BIG IDEA: Revelation should inspire worship, not predictions.
4 Things Are Crucial to Consider Here:
1. Heaven's Nearness: We often think of God and heaven as “far off” when the Bible frequently depicts them as “quite near.”
2. John was Experiencing Heaven and Earth Together as God intended. God was giving His brand-new 1st century churches (through John) some gospel perspectives to help them endure terrifying things ahead.
3. This was a Common Apocalytic Vision: Certain Futurists, however, view verse 1 as some sort of “rapture” where John represents the church being snatched away to heaven to avoid awful earthly events, but that’s not what this is, nor is “escapism” God’s pattern.
4. Apocalytic Visions Have Similar Features: Compare John’s vision to those in Daniel 7:1, 9-14 and Ezekiel 1-2 {Note similarities with Revelation 1/4}
