
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Revelation 12 and 13 are some of the most confusing verses in Scripture. Winged-women, multi-headed beasts and a cryptic number: 666. What do these pictures mean, how on earth are they relevant to us, and what sort of hope should we be able to draw from them?
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As the story draws towards a close, we read that Christ will reign for 1,000 years. Little in Scripture has caused more debate than these chapters. What is the millennium, when will it happen and how is it relevant for us today?
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What is God’s final plan for creation? This week we come to the end of our series on Revelation by looking at John’s incredible description of the New Creation, full of rich imagery and incredible hope. We will see what God has in store for this world, and how that gives us a sense of purpose and mission here and now.
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Listen to more talks from Theology Matters
Many Christians assume that the point of the gospel is that we get to spend eternity in heaven when we die. But is that really what the Bible teaches? These seminars look at what the Bible says about heaven, new creation, and life after death.
To many Christians, the Trinity is a strange and confusing mystery, too difficult to bother trying to get our heads round. To others it feels like an abstract idea with no practical relevance. These seminars show that the Trinity is actually a beautiful, life-giving idea that should cause us to worship.
The Bible is a complex book! For one thing, it’s more of a library than a single book. It contains 66 books, of various styles, written by many different authors over thousands of years. No wonder we often struggle to know how to understand it! These seminars explore how we can begin to think about reading the Bible.
