Revelation, chapter 1, beginning with verse 1: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,who bore witness to the Word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the Words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.”
I ask you to consider for a moment about what crosses your mind when you think of the book of Revelation. Is it a book that you know a great deal about? Is it one that you read and consider often? Or is it a book that you perhaps sort of shy away from? Well, consider the irony of the point that the very book that many people think is quite confusing—that is surrounded with much misunderstanding and even controversy—is called “The Revelation.” There’s a certain irony in at, isn’t there?
The very term itself, this word that we use in English, “revelation,” is a form of the Latin equivalent of the Greek word “apocalypsis.” It has been commonly defined, and understood to mean an “unveiling.” In other words, “revelation” is the very opposite of some sort of dark concealment. It is an “apocalypsis,” or an “unveiling.” I heard one man who was teaching in Revelation one time equate it to an “uncovering.” He said that it is as if we are given an opportunity to uncover and look inside of something, or to “unveil” something—to “peer” into it. It is not too pompous or acting too smart, or whatever, to suggest that we can understand Revelation. We can know what is there! It’s not something that we should “keep at arms length,” or that we should shy away from. As a matter of fact, several writers, whom I have read, point out that it is a contradiction for us to resist Revelation when, in fact, God has provided it to us through His Holy Spirit, through His Son, and it was given to us to be understood! And, there is also a blessing. This is the only book in the New Testament—in fact, in all of the Bible—where there is a specific blessing associated with reading it and with obeying it. We’ll look at that in just a moment.
“Apocalypsis”(revelation) is also termed in this way: like the “pulling back of a curtain” on something that is “unknown.” I read what I thought was an interesting anecdotal [anecdote: short, entertaining account of some event] story about such a thing used to illustrate this idea of “pulling back the curtain.” In W. B. West’s book on Revelation [Through First Century Glasses], he mentioned a time when he was preaching for a church in Los Angeles, the Central church, many years ago. He said he was in his office one Wednesday afternoon, and all of a sudden a policeman came to the door of his office and said that a fellow had robbed a bank up the street and was seen coming into the Central church’s building. So they were going to search the building to see where this bank robber might be. Brother West allowed that he sort of stood there and watched, and he could see the policeman approaching the pulpit area. He said there was a big, heavy, blue curtain that covered the baptistery. The policeman apparently stood there and sort of crept up on that curtain and he grabbed it and sort of jumped into it, and he got wet clear up to his shoulders because he had jumped into the baptistery. Brother West said that was an “unveiling”—an “unveiling of the curtain”—something that the policeman didn’t know about, and didn’t know was there. That is an interesting idea, as we think about the “unveiling” or the “pulling back of a curtain.”
Indeed, Revelation is a Divine Message. It was divinely given by God. What a cruel and capricious God we would have if He were to give us something that we could not comprehend or understand! Along with all the other books of the Bible, it is a vital message. It is a timely message in that is was greatly needed in its original day, and it was written for that day, no doubt. But it still has much application for us in this present day. The message that is contained in Revelation is one that will continue to be needed as long as time stands, because the message of Revelation is truly timeless.
The first line that we read, Revelation, chapter 1, verse 1, is: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ,” as it was told to Him by God, and then as He conveyed it to an angel. Now, it is the direct revelation from God. It is not the revelation of John, as we hear it referred to often. The message, by inspiration, came through Jesus Christ. It was given to John and it was his duty—his responsibility—to then record it, and to record it, of course, accurately. But John cannot be considered the author, unlike perhaps as we consider Paul the author of Ephesians, or Colossians, or Galatians, where the message was revealed to him, his hand was guided, and his mind was guided as he authored those. In this particular case, as we understand from verse 1, these words came from Jesus. All John needed to do was to record them. John was directed to “write” “what you see in a book,” Revelation 1, verse 11 [“saying, ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,’ and, ‘What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.’”]. A great deal of discussion has been given concerning the author of the book of Revelation, but all such references to John being the author must be understood in sort of an “accommodative mode”—to accommodate the fact that he was the chosen servant. He was the one whom God chose to simply record the Message that came from God, through His Son.
We all know, and it goes without saying, that the book of Revelation is a unique book. Because of its uniqueness, it is perhaps more important to understand some of the background, to understand some of the things surrounding this book than maybe some of the other books, if not most of the other books in the Bible.
One of the things that makes Revelation unique is the type of writing—the writing style—that style being “apocalyptic” in its nature. There is a lot of misunderstanding about the book and, in many cases, that comes because of a misunderstanding of this apocalyptic language in which it is written. That’s also one of the reasons why so many resist, or don’t read or attempt to study Revelation. As readers, we may have a tendency to get lost in the symbols, and we feel that whatever message is there is an obscure one. Some would say it just simply cannot be understood and so why bother? Well, again, the book has a unique style, and it is one that we, in our generation have, and many generations before us had, no doubt, difficulty in understanding. So, it is misunderstood and it is neglected, but it is one book that we should study. We can and will understand it when we study it as we should.
Speaking of Brother West’s book, I thought this section of this paragraph was worth sharing with you from the book. Again, it talks about both the misunderstanding, and the idea of the book being difficult, and also some of the misinterpretation or misuse of the book. Brother West writes in his book and says, “It does appear that the study of the book of Revelation is the most neglected of all the books of the Bible. There are at least two reasons for this neglect: Number 1, the misuse and abuse of the study, and, Number 2, the incomplete understanding of the nature of the book. There is probably no book of the Bible as abused and misused in its study, interpretation and application as the book of Revelation. Many would-be students of the book become discouraged when they go to the commentaries on Revelation and find that seldom do two commentators agree as to the meaning of a passage. There are so many different interpretations of the passage that the inquiring student wonders if the commentators are commentating on the same passage in the same book. Often a commentator, or someone else, will go to a passage to prove what he or she already believes, and not to learn what the passage teaches. Some would-be students move John out of Revelation and move themselves in. The technical term for this [moving one’s self in] is “eisegesis,” as opposed to “exegesis,” which is to learn what the passage teaches, and not what the eisegete [the person who moves himself/herself in] wants to teach. In reality, the eisegetical commentator has moved John out and moved himself in. The important thing to know is: What do John and the text say? The best way to study the book of Revelation is through first century glasses, a phrase the writer of this book [and that is Brother West] coined decades ago. The late C. H. Dodd of Cambridge University, a New Testament scholar of world-renown, stated that, in essence, the first responsibility of the student, teacher or preacher of the New Testament is to sit with the author of any New Testament passage to learn what he had in mind, and then sit with those to whom he wrote and see what they understood the author to say. This is the bottom line in studying and teaching the book of Revelation.”
Well, I thought that passage was worth sharing. The phrase, “through first century glasses,” is, as a matter of fact, the title of Brother West’s book on Revelation—Revelation Through First Century Glasses. In other words, we should be looking at the book with the perspective of those who would have read it in the 1st Century. We are going to attempt to do that as we go along here.
There are SIX REASONS WHY WE SHOULD STUDY THE BOOK OF REVELATION.
FIRST of all, it is the Word of God. That, in and of itself, should give us enough reason to read, to study, and to understand. The book of Revelation is unique and it is powerful in the way it claims divine authorship for itself, and, therefore, it deserves our sincerest study. This can be seen in the very way that the book begins. “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. [And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,…]” Revelation 1:1.
SECOND, the book of Revelation promises a blessing to all who will hear and take its message to heart.We see this promise emphasized a number of times throughout the book, and it stresses our great need to study its message carefully. Note in verse 3, “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the Words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.” Then over in chapter 22, verse 7, are the Words of Jesus Himself: “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the Words of the prophecy of this book.”
THIRD, the book of Revelation is God’s last Word to the church that one reads about in the Bible, and, therefore, it becomes an invaluable Message. Think about that—God’s last Message to the church!
FOURTH, the book of Revelation has a Divine Message for all those who suffer for the sake of Christ and His church. Much of the theme of the book of Revelation is about suffering, and the victorythat will belong to the faithful child of God. Such a Message was needed for that generation there in the 1st Century, but it is a timeless Message and is still needed for us even today in the 21st Century and beyond.
FIFTH, the book of Revelation reveals the end of history. I think that is an interesting thought because we think about and we talk a great deal about history. But here is revealed the end of history, and it shows that God’s enemies are defeated! It also shows the Heavenly blessings that await those who remain faithful—those who are faithful in Christ Jesus, Revelation 2, verse 10 [“Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”]. It reminds me of that song that goes, “I read the back of the book and we win!” Here is the back of the book! We know how the story ends because of what we read in Revelation!
The SIXTH reason for studying the book of Revelation is that it reveals the glory of God, the glory of Christ, and the glory awaiting us in Heaven. It tells us—gives us a glimpse—“unveils,” if you will—“pulls back the curtain” a little bit about what Heaven will be like. We read more about Heaven, and we can understand more about Heaven, from the book of Revelation than in any other book in the Bible.
Consequently, as it is with all books of the Bible, we simply cannot afford to neglect the study of the book of Revelation. It has no equal in its Message to the church. It has no equal in the encouragement and hope that it gives, and it has no equal in dealing with the great themes that it presents, as well as the great beauty and the dignity in presenting its Message to us. It relates to us in a way that no other book in the Bible does.
Concerning the AUTHOR OF THE BOOK, I don’t want to spend a lot of time on this, but it bears mentioning. I think all of us know, without even thinking about it, and believe that the author of the book was “John, the apostle.” This is substantiated, as far as it being John [the apostle], as he calls his own name several times within the book [Revelation 1:1,see above. Revelation 1:4-“John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him Who is and Who was and Who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,…”Revelation 1:9-“I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the Word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 21:2-“Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”Revelation 22:8-“Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things.”].
However, he does not specifically identify himself as “John, the apostle.” Therefore, there are some who debate that it could have been written by another “John,” as opposed to “John, the apostle.” However, most scholars believe that, indeed, it was “John, the apostle.” The internal evidence of the book points to John, the apostle, as being the author. Moreover, many 1st and 2nd Century theologians and historians agree that it was John, the apostle. [There was unanimous agreement as to the Apostle John being its writer among early church historians, e.g., Justin Martyr (AD 165), Clement of Alexandria (AD 212), Hippolytus (AD 235), Origen (AD 185-254), Tertullian (AD 220), as well as Irenaeus (AD 140-202).]
But here is kind of the “bottom-line” on that: Yes, we believe that it was John, the apostle; however, the real authorship, as we have already said, is God [Revelation 1:1-2, see above]. It is important, perhaps on the one hand, to know that it was John, the apostle, who penned this and wrote what he saw as he was instructed to do in verse 11 [see above]. But it really is insignificant, from the standpoint that the Message remains the same. The significance of the Message does not rise and fall—it does not pivot on who the author was.
Next, we will discuss the DATE OF THE BOOK. There is some debate and discussion about when the book was written. Like most of the books of the Bible, there is not an absolute, dogmatic stand that we can take on the exact date when many of them are written, and certainly the book of Revelation is no exception to that. It’s important which “school of thought” one takes regarding the dating of the book, because the dating of the book will affect the way the book is interpreted.
Now, what do we mean by that? Well, there are two possibilities, or two “schools of thought,” so to speak, or two “views” about when the book was written. One view holds that the book was written in the late 7th Decade of the 1st Century, which would be somewhere around A.D. 68 [the “Early Date”], during the reign of Nero, the Emperor of the Roman Empire at that time. If that is the case, this would mean that the book was written prior to the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. The other view, the so-called “Late Date,” would have the book being written during the later part of the reign of Domitian, which would be somewhere in the mid to late 10th [Decade], or A.D. 96 to 98.
Once again, the date takes on a significance, because that affects the way one interprets the book. If one takes the “Early Date,” holding that the book was written during the reign of Nero around A.D. 68, then one would naturally see the book centering its Message around the destruction of the temple and the City of Jerusalem, which took place in A.D. 70. If, however, one takes the “Late Date,” A.D. 96 to 98, one will see that the symbols in the book will be viewed and interpreted from the standpoint of the Roman Empire and its persecution of the church of the Lord throughout the Empire.
Now, there are volumes written on this very subject—the dating of the book. Again, it’s important, it’s significant, but I don’t think it’s worth spending literally several class periods on this one issue itself. I would simply point this out: The “Early Date,” that is, around A.D. 68, is primarily derived from internal things within the book itself. For example, in chapter 11, John was “given a reed” and told to “measure the temple” [verse 1, “Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, ‘Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there.’”]. Well, those who adopt this “Early Date” would say, “Well, the temple was destroyed in A.D. 70, and John was told to go measure the temple, so the temple must have still been there.”
There is also the reference to the persecution. There are a good many references in Revelation to persecution, and it is well known that Nero, one of the most evil rulers in all of history, persecuted Christians. There are several other things that have to do with the numbering of the emperors, things that have to do with the number 666, which appears in chapter 13, verse 18 [“Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.”], and so on. However, all of those things are explained and are not absolute evidence of this earlier date. For example, regarding the reference to the temple in chapter 11 [beginning in verse 1, see above], many scholars believe it was a figurative reference, and not a literal reference. Also, concerning the persecution of the church—yes, Nero, persecuted the church—however, the persecution of the church actually widened and grew more significant from about the middle A.D. 60’s on up through A.D. 100. And, it was under the Emperor Domitian that he demanded that he himself be worshipped. Nero never made that demand. Yes, he was an evil, demented Emperor—he did a lot of cruel things—but he never made the ruling across the Empire that he was to be worshipped, and no one else. Domitian did that, and so it is believed that the “Late Date” is actually the date of this writing. [The “Late Date,” by all evidence, is the better choice because, first, it allows for the history of the various congregations mentioned to unfold; and, second, it would also be a time of great persecution of the church during the reign of Domitian.]
Again, there are many, many more things that we could mention. First, we need to remember that this epistle—this letter—was addressed to the seven churches of Asia. There is significant history, it would seem, which has transpired within those congregations. The “Late Date” of the mid-90’s would have allowed much more time and opportunity for the history of these congregations to have evolved, or to have taken place, as compared to the “Early Date.” Second, and I mentioned a little about this before, the persecution under Domitian was more universal than that of Nero. Again, all of this is substantiated and can be verified, both in church history, as well as in secular history.
So, the “bottom-line” is: I believe and I understand from my study, and most of the reliable sources that I have read believe, that the “Late Date” is actually the date. Therefore, the interpretation of many of the signs and symbols within the book of Revelation are not tied to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple; rather, they have to do with the Empire-wide persecution that was going on at that time.
We’ve mentioned a couple times certain difficulties in understanding the book of Revelation. It presents something of a challenge to us, and understandably so. I’m not here to minimize this. Believe me, I don’t stand before you suggesting that I’ve got a “lock” on all of this, but, let me just mention a couple of the problems that we have.
First of all, the writing in the book is different from any of the other books in the Bible. It is “apocalyptic” in its nature. It is “unveiling”—it is “pulling back the curtain.” It is also highly “symbolic.” Now, it’s not the only book in the Bible that contains symbolism, but there is probably more symbolism here than in any other book, Old Testament or New, perhaps rivaled only by the book of Daniel. Because this unique style of writing—this apocalyptic literature—is something we’re not used to, we have a problem with it. However, historically we know that from around 200 B.C. to around 200 A.D., this writing was fairly common. It was a style of writing that was understood—it was known—during that time. Therefore, for those early Christians, and for the Jews converted to Christianity, this style of writing would, perhaps, have been more easily understood and more easily recognized.
The very first verse in the book sets the tone of the book. We can pass over that rather quickly without really noticing it. But if you notice there in chapter 1, verse 1, “And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,” that word “signified” sets the symbolic nature—the symbolic tone—of the book. It tells the reader that much of what you are going to be reading here is going to be “figurative” in its nature. [One explanation of the word “signified” that has been used is “sign-ified,” to show by signs, symbols, figurative language.]
We are not only far removed and unfamiliar with this type of writing, but we are also distant from the historical setting and the cultural context of the book. To properly understand the book, one must ask the questions: “What did the book mean to the Christians who read it for the very first time?” “How did they understand it?” Again, that’s what Brother W. B. West suggests—looking at Revelation Through First Century Glasses—trying to understand and comprehend the historical setting, the cultural contexts, and so on. We are going to try to do that.
There are several BASIC APPROACHES TO the book of Revelation, when it comes to INTERPRETING. I want to just mention these and make them a little familiar. Again, this is not all that significant, but it will help us in our overall study as we go through the book.
First, there is the “Preterist View.” The Preterist View is that approach which sees the entire events of the book being fulfilled in John’s own time. Therefore, the visions recorded apply primarily to the Jewish nation and to pagan Rome itself.
The next one is the “Futurist View.” This view is just the opposite of the Preterist View. It contends that the book is largely prophetic in its nature, and that most, if not all, of the events described in the book are yet to come, and these events will come to pass just prior to the second coming of Christ. Therefore, the book is especially relevant to the last generation—whatever that last generation will be.
Then there’s the “Historical View.” This view is also known as the “Continuous Historical View” or the “Chronological View.” It sees the book in sort of a panoramic view of history of the church, from the days of John until the end of the age.
There is also the “Idealist View.” This view is sometimes known as the “Spiritual View.” It sees the book as setting forth the ageless struggle between right and wrong. It does not attempt to assign meanings to the symbols or the figures in the book; but rather, it sees it as a representation of the age-old battle of good and evil. The intent here is to emphasize basic principle, rather than historical facts.
There is one other view, and that is the “Contextual View.” This view sees the book reflecting the context of its own time. The churches of Asia faced a great deal of persecution and opposition. The Roman Empire had become a cruel, tyrannical world government. Christians needed hope and encouragement at the same time as they were needing to remain faithful. The Book of Revelation, in this Contextual View when it comes to interpreting, was written to meet the needs of the early church. Therefore, with this view in mind, the message of Revelation would apply primarily to its own day and time, and by application to the church throughout the ages.
So there are five methods, or five views, of interpreting the book of Revelation. Which one is the right one—which one is the best one? Well, actually, from much of what I’ve read, there is something to be said for each one of those views. In other words, the understanding—the interpretation—of Revelation is not to be done in light of just one of these views; but, rather, there is something in each one of those views, whether it’s the Historical, the Preterist, the Idealist—whichever it might be, there is something to be said for each one.
Let’s consider the BASIC MESSAGE, if you will, of the book of Revelation. There are two aspects to the basic message to the book of Revelation. This is really condensing it down into just a couple of key points.
The first aspect that we see in the book of Revelation is warnings. There are two warnings that we see in the book. First, the book sends a message of warning to all those who would oppose God—to all those who would oppose God’s purpose—to all those who would oppose God’s people. We might say “right on” to that!
However, secondly, we also see in the book of Revelation a warning for the people of God. So it’s a two-part warning. There’s a warning there for those who would be against God—for those who would oppose His purpose and His people. But, there’s also a warning there contained for the children of God: We must remain faithful!
The second important aspect of the book of Revelation is the comfort and hope it offers the faithful child of God. Once again, Revelation is a proclamation of victory! In fact, a key word—maybe the key word—in all of the book is “overcome”—to overcome—to experience victory—to conquer! The followers of Christ are assured of the ultimate and complete defeat of God’s enemies, and, at the same time, the triumph of the Christian faith—the Kingdom of God. Therefore, it becomes a book of comfort in the midst of affliction. The Message of Revelation gives the child of God—both then and now—hope and encouragement in the face of severe suffering in that he is assured that the saints of God will overcome Satan with the blood of Christ and the Word of His testimony, Revelation 12:11, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the Word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”.
One must never lose sight of this important purpose as he studies the book of Revelation. Otherwise he will become hopelessly lost and miss out on the understanding that God would have each to know—that being, that each one may have victory in Jesus.
“I read the back of the book, and we win!”
We will move on next time to something of an overview or summary of the book.