Revelation is a good book for hard times. It offers one clear answer--Christ, the one who is, who was, and is to come. Revelation was written to protect our hearts from fear and encourage us on our journey towards home. John reminds us that the victory was decided long ago at the cross, and God has already won. We need to hear that assurance when we are in the trenches. It gives us strength to keep fighting and a great hope that ""presses on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus"" (Phil 3:14). Susan Erikson's poetry brings that timeless truth into the contemporary world in which we live.