The last book of the Bible is “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” (Re. 1:1). This book is truly Christ’s last words to us, His church, as we live through the Christian age. Jesus spoke in parables while on earth and in a similar way He spoke in Revelation using symbols from Jewish history and writings to protect his disciples from the persecution of the world. “He who has an ear, let him hear” he said (Rev. 2:7).
In chapter 12 Jesus gave us a great image of the church; “the woman” who fled into the wilderness from the presence of the serpent. There she was nourished and protected by God during this age (Re. 12:6, 14). The symbolism is powerful: The church today is compared to the children of Israel as they wondered in the wilderness.
They had been “baptized” in the Red Sea, which washed away their Egyptian captors, were fed by God with Manna on their journey, and in the end the faithful were able to cross over Jordan into the promise land. (1 Co. 10:1-11). Today we are freed from the bondage of sin in baptism (Ac. 2:38, 22:16). We were sent true Bread from Heaven to nourish us (Jn 6:31-36), and someday the faithful will enter the promise land and “rest” (He. 4:8-11). What wonderful symbolism, and what great hope we have in Christ!
-Dennis Doughty