The Miracle of Revelation

Setting aside the symbolic debate for a moment... I'd like to focus on the book itself... and the proof it provides by its very existence.

Revelation was written by John... it was a work that he felt was just as important as any he'd written... prehaps more so. He wrote it while on the Isle of Patmos. Now... likely you have no idea where that is or what its like... because why would you? But facts like these are important... and the Church is often neglegent in omitting them.

See... Patmos was a prison... an island of banishment. Political criminals... enemies of Rome... where exiled there to work in the quarry. The prisoners lived in squaller... in caves... they had nothing.

It was here that John was given his vision. Its that vision... the details recorded... and the perfect accuracy with the old testament writings of centuries before... that are the miracles I write of tonight.

If John had a team of 10 men... with access to the internet... working 8-hours a day... its conceivable that he could've written Revelation. Its concievable that he could have dug up all the arcaic references and accurately painted such a picture.

But the internet didn't exist... and now that it does its still not available in the caves of Patmos.

There is only one explaination for the existence, and the accuracy... for the continuity of Revelation. It is that there is a God... and He gave John a vision.

There are people out there who claim that Christianity is easy to believe. They claim that makes perfect sense. I am declaring tonight that it is not easy to believe. It does not make sense.

God's don't love men enough to sacrifice themselves. Men don't get up and walk away after being dead for 3 days. Men don't walk on water. Seas don't part. Worlds don't flood.

All of this is nonsense.

Its also true. By modern historical standards.. the Bible... and the account of Jesus' Resurection is the most verifiably true even in all of human history. We have less historical evidence of Hannibals elephants... of Rome's gladiators... of Aztec sacrifice... yet all of these things are taken for granted. We all know they happened... but the same standards that teach us that they are true.... also teach us that Christ rose from the dead.

It is nonsense... and it is true.

How can that be? Because in a nonsensical world... its the truth that is indeed bizarre.

I've used this analogy before but bears repeating... Imagine you drew some stick figures on a piece of paper... and these stick figures became self-aware. Not only would they be really cool stick figures... but they'd also go about learning about themselves.

But what could they possibly learn? they could learn about each other... and they could observe the paper and the lead and the ink lines... How would they describe themselves? And what would they say to one stick figure who spoke of a huge individual... a creature... with a pencil... and a massive table that they're paper rested on... where the creature sat and created them and their world.

They'd say he was crazy. They'd say its nonsense.

We're those stick people friends. Only the creature drew Himself into the picture and explained things to us.

Yet somehow... we still won't see.