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Adult Class

March-June 2006

Revelation

Lesson 1

            The book of Revelation gets its name from the first word written in it. From that point, it seems like anything but a revelation! To many, it is an obscure puzzle that can be twisted and manipulated to produce any meaning that a clever person might assign it. In quite a few churches, it is never studied or read and is generally assumed to be utterly beyond our knowledge. And that is just not true. Here are some things to keep in mind as we study the book of Revelation:

1. It's not that hard to understand. It is true that the literature is different from what we're used to seeing, but it has rules that allow us to understand the meaning. This is not the most difficult book in the New Testament. By the conclusion of this class, you will be confident that you understand God's message in it.
2. The book was not written to idle Christians who had plenty of time to solve all mysteries. It was meant to be understood instantly and emotionally.
3. The book is written in symbolic language. It uses some startling images to describe real entities. Not every detail of a vision can be pressed to mean something-sometimes details are included merely for vividness. Still, this demands that we normally assume something in the book to be symbolic unless we have good reasons for taking it literally. This is important to remember.
4. The events in the book are mostly things that will "soon take place." Consider how the book opens and closes: Rev. 1:1 "soon take place"; 1:3 "time is near"; 22:6 "soon take place"; 22:7 "I am coming soon"; 22:10 "time is near"; 22:12 "I am coming soon"; 22:20 "I am coming soon." Obviously, the impact of the book was meant for those who heard it first as well as other followers of Jesus.

            There are three common approaches to Revelation, although there are many other, more obscure approaches, too. One approach is to take the book as primarily about the future and the coming of Jesus. This is very popular now, although few Biblical scholars have held this position. This approach finds the fulfillment of the symbols in modern crises, especially wars in the Middle East and the rise of totalitarian governments in China and Russia. This is associated with premillennialism, the "rapture" and the "Left Behind" series of books and movies. This approach would have nothing to recommend it to the earliest hearers.

            Another approach is to consider that the book relates the unfolding of history from the establishment of the church to Christ's return. Again, this is a view that convinces few serious students of the book. It seeks to identify the various symbols of evil in the book with the Roman Catholic Church and political happenings in Europe and the west. Again, this approach would have nothing to say to the earliest Christians and is always reinterpreted to identify the significant happenings in history. It also seems to be dependent upon a strong anti-Catholic prejudice.

            The third approach is the one that is traditional and seems truest to the Scriptures-the book primarily deals with the persecution of Christians by the Roman Empire, and the judgment of God on the Roman Empire, with a brief description of events at Christ's return. This is how the book was understood by its earliest interpreters and how it has been understood by the vast majority of serious Biblical scholars over the centuries. There are excellent reasons for approaching the book from this viewpoint and we will consider those reasons as we move through the study.

            The book was written by the apostle John while he was in exile on the island of Patmos some distance off the Ephesian coast, in about AD 92. This is the earliest tradition of authorship, dating from at least the second century. This view was not called into question until the fourth century and the idea of a different author was given little credence until modern time.

Apocalyptic Literature

            All types of literature have their rules to follow. Poetry is not expressed like we would expect a newspaper to be, and an instruction manual would not be written like a personal letter. Each type of literature must be understood in the light of its own rules. Apocalyptic literature was well known in the ancient world, and was popular from about 200 BC to at least AD 100, and its rules are fairly clear. In order for us to read Revelation accurately, we must understand the rules for this kind of literature.

1. Apocalyptic literature comes out of some critical situation in history. Some bad situation exists which calls forth this kind of symbolic and splendid writing. In the case of Revelation, the situation was the persecution of Christians in spite of God's plan for the church to be victorious over the entire world.
2. This literature is mostly expressed in visions, which often include angels or other messengers from God.
3. Apocalyptic typically includes a strong predictive element. The visions are not confined to near time only, but also present a glorious future for God's people.
4. It relies heavily on symbols, especially numbers. In this kind of writing, numbers nearly always have some special meaning. The number one stands for unity, two for strength, three for God (trinity), four for the earth (winds, corners, etc.), six for evil, seven for harmony between God and the world (4 + 3), 10 for human perfection, 12 for perfect accord between God and man (4 x 3), and 1000 for perfect completeness. A special case is pointed out for 3½, half of 7, as a sign of incompleteness and indefiniteness.
5. This literature is very dramatic. Some details are added only for more drama, so they should not be pressed for interpretation. The most important thing is to capture the big picture of the drama and accept the emotional impact the visions are supposed to produce.

            There are other examples of apocalyptic literature in the Bible in Ezekiel, Daniel and Zechariah. Jesus uses similar language in Matthew 24 and the companion passages in Mark 13 and Luke 21.

            One interesting feature of apocalyptic literature is that it involves the individual, and not just the nation, in the future. It provides great comfort to the oppressed in its visions of a future peace, heaven and eternity far from the persecution of this earth. This is what the book of Revelation is intended to convey to persecuted Christians who suffered while waiting for Christ's return. And it offers that same comfort to all who follow Jesus in a hostile world yet. The end of the book is clear: We win.