If we are not careful, we might get the impression that the beasts, the vultures, the darkness, the earthquakes, and the hailstones are what the book of Revelation is all about. But they are more like the general landscape of the Illinois prairie. The true center piece of the book of Revelation is not war or catastrophe, oil or the Middle East—it is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. His presence permeates the book even when it does not name Him. To read this book -153- without gaining a clearer picture of Jesus is to miss the key point.
