The Book of Revelation

 Revelation – a Summary

The book of Revelation has been understood in different ways, even among those who fully believe it is the breathed-out Word of God.  There have been four main answers to the question, “When do most of the events in Revelation take place?”

Historicist   The prophecies are steadily fulfilled all through church history.

Idealist       The prophecies are a ‘cosmic parable’ with parallels to many different events in history.

Futurist      The prophecies will mostly be fulfilled in the last few years before Christ returns.

Preterist     The prophecies were mostly fulfilled within a few years of the writing of the book.   (Preterist = ‘past-ist’)   

I now believe that the Preterist answer fits best with the text and so I am summarising here one version of that view.  Don’t fall out with Christians over this – keep talking together with Bibles open, the Spirit will bring us to one mind.

 

Chapter 1  The Revelation of Jesus Christ

The book is a revelation (‘apocalypsis’ or revealing) given by Jesus to the apostle John in about AD65 to show Christians “what must soon take place” (1:1).  It is a prophecy written in ‘symbol’, and the key to the symbols (including the symbolic numbers) is usually found in the Old Testament (eg Genesis, Isaiah, Daniel, Ezekiel).   Revelation is a letter written to seven churches in Asia Minor who represent the whole church.

The book is a ‘revelation of Jesus Christ’, it primarily reveals Jesus, the glorious and powerful ‘Son of Man’, now risen from the dead and king forever.

Chapters 2–3   The seven letters

This Jesus dictates seven letters to the seven churches.  He knows their situations, their patient endurance in growing suffering, and he rebukes their insincerity and weakness as he calls them to repent of sin and to keep going.  He will bring their intense trial to an end soon and he has a rich reward to give to those who overcome.

Chapters 4-7   The seven-sealed scroll

John sees into the heavenly throne room, the control room of the universe.  The hosts of heaven and the elect (represented by 24 elders = 12 tribes + 12 apostles) are shouting praise.  God is praised for creation and Jesus (the Lamb/Lion) is praised for redemption through his death on the cross. 

A scroll on which is written God’s plan is sealed, but the crucified and risen Jesus is worthy to break the seals and activate the plan.  As Jesus opens the seals the ‘characters’ who fulfil the plan are revealed and judgment begins to fall on the land (the word translated ‘earth’ (eg 6:4) means soil, earth, land, region and usually refers to Israel, not the whole world).  Judgment will fall on the land that has killed God’s faithful people (6:9-11) but the elect (represented by the symbolic 144,000) are sealed - their eternal protection is guaranteed.

Chapters 8-11    The seven trumpets

Seven angels sound seven trumpets announcing the beginning of the plagues/blows (described in symbols) that strike the land and its rulers (sun, moon and stars), and that bring madness and Roman legions (mounted troops).  Chapters 10-11 assures the hearers that God’s ‘sweet and sour’ Word will all be fulfilled including all that spoken by the Old Testament prophets (the ‘two witnesses’) who were killed for speaking God’s truth.  The seventh trumpet announces triumphantly that ‘the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.  (Perhaps someone could set that to some suitable music?)

Chapters 12-14   The holy war

Now John is shown why Christians suffer and why Jesus is bringing such judgment on the world, and especially on the land (Israel) in the 1^st Century – behind the events of history lies a cosmic battle with Satan in which Jesus Christ will be the victorious conqueror. 

In these chapters we see a woman (God’s people, both Old Testament and New Testament) who gives birth to a child (Jesus).  The child and the woman are attacked by an enormous fiery dragon (Satan).  Jesus, though crucified in accordance with God’s plan, rises and ascends out of Satan’s grasp but the woman continues to be pursued for a while longer.  Satan’s side-kick is revealed, the beast from the ‘sea’ (ie from the Gentiles).  This is the Roman Empire, represented by her Emperor – Nero (or Mr. 666). 

Also revealed is the Beast’s side-kick – another beast, the Beast from the ‘land’ (aka ‘The False Prophet’, 16:13 etc).  This is the Jewish rulers, represented by the High Priest and/or the Herod Kings.  Instead of being faithful to God’s Word and a light to the Gentiles they are sold out to Rome.  Together the Jewish and Roman beasts deceive the Jews - everyone who does not belong to Jesus the Lamb receives the mark of the beast (probably participation in emperor worship) without which they cannot trade.  Christians are told to persevere – Jesus is about to destroy the city that is at the centre of this war, figuratively called ‘Babylon’.

Chapters 15-16   The seven last plagues

After the warnings of judgment, and the beginnings of judgment, come “seven angels with the seven last plagues – last because with them God’s wrath is completed” (15:1)  From the angels’ bowls are poured out (on the land that “shed the blood of God’s saints and prophets” 16:6) ugly and painful sores, waters turned to blood, intense heat and darkness. 

Evil spirits from Satan bring kings and armies together for battle at Armageddon (= ’The Mountain of Meggido’).  Waters are dried up as they were in earlier times for the destruction of Jericho and Babylon.  A city on a mountain is under threat.  

When the seventh angel pours out his bowl “it is done!  Then there came flashes of lighting, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake” (16:17-18).  This huge (symbolic?) quake splits apart ‘Babylon the Great’ (16:19)

Chapters 17-18   Babylon the Great

It is now clear that Revelation is about God bringing down one city and raising up another.  The city that will fall is mentioned repeatedly:

She is the city where “their Lord was crucified” (11:8, symbolically ‘Sodom’ or ‘Egypt’). She is (symbolically) ‘Babylon the Great’ (14:8 and 16:9).  In 17:5 she is “Babylon the Great, The Mother of Prostitutes” who rides on the beast (Rome/Nero) and has killed those who bore testimony to Jesus (17:6)  The shocking conclusion is that this city is none other than Jerusalem, Old Jerusalem, at the centre of all the unfaithfulness to her Lord.  The one who should have been the Lord’s holy bride has persisted, despite all warnings, in her spiritual adultery; now her terrifying end has come.  The plagues of Revelation describe the turmoil and suffering of the Jewish War which began in AD66 as the Jews rebelled against the Roman occupation of their land.  The Fall of ‘Babylon’ is the complete destruction of Jerusalem, after a long siege, by the Roman armies in AD70.  Jesus had warned about this in his parables and spoken plainly about what would happen to Jerusalem if she did not recognise him.  This overthrow of the unfaithful, persecuting bride is celebrated with shouts of ‘Hallelujah’ (19:1) as is the wedding that will now take place – the Lamb to his beautifully dressed bride (19:6)

Chapters 19-20   The Millenium

The Romans destroyed Jerusalem, but it is also true that this was Jesus’ battle, he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords and rides into battle on a white horse (19:11).  He does not act against Jerusalem alone, but also casts the beast (Rome/Nero) and the false prophet (Jewish High Priests) into the lake of fire and brimstone. 

Then Satan is bound (restricted) for a long time (symbolically 1000 years, but actually much longer) (20:1-5)  Satan can no longer prevent the Gospel going out with power to disciple the nations.  The martyrs and the saints (believers) rule with Christ on thrones in heaven.  At the end of this ‘golden age’ (AD70 à Christ’s return) God will release Satan briefly, to deceive those who have not submitted to Christ and to gather them for battle against his people (20:7-9).  But there will be no battle – Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead and to cast unbelievers, and indeed Satan himself, into hell (20:10)

Chapters 21-22    The New Jerusalem

Now we see the city that God loves, the New Jerusalem, the Bride for the Lamb, the church – in all her God-given glory.  There is no more sin, or suffering.  This City/Bride comes down from heaven (she is heaven-built) to earth where she will live with her God/Bridegroom forever.  The vision shows the church as she will be when Jesus returns, but also as she must, by faith, be seen now – a secure city that is a refuge for those who need healing and forgiveness, a city into which is pouring the splendour and glory of the nations, but through whose gates nothing impure can ever enter.

Finally (22:7-21) returning to the first century, Jesus reminds his original readers that he is coming soon (to save them by judging those who rejected him and who persecuted his church and killed his apostles).  He calls for repentance while there is still time (22:14).  He reassures Christians who have been suffering at the hands of the Jews and who will soon start experiencing the deranged persecution of Nero and other Roman Emperors.   “Yes, I am coming soon.”  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.  (22:20-21)

 

So What?

If Revelation speaks primarily about 1^st Century events, what use is it to us? 

Revelation shows us the risen Lord Jesus in all his power and glory.  He is not a poor travelling preacher any more.  He does not hang naked on a cross.  But because he did that “God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  (Philippians 2:9-11)

Revelation shows Jesus as faithful and true.  He was vindicated, he promised to ‘come’ in salvation and judgment within a generation, and he did.  He keeps all his promises.  All his words prove true.  In every century we can depend on him.

Revelation shows us how to live in times of persecution, suffering, temptation and discouragement.  Jesus stands among his churches, he knows what we are going through, he calls us to repent of sin and to persevere in faithfulness.  He warns us about unfaithful churches and ungodly governments.  At the end the bride (that’s us!) is glorified and centre-stage with her bridegroom.  It is worth keeping going with Jesus for such a reward. 

Revelation tells us what time we live in, the millennium - Satan is bound/restricted/limited.  The unfaithful prostitute has gone, the church is the Bride of Christ, the gospel is powerful to save all those who believe whether Jew or Gentile, the nations are being discipled, the glory of the nations is being brought into the eternal city of God.  In the final chapter Jesus gives John a vision of what the church will be, but also what we must become, how we must faithfully build Christ’s church with gold, silver and costly stones (1 Cor 3:12).   So let’s get on with the job that Christ has given us!

 

Recommended Commentary: ‘When the Man Comes Around’  Douglas Wilson (canonpress.com)

Recommended Videos: ‘Apocalypse’ series by Peter Leithart on YouTube.  36 videos of about 3 minutes each.  Search for ‘Theopolis Institute Apocalypse’ to find complete playlist.

Graham Burrows  December 2023