the first chapter of the first book of the Bible – to the last chapter of its last book –

one underlying concept runs through all that God has done and will still yet do.

contains so much information about persons and events through its Old and New Testaments, many of which are linked together in themes which carry significance beyond the particular, that it is natural to see Holy Scripture as a collection of truths rather than as one cohesive revelation.

Yes. A knowledge of historical circumstances and cultural detail adds much to our understanding of the Bible, but there nevertheless still remains a sad lack in most Bible teaching of the all-encompassing perspective of Holy Scripture which brings together all these details and themes into one direction. This may be called the Primary Perspective of God's Word, the Bible.

Bible begins with God creating our world in seven days as our role-model for the human work-week, in which –

made in God's image, is here instructed to exercise authority over its whole environment in following God's work-week model for their existence.

Unfortunately, countering evolutionary theories of origins has often so preoccupied many of those who believe the Bible that this primary concept of human existence given to us in Genesis is hardly noticed.

concept here is of humanity representing the authority of its Creator within its total environment, and it is in this sense that we ought to understand the Bible's statement that humanity is 'made in His image'. Theological speculation that this 'image of God' means some religious or moral factor in humanity misses this primary concept. Even after the Fall and the Flood of Noah, the given basis of jurisprudence (Gen.9:6), as distinct from the treatment of all other life, is this 'image-of-God' in humanity which makes it unique as no angel could be.

the Fall in the beginning of humanity came from not trusting God beyond their understanding, so the primary personality of this first book, Genesis, is Abraham, who therefore learns this specific lesson.

After the humanly impossible conception of Isaac, his son now naturally represented Abraham's faith in God, and therefore Abraham's faith needed to be freed from this limitation, lifted beyond this horizon of his understanding, which it had become in Isaac. Hence the necessary horrific experience of Abraham in having to be willing to offer this same son as a sacrifice to God. The history of humanity then continues this lesson throughout Scripture in various ways of needing to trust God beyond human understanding, in which all of us have come short.

Christ's human life portrays the life acceptable to God – human life as God had originally designed it to be. Thus Jesus answered His disciple's query about seeing God with "Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father" (Jn.14:9). This is the human Jesus speaking. It had nothing to do with His deity, as gloriously true as that is. This is the fulfillment in Christ of God's human design as demonstrated in His personal and public ministry among them through works of grace and power.

the climactic last book of Holy Scripture, the Revelation, the pivotal focus is its 'Seven-sealed Scroll' on the right hand of Him who sits upon Heaven's Throne, of which no-one is found worthy to open it – except Jesus as the 'Lion of the tribe of Judah' (i.e. the human Jesus). This Seven-sealed Scroll is not a divine revelation in seven-chapters/parts as some teach! It is the ultimate human inheritance!

Roman private law applicable at that time teaches us that it was a Deed of Inheritance; seven-seals on a waxed thread inserted through the edge of a rolled Scroll – identified it as such to the people of that time. (When God speaks He always does so in the language and cultural idiom of the people directly addressed). The Revelation is therefore simply telling us in this chapter that no one in the human race is found worthy to inherit the Kingdom from God, the rule/authority of God – no-one, but the man Jesus.

In terms of Roman legal practice, no part of that Scroll could be opened until all its seven seals are broken (it did not have seven parts), which is why there is silence in Heaven when the seventh seal is broken, as a prelude to the opening of the Scroll – the inheritance by Christ of the Kingdom which destroys all other kingdoms. The visions associated with the breaking of each of the preceding six seals are to prepare our understanding for the event of the opening of the Scroll when Christ takes the Kingdom after the breaking of its seventh seal.

message of this Revelation then comes to its climax in the vision of God's redeemed people, the Bride of the Lamb, as a Cube City – the New Jerusalem. It comes down out of Heaven, and God's Throne is in it, no longer in Heaven! Its cubic dimension is to tell us that it fulfils the Presence of God that had been represented in the cubic Holy of Holies in Israel's Tabernacle (10x10x10) and later in its Temple (20x20x20). But this cube is now 12,000x12,000x12,000. This number twelve in its foundations, gates, and dimensions does not simply point to Israel or the Jews as so many mistakenly believe through ignorance of the Bible's perspective.

(son of Abraham by Sarah) became 12-tribes in God's providence for the same reason that Ishmael (son of Abraham by Hagar) became 12-clans/princes (Gen.17:20; 25:16). The ancients believed that as their year was divided into 12-months/moons under God's rule, that particular number therefore represented His divine management of creation, and so even the ancient Egyptians divided their day into 12 parts and their night into 12 parts, which persists with us today internationally in our 24-hour-day.

For this same reason then in the Revelation the 'Elders' around God's Throne are 24 in number. So to see them as simply representing 12 Jewish tribes and 12 Christian apostles (or Old Testament saints and New Testament saints) is to completely ignore both its Biblical and historical background, which God really expects us to take seriously.

this Cube City's foundations the personal names (not any inheritable offices or titles) of Christ's 12-apostles (12 as on the Day of Pentecost) signify the unrepeatable historical foundation of the New Covenant ministry, by which Christ's People become the dwelling place of God's presence on earth – His Temple (1 Cor.3:16). Therefore there is no temple in this City (Rev.21:22), for the City itself is the ultimate centre and place of that Holy Presence of God.

It is the capital of God's Kingdom – the centre of His rule over all!

climax brings us back to the fulfillment of the original design of humanity to be the unique instrument of God's rule over all as the image-of-God within His creation –

the Lord Jesus shared this perspective of human-representative-authority is shown by His reaction in the boat to being woken by His disciples when they (experienced fishermen on that lake) believed they were sinking.

Before dealing with the overwhelming problem of being engulfed by wind-driven waves, He first expresses His disappointment in their reaction. This would have been an unreasonable reaction if He did not hold this perspective of human responsibility to authoritatively represent God within His creation –