I am sure like many American’s, I have
grown up with a real fear of Revelation. Especially after I saw the movie “The
Thief in the Night,” which came out when I was about thirteen years old. It
literally scared the hell out of me. (no pun intended) I remember many times
coming home from school not finding anyone, and my immediate thought was that
my family was raptured and I was left behind.
Even so, I am sure that you would agree
with me that Revelation is one of the most powerful texts in the Western World.
Some find the book scary, others alarming, and for some, confusing and even
dangerous. And I have to agree. Who can forget the modern-day Branch Davidians
incinerated at Waco and the Heavens Gate community, who committed mass suicide
thinking they were joining a spaceship?
Many have set dates for the return of
Christ only to be disappointed. So, why study Revelation? Can Revelation be
understood? Is it good news or bad news? Is it primarily about Christ or the
antichrist? Does it concern the past, the present, or
the future?
I hope you will discover with me, over the
next ten weeks, that Revelation is not about the antichrist, but about the
living Christ. It is not about a rapture out of this world, but about faithful
discipleship in this world. I hope that at the end of the book we will not find
ourselves in millennial debates, but find ourselves on our knees worshipping
the Lamb.
So, here are a few things for you to
consider as we begin our journey with Revelation...
First things first... putting it in context
One of the rules of Biblical
interpretation is that we consider the historical context and audience to whom
the text is addressed. This includes the author, the time the text was written,
the specific literary genre used, as well as the reason for writing the text. So
here is a quick answer on the first three:
- Who is the Author? Most scholars don’t know who John is. Some have thought that John is one of the disciples, but most scholars believe that he is a traveling prophet or the bishop over the seven churches that he is writing to.
- When was it written? Most scholars have placed the writing during the reign of the Emperor Domitian from 81-96 A.D. It was a relatively peaceful time in the Empire with little persecution of Christians during this time.
- To whom was it written? What is often overlooked is that John is sharing this Revelation with the 7 churches of Asia Minor. It was not written to the church of the 21st century. It is important to know that it had a profound meaning to those who received this letter from John. They understood what he was talking about. His letter to the churches was all 22 chapters.
What is the literary style of Revelation?
This is a more difficult question and if we
can get this right, we have the best change to unpack some of the mysteries of
Revelation. Scholars agree that Revelation use both the Apocalyptic and
Prophetic style of writing. It is then critical for us to understand this
particular form of writing. This will give us the filters we need to make sense
of all the bizarre symbols and weird language used in Revelation. So lets look
first at the Apocalyptic Style of Writing:
- Apocalyptic Genre: What is fascinating is that the Apocalyptic style of writing had a 400 year history going all the way back to the Persian empire. This style of writing was very familiar to the author of Revelation. In fact it is used throughout the book of Revelation.
- One of the most common characteristics of A.G. is that it is filled with dualism... like lamb vs. the beast, light vs. darkness, or God vs. Satan. It is filled with imagery and symbols that should not be taken literally. We should be asking “What do these synbols mean?” Symbolic numbers is also a strong characteristic of the Apocalyptic writing style. I mean, who doesn’t want to know what 666 really means?
- Over it’s 400 year history, the A.G. usually surfaces during oppressive regimes or empires. It is written when things are going bad. This is why this style of writing is usually very pessimistic. They have seen so many failed attempts to change the systems of oppression, that they don’t think God can work from within history to accomplish His purposes. A new future will then have to come from outside –of –history. However, it is important to note that John doesn’t see salvation sweeping in from outside of history. John wants the readers of the seven churches to know that salvation is already present... in history. The true Savior of the world is the slaughtered Lamb whose Kingdom is already unfolding.
- In verse 4 John calls Jesus the one “who is, who was, and who is to come. This is a strange way to use the tenses. We usually go with past, present, future. But John puts the present first and goes backward and forward from there. This points to a much-overlooked factor that has to be considered when we interpret Revelation. It is the time factor. Scholars indicate that the time orientation of the Roman world was more focussed on the present. That is, they thought that the duration of their present time will remain that way forever. Therefore the mindset was that the present drives what is forthcoming. The future is already in the process of becoming. When you compare this idea of time with us, Scholars would describe our time worldview in the USA to be more future oriented. That is... the future drives what is present.
- It is also a common feature of the Apocalyptic style of writing that the author repositions himself earlier in time and talk about the past as if it is in the future. Because of its apocalyptic genre, we see that John writes of the cataclysmic events of the previous generation, such as Nero’s persecution of the Christians. 54-68 AD. He writes about the destruction of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. He even goes as far back as the time in Egypt when the Jews were slaves and the time in Babylon when the Jews were in Exile.
Unlocking Revelation
This brings me to the key to understand the book of Revelation. In order to reveal, to rip the cover from the way things are, John is saying to the 7 churches, I want you to know what the Spirit has revealed to me about the real reality of the world we live in.. I want you to see two worlds. I want you to know that the victorious Christ is already present...he is the real deal. The New Creation is already underway. Everything else is fake. The true reality is the one who is and who was and who is to come ... Present , past, future.- The key to understand Revelation is that John wants the 7 churches to know that Jesus, the Lamb of God, not Caesar, is the true Emperor of the earth.
- Revelation is a very daring, very creative, absolutely dangerous proclamation that Jesus Christ, not the Caesar, is the true Emperor of the earth. (It is this message that will either get you crucified or exiled. The Roman Empire did not allow descend)
- That’s what Revelation is up to. Revelation is a theatrical prophecy in the Apocalyptic genre of how Jesus, the Lamb conquers the Beast, whom John portrays as Rome.
- John speaks of Rome as Babylon, the Beast, the great whore. John was afraid that the Christians in the seven churches are being lulled to sleep into embracing Roman Civil religion. John is reminding them.... Remember Rome is a beast. Rome is not just evil when it is persecuting Christians; Rome is evil in peacetime as well. It is idolatrous!
Questions for you to ponder:
- What is your first thought when thinking about studying Revelation? Fear? Excitement? Trepidation?
- Does understanding the context and literary style of Revelation challenge or support your current interpretation?
- 2000 years from now how will cultures interpret our modern day symbols? Will they understand the fall of the Berlin Wall, 9/11, Facebook?
Up Next: The Unique Nature of Prophetic Literature!
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