John's vision is a fantastic and captivating picture of the coming of God's universal Kingdom. Ultimately, we will discover that The Revelation is a manual for discipleship—for how we are called to live in this Kingdom that has come and is coming. The Revelation is often misread as something completely otherworldly. We will see that John's vision is a message for us in our time, but Things Are Not as They Seem.
Consider where you have seen "God at work." Often it is in the most unlikely of places. But what we need to remember and celebrate is that God is at work. Even in the midst of tough circumstances, God is at work. In the midst of the everyday and mundane, God is at work. And where God is at work he has invited us to see him and to participate with him. Indeed, Things Are Not as They Seem