First question time: What is your first reaction to Revelation? What is your hope for this study?
As a child I was always scared of everything I read in Revelation but struggled with a deep fascination for the book. I heard about the Rapture and was sure that I would not cut it. Then I mostly ignored Revelation until 12 years ago a professor of New Testament Theology was invited to speak one Wednesday night at our church as a guest speaker. He opened another world to me. I started reading and studying – and then onto this celestial rollercoaster of discovery and awe. [His name is Paul Spilsbury, and his book is: The Throne, the Lamb and the Dragon.]
Basic principles for the study of Revelation.
Why are you here? You are invited to a roller coaster ride of the majestic and the celestial realm and will be stunned into awe of the greatness of God. It should make an immediate difference to the way you view and handle your word – now, this day.
You need to be teachers. Equip yourselves. Learn, read, memorize.
1. It will not be your last – take a vow. It is multi-faceted and could be interpreted on multiple levels. If it is the first, it is only the beginning.
2. It is apocalyptic in nature. Symbols and images are used to convey a message. It had to be in code so that only Christians could understand. Therefore, it is in essence a study of the whole Bible but NOT chronological.
3. Jesus is revealed. Always, in everything – super important. God’s plan and purpose is explained. Everything in God’s plan revolves around Jesus. He is the Prince of Heaven – Revelation positions the viewer for clear focus on Him. The key to interpretation is the first five words: The Revelation of Jesus Christ.
4. Everything around you is under control. Evil and wickedness may look overwhelming, but it is limited – always. It cannot win.
5. Fullness of security and ultimate defeat of fear is guaranteed and spelled out in this amazing “picture-book” of the heavenlies called Revelation.
Every word is meant to be understood, to encourage and to inspire as the purposes of our Father are revealed and His almighty and sovereign rule over the universe is clear.
The name of the book says it all. John describes the indescribable in an effort to explain the riddles of our existence in this world so that we will not be engulfed in the darkness and chaos of world politics, war, terrorism, natural disasters, cruelty and suffering. Within all the consequences of sin, declared in the seven seals, the seven trumpets and the seven bowls, we will see our Father’s heart and the kingship of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is active and alert over the Word to explain and interpret to our hearts and minds. (Jeremiah 1 and the symbol of the almond blossom.)
The core theme of the whole book, in which so much of the symbolism of the rest of the Bible is used over and over again, declares God’s love and sovereignty, the indisputable rule of Jesus and the reality of full redemption from sin and all evil, illustrated by the church.
Revelation reveals. John’s vision explains and declares so that we are equipped with the knowledge we need to stand strong against the full onslaught of evil in our day.
Revelation is the ultimate answer to all insecurity and fear.
How beautiful and delightful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news,Who announces peace, who brings good news of good things, Who announces salvation, who says to Zion,“Your God reigns!”(Isaiah 52:7, Amplified)
And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! (Revelation 19:6, NKJV)
We, the Church, the new Jerusalem, avert evil on every level of society. The church, the Bride of Christ, is not a denomination. It is the blood-bought children of the Father with a testimony on their lips that overcome the beast, the dragon, the gleaming serpent or whatever else this raging monster of destruction is called. (Revelation 12:9)
Our victory is not to be found in organized religion. We overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11). We are the martyrs (witnesses), the remnant, that carries the crest of the Cross and endure the persecution.
Be aware that we are persecuted and surrounded from all sides. Apart from the physical persecution of the early church and Christians today in many parts of the world where their testimony is a death sentence, we, who enjoy religious freedom, are battered with a constant and unrelenting assault on all levels of society, whether it is in the realm of family, education, government and politics, the media, the arts, philosophy, business and religion, not to mention the garbage and pollution that threaten our earth.
Revelation is the forecast so many centuries ago of the overwhelming outpour of all that God’s adversary, Satan, can throw at us. All the consequences of sin are pronounced under the time, times and half a time as Daniel verbalized the time period of oppression, indicating a limit and full control of the One who sits on the Throne. The golden thread of prophecy in perfect harmony and agreement over several thousand years encourages with a time limit to all evil.
Let us first declare our motto for the study of this book. In the words of Richard of Chichester:
To know Jesus more clearly, to love him more dearly and to follow him more nearly.
The glorified Jesus in all his splendour of kingship is the central theme. He is in control as righteous and loving ruler, ready to save and redeem, restore and reward.
Judgment comes clear and unbiased with one purpose only: to clear the way for blessing.
Nobody can say they did not know. No ignorance can ever be an excuse to reject life itself. We know and receive understanding from the Holy Spirit to recognize the false Trinity and the consequences of worship to it. It is impossible to remain neutral. It is either false worship or true worship.
Nothing is not an option.
While prophecy proclaims redemption by a loving God with restoration to an elevated existence within the present dispensation, common apocalyptic literature condemns this world to a catastrophic end in titanic tragedy with no hope.
The book of Revelation in the Bible stands in stark contrast to other apocalyptic literature as an expression of hope in a future of comprehensive salvation, guaranteed victory over sin and evil and a majestic ending in the Presence of our Bridegroom, Jesus as the king of the universe in all its grandeur and brilliance.
Revelation is written for two time periods – the present and the future while using the symbolism and historic imagery of the past to describe the glory and splendour of the unseen. The present offers a choice to accept the grace of the Cross. The future presents an unavoidable intervention of God to bring an end to His adversary, Satan.
In terms of the history of Israel, things went from bad to worse. After the climax of the Hebrew civilization when the Temple of Solomon was built, it is a tragedy of backslidden and corrupt kings, war, exile, struggle and bloodshed. Nothing is as it should be and the Jews live with an intense sense of loss and longing for restoration under the prophesied Messiah.
By the end of the second century AD Judea i[AJ1] s a hated outpost of the Roman Empire, the Empire in Daniel’s vision described as the feet of iron and clay. Jerusalem is in ruins after a cruel siege and a frighteningly brutal war in which the Romans avenged decades of frustration with the Jews. Jews and Christians alike are either dead, or slaves or in hiding.
History for the Jews was a catalogue of disasters from which it became clear that no human deliverer could rescue them”. [William Barclay]
Apocalyptic literature was popular as an expression of rebellion with the hope of total annihilation of oppressors and enemies. It was often written in code under pseudonyms to keep it secret, to be deciphered only by those to whom it was intended.
Revelation is not a chronological chain of events. It is a summary of the entire history of mankind with a climatic end for those who choose to accept the salvation of grace and love. It presents different angles to the same vision.
This study is not an effort to summarize all the possible interpretations of the vision. The content is far too rich and comprehensive. It is also not a dispensational interpretation to serve as an itinerary for events associated with the second coming of Christ.
It should serve only as a first step for some information on the symbolism and references in order to decipher the “code” or Bible-speak if I may call it that.
First and foremost – the key to Revelation is Ephesians 1. Jesus is everything… in the words of Paul in The Message:
Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.
Jesus is the Prince of heaven, the Redeemer on the Cross, the Victorious One over death and hell. Our study will focus on Him and Him alone. Evil and sin might appear overwhelming, but it is limited and under control. There is victory within this sorry state of our world, in Christ.
John writes under his own name as authoritative messenger of Jesus to encourage and build the church. The key to all the metaphors and images is our Old Testament – the Law and Prophets of the Jews. It is quoted 245 (8) times in Revelation. The detail is astounding and the golden thread is meticulously guarded. John is apostle, prophet and pastor – widely respected in Ephesus where he lives with Mary, the mother of Jesus after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Ephesus is a pagan city, the seat of the Temple of Diana, an architectural wonder of the ancient world. Diana is the goddess of fertility, worshipped with sex provided by scores of prostitutes “serving” in the temple. Just reflect on the severe contrast that Christian morality presented.
John calls himself brother to the reader. He uses dramatic and descriptive Greek. His Gospel that he wrote after the Revelation is acknowledged under the most-respected literature in all of history.
The ROMANS
Paul pleads for respect to the Roman authorities. Often the Roman administration and law helped against the persecution from the Jews on the young Christian church.
During this time, however, there is open hatred towards the Romans. Rome is seen as Babylon, a symbol of all evil. During the first century, worship in Rome was relatively free. Gaius Julius declared himself Caesar and ruler forever. His military conquests and the widespread rule under the Pax Romana – Roman law and government bringing peace, made a big difference in the lives of ordinary citizens, who could go about business and general living in peace, with roads, infrastructure and local government that applies the law.
Gratitude towards the Caesar developed into worship and the people spontaneously elevate him to being a god. It was a simple step for successive Caesars to think they are indeed gods.
This all led to a system where every non-Roman resident of the Empire once a year had to go before the magistrate (local government) and declare Caesar is God. For this he received a certificate and could worship whomever he wanted for the rest of the year. For the Christians and Jews, this system brought arrest and death or constant hiding from the authorities.
Not all the Caesars are set on worship. Tiberius (Caesar in the time of Jesus) stops it altogether, Caligula is a crazy sadist and demands his own statue in the Holy of Holies, but dies before it is executed. Claudius is against Caesar-worship; Nero does not require it, but blames the Christians for all his failures and weakness. Vespasian stops the worship, but destroys Jerusalem; Titus demands no worship. Dominitian is the worst. He truly thinks he is a god. He calls non-worshippers atheists for the first time. He bans John to Patmos, but Nerva, his successor, do away with all the mad laws and frees John – a miracle, since a Roman penal colony was more often than not a prelude to death.
BLESSING ON THE HEARER
It is against this background that we can begin reading. John introduces himself and pronounces a blessing on every person reading, most probably a public reading, and HEARING the words of the prophecy. (Many people were illiterate, especially women and only heard what was read out aloud.)
Hearing implies a heart reception, to mark the disclosures to be made in this book. It is not technical theology[AJ2] . It is truth from the Source of Truth, our God who sits on the Throne of Grace. Jesus is God’s Truth.
The Greek for Revelation is apokulupsis – apomeans to take away and kalupsis means veil. The veil is lifted for us to understand. It is always a work of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:17.
Revelation knowledge is a gift from God for the discovery of man.
The history of the world is not random – it is purposed and under control. The end time is near (1:3) means that it folds out immediately. It is NOW, this day. End-times are defined in terms of the period between the Resurrection and the Second Coming.
Revelation describes history in motion. We are not ignorant of what is happening around us. This precious vision is our future map and time machine.
It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. (Proverbs 25:2)
Life is a journey of discovery. God has so ordered things that man may not presume to measure himself with his Maker, but may recognise his own insignificance. We are always invited to go deeper.
Core truths in the study of Revelation.
Revelation is the ultimate battle cry of victory of the entire Bible and the climax of Christian living. We cannot afford to interpret it too narrowly in terms of only future events. That would rob us of the profound truths and encouragements for Christian living.
John sees himself as an Old Testament prophet. Some 278 of the 404 verses in Revelation contain references to the OT and over 500 words [AJ3] allude to the OT compared to only 200 in the letters of Paul. Daniel and Isaiah feature often[AJ4] [AJ5] .
OT prophecy was always a call to renewal of the people’s commitment to God. Therefore Revelation is both prophetic and pastoral in nature. It is immediately relevant to our walk in the desert plains of this world where God will protect us and deliver us daily into the Promised Land of the final new creation. Every day is a life of clothing ourselves in the armour of God. (Ephesians 6:10-17)
Authorship
There is no doubt about the authorship of John, the Apostle, who fled from Jerusalem before the siege and destruction to Ephesus, presumably with Mary, the mother of Jesus. He writes his Gospel after the Revelation and uses many themes particularly associated with his writing: Jesus as the Word, the Lamb, the Shepherd, as manna, living water, life and light, conquering, keeping the word and commands of God – appearing in Revelation as well as John’s Gospel.
Date of Writing
The churches experienced localised persecution, not the general persecution under Nero before the destruction of Jerusalem. Dominitian demanded worship and under these instructions of Emperor-worship, persecution broke out. Judaism was tolerated under Roman rule, but as Christianity became more separated from Judaism, Christians were persecuted by Jews as well as Romans.
Intrinsic nature of the writing
The word Apocalyptic is Greek for Revelation = the lifting of the veil. It does not mean catastrophe or great event as it became known in general understanding. Many apocalyptic works were written in ancient times. Most philosophers and thinkers thought the world is too evil to be redeemed, it needs to be annihilated completely and replaced by a new creation.
Jesus and Christianity are the only voices for redemption. God is almighty and nothing is impossible. Therefore, no evil can ever be victorious – everything is redeemable – a revolutionary idea in ancient thinking.
Apocalyptic implied a more intense clustering of the literature of all creation and the redemptive power of Jesus than could mere prophecy. Revelation is everything and it employs all possible means to spell out the greatness and majesty of a God of love and involvement to save and heal and deliver and lead on to ultimate glory in his Presence. John highlights the origin of his visions – the Throne, the angels, God’s Presence and the glorious surroundings of what is revealed to him.
Revelation is a forth-telling as well as a foretelling of the future with a dominating focus on the Source of the revelation to underscore the heavenly nature of the vision. It is describing an earthly existence and the struggles associated with Christian living while reminding the churches (the Church) that they have already begun to participate in a heavenly dimension and their real and eternal home is the new earth and the new heaven, inaugurated by Christ’s death and resurrection.
Ultimate security is not to be found in the earthly realm, but in the heavenly. They (we) are to live in a heavenly dimension and worship as the lampstand in the Holy Place to carry the light of Christ as witnesses (martyrs) on this earth.
This heavenly revelation runs counter to the assessment of history and the values of the human earthly perspective and demands a change and a realignment. There is a real danger to conform with the “normal” values of the world instead of alignment with God’s transcendent truth.
How should the Church conduct itself in the midst of an ungodly world? That is why we cannot study Revelation with a focus on the future rather than the redemptive-historical worldview that equips us for our lives in this world.
Revelation starts out as an epistle to the seven churches to encourage concrete moral choices, renewal and revival.
Four ways of interpreting Revelation
Preterist:
Everything is over, all historical – finished after the destruction of Jerusalem. Babylon is rebellious Israel persecuting the Church. Sometimes linked to the fall of the Roman Empire in 500 AD.
Cannot be in the light of Daniel that the end-time judgment is universal.
Historicist:
Seals, bowls and trumpets are successive ages of the Church and every political and social event is “forced” into the interpretation. As the centuries progress it changes all the time. Usually a pre-occupation with events in the West and disregard the East altogether. Very narrow and very manipulative.
Futurist:
Everything is about the return of Christ and the end of all history. Chapters 4-21 are the sequence of events, literally and chronologically for future latter days. There are very simplified versions of this. There is, however, no mention of the rapture in Revelation, no mention of the geographical restoration of Israel and no mention of some of other great political figure who would be the Anti-Christ. This interpretation changes all the time.
Redemptive-Historical Idealist:
Classical-historical approach. This was the interpretation of the early Church – my name for this study.
The entire book is a symbolic representation of the battle between good and evil, applicable to all ages and peoples. It is ultimately an exhortation to remain faithful in the face of suffering and resistance. All evil is under control. All events of history are under the direction of God and contained not to overwhelm or destroy.
The Symbolic communication of Revelation
In Revelation 1:1 t and often after he Greek word: sēmainõ is used. It is translated with show. God communicates to John by showing him things, visions, pictures, and dreams, not words. It is to be interpreted. Many other translations try to grasp the meaning of the word: made known, signified, and made clear.
Symbolize and signify mean in essence to communicate by symbols. This is not strange. In the ancient world symbols were used all the time. There was a signal to start a battle. The trumpet and the ramshorn were blown in certain ways to communicate certain things.
Communicating by symbols is to make known, just like the parables of Jesus. Jesus quoted Isaiah 6:9-10. Symbolic “language” refers to another set of realities. It is an invitation to enter behind the “veil” of the unseen and the unknown but conveying the possibility to “know” the unknown.
Daniel 2:45: God symbolized to the King what is to come. He needed Daniel to know although he had the vision.
In Revelation EVERYTHING is symbolic, the visions and the numbers. Everything speaks of something unseen and greater than anything known and seen. Enter the glory, the majesty and the knowledge far surpassing anything the human mind could ever fathom.
WHY?
To get the attention of his listeners, Jesus spoke in parables. The stories made the principles clear and made it easier for the hearer to remember. It was also an invitation to ask questions, to ponder, meditate and seek the deeper meaning.
For the superficial hearer it was nonsense. For the serious, sincere listener who yearned for knowledge, it was music in their ears, discerning the love and the call to come closer.
Deep into the Middle Ages people were illiterate and had to be taught. Hence the pictures on church walls and majestic architecture – symbolizing the greatness of God and his splendour. It became inaccessibility and fear-mongering judgement in the hands of corrupt, evil, religious counterfeit.
Judgment and the role of disaster in Revelation
The plagues in Egypt hardened the hearts of the Egyptians. The plagues to the people of God were his control over creation. That is true to this day. Natural disasters are all a call to repentance, a call for the God who can make it stop, who can call order out of chaos, who can redeem and rebuild what the world see as destruction.
It should serve as well to note the revelation of satanic powers behind so many earthly institutions. It attracts the attention of serious followers of Christ but hardens the unbelief of most others. It is described in the vividness of the images and the extraordinary descriptions to convey a certain “shock value” to the discerning scholar.
Judgment and the declaration of the consequences of sin, is not an endorsement of the wrong, only a prophetic reality of the responses of people to the invitation to be saved. Therefore, Revelation is an exhortation in the present to all believers in their commitment to Christ and to divorce themselves from any allegiance to the world system.
Revelation and the Old Testament
Revelation has more references to persons, places, and events in the OT than all the books in the NT put together. We see the patterns of Exodus, Daniel, Ezekiel, and Zechariah amongst others. The Psalms feature often and prominently.
It underlines the continuity and remarkable consistency of all Scripture. All the lines are tied, all the stories summarized, all the events climaxed – praise God!
In the final instance – Revelation is written for all people – God’s Kingdom of priests, the Church. (Exodus 19:6, Revelation 1:6; 5:10)
Everything in the OT – Egypt, Israel, Babylon, and the Jews are extended to apply to all nations and empires. The end-time temple of Ezekiel is open to all. The New Jerusalem (a city without a Temple)
has gates and foundations of the tribes and the apostles. The ark of the covenant is open to all who would enter worthy, made worthy by the Blood of the Lamb.
And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. (Revelation 21:3)
Physical Jerusalem is of no consequence. The New Jerusalem is what matters. The Covenant with Noah and Abraham all culminate in the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Christ. Absolutely everything in all of history points to Jesus. Nothing could ever be greater.
Just be still and KNOW…
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! (Psalm 46:10)
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