The Book of Revelation is a divine fairy tale. There's a great king, a noble prince (who rides on a white horse), a beautiful maiden, a great red ravenous dragon and a wicked witch. There's terrible conflict. Evil appears to win. But no worries. The story ends with happily ever after.
Chapter One
The book begins with the blessing: Grace and peace to you. (Note the stark contrast with the message often associated with Revelation: "Watch out! Unimaginable trouble is headed your way.")
Grace and Peace to you. This is the theme of the book. All the mayhem and evil pictured in Revelation is best viewed as evidence that when God speaks of grace and peace, he is not oblivious to the "real world." He speaks grace and peace as bold, almost swaggering contradictions of the "realities" we observe and experience.
The latest news or even our own experience of loss or injustice is not the most authoritative description of reality. Rather, our lives are suffused with the divine intention: Grace and peace. This is the central meaning of Revelation. It is declared here in chapter one and is repeated in various ways in chapters 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, 14, 19, 20, 21 and 22.
Grace and peace is the perfect introduction to a story that ends with people--real, live human beings seated with God on the throne participating in his reign forever and ever.
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