Introduction to the Book of Revelation

Introduction to Revelation

Author

This book says it was written by John. Early Christian leaders Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Hippolytus of Rome believed it to be John the Apostle, son of Zebedee. (Justin, Dialogue, 81; Tertullian, Against Marcion, 3.14.24; Hippolytus, On the Antichrist, 25–26). Dionysius of Alexandria suggested the author was the elder John (Eusebius, Church History 7.25.7–27))[1]

However, a case can be made because of the Greek being not as well constructed as in the Gospel and the letters that it was another John. John was a popular name in those days as it is now. It could also be he had different secretaries writing down what John said. It isn’t an important point but we do have to be aware of assumptions we make. Whoever is the author makes no difference to our understanding of the book though it is most like John the Apostle.

Date of the Book

Probably the last book to be written about 94-96AD. It was accepted by most into the canon of Scripture by 200AD. Papias who lived in the 2nd Century, a great Christian man, showed he was one who was very familiar with the book of Revelation as was Miletus who wrote a commentary on the book in 175AD.

It was written to the Churches who existed in Asia Minor which is western Turkey today. (Show Slide & Google Map)

Revelation does not quote directly from the Old Testament but alludes to it up to 400 times mainly found in the Book of Daniel, then Ezekiel, Isaiah, the Psalms and elsewhere.

Interpretation

There are so many ways of understanding Revelation: Some say it has nothing to do with history or the future at all and so just read it in a spiritual way normally called idealist. This view came about through Clement and Origen who were Alexandrians. And then this was followed up by Augustine of Hippo.

There are some who think that the events set out happened in John’s day and is a favoured interpretation of the Jesuits initially set out by one of their own. This is called preterist.

There are then who think it could be a mix of Johns’ time and future events in the church age and has a spiritual understanding. This is called historicist.

Then there are those, like me, who think that the first three chapters were John’s time and the remainder is still future. It may also be that the first three chapters are to do with the future too. This is called futurist and is part of what is called dispensational thinking. One of the first proponents of this view other than the Apostles, in my view, was Justin Martyr who died in 165AD.

Then some think there is a blend of all these. Prophecy tends to work on two or more levels having a spiritual meaning or lesson, an historic meaning and a future meaning. This should not surprise us for we are talking of God here!

However when it come to interpretation most of the symbols contained in it are already either explained in the passage or elsewhere in the Bible

Christians and the Emperor Cult

Revelation was written in a time called Pax Romana when the Roman world was a relative peace. The empire was such you could travel freely across it, was good for trade and could provide for one’s family under the strong hand of Rome. Does this sound like the EU to you?! Anyhow in the Roman Empire there were uprisings on occasion but these rebellions were put down quickly and ruthlessly by those in charge in those particular areas.

The people, on the whole, were grateful for the peace in their time. It was how people showed their thanks that became a problem for the Christians. It was not the emperors who said they were gods but the people and it started a new kind of religion; the worship of the emperors. And it spread across the empire and was how you showed how thankful you really were. You were to say that Caesar is Lord. And the people applied pressure upon Christians to acknowledge this. To not do so showed you were not grateful. All the religions of the Empire could be continued to be practiced for they incorporated Caesar worship into their religion. Christians were viewed as unpatriotic for their refusal to do this. Christians then started to be seen as political traitors as a result. There was only one other group who did not worship Caesar but because they were known monotheists and had a long history this was overlooked.

In one sense Revelation could a political manifesto of saying no to compromise and not to give honour that was only due to God. No matter what the Christians stood by and declared instead that Jesus is Lord as a direct confrontation against the political establishment, the people and Caesar himself. No one could say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.

It was not long before the elite started to force people to declare that Caesar was god. By the time of John, the Emperor Domitian decreed that all government proclamations must begin “Our Lord and God Domitian commands.…” It was reported that he had many people executed for “atheism,” failure to worship the gods of Rome, of whom he was one (Dio Cassius, Roman History 67.14).

It was not a new idea for Pharaoh was called divine. Even Alexander the Great when he conquered the East, with his vision of “one world” under the domination of Greek government and culture (333–23 b.c.e.), he was pleasantly surprised to be hailed as a god.

At Alexander’s death, his successors in the East continued to accept, even to promote, the idea of their own divinity. The claims of Antiochus Epiphanes IV to divinity are reflected in Daniel 8:9–11, 25; 11:36 which we will come to on future Sundays as we go through Daniel.

This was the world into which the Revelation of Jesus Christ came into being.

Theme (Slide)

The Book of Revelation touches upon most aspects of early Christian thought, and careful study will pay rich dividends to the student. John makes reference to God, Christ, the work of Christ, the Holy Spirit, the second coming, the final judgment, heaven, hell, angels, creation, mankind, sin, Satan, demons, history, prayer, worship, Christian living, the church, prophecy, the Bible, perseverance of the saints, and the profound mystery of God’s eternity and its relation to time.[2]

Outline (Slide)

[1] Hood, R. V. (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015). Revelation, Book of, Critical Issues. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

[2] Elwell, W. A. (1995). Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, Re 1:1). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.