Get Ready
Revelation, the last book in the Bible, is also one of the most unusual books. Revelation promises: God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, [1:3]. It is the only book in the Bible to promise such a blessing.
Author
John, the Apostle, wrote Revelation very close to the end of the first century. He also wrote the gospel and the three New Testament letters that bear his name.
Some scholars over the years have questioned John’s authorship, because of significant differences in style. However, John’s gospel is a narrative about Jesus’ life and ministry when he was here on Earth, while Revelation is a description of John’s vision of things that will happen in the future, in heaven as well as on Earth. The style of the writing should be quite different, (Compare the styles in works as different as Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity, and The Chronicles of Narnia; nobody argues that C.S. Lewis did not write all of them).
Context
Some of John’s images and symbols refer to Rome and the emperor, as well as to the church itself. These images point to the reign of Domitian, who presided over a violent persecution of the church and believers throughout the empire after several years (and several emperors) of relative freedom and peaceful growth.
In fact, John says he received his vision while he was exiled on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus, [1:9].
Structure
After the introduction and John’s description of how he received the vision, there are four main parts to Revelation:
- Letters to the seven churches – Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. All the churches receive a judgment from Jesus, except Philadelphia, which gets an assurance that faith overcomes persecution, [2:1-3:32].
- Three series of judgments – the seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls. A number of commentators see these images as different “snapshots” of the same judgments, since the seventh judgment in each series leads to the next series. A number of the judgments echo the plagues God sent on Egypt to free the Israelites from slavery, [6:1- 11:19 and 15:1-16:21].
- Defeat of the antichrist – the conflict and ultimate victory of Christ and the church over evil is portrayed in two images, [12:1-14:20 and 17:1-19:10].
- Christ’s ultimate victory and judgment, and the creation of the new heaven and earth, [19:11-22:21].
Interpreting Revelation
As soon this book was read in some of the churches, different interpretations of the images and symbols in the book surfaced. And immediately behind the differing interpretations came the arguments about which meanings were correct. They continue to this day.
Over the centuries there have been four primary approaches to interpreting Revelation:
- Preterist – the images and symbols describe the early church and the events of John’s own time. This approach relates most of the evil images to the Roman Empire.
- Historicist – the images and symbols are markers for the history of the church. This approach was popular with many of the Reformation leaders, who saw the Roman Catholic Church and the pope behind the anti-church images and symbols.
- Futurist – the images and symbols describe the actual events that will occur before and after Christ’s return. This approach expects the images and symbols to have real counterparts in the final days of Earth’s history.
- Symbolic – the images and symbols relate to the ongoing struggle between good and evil. This approach sees application of the book to Christians of any age, whether John’s in 98, Luther’s in 1545, or ours at the beginning of the twenty-first century.
As you think about the images and symbols, here are some points that have helped many believers understand the book:
- The images and symbols had meaning to Christians in Asia Minor at the end of the first century. John’s readers understood what he was referring to in his book.
- Revelation is a prophecy [1:3] – a message from God, about God and his plans for his creation. (Prophecy is always a word from God; sometimes that word is about his future actions.)
- The book is not a chronological “history.” John may be describing the visions in the order in which he received them, but he does not claim any specific sequence for the events he is describing. Middle Eastern culture does not place the premium on logic, sequence and order that western culture does. A Middle Eastern reader will likely consider the images and symbols as different “snapshots” or videos of a very complex event without worrying about which “snapshot” was actually “first.”
Get into the Word
1. Who wrote this book? What other books did this author write? Why do some folks think there is a different author?
2. When was this book written? What was the writer’s situation at the time? What was the situation regarding the church at the time? How might this have influenced the author’s main themes?
3. How is this book organized? What are the major sections of the book? What does each section deal with? Do you think this organization helps or hinders understanding the book?
4. What makes this book so difficult to understand? When did these problems arise? What are the predominant approaches to interpreting this book? How does each interpretation method deal with the images and symboles in the book?
5. What understandings can help when reading and working to interpret Revelation? How might they help you explain this book to another person?
Notes: Apocalyptic Literature . . .
Revelation is a type of prophecy that talks about the end of the world – the modern English word for this type of writing is “apocalypse,” which in Greek means “revelation.” Jesus also talked about the battle between good and evil and the end of the world, [check Mark 13].
Apocalyptic literature has three common characteristics:
- It claims to be a revelation from God – it is from God and about God and his actions at the end of the world.
- It focuses on God’s actions in our world at the end of time. By definition it is miraculous. It describes the battle and God’s victory over evil.
- It is highly symbolic, not literal – it attempts to describe the end of the world – something no one has yet seen. To get an idea of this challenge, try to describe the internet using only the words and images your great grandparents would have understood (no television, no radio, no “highway,” no computers, no electricity, maybe a typewriter). This is why apocalyptic writing relies on weird images and unfamiliar symbols.
80: Letters to churches & Seven seals – Revelation 3:14-22, 6:1-17
Get Ready
Do you enjoy watching “epic” movies that have sweeping scenery and great battle scenes with larger-than-life characters? What do you remember most about such movies? How do you deal with the “realistic” battle scenes with blood and wounds graphically depicted?
The Word
314 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the origin of God’s creation:
15 “I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.’ You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
18 Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich; and white robes to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen; and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. 19 I reprove and discipline those whom I love. Be earnest, therefore, and repent. 20 Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me. 21 To the one who conquers I will give a place with me on my throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”
6Then I saw the Lamb open one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures call out, as with a voice of thunder, “Come!” 2 I looked, and there was a white horse! Its rider had a bow; a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering and to conquer.
3 When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature call out, “Come!”
4 And out came another horse, bright red; its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another; and he was given a great sword.
5 When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature call out, “Come!” I looked, and there was a black horse! Its rider held a pair of scales in his hand, 6 and I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s pay, and three quarts of barley for a day’s pay, but do not damage the olive oil and the wine!”
7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature call out, “Come!” 8 I looked and there was a pale green horse! Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed with him; they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, famine, and pestilence, and by the wild animals of the earth.
9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered for the word of God and for the testimony they had given; 10 they cried out with a loud voice, “Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?” 11 They were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number would be complete both of their fellow servants and of their brothers and sisters, who were soon to be killed as they themselves had been killed.
12 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and there came a great earthquake; the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree drops its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. 14 The sky vanished like a scroll rolling itself up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the magnates and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” NRSV
Get into the Word
1. What describes Christ in the message to Laodicea? How does it link to the message to this church? What is the complaint against this church? How does the message document the charge [see Notes]? What advice does Christ give the Laodiceans? What promise does he make to them if they change?
2. In chapter 6, who is the “Lamb”? What is he doing? What happens when the first seal is broken? What or who appears? What might these beings represent?
3. What does the second horse and rider represent. Why is its color appropriate. How about the third horse and rider? Why would this symbol be part of this group?
4. What color is the fourth horse? Why would this be appropriate? What is the rider’s name? What does this horse and rider signify?
5. What happens when the fifth seal is broken? What does John see? What does he hear? How is God described? How does God’s respond to their complaint? What does John see when the sixth seal is opened? How do people react to these events?
Get Personal
What concerns do you have about the future? How do they affect your walk with Christ? How does God free you from concern about judgment?
Notes . . .
3:14. Laodicea ⎯ a wealthy city in Asia Minor.
3:15. Neither hot nor cold ⎯ the city did not have its own water supply, so the hot water from a hot spring and the cold water from the mountains were both lukewarm by the time it was piped six miles. Evidently the church was the same, without purity (cold, clear water) or energy (hot, cleansing water). Just as the people did with the water, Christ will spit the church out of his mouth.
6:2. White horse — Zechariah describes a vision of riders on colored horses and is told “they are the ones the Lord has sent out to patrol the earth,” [Zech 1:8-11]. For other Old Testament references to these four seals or judgments, check out: Lev 26:21-26, Ezek 4:16-17, and Jer 15:2-4.
6:5. Pair of scales — the black horse and rider represent famine and scarcity; these amounts are more than ten times the usual costs, so that a day’s earnings would not buy enough to feed a family for that day.
6:9. Fifth seal — in a shift of vision, John sees the martyrs for the faith.
Souls — the Greek word means the person or his or her life, not the actual soul.
6:10. How long . . . — throughout history people have asked God this question [check Psalm 74:10, 94:3 or Habakkuk 1:2]. The martyrs’ cry for God to avenge is justified, [see Psalm 9:12, 13:2 or Deut 32:43].
6:12. Sixth seal — similar descriptions occur in Old Testament prophecy [check Isa 29:6-7, Ezek 32:7-8 and Joel 2:30-31.] Jesus also described similar events in Matthew 24.
6:14. Rolled up — another echo from Isaiah: The heavens above will melt away and disappear like a rolled-up scroll, [34:4].
6:16. Fall on us — Hosea says, they will beg the mountains, “Bury us!” and plead with the hills, “Fall on us!” [10:8]. Check Joshua 10:16-27 to see how well this worked for some Canaanite kings Joshua defeated.
Memory Verse
But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert. [Mark 13:32-33].
Next Lesson
Revelation 19, 21: The new heaven and the new earth.
