Quiet Talks by Samuel Dickey: Gordon, Samuel Dickey - Quiet Talks About Our Lord's Return: 32. A New Language

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Quiet Talks by Samuel Dickey: Gordon, Samuel Dickey - Quiet Talks About Our Lord's Return: 32. A New Language



TOPIC: Gordon, Samuel Dickey - Quiet Talks About Our Lord's Return (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 32. A New Language

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A New Language

One or two plain things about the book may be noted. The language in which it was originally written, of course, was Greek. But scholars note that while the words are Greek, the thought is Hebrew. It is as if a Jew immersed in his own Hebrew is trying to express himself in Greek, but in doing so is gripped more by the Hebrew than by the Greek. And that he does this to the degree of seeming to disregard the grammatical laws of Greek, and to make new adjustments of the Greek language in expressing what he is thinking in Hebrew. This seems a bit puzzling to the scholars, yet the explanation seems to have a significance which is both simple and helpful.

The truth would seem to be that the book of Revelation is a gathering up, or summarizing, of the whole Bible, both the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament. Sometimes a very homely illustration helps. This book of Revelation is like nothing so much as a big knot tied in the end of a long hank of yarn, or bundle of threads; every thread in the long hank of yarn is in the knot. And every thread in the knot is in the bundle of threads. Every principal thread in the whole Bible fabric comes into this Revelation knot, and every thread in this Revelation knot can be traced back into the rest of the Bible.

This serves as a key to the symbolism of the book. Its symbolic language has seemed like another language to which we had no grammar, and so we have spent our time chiefly guessing what it meant. But this symbolic language instead of being a hindrance and a puzzle is really meant to make it an open book, easily understood. For every bit of symbolism, and every strange allusion or phrase, can be found somewhere back in the pages of the Old, in such a way as to make the meaning clear, or else it is plainly said in so many words just what it means. The language of symbolism is meant to make the book more easily understood, but,—there's a "but" here—but understood by one who is familiar with the Old Testament. But then every Jew, and every Christian, is supposed to be that. The use of symbolical language in writing the Bible has very rare wisdom in it. There will be more said about that in the talk about "The Written Word."

Turning now to dip into this book, the first most striking thing to note is that the book is given to John directly by our Lord Jesus. It stands by itself in this regard. Its inspiration is directly by the Lord Jesus, instead of being directly through the Holy Spirit. There must be meaning here. Our Lord would have John, and especially the whole Church through the generations, know and feel how intensely concerned He is about what is being told here.

And kindly note further, that the speaker is the same one identically as spoke to Daniel in his last long vision, and to the four young men on Olivet's top. The description of our Lord in chapter one should be compared with the description of Him who is talking with Daniel. [Note: Rev_1:13-16; Dan_10:5, Dan_10:6.] Seeing Him in His dazzling glory produces the same effect alike upon Daniel and John.

This is of immense interest. These three talks, by the Tigris River, on the Olivet Mount, and on the Patmos Isle, are by the same person, and, more striking still, are upon the same subject. All three are woven with the very same warp and shuttle-threads. At the close of the old Hebrew period of the Old Testament, at the close of the Gospel period just as our Lord is entering the inky shadows of the cross, and now once again out of the heavens, He speaks, and each time about the same thing. How intense must be His interest in that particular thing! How tremendously important that we get some simple, working idea of what He is so eager for us to know! Now it is still further significant that this after-revelation, this entire book, is concerned wholly about our Lord's return, and the occurrences that group about it. It is the only subject talked of here.