Revelations

 “The divine or supernatural disclosure to humans of something relating to human existence or the world."

- Google Dictionary

Christians believe the primary source of revelation by God is contained within the Bible.  The Bible is the story of God as written by man but inspired by God. Since God is beyond human understanding, no words written by man fully capture him and his creation. 

Human understanding of God grows progressively in the Bible.  There are themes of the love of God and redemption all through the Bible.  But the Old Testament is reflective of the Jews believing that God directly sends storms or enemies to punish humans for unfaithfulness to God’s laws and covenants.  In the story of Jonah and the whale, Jonah believes God chases storms after him as he flees in a ship because he is disobedient to God’s direction to prophesize to Nineveh. Jonah is thrown overboard by the sailors to calm the seas and therefore God’s wrath. The Old Testament communicates we can disobey God with free will, but God imposes consequences. 

In the New Testament, we learn that God directs us to the better path of greater good because he omniscient and loving, not punishing.  Often we are distracted from God’s will, but find that God has anticipated our mistakes and through a “course correction,” put us back a path based on love.  And like Jonah, we have another chance to choose better.  It is more appropriate to say God “allows storms.”  God knows how the story ends, because he knows the nature of his creation and our souls. He is without the boundary of time and space as is humanity.

The Bible is not only revelatory in its story of God’s relationship with us; it also reveals truths to each reader.  The meaning can change with the reader and a point in time.   Often different translations based on Aramaic, Greek, Hebrew or Latin sources reveal nuances and contexts deepening our understanding.  It conveys not only deep truths, but gives us guidance on our decisions and therefore behaviors.

But God not only reveals himself through the Bible, he communicates through the Holy Spirit, each other and his creation.  The Holy Spirit fills us with love.  God provided Jesus and saints who exemplify his love as models.  His creation is awe inspiring and the more we explore it outwardly, inwardly we are filled with gratitude and humbleness at the amazing gift of our lives.

The book of Revelations in the Bible is often understood as describing the end times, but I believe it communicates that God is always in the process of revealing himself to us.  We do not know how the story will end, but we have faith that it is in God’s hands and he will reveal all in his perfect timing.