July 1, 2003, Vol.3, No.13.
Two new articles every two weeks.
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us.
THIS ISSUE: "Introduction
to Revelation, part 1" (see below)
and "Introduction to Revelation,
part 2"
Introduction to Revelation,
part 1
by Keith Sharp
 Why
Study Revelation?
Although the symbolic language of this marvelous book is strange
and bewildering to those of us who are accustomed to plain, literal
speech, we need to study Revelation for at least three reasons:
(1) false teachers, particularly premillennialists (those who
teach a future, one thousand year, material kingdom of Christ
on earth), have a field day literalizing the figures of the book
and asserting without proof that certain of its obscure passages
uphold their pet theories; (2) the book has a very editing and
encouraging message for all Christians; and (3) the mature Christian
is to grasp all God's word.
Meaning of Name
The word "revelation" (1:1) means "an uncovering."
It is from a Greek word from which we transliterate the term
"apocalyptic." The term implies the book was intended
to uncover truth to its recipients.
Author
Revelation is the only New Testament book made known to its
author by an angel (1:1). It is ultimately from Jesus Christ
(1:1), bang His revelation, thus, all the authority of the Son
of God is behind its contents (1:5,8,l 118).
In four different places the human author identifies himself
as "John." (1:1,9; 21:1; 22:8) Since the book is identified
as prophecy (1:3; 22:7,10,18-19), the writer is a prophet, a
man inspired of the Holy Spirit to speak for God. He is also
one "who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony
of Jesus Christ." (1:2) This is the very thing the apostles
were to do (Acts 1:1-8) and did do (Acts 10:36-42). Specifically,
John the apostle did this very work of bearing witness of the
Christ (John 20:30-31; 21:24; I Jn. 2:1-2). Thus, beyond any
reasonable doubt, the apostle John is the author of the book
of Revelation.
To Whom Written
Twice John specifies he is writing "to the seven churches
which are in Asia." (1:4,11) Two chapters (2 & 3) contain
individual letters to each of these seven local congregations.
Asia was a Roman province in Asia Minor. The number seven in
ancient times signified fulness or perfection (cf. Psalm 12:6).
Probably these seven churches represent all the churches of the
day, having in their midst the same strengths, weaknesses, and
problems found in congregations everywhere. Thus, the messages
to them secondarily applied to all churches of Christ at the
time John wrote. Whereas the book contains lessons which apply
to us in principle today, the primary message Jesus gave through
John was for the churches of John,s day. To ignore this and to
place a meaning on Revelation unrelated to the first century
is to "twist" the Scriptures (2 Peter 3:16).
From Where Written
John wrote the book from the isle of Patmos in the Mediterranean
Sea, where he was sent "for the word of God and for the
testimony of Jesus Christ." (1:9) This probably means, as
early Christians testified, that John was exiled to Patmos by
the Romans because he was a prominent Christian.
Nature of the Book
The book of Revelation is endued with divine authority, in
that it is the word Of God. It is prophecy. Its truths are to
be read, heard, and kept (1:3; 22:7). Its message is not to be
altered (22:18-19).
The book was "signified." (1:1) This word means
"to give a sign." It identifies the language of the
book as symbolic, figurative.
Often it is physically absurd for the language of Revelation
to be literal. John speaks of a "great, fiery red dragon
having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads"
whose "tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw
them to the earth." (12:3-4) How could a literal seven-headed
dragon with a tail that measured billions of light years in length
throw literal stars, most of which are millions of times larger
than the earth, to the literal earth? No reasonable person can
contend this is literal language.
Sometimes a literal application of the book plainly violates
clear teaching from other scripture. John pictures "the
Lamb" (a literal lamb?) fighting in carnal warfare (17:14;
19:11-16), but Jesus taught that His kingdom is not upheld by
armed might (John 18:36). Is Revelation figurative, or does John
contradict his own account of Jesus, words?
Revelation is the sole New Testament representative of a class
of literature called "apocalyptic." Three Old Testament
books fit this category (Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah), and several
uninspired books written between the two testaments are of this
genre. Jesus, prophecy of the destruction of national Israel
is also apocalyptic (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21).
Apocalyptic literature has several characteristics that are
found in Revelation. (1) Apocalyptic literature was written at
a time when the saints faced physical danger from strong oppressors
(1:9; 2:9-10,13). (2) Its signs and symbols served as a code
to conceal from persecutors the very message it revealed to the
saints (cf Matthew 13:10-11). (3) It was written to help the
people of its own time to endure the tribulation they faced (2:10).
(4) It looks for the intervention of God to solve the humanly
insurmountable problems they faced (1:7; 19:11-16; 22:7,12,20).
(5) It foretells events that were future at the time it was written
(1:1,19). (6) It comforts the saints in their tribulation(7:15-17;
12:10-12; 14:12-13; 17:14;21:l-4;22:l-4).
Time of Fulfillment
The book itself asserts that its prophecies were soon to be
fulfilled and the coming of Christ was to take place shortly
after it was written (1:1,3; 22:6-7,10,12,20). This does not
mean all the prophecies of Revelation were fulfilled at that
time. If the pilot of a commercial airliner nearing New York,s
LaGuardia Airport from London were to announce, "We will
soon land in America," no one who knows the geography of
our country would think they were close to San Francisco. But
they would also know they were not over the mid Atlantic! The
prophecies of Revelation chapters twenty through twenty-two pertain
to the last judgment and have yet to be fulfilled. But the prophecies
of the book began to be fulfilled, and in one sense Jesus came,
in the very generation to which John wrote.
Scholars attach importance to the time John wrote the book
of Revelation because it seems to be inseparable from their interpretation
of its message. The events prophesied in Revelation ware to come
to pass "shortly." (1:1,3; 22:6-7,10,12,20) Those who
accept this truth apply the prophecies either to the overthrow
of the Jewish state (A.D. 70) or to the destruction of the Roman
Empire (A.D. 476).
Predominantly, scholars have either assigned Revelation to
the time Nero was Emperor of Rome (A.D. 5468), putting it in
the latter part of his reign (64-67), or to the reign of Domitian
(AD. 81-96), placing it in the last part of his life (95-96).
By far the majority accept the late date.
Most defenders of an early date (64-67) believe the prophecies
were primarily fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem. Late
date (95-96) proponents look to the fall of Rome.
One should not be dogmatic about the date, since there is
no certain, inspired proof when John penned the book.
I take the early date view. Unlike most who hold this view,
I believe that, while much of the book was fulfilled in the annihilation
of the Jewish state (chapters 6-11), much of Revelation also
pertains to the overthrow of pagan Rome (12:1-19:10).
Those who hold the late date view give several reasons for
the position. They are divided into external evidence (information
from uninspired sources) and internal evidence (information from
within the book of Revelation itself). Since Revelation is inspired
of God (1:1), internal evidence far outweighs external.
The chief external evidence of a late date is the fact a prominent
disciple, Irenaeus (A.D. 130-200), testified that John wrote
the book while Domitian was Emperor. While this is indeed strong
external evidence, Irenaeus was uninspired, and his testimony
is third hand (He was a disciple of Polycarp, who was a disciple
of John.). Thus, his opinion will not offset strong internal
evidence.
Defenders of the late date contend that the deplorable conditions
of some of the churches John addressed (2:4-5,14-16,20-24; 3:1,15-19)
could not have occurred as early as 67 or 68. The fact is, however,
that Ephesus had serious problems as early as 64 (l Timothy 1:3-7).
Both the Scriptures (e.g., 1 Corinthians 3:l-3; Galatians 1:6)
and sad experience contradict the argument that churches cannot
quickly apostatize.
Late date advocates argue that the persecution of Christians
under Nero was confined to Rome itself, whereas, when Revelation
was written, Rome was molesting disciples in the province of
Asia. Christians endured almost incessant persecution from very
early in the New Testament age (cf Acts 7:54 - 8:4). Early suffering
was indeed at the hands of unbelieving Jews. But the source of
the tribulation that brethren were enduring at the time John
wrote Revelation is not identified (1:9; 2:9, 13), whereas it
is implied the Jews were one source (2:9). The conflict with
Rome pictured in Revelation was prophetic of the then impending
future.
It is contended Revelation pictures emperor worship as the
chief problem Christians faced, whereas Domitian was the first
Emperor to demand worship. But, "An altar dedicated to Nero
in A.D. 67 reads, to Nero God, the deliverer forever.,"
(Homer Hailey, Revelation. 74. Hailey takes the late date view.)
All the Roman rulers, from Julius Caesar on, were considered
gods and were worshiped as such by the pagan populace. Nero,s
persecution of Christians "probably gave excuse to the local
magistrates to vent their wrath upon the hated Christians"
(Hailey. 67). The Roman historian Suetonius, in his classic,
The Twelve Caesars, records of Nero,s rule, "Punishments
were also inflicted on the Christians, a sect professing a new
and mischievous religious belief." (217, translation by
Robert Graves, Penguin, 1957) John,s exile may have been the
result of just such harassment. Besides, the chief oppression
of Revelation was future when the book was written (2:10).
I am of the strong opinion that the book of Revelation itself
furnishes definite keys to its date of composition. Thus, all
the arguments I will use for an early date are from internal
evidence.
When John wrote Revelation, the Lord,s coming to deliver His
people from their persecutors was to happen quickly (1:1)3; 22:6-7,10,12,20),
even during the lifetime of John's audience (2:25). If Revelation
were written in 95 or 96, and its fulfillment were in the Edict
of Milan (313), which finally ended Roman persecution of Christians,
or in the destruction of Rome (476), these statements would not
be true.
At the time Revelation was written, Jerusalem was still standing
(11:8). The Roman army under the command of Titus utterly destroyed
Jerusalem in 70.
John even identifies the Roman ruler at the time he penned
Revelation. "Let him who has understanding calculate the
number of the beast, for it is the number of a man; His number
is 666." (13:18) The ancients assigned numerical values
to letters. What ruler of the time had a name the letters of
which had a total numerical value of 666? "The general consensus
among scholarly commentators is that the numbers refer to Nero
Caesar." (Ferrell Jenkins, Studies m the Book of Revelation.
22. Jenkins also accepts the late date.) Those who take the late
date view contend this refers to Domitian according to the popular
myth of the day that Domitian was Nero rejuvenated. I concede
this is possible but consider it not nearly as plausible as the
simpler explanation of the figure, that the number 666 refers
indeed to Nero himself
At the time John wrote, the sixth of the Roman rulers was
on the throne (17:9-11). The ancients considered Julius Caesar
to be the first Emperor of Rome, although he was technically
the last of the dictators, and all the Emperors wore the title
"Caesar," taken from Julius, name, as his successors.
Nero was the sixth Emperor in line from Julius Caesar.
When Were the Prophecies
of Revelation Fulfilled?
Chapters six through eleven of Revelation record the opening
of the seven seals. During this time there was to be "great
tribulation." (7:14) The Lord warned that "great tribulation"
was to take place in conjunction with the destruction of Jerusalem
(Matthew 24:21). The prophecies of this section pertain to "the
Gentiles" treading "the holy city under foot."
(11:2) This is the city "where also our Lord was crucified."
(11:8) This is none other than Jerusalem (cf. Daniel 9:24; Matthew
4:5; 27:53), which was trodden under foot when the Romans destroyed
it in 70 (Daniel 9:24-27; Matthew 23:37-38; 24:1-3,15-34). Thus,
the prophecies pertaining to the opening of the seven seals were
fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70.
The predictions recorded in 12:1 - 19:10 pertain to "Babylon...
that great city" that "made all nations drink of the
wine of her fornication." (14:8) This Babylon is also identified
as "the great harlot who sits on many waters." (17:5)
She sits on "seven mountains." (17:9) She killed many
of the saints (17:6). Rome was built on seven hills, ruled the
world around the Mediterranean Sea, and, from Nero (54-68) to
the Edict of Milan under Constantine (313), viciously persecuted
the saints for their refusal to worship the Emperor of Rome as
a god. The prophecies of 12:1 - 19:10 point to the fall of Rome,
which took place in 476.
The prophecies of 19:11 - 22:5 are of the ultimate victory
of Christ over Satan and pertain in principle to all conflicts
of Christ and His saints with Satan and the world. It will end
with the saints at home with Christ in heaven (21:1 - 22:5; cf.
1 Corinthians 15:22-28,51-57).
For part two of this article, go here.
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