The Revelation – Introduction « Walking With Giants

The Revelation – Introduction

Most people have heard of:-

‘The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse’ (Rev 6)
‘The Great Tribulation’ (Rev 6)
‘The 144,000′ (Rev 7)
‘The Mark of the Beast – 666′ (Rev 13)
‘The Battle of Armageddon’ (Rev 16)
‘The Millenium.’ (Rev 20)
‘The New Jerusalem’ (Rev 22)

But what does it all mean?

Richard Bewes has written, ‘you can get too clever with the book of Revelation. The vision was intended to comfort and prepare us, not to test our ingenuity.’

A young student of theology noticed that the old man was reading his Bible. “What are you reading?” asked the young man. “The Book of Revelation.” “The Book of Revelation? Do you understand it?” enquired the student. “Sure I understand it. It means that Jesus is going to win.”

With regard to the millenium, Graeme Goldsworthy recounts the jocular comment of a friend of his who announced that he was a ‘panmillenialist’ because he is sure ‘it is all going to pan out in the end!’

1. What kind of literature is this?

According to 1:1-4, this book combines three kinds of literature: apocalypse (‘revelation’), prophecy, letter.

2. Author

John, 1:4. Probably the apostle John. He was in exile for his faith – this suggests that systematic persecution of Christians (under Domitian) had begun.

3. What period of history is covered?

Some think John wrote primarily about events that took place around the time the book was written (AD 95)

Others think the book is mainly about events that will take place at the end of the present age.

It seems best to regard the book a providing an overview of what Christians can expect throughout the present age, and what they can look forward to at the end of the age.

4. Relationship with other books of the Bible

Revelation contains about 500 allusions to 27 different books of the OT, in order of frequency Isaiah, Psalms, Daniel, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Exodus, Genesis, Zechariah, Deuteronomy, Joel.

For example:-

1:13 – ‘One like a son of man’ – recalls Dan 7:13
11:3-6 – the two witnesses – recall Moses & Elijah

5. Symbolism

The book is full of symbolism – images that are suggestive, rather than woodenly descriptive.

Numbers – e.g. four, seven, twelve
The Lion and the Lamb – 5:5f
‘All hell broke loose’ – 6:12-14
The 144,000 and the ‘great multitude that no-one could count’, 7:1-12.
The woman giving birth – 12:1ff

6. Summary

It seems best to see the book as comprising a series of overlapping visions, which describe the sufferings of the church in this present age and the final victory of God in Christ.

1 – Prologue

2 & 3 – The Seven Letters to the Seven Churches – messages of rebuke and encouragement

4 & 5 – A Vision of Heaven – the throne of God, and the Lamb who along is worthy to take the book with seven seals.

6-8:5 – The Seven Seals – opened one by one, they reveal a series of disasters. But God is in control and his love and care for his people never fails. They will be kept safe in the final day of reckoning.

8:6-11:19 – The Seven Trumpets – a series of more intense warning judgements, through which the witnessing church must suffer persecution, until the day comes when all wrongs are righted.

12-14 – The Conflict Between the People of God and the Powers of Evil – as a woman gives birth to a son, the dragon tries to devour.him, but he is caught up to heaven. The dragon, along with his allies (the beast and the false prophet) then persecutes the woman until the time of the final harvest.

15-16 – The Seven Plagues – against a backdrop of the joy and security of God’s people, there is the outpouring of God’s wrath on the impenitent, and the final rout of evil at ‘Armageddon’

17-20 – The Ruin of Babylon, the City of Antichrist – the fall of the godless city, the destruction of the beast, the false prophet and the dragon, the marriage of the Lamb, and the final victory

21-22:5 – The New Creation and the City of God

22:6-11 – Epilogue

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