Put the words "Book of Revelation" into Google and you get 12,000,000 web pages. Yes, that’s 12 MILLION. Without a doubt, this final book of the Bible generates an intense amount of interest, excitement, confusion, and controversy. Much ink has been spilled in attempts to understand and explain Revelation - not "Revelations" by the way - its one big revelation. Approaches in how to interpret the book have split Christians into several camps - and sometimes into bitter rivalries that seem to find no middle ground.
Is it literal? Is it purely symbolic? Is it only historical? Are there clues hidden there to figuring out today the identity of end-times figures like the Anti-Christ? How do we make sense of the bowls and trumpets and seals and beasts and harlots and dragons and horns and all the other weird things John sees?
If you simply read the book from cover to cover you find many more questions than answers - and this leads many people to simply give up and never even crack its pages - the gold leaf still sticks on the edges of the pages as they venture to the far reaches of God’s Word. For others, the pages of the Book of the Revelation are dog-eared with use. They treat it more like a calendar - eager to read present day events into the pages of the book - then take out an eraser when dates pass and events don’t pan out like they thought - and so they too get frustrated.
So is our study of this book even worth it? Absolutely. The Book of the Revelation is not as mysterious as some think, nor is it designed to accomplish things that some want it to. During these next many weeks we will take the book verse by verse - sometimes going more slowly to explain difficult sections, and sometimes more quickly as events unfold.
It’s a book of hope - that justice and salvation prevail. It’s also a book of warning - that justice (God’s justice) and salvation (God’s salvation through Jesus) prevail.
So what are some things that we need to understand?
1. The type of literature genre of the Book of the Revelation
2. Methods of interpreting Revelation
3. The underlying focus of the book
4. The themes
5. The structure of the book
6. The culture into which it was written
7. Interpretive tools for each part of the book (vision, epistle, apocalyptic, prophecy, exhortation)
8. A Quick Flyover
1. What is Revelation?
The Book of the Revelation falls under a particular type of literature. If you don’t understand this then the entire thing will just confuse you. Revelation is a genre of literature known as Apocalyptic. Apocalyptic mans "unveiling" - like taking a shroud off of a statue.
There are several books in the Bible that are apocalyptic - including Daniel, Zechariah, and Ezekiel. Apocalyptic literature has at least two characteristics:
1. It tells the future. Some say Revelation is a fairy tale - couldn’t be future. But Daniels’ prophecies came true in the highest detail - so much so that later some doubted that Daniel was real because it is so accurate.
2. It uses dramatic, powerful, symbolic language. Storms, insects, earth opening, moon turning to blood. It was not all that confusing to those that read it - they were used to the images of apocalyptic literature. But it’s important to remember that the symbols represent something real. Often these symbols are given so that the person seeing them has some frame of reference in which to write. These symbols are also consistent among the apocalyptic books. In other words: beasts in Daniel and beasts in Revelation mean the same thing symbolically.
2. Methods of Interpretation
There are basically three ways to interpret the book: Allegorical, Historical, or Literal. Among these there are subgroups - and other ways to categorize (see below*).
1. Allegorical
Some say Revelation is all symbolism and allegory. It is a cosmic fight between good and evil and good wins - but there is no literal beast or Lamb or 144,000 or second coming or anything like that. This type of interpretation spiritualizes or mysticises the book. The problem is that the interpretation is then up to the interpreter. You can basically get the book to say whatever you want. This school started in Alexandria in the 2nd century. In fact, they spiritualized the entire Bible.
2. Historical
There is a strong school of thought around Revelation that it was all fulfilled in the 1st three centuries after Jesus came - or that it represents the church throughout history but is historical, not prophetic. (Martin Luther, Calvin)
3. Literal
The literal interpretation takes the book at face value - it doesn’t mean we over literalize it - there are definitely symbols in this book - but if you just let the book speak for itself it cracks wide open. In fact, I think the literal interpretation takes the best from historical and mystical perspectives. There really were churches to whom this book was written and very real things they went through at that time - but yet some of this book is prophetical - telling of real events that have not yet happened. And if you just read the book it is the simplest way of looking at it - just try to interpret chapters 20-22 as historical.
And it is also that there is great application in the book to our lives as Christians right now. Just as for the epistles - real people going through real challenges led to Paul and the other apostles writing letters into those real situations. But those letters contain rich doctrine, exhortation, and encouragement that we can apply in our own lives, provided we understand the historical context. So, for instance, the symbol of Jesus walking among the lampstands in chapter 1 represents the fact that Jesus is aware and involved in everything the church does - remembering the symbol helps us in our everyday lives.
* Others suggest four schools of interpretation:
Preterist (means "past action" historic in John’s day, now only symbolic for general application today but not prophetic).
Historicist (each section of the book corresponds to a different part of history leading up to the 2nd coming - so the Beast could be the papacy during the Reformation, etc)
Idealist (historical for 1st century, and for end times, in the middle applies generally for Christians. Each generation has "their" beast.
Futurist (the events are in the future - the end times, but tends to overlook spiritual application for our lives today.)
6. The Underlying Focus of the Book
In my English Standard Version of the Bible - the book is entitled: "The Revelation to John." It may have been revealed to John, but what was revealed? It’s not the Anti-Christ, or the Beast or the Dragon or the Harlot Babylon or the False Prophet - they are mere bit players in this drama. It’s not even about the Rapture and when it occurs or figuring out who 666 is.
The real focus of the book can be found in the first five words: "The revelation of Jesus Christ." Jesus is the real central character of this book - from the One who stands between the lampstands in the letters to the churches, to the Lamb who had been slain who is worthy to open the scroll - the scroll that contains most of the rest of the book - to the One who comes riding in on a white horse with a sharp sword to conquer - to the One who brings light and life eternally in the New Jerusalem.
The message of this book is loud and clear - the focus of all prophecy, all of human history, the destiny of man, and our eternity is wrapped up in one person - Jesus Christ. To miss that is to miss everything.
And so as we walk through the book - we should look for how it all revolves around the person and the work of Jesus Christ - not the beast or the devil or even us earthlings.
6. The Themes in Revelation
There are many themes in this book - I condensed my list to 12 themes: worship, prayer, rebellion, heaven, hell, witness, Jesus revealed, Satan unmasked, salvation, judgment, Israel’s reconnection with Yahweh, and war. Some of these are obvious but others you may not have thought of. Let’s just take a look at a smattering - you can get my complete list off of our website.
Worship
Chapter 19:1-5 ("Salvation & glory & power belong …")
("for the marriage supper of the Lamb has come")
The Four Living Creatures (4:8)
-The 24 Elders (4:11)
All of heaven (5:11-14)
The Saved (7:9-12)
Prayer
Prayers of the saints of Christ’s glory (5:8)
-Prayers of the saints for Christ’s Judgment (8:3)
Too numerous to mention
Rebellion
-Man hides from God’s judgment (6:15-17)
Man refuses to repent (9:20-21)
The Two Witnesses killed by the Beast (11:7)
Man worships the Beast (13:14-16)
Man refuses to repent after the plagues (16:9, 11)
Man makes war against God (19:19)
The Final rebellion (20:7-9)
"Let the evildoer still do evil …" (22:10)
Heaven
The Throne room (4:1-11)
The Great Multitude (7:9-12)
The 144,000 in heaven with the Lamb (14:1-5)
The New Jerusalem (21)
The River and Tree of Life (22)
Hell
Suffering to those who take the mark (14:9-11)
Beast & False Prophet into Lake of Fire (19:20)
Satan thrown into Hell (22:10)
"Outside" (22:15)
Witness
Churches in 1-3
Saved Israel in 7
The Two Witnesses in 11
Jesus Revealed
Amidst the 7 Candlesticks (1:12-16)
Holding the 7 stars (2:1)
The First and the Last (2:8)
The One with the Two-Edged Sword (2:12)
The Son of God (2:18)
The One who has the 7 Spirits of God (3:1)
The Holy One (3:7)
The beginning of God’s creation (3:14)
The Lamb slain (5:6)
The Lamb with the 144,000 on Mt Zion (14:1)
The One on the White Horse coming back to conquer (19:11)
As the light of heaven (21:23)
The Quickly Coming One (22:7, 12,20)
Satan Unmasked
The Dragon rebelling (12)
The Unholy Trinity - Chapter 13
Satan bound (20:2)
Satan released and deceiving again (20:7-10)
Salvation
Salvation belongs to our God (7:10)
Salvation has come (12:10)
Salvation to our God who judgments are true (19:1)
Judgment
-God’s wrath poured out on man (6:1-17, 8:6-9:20, 15:1, 16:1-21,)
Judgment of man’s best - Babylon Chapter 17-18
Judgment of man’s sin (Great White Throne 20:11-15)
Israel’s Re-connection with Yahweh
-As a nation in ch 7
Israel sheltered 12:6
The 144,000 redeemed in Heaven - Chapter 14
War
Satan against Israel (12:1-17)
Man against man (6:1-2)
Massacre at Bazra (14:17-20)
War against God (19:19)
Man against God (20:7-10)
Angels vs Satan & his demons (12:7-12)
6. Sections of Revelation
Section 1 - The Lamb’s witness through the church (1-3)
Section 2 - The Dragon and man’s rebellion; God’s judgment for sin (4-18)
Section 3 - Final rewards - Hell and Heaven (20-22)
The key to the book lies in chapter 1 verse 19 - "write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are, and those that are to take place after this."
"things you have seen" - the vision of Jesus
"those that are" - the things of the church in chapters 2-3
"after this" - after the church in chapters 4 and following.
6. The Culture of Revelation
The book was written towards the end of the first century A.D. by John, who had been banished to the prison island Patmos by the Roman Emperor Domitian. Patmos is off the coast of Asia (modern Turkey). Patmos is a rocky, volcanic island about 7 x 12 kilometers. John did get off the island - around 100 A.D. - and he returned to Ephesus (one of the seven churches) where he died of natural causes - the only Apostle to do so.
But before John left Patmos he had this fantastic vision - which he wrote in letters to the 7 churches of Asia Minor. During this time anyone who did not worship the Emperor as god was prosecuted with a crime and punished. Persecution was rising - not so much from Rome but locally. In three of the seven letters persecution is mentioned.
Just as important a threat was false teaching, which was eating fellowships from the inside out - worship of false idols, sexual perversion, and spiritual compromise. In a way, Revelation is a warning to these people, and all people, about the horrible end that following the flesh and the world will have. And much of the message is applicable to the church today, allowing the world and the flesh to infect the church.
7. Different tools for different types
In fact, Revelation is actually a combination of four types of literature: vision, epistle (ch 1-3), apocalypse, and straight prophecy.
We will use different interpretive tools for each different type.
8. A Quick Flyover
Chapter 1
He sees the vision of Jesus.
Chapters 2-3
The messages to the churches. There are representatives in every age of every church.
Chapter 4 - The judgment begins.
Chapter 6 - 7 Seal Judgments.
Chapter 8 - The 7th Seal
Three specific sets of judgments. 7 judgments in each set and they get worse and worse.
Under the final seal there are 7 more judgments (trumpets). At the end of those - 7 more that are contained in it (7 bowls)
Earth is well done by that time. That brings in the Lord’s return.
Chapters 8 - 11 - Two witnesses (two Jewish super evangelists)
Chapters 12 - 14
Interlude. The Sun woman, the red dragon, the child, the woman’s offspring who run away, the sea beast, the earth beast.
Chapter 15 - 18
The bowls of wrath. It is so graphic - bowls of flaming wrath being poured out on the planet. John saw this exactly.
Chapter 19
The 2nd coming of Christ, the marriage supper of the Lamb, Jesus comes on a horse with a sword.
Chapter 20
This is the problem with all allegorical interpretations of the Revelation. You can’t spiritualize this away the Great White Throne Judgment.
Chapters 21 - 22 - Heaven and eternal life.
Conclusions
Why should we read and study Revelation? Look at verse 3 in chapter 1: 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. ESV
Hearing the promise of justice, salvation, and eternal life is a blessing. Responding to the book - realizing that Jesus is coming back and that we need to be ready - is a blessing. And then living our lives in a way that if He came today He’d be pleased with us - that too is a blessing.
2. It is possible to understand
Even if we don’t have all our questions answered - like Genesis. God gives us all we need to know.
3. If it’s about Jesus - how does that change our understanding of the book
And should that change our response to Him - instead of avoiding the "mark of the beast" we should embrace the Savior - instead of worrying about judgment we should let Jesus be judged for us so we don’t have to.
For more Bible studies and an audio version of this study go to: www.CalvaryChapelNewberg.org
