Most of us are a bit freaked out by the book of Revelation. The Revd Patrick Whitworth, fifty years ordained this autumn and Jamie's father-in-law, says it has long been "the happy hunting ground of religious cranks". But he also thinks it is a wonderful ending to the whole Bible: a message that moves like molten lava down a hill, turning and gathering as it goes, towards one destination. The struggle is over, the victory is won, and the Lamb is on the throne. Part biography, part history, part travelogue, part theology: as our Dear Church series works through Jesus' seven letters, Patrick takes us to meet the man who received them. John was one of the "sons of thunder", and Jesus moulded him into the disciple he loved. Patrick has stood in the small, candlelit Cave of the Apocalypse on Patmos, where tradition says John was exiled under the emperor Domitian. He explains why John may have known these seven churches personally, after twenty years of ministry around Ephesus. Then we go on the road. Patrick takes us to Ephesus, a port city of nearly 200,000 people, and to the simple plaque marking the Tomb of St John. We visit Pergamum, "where Satan has his throne", whose great altar now stands in a museum in Berlin, and Laodicea, where the hot springs nearby make sense of Jesus' warning about being lukewarm. He finishes with an ancient story of John at the very end of his life: too frail to walk, carried from church to church, saying one thing over and over: love one another. You can catch up on the Dear Church series on our channel This episode is for: • anyone who finds Revelation baffling or frightening and would like a way in • everyone following our Dear Church series at St Michael's • small groups and Bible study leaders working through Revelation 2–3 • anyone who loves travel, archaeology, or seeing the Bible's places for real • anyone curious about the person behind John's Gospel, letters and Revelation Mentioned in this episode: - A Word from the Throne by Patrick Whitworth (themes across John's Gospel, letters and Revelation; introduction by Charles Marnham, former Vicar of St Michael's) - The Gospel of the Trinity by Patrick Whitworth (on St John's Gospel) - The Bible Inside Out by Patrick Whitworth - Telling Tales of a Rambling Rector by Patrick Whitworth - Patrick Whitworth's books at Sacristy Press: sacristy.co.uk/collections/patrick-whitworth - Jerome, Commentary on Galatians | Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History | Irenaeus, Against Heresies Make sure to subscribe, and we'd love to see you on a Sunday soon.
