Apocalypse and Revelation

Apocalyptic Literature

What comes to mind when you hear the word apocalypse or apocalyptic?

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase apocalyptic literature?

Apocalypse is a word that means “to uncover” or “reveal.” In the Bible, an apocalypse is when God pulls back the curtain to show the true nature of the world from a divine perspective. We see these apocalypses all throughout the Bible, like the prophet Isaiah’s vision of God’s throne room or Paul’s vision on the road to Damascus.

There are also whole sections of biblical books where a prophet describes extended apocalyptic dreams and visions, referred to as apocalyptic literature. Reading apocalyptic literature can be difficult. These passages are filled with strange images, poetic language, and symbolism. The key to understanding biblical apocalyptic literature is to look at the literary design that’s introduced in the book of Genesis and developed throughout the rest of Scripture.

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The dictionary definition of the English word describes it as, “the complete and final destruction of the world, as described in the biblical book of Revelation,” or “an event involving destruction or damage on an awesome or catastrophic scale.” (Dictionary.com)

How does a definition like that impact how we understand and interpret apocalyptic literature?

In the Hebrew Bible, the word for apocalypse is galah (הלג) meaning, “to expose, reveal or uncover.” Let’s look at this word in a few passages.

Apocalyptic in the NT

Jesus as the Apocalyptic Son of Man

Jesus is introduced as this true son of Adam, the royal-priestly image of God who shares in Yahweh’s identity and is filled with divine wisdom and will bring divine perspective to heaven and earth.

Jesus as the Priestly-Royal Son of Man

Mark’s Gospel account is designed in three sections. Each section has a key moment where the identity of Jesus is revealed.

These three “revelation” stories are strategically located in each section (see C. Myers, Binding the Strong Man) and have strong parallels that clue the reader into seeing the importance of Jesus’ true identity in Mark’s account.

Baptism (1:9-11)

Heavens torn (Greek: schizo)

Dove descends

Voice from heaven

“You are my son, the beloved, with you I am pleased”

John the Baptist as Elijah

Transfiguration (9:1-13)

Garments turn white

Cloud descends

Voice from cloud

“This is my son, the beloved, listen to him”

Jesus appears with Elijah

Crucifixion (15:21-41)

Sanctuary veil torn (Greek: schizo)

Darkness spreads

Jesus’ great voice

“Truly, this man was the son of God”

“Is he calling Elijah?”

Jesus’ baptism, transfiguration, and resurrection are all moments where we see Jesus’ true identity.

Jesus as the Angelic Mediator of Divine Mysteries about God’s Kingdom

Much of Jesus’ teaching revolves around the message of God’s Kingdom. Often presented in parables, Jesus’ Kingdom messages were meant to conceal the message from those who weren’t able to receive it and reveal the message to those who were. His teaching provided “mini-apocalypses” as he revealed truths about God’s divine purpose for humanity.

In Mark 13, Jesus describes his arrival and rejection in Jerusalem as the culmination of Israel’s story in its confrontation with Babylon. He uses apocalyptic imagery in his description. Notice how Jesus depicts the fall of Jerusalem as the fall of Babylon and Edom from Isaiah.

MARK 13:24-26 ““But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.”

Isaiah 13:10-11 “For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light. I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.” Isaiah 13:13 “Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the Lord of hosts in the day of his fierce anger.”

Isaiah 34:4 “All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll. All their host shall fall, as leaves fall from the vine, like leaves falling from the fig tree.”

Daniel 7:13-14 ““I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”

The Revelation: The Apocalypse of John the Visionary

The last book of the New Testament contains a series of visions that reveals God’s purposes for humanity and all of creation. In Greek, the book is called The Apocalypse of Jesus Messiah (Revelation 1:1). In modern English we refer to the book as The Revelation because an apocalypse is “revealing.” The Revelation is a letter addressed to seven churches in Asia Minor in the 1st century (see Revelation 1:1-3).

written at a particular time

to a particular people

reveal the reality of what’s happening -> God’s perspective

PITFALLS

Failing to recognize the literary style of apocalyptic literature, as well as its purpose

Failing to take the 1st century context of Revelation seriously

Claiming arbitrary “fulfillment” of the symbols and images in our own day, based on the (presumptuous) assumption that our own day is the real context of the book’s message

Treating Revelation like a puzzle-code that must be assembled in pieces to predict future events of our own day

Interpreting the symbols based on what they mean to us in our context

Failing to hear the book’s prophetic challenge and pastoral message to the seven local churches named in Revelation 2-3 and how the book’s message has spoken to Christian interpreters throughout history

PROPOSED SOLUTIONS

Understand how apocalyptic texts work through symbolism, poetic style, and appeal to the imagination

Understand how the book addressed 1st century Christians in Asia Minor as the book’s first and primary context

Interpret the book’s symbols within their biblical and 1st century setting as the first context of meaning, then look for analogies in our own day

Reading the book as a literary work whose message unfolds when it’s read in sequence

Interpreting the symbols by connecting them to their roots in the Hebrew Bible and in 1st century Roman culture

Remembering that modern, predictive-futurist interpreters (Late Great Planet Earth, Left Behind) are not the only or best interpreters of the book.

Key Steps for Reading Apocalyptic Literature Wisely

It’s important to read apocalyptic work as a whole book. Then we can see how the themes and ideas develop while looking for the most repeated or “anchor” images and words, like the heavenly throne, the lamb, the dragon, the beast, etc. Take time to identify symbols and look for where they appear in the Hebrew Bible and then in the 1st century Greco-Roman cultural context. Then look for how the symbols are interpreted within the book itself.

SYMBOLS IN THE REVELATION = > INTERPRETATION WITHIN THE BOOK => OT IMAGES

1:8 Alpha and Omega, the one who was, who is, and who is coming = > The risen Jesus (1:4-7) = Exodus 3:13-17

1:12, 16 Seven stars and lamps => Angels and churches (1:20) => Zechariah 4

8:3 Angel with censer => Prayers of the saints => Leviticus 16:11-14

11:7-8 Great city, Sodom, Egypt => Where the Lord was crucified => Ezekiel 16:4-51

13:6 God’s tabernacle (footnote) => Those dwelling in the heavens => Exodus 25:8-9

17:1-6 Seven dragon heads => Seven mountains and kings (17:7-14) => Isaiah 27

19:8 The fine linen of the bride => The righteous deeds of the saints => images from Ezekiel 44 of the priests working the temple in the new Jerusalem

19:11-16 One on a white horse, the Word of God => The risen Jesus = Hyperlink back to Rev. 3:14.