How to Read
the Bible for All Its Worth, Session XIII
The Book of
Revelation
A teaching by
based upon the book by the same title,
written by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart
INTRO:
A. Review: Purpose of the course
1. Interpreting task: done automatically
…need
to be self-conscious and intentional about it
2. Goal of interpretation: to get to the plain meaning of the text
3. Working definition of scripture:
“The Bible is the Word of God, expressed in
human words in history.”
4. 2 essential tasks of interpretation
a. exegesis:
deciphering what it meant there and then
“What
was the intended meaning of the original writers to their original audiences?”
b. hermeneutics:
bridging from the there and then to the here and now
“How
does the original meaning apply to us?”
B. Key
to the course: Different Kinds of genre
1. Some were written as direct teaching for believers of the time
esp.:
letters/epistles
OUR
task: to reconstruct the original situation
à intent of writer
AND then, using common sense
à Distinguish between teachings that are emphatic &
central, vs. teachings that are situational
& peripheral.
2. Some are more narrative: stories
Realize
that they may be illustrating teachings and principles
…but
they do not introduce teachings directly
They
may be setting a precedent that may be repeatable
…but
those precedents carry over to our time only if followed consistently in biblical history and are
taught as such
3. Some: Gospels
a. Intentionality is two-fold:
Jesus’
intentionality when encountering people
each
writer’s intention when writing about such encounters
b. each writer did have a particular audience in
mind when writing and did have particular goals in mind when
writing.
c. so we read vertically …each gospel from
beginning to ending
AND
we read horizontally, comparing each gospel w/ the others
to
look for distinctives
4. Within those gospels: Parables
a. stories that evoke a response
like
a joke with a punchline
b. THEREFORE:
1)
find the points of reference
2)
Identify the audience
3)
Listen for the “Punch”
5. OT Law
constituting
documents for the new nation of
covenant
of
…part
of which gets renewed in NT
…part
of which gets supplanted in NT
6. The prophets
Not
much foretelling, but lots of Forthtelling
Served
as exhorters and enforcers of the covenant
à God’s megaphone, reminding the people of their
obligations to obedience, promising blessing for
obedience and warning of curses for disobedience.
Interpreting
them is helped enormously when we can locate them in
their exact place in the history of
Be
careful not to look for hidden meanings
7. The Psalms
How
do these words TO and ABOUT God operate as God’s Word to
us?
a. Psalms are poetry: do not overexegete them
b. Psalms model for us how to relate honestly to
God:
openly
expressing joy, disappointment, anger, etc.
c. Psalms encourage us to reflect and meditate
on things God has done
d. Psalms are a great guide to worship
both
as quotations to be quoted
and
as examples of bold praise to God
8. Wisdom literature
a. In
particular:
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Job & Song of
Solomon (in part)
b. FORM: a
collection of pithy advisory statements designed to help a person grow up
happy, well-liked, morally upright, prosperous, and successful.
c. read as poetry
d. approach is one of “wise sayings”
--not promises that always come true
--best understood when read as a collection of sayings
C.
Today: Book of Revelation
1. The challenge
à p. 249: “When
turning to the book of Revelation from the rest of the
New Testament, one feels as though he or she were entering a foreign
country. Instead of narratives and letters
containing plain
statements of fact and imperatives, one comes to a book full of angels, trumpets,
and earthquakes; of beasts, dragons and
bottomless pits.”
a.
on the one hand:
This
book is in the canon, holy scripture:
therefore,
it is God’s word and we are bound to read it, to interpret
it, and to live it out
b. on the other hand:
This
book is so filled with symbolism and is so obscure!
…it
is looking to the future, but uses the language and images of the 1st century
…and
taps repeatedly from OT expressions
(citing
or echoing the OT more than 250 times)
PLUS: there are 5 major approaches to interpreting
Revelation
…with
many variations within those 5 modes
c. THAT:
We must, at very least, approach the book with a measure of humility
…something not often done in the popular
books out on the market
2. Nevertheless, since it is God’s Word
…and
because it does help us to interpret itself at points
…and
because we are accountable to that Word
…we’re
going to give it our best effort!
3. NOTE:
WE are still committed to interpreting the text:
aiming
NOT at unique interpretations or creative ones
BUT
rather: aiming at the original author’s
intent
…which
we trust to have been the Holy Spirit’s intent when inspiring
the original to write it.
I. The Nature
of the Revelation
As with all
other biblical genres, the first key is to examine the kind of literature this is.
Problem: You know the expression,
“They
just don’t make these things the way they used to”?
…well
that’s true about this kind of literature:
Well: this kind of literature doesn’t exist anymore
The
closest thing to it is impressionistic art
…or
modern art, a la, Picasso.
In
fact, Revelation is a unique blend of three kinds of literature:
apocalypse,
prophecy, and epistle
…and
the apocalypse genre no longer exists
A. The
Revelation as Apocalypse
1. This is the primary form of genre
…one
of dozens written by Jews & Christians between
200BC
nd 200AD
Common
characteristics:
a. per apocalyptic sections of Ezekiel, Daniel,
Zechariah, Isaiah:
they
were concerned with coming judgment and salvation
--but
because they were born in periods of persecution and suffering,
the focus was not upon God’s work within history
à instead they looked to God bringing a radical and
violent END to history, an end that would mean
triumph for the good and defeat for evil.
b. Unlike prophetic books, apocalypses were
written literature from the beginning.
They were not sermons written
down after the fact.
Rev.
1:19 – John is instructed “write, therefore, what you have
seen.”
c. The content of apocalyptic literature is that
of visions & dreams
The
language is cryptic and symbolic
AND the author takes on a
pseudonym:
claims
to be somebody else who wrote centuries ago and sealed
the book for a later era
(best
known, the book of Enoch)
d. The images of apocalyptic are often forms of
fantasy rather than that of reality.
Whereas
Jesus’ parables used symbols that were familiar,
e.g.,
seeds, lost coins, grain of wheat, salt and light,
…Revelation’s
symbols include a beast w/ 7 heads & 10 horns
…a woman clothed with the sun
…locusts
with scorpion’s tails and human heads
3. One key distinction about Revelation from
apocalypses:
It
is NOT pseudonymous. It does not claim
to have been written in ancient times, nor by a different
author.
It
claims to have been written by the apostle John, and he is writing to people whom he
clearly knows.
In
fact he did not seal it up for a later day, but in fact, was commanded in
B. The Revelation as Prophecy
1.
One reason why John did not seal the letter for another day was the fact that, by the
giving of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, John knew that the present time was already
seeing the beginning of the end and
the end of the beginning
…the
“already-not yet” of the
The
apocalyptic era of writing was born in the era of the “quenched Spirit” –a/k/a the “era of silence” -- when the spirit
of
prophecy was no longer at work among the people
They
were longing for a day when the Spirit of God would be outpoured
upon the people.
WHEREAS: John knew the Spirit was outpoured.
HE
says in the beginning of the book that he was “in the Spirit” when he was told to write what he saw (1:3;
AND
he speaks of the book in 1:3 as “this prophecy”
…and
says that the “testimony of Jesus” is the “spirit of prophecy” (
2. Hence:
what makes this a unique book is its blend of apocalypse with prophecy
It
is born in persecution, speaks about the end to come, uses symbolic language, etc.…
BUT
it also speaks a prophetic word to the church of his day
…about
HOW to live in the present era
C. The Revelation as Epistle
The
whole prophecy is ALSO cast in the form of a letter
It
opens (1:4-7) and closes (
Accordingly,
it is written as an “occasional” correspondence:
i.e.,
there are specific matters being addressed, and searching them out is key to understanding what is being
said.
…i.e.,
that’s all key to doing exegesis of Rev.
II. The
Necessity of Exegesis
A. As with all other parts of scripture, our
first endeavor is to seek to understand the original author’s intent in
writing to the original audience. As with the epistles, “the primary meaning of the Revelation
is what John intended it to mean, which in turn must also have been something
his readers could have understood it to mean.” (p.
254)
It is right
here that MOST books on Revelation fail miserably! They simply
divorce the book from either John’s understanding or, especially from that of his
original recipients.
B. The use of scriptures in Revelation needs to
keep in mind that keys to understanding it probably can presume that
the original recipients DID
have access to the OT, but cannot presume access to other NT writings. Some book on the Revelation tend to overstate
the ‘analogy
of scripture’ as the key to unlock all meanings.
C. With regard to the imagery:
1. Keep in mind the rich background of ideas
that have gone into composition of Revelation
John
uses images from the OT, other apocalyptic writings and from
ancient mythology à but these images are not limited in meaning to the original sources themselves
2. Apocalyptic imagery is of several kinds:
a.
some are constants, like the donkey & the elephant in American political cartoons
The
beast out of the sea is a standard image for a world empire —not for an individual leader.
On
the other hand, some images are fluid, like the lion who is also a lamb
Or
like the woman—in chapter 12 she is a positive image, but in chapter 17 she is evil
b. some have clear points of reference:
e.g.,
the 7 lampstands = the 7 churches
and
the dragon is Satan
BUT:
other images are more general:
e.g.,
the 4 horsemen speak of conquest, war, famine & death
not
in any specific time or place but as the ongoing result of
human fallenness as the source of the church’s suffering
3. When John does interpret symbols, his
interpretation must override any
of our interpretations, and serve as the starting point for understanding
other symbols.
4. One must see the visions in a complete way,
and not allegorically press all the details
…like
the over-interpretation of parables that early believers did, we need to avoid pressing points to far.
The
whole vision is trying to say something;
the
details help fill out the picture for dramatic effect
D. John expects his readers to hear his echoes
of the OT as the continuation—and consummation-of that
story.
see
Fee.: “256”
E. Apocalyptists in general and the Revelation
in particular do not aim to give
a chronological account of their visions
John’s larger concern is to assure that
“THINGS ARE NOT AS THEY APPEAR”
I.E.,
in spite of present appearances, God is in control of history and the church. And even though the church will suffer will face
death, it will be triumphant in Christ who will judge his enemies
and save his people.
III. The Historical Context
A. HOW:
As with
other genres, the way to begin is to reconstruct the situation originally being addressed.
How do
so? Read it through from cover to cover
…don’t
press details: look for the big picture
Do be
making note about things said of the original author & recipients
B. WHAT:
1. Clearly John is writing this while in exile
for his faith
2. …to believers suffering for their faith
suffering
“for their testimony” on behalf of Jesus
3. In his vision, John discovers that the
present suffering is only the beginning of what they shall endure – and
he’s not sure they are ready
to face what’s coming
4. Main themes:
The
church and state are on a collision course
…and
the initial victory will appear to go to the state
The
church needs to strengthen itself, confident that God will sustain them and will ultimately vindicate
them.
5. Key terms:
DO
not confuse the words “Tribulation” and “wrath”
Tribulation
is what the church has to suffer and endure
Whereas
Wrath is what God will pour out upon the wicked.
God’s
people will need to endure the one but will not receive the
other.
IV. The Literary Context
Whenever
reading any of these particular visions, it is important to look for background, per
historical context, but it is also important to look for how this fits into the overall flow of
the book.
How
does this vision function in the book as a whole?
The book
unfolds like a great drama in which the earlier scenes set the stage and cast the
characters, AND the later scenes presuppose all the earlier
scenes and must be so understood for us to be able to follow the plot.
Outline
ch. 1-3
– set the stage and intro the characters
a. John himself – the narrator, was exiled for
his faith, and had the prophetic insight that the present
persecution was only a forerunner of what was yet to be
b.
Christ – introduces via various magnificent images drawn from Daniel 10 and other sources
He holds the keys to death and Hades
c. the church – outside persecution threatens
the churches,
BUT
internal dissension and other problems threaten them, too
ch,.
4-5 – further help to set the stage
Via
breathtaking visions, set to worship & praise, the church is told that God reigns in sovereign
majesty
To
those wondering if God is really there, he is depicted as a lion who also is a lamb—who redeemed
humanity thru his own suffering
ch. 6-7
– Begin unfolding the actual drama
3
times in the book visions are put forth in structured sets of 7
(ch. 6-7, 8-11, 15-16)
In
each case, the first 4 items go together to form one picture
e.g.,
6-7: the white horseman ..red …black
…pale
THEN
come two visions
e.g.,
martyrs question: “How long?”
Earthquake
of God’s judgment: “Who can withstand?”
THEN
a 2-part interlude:
a. 144,000 revealed
b. a great multitude
THEN:
7th item is revealed
God’s
wrath: the 7 trumpets of chapter 8-11
ch.
8-11 – reveal the content of God’s temporal judgments on
in
ch.
12-22 – now go back and give more details of this whole picture
note: ch. 12 is the theological key to the book:
They tell of Satan’s attempt
to destroy Christ and of his own defeat instead.
Hence,
in the context of the already/not yet:
his is the defeated foe whose final end has not yet come.
V. The Hermeneutical Questions
As with
prophetic books, Rev. does address matters that are yet to be
…and
that leaves us perplexed as to how to take all of it
Clearly, the
threats upon the Romans DID take place…
…over
the next few hundred years.
Also,
thematically we can clearly follow moral points:
à God will judge those who trample upon the poor
à Discipleship goes the way of the cross
à God promises not freedom from death and suffering but
triumph through it
...Rev. brings a word of encouragement to
victims of persecution
What about specific historic
interpretation?
A few
hints:
1. Remember that pictures of the future are
pictures: hints
…not
specifics
e.g.,
the threats of calamities upon the state remind believers that as God did in ancient
2. Don’t confuse the certainty of judgment with
the soon-ness of it
It
will happen, but not necessarily right now.
3. Don’t confuse the eschatological with the
temporal
What
will happen will happen, but it isn’t necessarily tied to specific players on the world scene today.
e.g., too many identifications in
1960’s prophecy books to
4. While there may be 2nd level
fulfillments of prophecies, we don’t have any keys with which to predict those.,
e.g.,
the Antichrist figure in Rev. seems to identify w/ the Roman emperor,
but
in I John Antichrists = all who teach false things about Jesus
5. Passages clearly eschatological ought to be
left that way
e.g.,
Hence: They are God’s Word yet to be fulfilled.
CLOSING:
The opening
of the Bible speaks of God in Creation
The
closing of the Bible speaks of God in consummation
While there
is much ambiguity on HOW that will work out,
there
is not ambiguity on the promise that it WILL work out.