Rapture in Reverse: Revelation as Christ's Renewing of the World

Beasts rising from the sea. Seals and trumpets and bowls. The Number of the Beast. And, some have said, secret descriptions about the end of the world?

It’s the Book of Revelation, and it’s one of the strangest and most misunderstood books of the Bible. Packed full with ancient symbols, metaphors, and callbacks, it’s a book that is difficult to interpret. Yet, at the heart of it all is the image of Christ, depicted as a slain lamb, who subverts, resists, and conquers the forces of chaos that were pressing in on the early church.

This is the same resurrected Christ we follow today, offering us peace, hope, and love in our modern day chaos. Thus, this Easter, we shall explore the enigmatic book of Revelation, cutting through its interpretive challenges with an eye to Christ’s victory on the cross, here and now—the ‘rapture’ in reverse.