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Grand View’s Senior Campus Pastor Russell Lackey of  Luther Memorial Church recently published a book called “Power and Purpose,” in which he shares his views on the book of Revelation in the Bible. During his early years as a Christian, Lackey said that the topic of Revelation would often come up in his conversations with others.

Lackey said he did not completely understand the book of Revelation until he went to seminary, where a professor opened his eyes to it.

“The problem was, the book is 2000 years old and it’s written to such a specific culture that it’s hard for people to understand” said Lackey.

 

What is Revelation?

Lackey said the book of Revelation tells about the nature of God, nature of evil, nature of ourselves, and the nature of hope. He said he believes that these are universal thoughts that applied 2000 years ago and that they apply today as well.

“How can I read it to escape this world?” is the question Lackey said he gets asked the most. He says that if we only read Revelation to escape this world, however, we miss out on the key things the ancient book highlights.

The true power and purpose of Revelation, Lackey said, is showing us who Jesus is and how He can enter into death, loneliness, and suffering, yet overcome it.

Lackey said he has written his book in a way that he hopes appeals to both Christians and skeptics. Although it is written from a faith-based perspective, Lackey focuses on presenting the story through universal concepts like life, allegiance, worthiness, slavery, etc.

 

Why should one read Revelation?

“In Revelations 2 and 3, we read the letters that were sent to the seven churches of Asia Minor: Ephesus, Pergamum, and Galatia,” Lackey said. “But those churches no longer exist. Or, at least not in the same way. These churches no longer exist, but the things written to them still happen today.

“Many people say that the Book of Revelation is ‘the strongest anti-Roman imperialistic book in the ancient world,’” Lackey said.

Lackey said he hopes that by using this common situation, people will be pulled toward reading the Book of Revelation.

“I would argue,” Lackey said, “that [Revelation] speaks to all these different systems today that exploit human souls.”

 

“When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”

• Revelation 1:17-18 New International Version (NIV)