I thought I would go ahead and post the introductory material on the book of Revelation. I hate that I'm 16 chapters behind the podcast. Par for the course.
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The Genres of Revelation
1. The book of Revelation is perhaps the most unique book in the Bible. A large number of Bible readers are not quite sure what to do with it. Others think they know what to do with it but are quite possibly incorrect. Some fear the book. Others probably love it for the wrong reasons.
In the pages that follow, we have come to see this "scroll" from within the following framework. For one, Revelation partakes of three distinct genres. First, it is a letter to seven churches. We see this fact especially in chapters 2-3. It has an introduction (1:1-8) and a conclusion (22:18-21).
Probably it is a letter to all the churches of that day who might see a copy, but it focuses on seven churches in Asia Minor. These churches are addressed in a clockwise direction, starting southwest with Ephesus, moving north to Smyrna and Pergamum at the top of the clock. Then it addresses the remaining churches moving south and west: Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.
2. Second, it is a scroll of prophecy. This fact is mentioned several times (e.g., 1:3; 22:7, 18-19). In keeping with the nature of biblical prophecy in general, we also get the strong impression that the prophecy is for the immediate future. In 22:10, John is told to leave the scroll open, because "the time is near." 1:3 says the same thing at the beginning. [1]
Those who take the "preterist" approach to Revelation thus cannot be wrong. This is the approach that sees the book primarily in relation to John's own day. Certainly that is the way that John himself must have understood the book.
The problem is that it is now it has been two thousand years. Assuming that predictions about the judgment and new creation are meant literally, we must take them in a "futurist" sense. The futurist approach takes Revelation primarily in relation to things that have not yet taken place.
The blurring of that time and end time, stretched out for two thousand years, gives rise to "historist" and "idealist" dimensions to the prophecy. Rome, clearly evoked in much of John's imagery, did indeed fall in the early 400s. So the historist, that seems fulfillments of Revelation across the centuries, is not entirely wrong. The idealist is even more correct to see in the figures of John's day types of figures, empires, and economic systems throughout the ages.
Revelation was thus originally a prophecy about John's own day (preterist), with a blurring into some events at the end of history (futurist). The result is that the key figures and dynamics of John's time have become types of figures and powers throughout the ages (idealist). All the approaches to the prophecy of Revelation thus have some truth to them.
3. Finally, the book of Revelation is an apocalypse. In fact the word for "revelation" in Greek is apocalypsis, and the book of Revelation is sometimes called, "the Apocalypse." We do not exactly have this genre in our current setting, but it was known in particular Jewish circles at the time of Christ. [2]
Accordingly, we probably have to keep two truths in tension with each other as we read Revelation. First, John had a vision or several visions that stand at the origins of the book. We have no reason to doubt his fundamental claim at the beginning that he was "in the spirit on the Lord's day" (1:10). In fact, he uses this "in the spirit" language four times in the book (1:10; 4:2; 17:3; 21:10), at least possibly pointing to four different revelations.
On the other hand, the book of Revelation is well laid out in a literary pattern that suggests the organizing of this vision or these visions. The genre of an apocalypse might suggest that another aspect of the book is the literary piece. Indeed, we are going to introduce the possibility that the book of Revelation may have been edited over the course of a couple of decades before reaching its final, biblical--or "canonical"--form.
In most Jewish apocalypses, an otherworldly figure comes to an important earthly figure--usually one from the distant past. Such important individuals include people like Adam, Enoch, or Abraham. Then the angelic being then opens up time and space so that the figure can see both what is happening in the heavenly realm and what is about to happen in the earthly realm. The final result is of course that God wins.
Because the literary device involves information given to an ancient figure, the revelation is often about things that are actually in the past to the writer of the apocalypse. Someone like Enoch tells about the future from the standpoint of his character, but it is really the past from the standpoint of the author. Such apocalypses are thus often very accurate until the "prophecy" gets to the actual time the author is writing, because the author usually does not actually know the future.
Revelation of course has little or no element of this sort because John was the actual source of the vision, not some individual from the distant past. If there is any element of this sort involved, it would be in chapter 17 where the book talks about a king that would reign for a little while after John's initial revelation (17:10). Nevertheless, it is possible that the canonical form of Revelation reflects the inspired hindsight of a few years since the original vision(s).
Author and Situation
1. The author of Revelation identifies himself as John. Unfortunately, he does not tell us which John he is. The two main contestants are John the son of Zebedee, the traditional author of Revelation, and another John we know as "John the elder." The church father Papias, writing in the early 100s, mentions both John (presumably) the son of Zebedee and someone he calls John the elder. [3] Dionysius of Alexandria, writing in the mid-200s, argued that the style of the Gospel of John and the book of Revelation were too dissimilar to come from the same hand.
Most scholars would agree with this conclusion. They come to this conclusion not only because of the dramatically different style but because of a significantly different perspective on "eschatology," the nature of end time events. The Gospel of John has a much more "realized" eschatology without urgency, while Revelation has a dramatic sense of urgency. However, there are also similarities between the two (e.g., Lamb of God and word of God imagery). These may suggest a proximity within the early church, such as similar circles at Ephesus.
If we have to pick between the two Johns, Revelation seems to fit the style of a "son of thunder" such as John the son of Zebedee was said to be (e.g., Mark 3:17). His brother James was apparently fiery and bold enough to get beheaded (Acts 12:2). The style of Revelation also fits someone whose first language was Aramaic rather than the easy Hellenistic style of the Gospel of John.
2. John has his vision on the island of Patmos, about 35 miles off the coast of Asia Minor. Presumably he was arrested and tried at Ephesus for testifying to Jesus in a way that caught the attention of the Romans. If, as we are about to speculate, John received his initial vision just after the time of the Jewish War, we can imagine a truly tense time for a Jew to be speaking prophetically. From AD66-70, the Jews of Palestine were engaged in rebellion against the Romans. The war culminated in the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD70.
The Gospel of Mark likely dates also to around this time, just before or after the destruction of Jerusalem. [4] Although Jesus' prediction may not yet have taken place, Mark records Jesus predicting the martyrdom of both James and John (cf. Mark 10:39). Assuming that the author of the Gospel of John were a different John, then the tradition that he lived a long life and died in peace is not contradicted (cf. John 21:23). At the same time, Mark's prediction would be particularly poignant if John were put to death by its time of writing. We could even see the visions of Revelation itself bringing about his death. Then again, he may have lived much longer.
3. The most significant clues to the dating of the core of Revelation come in 17:9-11. John mentions seven hills on which the woman, Babylon, is seated. Babylon is a cipher for Rome. Just as Babylon destroyed Jerusalem, so also Rome destroyed Jerusalem. Although it is possible that some Jews had started calling Rome "Babylon" before this event, the name fits most poignantly after Jerusalem was destroyed.
This fact alone might suggest a date no earlier than the early 70s. Anyone in Asia Minor hearing about seven hills would certainly think about Rome as well. John mentions five kings. Here they would almost certainly think of the first five emperors of Rome: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero. Mention that one of these had a fatal wound from which he had healed makes us think of Nero in particular (13:3). He allegedly committed suicide, yet there were rumors that he would eventually return from the East to exact his revenge on the Roman empire. [5] In addition, the name Caesar Nero in Aramaic letters adds up to 666 (cf. 13:18). [6]
John points to the reign of the sixth king as the origin of the revelation (17:10). If we set aside the year of three emperors (AD69), that would place the origins of Revelation during the reign of Vespasian (AD69-79), which fits the time immediately after the destruction of Jerusalem. It is true that Titus would only reign subsequently for a short time (AD79-81). That would set us up for a finalizing of Revelation's canonical form during the reign of Domitian (AD81-96), which is the traditional dating for the book of Revelation.
If this is the correct way to read Revelation 17, the setting of Revelation is one in which the oppression of the God-opposing empire is extremely apparent. Babylon has just destroyed the "old" Jerusalem. The beast has risen from the sea. John himself is exiled and a potential martyr under the altar in the heavenly throne room of God (6:9).
The destruction of Jerusalem was a time of great tribulation because the church--not least John himself--did not see itself as something different from Israel. John saw himself as part of the true Israel, the true heirs of the Old Testament and the true people of God. The destruction of Jerusalem was thus felt as an attack on God's people on earth, not an attack on some different religion.
4. In addition to the use of "Babylon" as a cipher for Rome, two other features of Revelation may also support the idea that it comes from the time after the temple was destroyed. First, there is the fact that there is no temple in the new Jerusalem (21:22). Although we are used to the idea of Christianity without a temple, a temple-less people of God may not have been as obvious to the first Christians. In Acts 21:26, Paul offers a sacrifice of purification in the temple. 2 Thessalonians 2:5 speaks positively of the temple at the same time it speaks negatively of its desecration.
I have argued elsewhere that the book of Hebrews may fit the time not long after the temple was destroyed, when some Christians wondered how they would get ongoing atonement in the absence of a temple. Here we see the lights fully go on with regard to the extent of Christ's atonement. The temple was never intended to take away sin (Heb. 10:1-4). It was a foreshadowing of the atonement provided through Christ. Prior to the destruction of the temple, the church may have seen itself as a parallel temple (cf. 1 Cor. 3:16), but this fact does it mean that they fully realized they did not need a temple.
So the fact that the new Jerusalem has no temple fits well with the period after the temple was destroyed, when the early Christians had more fully come to realize that Christ was the only means of atonement they needed.
A second possible indicator of a later date is the extent to which the worship of Jesus is overt in the book. Larry Hurtado has argued that the worship of Jesus is implied by the worship practices of the earliest Christians. [7] They prayed to Christ. They sang hymns to Christ. They confessed Christ. At the same time, Paul's writings and other earlier writings are not as explicit and overt about the worship of Jesus as the book of Revelation (e.g., Rev. 5:14). This fact may suggest a slightly later date for the book.
Literary Structure
The book of Revelation has a beautiful and intricate structure. It has a letter opening (1:1-8) and a letter closing (22:18-21). Within that opening and closing is the apocalypse proper.
The apocalypse itself has an opening (1:9-3:22) and a conclusion (22:6-17). The opening includes not only the initial visit of Jesus to John (1:9-20) but also the letters to the seven churches of Asia (2:1-3:22). The conclusion of the vision returns to comments from John to those who have heard his vision.
The body of the apocalypse involves three visions, each of which begins with the opening of John's sight of heaven. In the first, John sees the heavenly throne room where there is the worship of God the Father (chapter 4) and Jesus, the Lamb of God (chapter 5). Then the Lamb opens seven seals with accompanying visions of judgment (6:1-8:10). After the sixth seal there is an intermission in the revelation where we see those who have been saved (chapter 7).
The seventh seal then begins seven trumpets (8:11-11:18). There is again an intermission after the sixth seal, in which John eats a little scroll and we are introduced to two witnesses (10:1-11:14). These images probably should not be read either as a linear sequence of events or even as images that have precise correlations to events that will happen in history. They rather give us an overall feel and impression, a "Gestalt" of how bad it will be to be on the opposite side of God in the judgment and how blessed it will be to be one of those saved from God's wrath.
The second vision has a much different feel and is much more allegorical (11:19-19:10). We meet a dragon (Satan) and two beasts. The beast from the sea likely represents the Roman emperor, with Nero as the prototype. The beast from the land (or false prophet) is not only emperor worship but perhaps also the economic systems that oppress in cahoots with the beast and his empire. Two women are also portrayed, one of which is Rome herself, Babylon. The other is the people of God, which consists of both Israel and the church.
The third and final vision is that of the millennium rule of Christ and the subsequent judgment and re-creation of the cosmos (19:11-22:5). If Revelation 7 uses the image of Tribulation for this current period for those who have the mark of Christ, Revelation 20 uses the counter-image of the millennial rule of Christ. Although this is a time of potential persecution, this is also a time when the kingdom of God has been inaugurated. From one perspective, Satan has already been defeated although from another he has been cast down to the earth.
We might picture the overall outline of Revelation as follows:
Central Themes
The central theme of Revelation is surely the triumph of God and the Lamb. At both the beginning and end of Revelation, God and the Lamb are seen to be the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega (1:8; 22:13). Both God the Father and the Lamb are worshiped by humanity, the angels, and the entire creation (4:10; 5:14). Page after page of the book proclaims that "God wins!" and "the Lamb wins!"
Revelation is situation in the time between the victory of the Lamb over Satan and Death and the final judgment, redemption, and re-creation of the cosmos. The victory is already won. The Lamb has triumphed (chapter 5). Satan is already defeated (12:9). There is a sense in which he is already in the Abyss (20:2-3).
The final judgment is assured (11:15; 19:6-8; 20:11-15). The salvation is assured of those who have the metaphorical mark of God on their foreheads will be saved (7:9; 19:1; 22:3-4). There will be new skies and a new earth (21:1).
John and indeed we today live in the in-between time, the "now and not yet." This is a time of great Tribulation for those who are servants of God (7:14). It is also the time of Christ's millennial reign (20:6). The Dragon is both persecuting the people of God now, and yet he is also soundly defeated.
Within this space is the imagery of impending doom for those who continue to fight against God and his victor, Christ who will comes on a white horse in victory (6:2; 19:11). The imagery is not linear, nor does it tightly correspond to specific future events. It gives us a Gestalt, an overall impression and feel for the terror of God's judgment.
Meanwhile, agents of the Dragon continue to persecute God's people. Rome is the original type of Babylon, the prostitute, the evil empire that oppresses God's people, the woman who gave birth to the Messiah. There have been and likely will be others. Nero was the type of the beast from the sea, the type of a power figure who leads the evil empire to oppress and kill God's people. The system of emperor worship, perhaps also the oppressive economic systems in league with the beast, are the false prophet, the beast from the land.
No matter. God and his Christ will reign forever and ever. His victory is sure. Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly!
[1] This urgency also needs to be balanced with the millennial reign of Christ in this current time (chapter 20). The tension may be another hint that the book of Revelation came together in stages. See below.
[2] For more information, see John J. Collins, The Apocalyptic Imagination: An Introduction to Jewish Apocalyptic Literature, 3rd ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2016).
[3] Papias' words were preserved by Eusebius in the 300s in his Ecclesiastical History 3.39.2-17. For a good exploration of these two individuals as it relates to the Gospel of John, see Martin Hengel, The Johannine Question (London: SCM, 1989).
[4] See my Explanatory Notes on the Gospel of Mark.
[5] This myth of Nero redivivus or "Nero revived" is found in a second century writing called the Sibylline Oracles, especially at 4.119-24; 5.137-141, 361-96.
[6] See the explanatory notes on Revelation 13 below.
[7] Larry Hurtado, One God, One Lord, 3rd ed. (London: Bloomsbury T & T Clark, 2015).
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