A SHORT DISCUSSION OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION

David BeattyBI-209 Johannine Literature

Dr. Eugene SaundersCanby Bible College

23 April 2015

The Revelation of Saint John the Divine is without a doubt the most prophetic of all the

books of the New Testament.1 Theologians have approached it from many different angles over

the past 20 centuries; in 1522 Martin Luther considered it to be neither apostolic nor prophetic

and, My spirit cannot accommodate itself to this book. For me this is reason enough not to think

highly of it.2 Indeed, many Lutheran seminaries do not even teach eschatology. Even the

mighty John Calvin failed to include it among his prodigious literary output of biblical com-

mentaries.3 Nonetheless, the book is sacred scripture and inerrant. It warrants serious study.

AUTHOR. Early Church Fathers and historians were unanimous in holding that the au-

thor was the Apostle John, son of Zebedee, brother of James (Mt. 10:2). Doubt based solely

upon the grammatical and literary differences between it and the Gospel and Letters of John did

not creep in until the 4th century.4 Most modern scholars agree that the Apostle John wrote Rev-

elation.

DATE. Dating the writing of Revelation can be important to supporting a particular view.

If John was writing prior to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70AD, then much of

the book can be seen to have occurred then (see the discussion on the preterist view). If John

was writing after 70AD, then the events he describes obviously do not apply to the now de-

stroyed temple. Most scholars hold to one of three periods for the writing of Revelations. A ma-

jority (especially classical dispensationalists) hold to a date circa 95AD5 based largely upon the

writing of the early Christian historian Irenaeus.6 This is during the rule of Domitian (ruled 81-

96AD), the son of Vespasian and brother of Titus (who destroyed Jerusalem). Domitian was the

1 C Marvin Pate, Four Views on the Book of Revelation, Counterpoints (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998), 11.2 E. Theordore Bachmann, Luthers Works Volume 35: Word and Sacrament I (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1960), 398-399.3 R C. Sproul, The Last Days According to Jesus (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 1998), 131.4 Robert H. Gundry, A Survey of the New Testament: 4th Edition, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012), 506.5 Op cit, Pate, 14.6 Op cit, Sproul, 141-42.

twelfth Roman emperor, the first to be addressed as master and god (although he himself re-

jected the master bit) and was assassinated by palace officials largely over his drastic persecu-

tion of Roman nobility.7 Domitian firmly believed in the traditional Roman religion but tolerated

others.8 The early church historian Eusebius states that Jews and Christians were persecuted to-

ward the end of his reign but no contemporary Roman or Greek historians mention this.9 Con-

temporary historians rather paint Domitian as a megalomaniac who persecuted everyone.10

A minority (especially preterists)11 hold that it was written during the rule and persecution

of Christians of Nero and prior to the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70AD. Nero was

the sixth Roman Emperor, was the first to persecute Christians, and this persecution is docu-

mented by many Roman historians.12 His name transcribed into Hebrew numbers equates to 666,

the number of the beast.13 Early Christian historians state that Peter and Paul were both executed

by Nero.14 Many early Christians believed Nero was the Antichrist or would return as such; in-

deed, a frightening rumor quickly arose that Nero had escaped death, recovered from his wounds

and was seen in the eastern portion of the Roman empire from which he would shortly return to

reclaim his throne and punish his enemies.15

A smaller minority hold that it was written during the reign of Vespasian (69-79AD).16

Vespasian led Roman forces during the First Jewish War before leading an army to Rome and de-

feating rival claimants to the throne. However, there are no historical records of any Christian

persecution under Vespasian or his son and successor, Titus and early Christian historians specifi-7 Suetonius, Domitian, 13:2. 8 Brian W. Jones, The Emperor Domitian, (London: Routledge, 1992), 99.9 Leonard L. Thompson, The Book of Revelation: Apocalypse and Empire (New York: Oxford, 1990).10 Gordon Franz, The King and I The Apostle John and Emperor Domitian, Bible and Spade, (Spring 1999).11 Op cit, Pate, 14.12 Tacitus, Annals, 15.44; Suetonius, Nero, 16.2.13 Op cit, Sproul, 187.14 Eusebius citing Origen, Church History, 3.1; citing Tertullian, 2.25; 15 Gregory H. Harris, "The Wound of the Beast in the Tribulation," Bibliotheca Sacra (Oct-Dec 1999): 460-6116 David Hersey, Dating the Book of Revelation, accessed April 21, 2015, http://churchofchristarticles.com/blog/david-hersey/dating-the-book-of-revelation/.

cally absolve Vespasian of any persecution.17 Vespasians older brother, Flavius Sabinus, became

a Christian as did Flavius son (Vespasians nephew), Titus Flavius Clemens (who may have been

the author of the post-apostolic Epistle to the Corinthians and who was executed by his cousin,

Domitian in 95AD).18

PURPOSE. John writes to specifically encourage seven churches to remain faithful to

God and Christ in the face of what he predicts will be increasing persecution. The final battle be-

tween God and the devil is imminent. The faithful are sealed against spiritual harm and will

soon be avenged when Christ returns and Gods people enter an eternity of blessing and glory.

AUDIENCE. John writes specifically to the seven churches in the province of Asia

(Rev. 1:4 NIV84). The Roman province of Asia was a relatively small area of modern southwest

Turkey encompassing some 40,000 square miles or about half the size of the state of Oregon.

There were certainly more than just seven churches in the province as is evident from Pauls six

letters to churches or people in Asia circa 50-62 AD (Colossae was about ten miles from

Laodicea) and there was a church in Hierapolis (Col. 4:13; Papias states the apostle Philip lived

there and Eusebius states Philip was martyred there in 80AD).19 In addition, early Christian

churches met most often in private homes (e.g. Col. 4:15).20 John must therefore be using the

term church in a plural sense as in the entire body of Christians in and around the named town.

These seven cities were the largest in the province. Ephesus was the third largest city in the Ro-

man Empire with some 500,000 people; Smyrna was an important port city with some 250,000

people; Pergamum, which had once been the capital of the province, had 150,000.21 There were 17 Tertullian, Apologia, and Eusebius, Church History, in Ewan Macpherson, "Vespasian," The Catholic Encyclope-dia. Vol. 15. (New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912).18 Flavia Domitilla, accessed April 21, 2015, http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/6172-flavia-domitilla; The First Epistle of Clement, accessed April 21, 2015, http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/1clement-intro.html.19 Eusebius, Church History, 3.31.4, Papias, Fragments from the Exposition of the Oracles of the Lord, VI.20 Roger Gehring, House Church and Mission: The Importance of Household Structures in Early Christianity (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2009), 144.21 Kenneth Harl, Population of the Roman Empire, accessed April 18, 2015, www.tulane.edu/~august/H303/hand-outs/Population.htm

no doubt thousands of Christians in the area when John wrote. Alternatively, John may have in-

tended the naming of only seven churches, and these particular churches, to be symbolic al-

though there is no clear indication of this compared to other clearly symbolic portions of the text

(e.g. the seven stars and seven lampstands of 1:12 explained in 1:20). Johns (and, of course,

Gods) intended audience is critical to correctly understand the book. If the audience was chiefly

the 1st century church, one type of interpretation should be used. If the audience was chiefly

people living in the final days before the consummation of the kingdom of Christ22 then a dif-

ferent form of interpretation is appropriate. If the audience is the church of all ages, yet another

form of interpretation is warranted. Ascertaining the correct audience is beyond the scope of this

paper but that God intended for the book to be available to the 21st century Christian church is

obvious from the mere fact that He has insured that it survived as canon when so many other

texts did not.

LITERARY FORM. Revelation is a unique book in the Bible as a highly symbolic form

of writing known as apocalyptic. Apocalyptic literature was not uncommon in the 1st century and

several other Jewish and Christian writings are extant.23 Portions of several Old Testament books

are also apocalyptic in nature, but Revelation is the only book which is entirely so. John was cer-

tainly familiar with the OT works and reuses many of the elements from Ezekiel, Zechariah, the

Isaiah Apocalypse, and Daniel.24 It is also prophecy, a separate genre, as John specifically notes

six times.25 Interpretation, then, was a focal issue in the Protestant Reformation26 and it re-

mains of critical importance today. Apocalyptic literature requires a special form of interpreta-

tion. It contains visions with many symbolic elements. Using visual imagery as well as verbal

22 Op cit, Sproul, 132.23 Raymond E. Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament (The Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library) (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997), 778.24 Ibid.25 Ibid.26 A. Skevington Wood, Luthers Principles of Biblical Interpretation, (London: The Tyndale Press, 1946), 6.

promises and warnings, it weaves together into a poetic tapestry the themes of the whole of

Scripture.27

MAJOR INTERPRETATIONS. A dizzying variety of interpretations have been proposed

over the last 2000 years. Nonetheless, modern scholars present these four major views of the en-

tire book.

Idealism removes the symbolic nature of the images and removes all predictive value.28

It reduces the book to an image of the ongoing and continuous struggle between good and evil.

In its extreme form, idealism underlies the Manichaeism religion and heresy, with the Christian

church just one unit in the army of good. According to the idealist view, Revelation does not so

much forecast specific historical events as it does set forth timeless truths concerning the battle

between good and evil, which continues through the church age.29

Preterism holds that all or most of the events symbolically depicted in Revelation oc-

curred in the 1st century AD, especially during the First Jewish War and the destruction of

Jerusalem and the temple in 70AD. Extreme preterism holds that Revelation turns out to be

mistaken: Jesus did not return quickly.30 Radical preterism sees all future prophecies of the

New Testament as having already taken place.31 While the events described by John are in the

current past, they were in the future for the author and therefore prophetic. Moderate preterism

still looks to the future for crucial events to occur.32 Most preterists mix their view with other

views such as idealism, historicism, or futurism.

27 R C. Sproul, The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version, Containing the Old and New Testaments, 2nd ed. (Orlando, Fla.: Ligonier Ministries, 2008), 1846.28 Op cit, Gundry, 508.29 Op cit, Pate, 129.30 Ibid.31 Op cit, Sproul, Jesus, 24.32 Op cit, Gundry, 508.

Historicism holds that Revelation is a symbolic prenarration of church history from

apostolic times until the second coming and the last judgment.33 Historicists attempt to place

each of the tribulations into a specific point in history with explanations of individual symbols

varying widely among different scholars. For example, the locusts in 9:1-11 are variously de-

scribed as Vandals, Goths, Persians, Muslims, Christian heretics, and others.34 Historicists dif-

fer from preterists in that not necessarily all the events described by John have yet occurred and

that the events are symbolic of a particular period in church history.

Futurism holds that the events John describes in Revelation are all or mostly in the cur-

rent future. They were prophetic to John in the 1st century and they continue to be prophetic in

the 21st. Dispensationalism (both progressive and classical) falls into this category. Futurists be-

lieve that the world will undergo a painful tribulation period immediately followed by the re-

turn of Christ, Gods kingdom and the last judgment.

An additional and more focused set of views has to do with the interpretation of the 1000

years (millennium in Latin) of Revelation 20. Premillennialists hold that the events of Revela-

tion 20 are sequential in nature, following the 21 tribulations of the seven seals, seven trumpets

and seven bowls. Christs return occurs after the tribulations and before His millennial reign.

Most premillennialists hold that there will be a future, literal, earthly millennial kingdom, and

that it will begin when Christ returns. The pre- indicates that Christ will return before the millen-

nial kingdom is established.35

Postmillennialists generally believe that Christ will return after the 1000 years. The pe-

riod is either a future literal 1000 years or symbolic of an unspecified lengthy period that may

have already begun. Some hold that the entire world will convert to Christianity either prior to

33 Ibid.34 Ibid.35 Op cit, Sproul, Jesus, 194.

the start of the millennium years or during it.36 Postmillennialism teaches that Christ will return

after (post-) the millennial kingdom concludes.37

Amillennialists hold that the 1000 years of Revelation 20 is entirely symbolic of an un-

specified lengthy period (citing Psalm 90:4 and 2 Peter 3:8) and that this period began either with

the ascension of Christ marking His present reign seated at the right hand of God38 or at Pente-

cost with the arrival of Gods kingdom on earth as indicated by the Holy Spirit. The current spir-

itual millennial period will end with the return of Christ, a final battle between Jesus and the

devil, and the establishment of a new heaven and a new earth. Amillennialism teaches that

there will be no literal millennial kingdom. The prefix a- indicates a simple negation.39

It must be noted that there are a wide variety within all the views discussed here (for ex-

ample, some amillennialists are preterists, holding that the millennium period ended with the

destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD and that the world is currently in a postmillennium period

with the devil released from prison and currently deceiving the nations). Many scholars share a

view that is a mixture of two (or more) of the basic views and there are subtle differences that

cause almost violent confrontations between otherwise sane Biblical students. Christians on both

sides of a war can interpret scripture in a way that favors their cause (in the American Civil War,

a Southern pastor claimed, The Confederacy will be Gods peculiar people while a Northern

writer claimed that a Union victory would unleash the millennial glory).40 Entire denomina-

tions have sprung up around a particular interpretation. For example, the Seventh Day Adven-

tists sprang out of the erroneous interpretation by William Miller that Christ would return by

36 Op cit, Gundry, 509.37 Op cit, Sproul, Jesus, 194.38 Op cit, Gundry, 509.39 Op cit, Sproul, Jesus, 194.40 Timothy P. Jones, Christian History Made Easy (Torrance, Calif.: Rose Pub., 2009), 160.

March 21, 1844.41 In the 19th century, a majority of Protestants were postmillennialists.42 This

gradually changed with modernism, theological liberalism, new scientific theories (especially

Darwins natural selection and evolution), and dramatically changed in the horrors of trench war-

fare in World War One, a war with both Britain and Germany sending its soldiers to death with

the slogan, God is with us (Got mit uns).43 Suddenly it seemed as if Armageddon were hap-

pening in plain view in the fields of France and Belgium. The focus shifted away from arguing

about when Christ might be coming back to expanding the kingdom. Perhaps this is as it should

be.

INTERPRETIVE CONCLUSION. There can be only one correct interpretation of any

scriptural passage. Revelation is no different. However, to correctly interpret that most difficult

of books requires a complete and thorough knowledge of the entire Bible. Trying to understand

Revelation before you really know the rest of Scripture is like trying to understand the last chap-

ter of an advanced chemistry book without ever having studied chemistry.44 With these caveats

in mind, a short hermeneutics is offered here.

On the balance of historic evidence, the date of Johns writing best fits the Neronic perse-

cution of Christians from July 64 AD until the death of that tyrant on June 9, 68 AD. During this

period, an immense multitude of Christians were murdered at Neros command.45 This serves

as a starting point for interpretation. The audience is specifically the Christians of the seven ma-

jor cities of the province of Asia and, as with all canonical scripture, to all Christians everywhere

in all times. Because Revelation is highly symbolic, most (if not all) of what is written must be

examined figuratively. Since God (and heaven) exists beyond earthly bounds of space and time,

41 Ibid, 159.42 Ibid, 158.43 Ibid, 168.44 Paul A. Bartz, Revelation Bible Study, I.2, accessed March 12, 2015, www.confessionallutherans.org/papers/rev01.htm45 Cornelius Tacitus, Annals (New York: Random House, 1942), 15.44.

all visions and images of God (and heaven) should be examined with that in mind. Chapter 4 is a

picture of the God on His throne in heaven. The 24 elders may represent the 12 tribes of Israel

(Old Testament) and the 12 apostles (New Testament). The lightning, rumblings and thunder are

representative of the Shekinah glory of God and repeated throughout Revelation (compare to Ex-

odus 19:13). The seven spirits may be the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:3, Rev 5:6, Isa-

iah 11:2). The four living creatures immediately invite comparison to Ezekiel 1:4-10 and Isaiah

6:2, and may represent Gods omniscience. The scroll in chapter 5 may represent the mortgage

of the world (in ancient Greece, deeds were written on one side of a papyrus scroll and then

sealed; addenda such as a mortgage were then written on the back and resealed) and only Jesus

Christ, through His atoning sacrificial death, is qualified to redeem the world. The Lamb is of

course Jesus.

Chapter 6 encompasses the opening of the first six seals on the scroll. The first four seals

depict the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and, more than any other passage in the remainder

of the book may constitute specific events in human history. The first seal (conqueror on a white

horse) is a picture of a warrior (perhaps Vespasian) going forth to conquer. The first horseman

cannot be Christ (Christ already has a crown this horseman is given one; to include Christ as

one of the fulfillment of the seals (even the first) is too limiting).46 The second seal (warrior on a

red horse, perhaps Vespasians son, Titus who destroyed Jerusalem and the temple) is perhaps a

picture of the First Jewish-Roman War (accompanied by signs in heaven including Halleys

Comet, a massive thunderstorm, earthquakes and chariots and warriors in the sky),47 and lasted

seven years (from 23 July, 66AD until the fall of Masada on 8 April 73AD).48 The third seal

46 Op cit, Bartz, 6.3.47 Flavius Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, 6.5.3 in The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2008), 742; Cornelius Tacitus, The Histories, trans. Kenneth Wellesley, (Har-mondsworth: Penguin, 1972), 5.13, 279.48 2452 days or 6 years, 8 months and 17 days. The temple was destroyed on Sunday, 3 August 70 AD 1472 days after the war began. Jerusalem was finally destroyed on Sunday, 31 August 70AD 1501 days after the war began

(rider on a black horse) is perhaps a picture of the pillaging that accompanied Romes conquest

of Judea. The fourth seal (Death on a pale horse followed by Hades) is perhaps a picture of the

death of 1.3 million people49 out of a total Judean population of perhaps 4.5 million50 - or about

one quarter of the population (the earth is a common term for the land of Israel).51 This ends

the ride of the four horsemen of the apocalypse and signifies a major change in Johns vision:

henceforth, it is difficult to assign a historical event to any particular image. Some interpreters

see the first four seals as fulfillment of the Olivet Discourse (recorded in all three synoptic

Gospels) wherein Jesus prophesies the destruction of the temple.52 Calvin opined that, in that

great prophecy, the disciples mistakenly assumed that the destruction of the temple coincided

with the return of Christ and the end of the world. While the world certainly ended for the Jews

killed in Jerusalem on that fateful Sunday in August of 70AD, it plainly continues to exist.

The fifth seal may represent the martyrs killed under Nero, the sixth seal announces that

the great day of wrath of God and Christ has begun accompanied by a great earthquake causing

displacement of every mountain and island, a future event that effects all of mankind.

The remainder of the book of Revelation is outlined in the appendix. It is open to any

number of competing and conflicting interpretations, most colored by the predisposition of the

interpreter and many intentionally self-serving. Indeed, many have tried their hands at it, but

until this very day they have attained no certainty. Some have even brewed into it many stupid

things out of their heads.53 No further attempt will be made here to contribute to the confusion.

Any serious attempt to interpret Revelation must take into account all the eschatological writings

of the Bible and is beyond the scope of this paper. Since no one knows the future, who can tell

someone what is to come?54

What is clear is that Christ has yet to return in the same way you have seen Him go into

heaven (Acts 1:11; cf 1 Thess 4:16-17, Luke 21:27, Rev 1:7, Rev 19:11-16), evil still exists in

the world (and thus the devil has clearly not been thrown into the lake of burning sulfur), and

death continues to haunt the earth (Gods promise in Gen 3:19 remains in force and Rev 20:14

remains in the future). In the meantime, But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the

angels in heaven, nor the Son but only the Father55 and Christians remain under orders to go

and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of

the Holy Spirit.56 The conclusion to the book of Revelation is clear Christ wins in the end!

Hallelujah!

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