Revelation

Introduction to Revelation

From the book REVELATION by Mitchell G. Reddish published by Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary

Literary Genre

What kind of writing is the book of Revelation? That is a question that many readers would like answered. This work contains strange visions, gruesome monsters, perplexing numbers and confusing repetitions. Readers familiar with the Gospels or the Letters in the New Testament soon discover that one cannot read the Apocalypse in the same way that one reads the other material in the New Testament. To a large degree, the seeming strangeness of the book of Revelation is due to its literary genre. According to most scholars, this book belongs to the category of writings known as apocalypses. Whereas apocalyptic ideas and images influenced other books in the New Testament, no New Testament writing other than Revelation belongs to the literary genre of an apocalypse. (The only example in the Hebrew Bible of an apocalypse is the book of Daniel.) Thus when readers encounter the book of Revelation, they are dealing with a type of writing that is generally unfamiliar to them.

The word “apocalypse” comes from the opening word in the Greek text of Revelation, apokalypsis, which means “revelation.” Apocalyptic literature, then, is revelatory literature; that is, it is literature that claims to reveal cosmic secrets to a human recipient. These secrets usually involve information about otherworldly regions (heaven, hell, the places of the dead, the outer regions of the earth) and/or events of the final days (the destruction of the world, the Last Judgment, rewards for the righteous, and punishments for the wicked). Typically apocalypses contain an otherworldly figure, (such as an angel) who serves as a mediator of the revelation given to the earthly recipient. This otherworldly mediator sometimes delivers the revelation orally, sometimes discloses it through dreams or visions, sometimes interprets the dreams or visions for the recipient, and sometimes serves as a guide to lead the recipient on a journey to the otherworldly regions. In Revelation, the Son of Man figure (the exalted Christ), angels, and an elder function as otherworldly mediators.

In most apocalypses, the human recipient of the revelation is supposedly some important figure from the past (Abraham, Enoch, Daniel, Ezra, Adam, Elijah). In actuality, however, the author came later in history and wrote under an assumed name. The purpose of this literary technique of pseudonymity was to lend the writing more credibility. By assuming the name of some venerable figure from antiquity, the writer gave the appearance that the work came from some respected, authoritative individual. As we shall see, the book of Revelation does not make use of psuedonymity.

Although the social and historical settings of many apocalypses are not known, in many apocalypses seem to have been written in response to some crisis, either real or imagined. The crisis may have been social, political, theological, or existential. For this reason, apocalyptic literature has often been described as crisis literature. The purpose of apocalypses was to give comfort and hope to people who were overwhelmed, confused, frightened, and beleaguered. The intended readers often suffered from “cognitive dissonance,” meaning their preconceived notions about the world and reality did not match the actual situation as they experienced it. For example, the intended readers of Daniel were Jews living under the persecution of the Syrian ruler, Antiochus IV. Their theological understanding of the world was that God was dominant, not Antiochus. Their personal experience, however, was just the opposite – Antiochus appeared to be the supreme power as he persecuted and killed those who were faithful to God. The purpose of apocalyptic literature was to provide an alternative way of understanding the world, a different worldview. Apocalyptic writings assured their readers that indeed God was ultimately in control of history and the universe, in spite of current appearances. Eventually God would intervene to defeat the wicked and reward the righteous.

Apocalyptic writings not only offered hope and comfort, but they also served as protest literature. They were a protest against the prevailing worldview of the dominant culture. Apocalyptic writers encouraged their readers not to accept the beliefs and lifecycles of the world around them, but to remain true to their own convictions. They encouraged their readers not to become subservient to human rulers or institutions, but to remain faithful to God. Because of their beliefs that history was in God’s hands and that human actions could do little to change that, apocalyptic writers did not call for social or political action. Yet their works were still forms of protest. They refused to accept the present social and historical reality. The transcendent world that had been revealed to them presented clear evidence that in God’s ultimate design, evil, pain, suffering, violence, and injustice do not belong. Through their visionary writings, the apocalyptic authors encouraged their readers to resist any worldview that was in conflict with God’s ultimate goal for the world.

Apocalyptic thought apparently arose within Judaism following the sixth-century Babylonian exile of the Jewish people. Although the book Daniel is the only complete example of an apocalypse in the Hebrew Bible, other passages contain ideas that are either apocalyptic or similar to apocalyptic thought. Examples would include Zechariah 9-14, Ezekiel 38-39, and Isaiah 24-27. Apocalyptic literature flourished within Judaism between the third century BC and the second century AD. At least fourteen nonbiblical Jewish apocalypses were produced during this time. After the disastrous revolts of the Jews in Palestine against the Romans (AD 66-74 and AD 132-135), both of which were at least partially fueled by apocalyptic expectations, apocalyptic literature fell into disfavor within Judaism.

Apocalyptic thought had a tremendous influence on the New Testament and Christianity. The ideas of a final judgment, resurrections, future rewards and punishments, destruction of the forces of evil, conflict between good and evil forces, angels, and demons are all ideas drawn from the apocalyptic thought. In addition to the book of Revelation, Christian writers produced more than twenty apocalypses in the early centuries of the Christian church.

The full text is available from Smyth & Helwys Publishing by calling 1.800.747.3016 or by visiting our website at http://www.helwys.com, where you can save 10% on this volume every day.

Introduction to Revelation

From the book REVELATION by Mitchell G. Reddish published by Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary

Interpreting Revelation

As early as the end of the second century, people began writing commentaries on the book of Revelation. Melito, bishop of Dardis (one of the cities addressed in Revelation), wrote a work on the Apocalypse c. AD 175. Unfortunately, all that has survived is a brief reference to Eusebius. A century later, Victorinus of Pettau (d. c. 304) produced a commentary on Revelation, portions of which are still existent today. Since those early years, there has been no shortage of works attempting to explain the meaning of John’s visionary writing. As one might suppose, a book as mysterious as Revelation has spawned numerous, sometimes contradictory, even absurd, interpretations.

One of the most widely popularized approaches today to interpreting Revelation understands the messages to the seven churches (chs. 2-3) not as actual messages to churches in the first century but as descriptions of and warnings to the church in general during seven specific periods of history. The first church (Ephesus) represents the apostolic period. The remaining churches represent the succeeding stages of church history, with the last church (Laodicea) representing the present situation of the church. According to this view, the remainder of the Apocalypse describes the events that are to occur during the very last years of world history. The proponents of this approach to Revelation always locate their present time as immediately prior to the final events supposedly depicted in Revelation. According to them, the world is currently at the edge of the last days. By creative manipulation of texts from Revelation elsewhere in the Bible (especially Daniel and Ezekiel), these interpreters are able to “prove” how events taking place today were predicted in the Bible. Wars, earthquakes, political troubles, and economic disasters are interpreted as events foretold in the Bible. The fulfillment of these “prophecies” is evidence that we are the “final generation” before Armageddon takes place and the end of the world is brought to an end.

This understanding of the book of Revelation has been popularized by the Scofield Reference Bible, Hal Lindsey, John Walvoord, and a host of radio and television evangelists. Such an approach has a strong appeal to many people because it appears to be biblically based; it provides a framework for understanding the events and condition of the world today; and it claims to give information about the future. Unfortunately, it is merely an attempt at “biblical’ fortune-telling. This approach to Revelation is based on a misuse of biblical texts and a failure to understand the nature and function of apocalyptical writings.

While differences of opinion will always exist among interpreters of Revelation, a proper understanding of the Apocalypse must take into consideration the sociohistorical setting of the work and its literary genre. Written to Christian communities in Asia Minor at the end of the first century, Revelation was intended to address the needs and concerns of those believers. To interpret Revelation as primarily concerned with end-time events is to divorce it from its first century context. The work then becomes incomprehensible and meaningless to the very people to whom it was originally addressed. Furthermore, to interpret the work as detailed prophecies waiting to be fulfilled some two thousand years later is to misunderstand the nature of apocalyptic literature. Apocalyptic literature is not predictive literature in the sense that it offers detailed scenarios for the distant future. Apocalyptic writings deal with their contemporary situations by means of the general affirmation that the future belongs to God.

To read and appreciate the book of Revelation, one must be aware of how the language and symbols of Revelation function. The book of Revelation uses visions, symbols, and ancient myths to convey its message. The language of the book is primarily pictorial, symbolic language. It is not the language of science or logic. Rather, it is evocative, powerful, emotive language, at times more akin to poetry than to prose. Like the language of poetry, the language of Revelation sometimes is mysterious and slippery, teasing its reader to make connections and see possibilities that one has never made or seen before. The language of Revelation “works” not by imparting information, but by helping the reader to experience what John experienced. The reader is taken up with John, sees the visions, hears the commands, smells the incense. By the end of the work, John’s revelation has become our revelation. With the “Hallelujah Chorus” still ringing in our ears, we feel as if we have been in the very throne room of God.

To understand the Apocalypse, one must read it imaginatively – with eyes, ears, and mind wide open. Revelation is a fantasia of sights, sounds, smells, and action. In addition, the work has a strong dramatic quality to it. It is no wonder that artists of all types have been inspired by this work. The reader would do well the heed the advice of one commentator who wrote that anyone “who has not, or has and refuses to use, a fertile imagination, will do well to leave this book alone.”

The book of Revelation does not have one meaning, or even a list of meanings that when comprehended exhausts the value of this work. Revelation is open-ended. It continues to speak in fresh ways to different readers. That is the beauty and power of its symbols and images. It addresses us anew as the word of God, reminding us that the beasts of Revelation are continually rising up in our lives and in our society. The beasts of pride, idolatry, greed, hatred, and abuse of power may take on new forms and new identities, but they are still manifestations of evil. Revelation challenges us to name those beasts and to resist them. Even more importantly, the voices of hope and assurance that reverberate throughout the Apocalypse still echo in our lives to remind us that in spite of what difficulties we might face, “the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.” With the heavenly hosts, we can then sing, “Amen! Hallelujah!”

The full text is available from Smyth & Helwys Publishing by calling 1.800.747.3016 or by visiting our website at http://www.helwys.com , where you can save 10% on this volume every day.

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