The Revelation, extending St. John’s experience (“I fell at his feet”) puts a stop to all bookish approaches to the scriptures that merely study them out of pious duty or for intellectual curiosity. The scriptures are not a textbook on God; they are access to the living word of God that speaks a new world into being in us. — Eugene Peterson, Reversed Thunder 

We need to experience the Word. The intent of scripture, especially a word like Revelation, is to put us on our knees in worship. We’re so busy predicting the anti-Christ and talking about the alignment of moons, we miss the radical call to worship. 

We are always trying to make the Scripture be useful to us… to contort into our purposes. Here is the truth: the Scripture uses us. We are not meant to be “students” but worshipers. Awed worshipers.