I had a thought a few months ago
about The
Book of Revelation--that
bit of the Bible which
inspired
Johnny
Cash to write
When
the Man Comes Around.
(Rev is also famous for
being a scary premise
of many devil movies.)
It is often believed to
have the same amaz-
ing predictive powers
of Nostradamus.
Its full
title is The Revelation of John.
It is a story told by God to Jesus,
Jesus to an Angel, the Angel to John.
(This chain of command corresponds
to the hierarchy of the Church and
the US military.) Being the good
soldier of Christ that he was, John
followed orders and wrote it all down.
But probably not in English. Maybe
something more like Aramaic or some
other utterly dead language no one
can speak, read, or understand now.
From there it was translated to an-
cient Greek, then Latin, and finally
to English, with many refinements
and interpretations along the way.
Despite its attenuated origin, Rev
holds some valuable lessons for us.
So, the thought I had about Rev a
few months ago was this: Revelation
is not about something that is going
to happen; it is about truly seeing what
is present. To illustrate this point, can
you find me in this Halloween picture?
I am in plain sight, wearing a rather
conspicuous costume. Where am I?
More Revelations coming
soon!
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