As I've begun getting back into poetry and fantasy reading and writing, I naturally began to think, “What is the book of the Bible where I can most appreciate poetry?” Of course, Revelation came to mind, as arguably the most poetic book of the Bible. John wrote the book of Revelation both as his visions from God and as a creative interaction with those visions as he spoke into the situation of the churches of Asia Minor. As I’ve reflected on the nature of the book of Revelation, I’ve seen the book as giving the church today permission to creatively interact with the issues of the day through the Spirit of God. I see writers like George MacDonald, C.S. Lewis, and Tolkien, and their heavy use of imagery and metaphor to speak to the church today, in the vein of the apostle John. I see all these writers as tapping into the deeper parts of ourselves through the use of powerful imagery and story.
This is also why I love seeing other forms of creative renderings of Revelation. For example, I came across revelationillustrated.com that showcases the work of an artist named Pat Marvenko Smith, and his depictions of the book of Revelation. These are some very imaginative depictions of the imagery in Revelation. Revelation is, in my opinion, a book begging to be illustrated.
I tried doing a few little illustrations myself, but I will not show them to you because they are terrible. I am not a good visual artist by any stretch. I do, however, have a love for music. In school, my debate was whether I would put my efforts into music, particularly music composition, or creative writing. I ultimately decided on creative writing, but I still have a deep love for music and music composition. However, I am not about to show you some personal compositions on the book of Revelation. I don’t have the time or the motivation to take on such a giant project.
However, I decided to do the next best thing. I also have a love for making Spotify playlists, so I decided to make an accompanying playlist for every verse of Revelation. This has just been a fun thing to do that may also be a good imaginative accompaniment for a reading of Revelation. Keep in mind that if you use this playlist, you will need to read Revelation slowly, immersing yourself in every verse. Perhaps this is how Revelation is meant to be read. I hope this playlist helps immerse you in it’s world. I try to pick music that really fits the mood and tone of the book, so I sprinkle in classical, choir, a capella, and some other kinds of worship music. But you won’t find much pop music here. My goal is to choose songs that lead the reader both to worship and into the imaginative world of Revelation. My selections might introduce you to music you have never heard before. Some you might like and some you might not. I encourage you to make your own playlist and put it in the comments if you like the idea, but want it to be your own.
On a side note, if you want a good book on a scholarly study of Revelation, I might recommend Scott McKnight’s Revelation for the Rest of Us. While I love trying to get at the “right understanding” of books like Revelation, and we mustn’t miss its intended messages, we should not overly analyze it to the point that we don't appreciate the power of its images, and, most importantly, it does not lead us to worship God. It is a real pity when a thoroughly enchanted book like Revelation is thoroughly disenchanted by analysis. It is meant to be immersed in our imaginations, not just our intelligence.
Lastly, I want to point out that I think what this playlist can be most helpful for is a soundtrack to assist in reflection on Revelation. The sounds, music choices and moods can be helpful to slow down and reflect on the images and metaphors.
So without further a do, here is the first chapter of Revelation with music as an imaginative accompaniment on Spotify:
Revelation Playlists
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