REVELATION

By around 80 AD, the apostle John is the last remaining eyewitness and apostle of Jesus. He lives to see a new threat to the growing churches: the rise of emperor worship throughout the Roman empire. Increasingly over the first century the Roman emperors demand the worship of their person as a god. Temples to the emperors start being built in the cities of the Roman empire. To not worship at these temples becomes an offense against the government. The Christians, by refusing to worship at these temples are becoming enemies of the state. By 81 AD, under the Roman emperor Domitian, a wide-scale persecution starts.
John writes to seven churches in the province of Asia, Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. Emperor worship arises very early in the province of Asia, and is especially strong there. These churches find themselves not only under pressure from Jews, surrounding idolatry and false teachings, but increasingly also from the government. One of the churches, Pergamum, already has seen one of their believers die a martyr’s death.
When facing such a threatening situation, questions and doubts would arise in the hearts of the believers: Where is God? Does God nor see? Does he not care? Why is God allowing this persecution? Why is he not doing anything about it? Are the emperors more powerful than Jesus? Is God angry with us? Is this a punishment? Are the martyrs with Jesus? Where will this be going? Will there ever be justice? How long will we have to endure this?
John answers all these questions, except the ‘how long?’ question. In Revelation he describes a powerful vision, which shows God on the throne, and Jesus as the slain Lamb, controlling history on the world stage before them. Nothing can happen without their permission, nothing escapes their attention, they are fully aware and deeply involved with their church. As long as this church age lasts there will be good and evil at war, the church will often suffer persecution as well as experience God’s miraculous deliverance. God will allow suffering but he will also intervene, save his people and judge the perpetrators. But one day Jesus will come back, defeat and terminate evil, judge all men, resurrect everyone, abolish death and restore the entire created order to peace and fullness.
Knowing this final outcome of history is meant to encourage the church to endure and be faithful under the present circumstances. It will help them to faithfully follow the slain Lamb and – like the lamb – conquer the world by sacrificially giving up their lives. Jesus, who achieved salvation and eternal life for all eternity on the cross, is worthy of their full allegiance and even of their death.

Questions around Revelation
Revelation! What a difficult book! It provokes many feelings and reactions:
Are you excited about it? riding on the newest end-time wave? Or are you fearful? Do you ‘not want to go there’? Or are you confused? Are you sure you don’t understand this book and not sure anyone can understand it? Are you disinterested? Have you been on one wave too much and no longer want to get excited about any interpretation? Or are you angry? Have you seen too many predictions fail? Are you annoyed at the panic-mongering of the newest end-time preacher? Or are you encouraged and confident?
Honestly, if a magazine would print a text like Revelation, we would throw it away. But we can’t dismiss Revelation this easily, because it’s in the Bible after all. It is scary, yet still attracting. In our churches either Revelation tends to be left out of preaching altogether, or else there is a very strong, often extreme focus on it.
Wild theologies has been taught from Revelation. Much money has been made with end-time books, which become short lived best-sellers. None of the authors of false predictions and calculated dates of Jesus’ return has ever come forward and apologized for their wrong teaching.
Revelation is often used in preaching to scare believers into obedience, to coax them into an all out effort, even into evangelism.
Truly questions arise: Can Revelation really been understood? Why did God not make it any clearer if he wants it to be understood. Should it be left alone? Or how can we get past ‘scaring each other’ and see what God really meant?

How to approach Revelation
The basic question is: Who was Revelation written to? All the wild interpretations have this in common, that they approach Revelation as what could be called ‘sealed book’, meaning a book that nobody ever understood through the centuries but that we in the end-time now understand.
In this approach people see a verse in Revelation and understand it to be a prediction about a modern nation or a current political leader (be it Hitler, Saddam Hossain, Vladimir Putin, or whoever). To interpret a verse in this way means to indirectly claim that nobody reading this same verse for the past two thousand years could have possibly understood it. But we now – and we only! – can understand it.
This is bad theology, and it is also quite arrogant. Why do people interpret verses like this? One reason are passages like Dan 12:8-9 where it says: “What shall be the outcome of these things?” He said, “go your way, Daniel, for the words are to remain secret and sealed until the time of the end.”
People conclude from this that Revelation is a ‘sealed book’, which could not be understood for centuries. But now we, who are in the end times, we are the first ones to understand it.
Notice that at the end of Revelation (Rev 22:10) John says exactly the opposite: “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near”. John clearly expected his readers to understand this book and he wanted them to have it in hand now, precisely because ‘these things’ were near.
If Revelation is interpreted with the ‘sealed book approach’, many problems show: First the ‘sealed book’ approach has lead to a long long list of wrong predictions of who (for example) the antichrist is. Here is a list of who was at one time or other declared the antichrist: Nero, Domitian, Mohammad, Martin Luther, the pope, Hitler, Stalin, Breshnew, Saddam Hossain… and all are gone and the world is still here. Equally there is a long list of supposed dates for Jesus’ scond coming: The more famous ones being 1843 AD, 1844, more recently 8 August 1988, 2000, 2012 … all of which have created a wave of panic (and bad theology), and all of which have proven to be false. The track record of the ‘sealed book approach’ is abysmal!
The other problem with the ‘sealed book approach’ is that we claim that these verses meant nothing to John, nothing to the seven churches of Asia to whom it was written (Rev 1:11), nothing to the last two thousand years of believers. But if this were so, then why does Jesus command these things to be written to seven real churches in real difficulties in real history? If these people cannot possibly understand, only misunderstand, why address them at all? And if they had really understood nothing, why would this writing have been carefully preserved for us over the centuries?
Another problem with the ‘sealed book’ approach is that it makes understanding exclusive: Only an initiate few – of whom I am one – have real understanding, have the special knowledge. Everybody else is left in the dark. Yet in the New Testament we find a very strong theme that truth is for all, it is not exclusive, it is not hidden, rather it is for everyone, understandable to all, effective for all.

How then should we approach Revelation?
We need to approach Revelation like we approach any bible book in the Bible, whether Old or new Testament: This text was written for real people at a real time in history addressing their current situation. But at the same time it is also God’s inspired word, his eternal truth that speaks to all people at all times. Revelation is applicable to us now, but we need to understand first what it meant to those who first received this text.                                                                                                                                                
The author of Revelation
John clearly identifies himself at the author (Rev 1:1, 1:4, 1:9, 22:8). He calls himself a “servant of Jesus” and “your brother”, but doesn’t describe himself further.
This lack of further identification or explanation (together with the witness of church tradition) speaks strongly for the author to be John, son of Zebedee, brother of James, the fisherman. He is the last living one of the original twelve disciples of Jesus, the one remaining eye witness. John lives around thirty years longer than the other apostles, who all die martyr’s deaths by the sixties AD. John remains, he moves to Ephesus and becomes an anchor and pillar for the churches of Asia Minor. He is the ultimate elder. Church tradition (the church fathers Justin, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian) unanimously identify the apostle John as writer of Revelation.

Who is Revelation written to?
John addresses Revelation to “the seven churches in Asia”: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. Asia was a province of the greater area Asia Minor, part of the Roman Empire. The area is located in modern day Turkey. Smyrna is the modern day city of Izmir.
Revelation is a circular letter, being sent around among the seven churches. The sequence of cities suggests the path the document traveled.
Revelation contains seven small letters addressed to each church individually (see Rev 2 and 3).
For more details on the founding and the political and religious background of these churches see ‘Revelation – Detailed study’.

Pressure on the readers
Reading these small individual letters to the churches (Rev 2 and 3), it becomes clear that the seven churches were under quite a bit of pressure of various kinds:
Spiritual Pressure: As all throughout the New Testament the Jews pressured the churches, especially in Smyrna and Philadelphia. There also was the pressure of the surrounding idolatrous cults, especially in Pergamum and Thyatira. Then there was the pressure of false teaching in the church, especially in Ephesus and Thyatira. There were early forms of gnostic influence, which John teaches against in his other writing as well (Gospel of John, 1,2,3 John).
Economic Pressure: Economic pressure is mentioned in the case of the church in Smyrna, and probably was a factor in the compromises addressed in the letter to Thyatira. Practical professions were organized in trade guilds and worshiped the profession’s deity. Work contracts and trade agreements were made at the local temple of the deity. Often work contract ceremonies were held at the temples and included eating of meat sacrificed to idols or even ritual prostitution. For believers to stay away from all this would have meant professional and financial penalties.
Political Pressure: Jesus predicts Smyrna will experience imprisonment and Pergamum has already had their first church member die a martyr’s death (Antipas, Rev 2:13). What had caused the Christians to come in conflict with the Roman government?

Historical Background: The rise of emperor worship
With the Roman emperors’ increasing political power came the tendency to deify them as gods. Emperor Julius Ceasar (48-44 BC) was voluntarily worshiped, mostly after his death. Emperor Augustus (27 BC-14 AD) claimed the title ‘Son of God’ and ‘Prince of Peace’ for himself. Emperor Caligula (37-41 AD) demanded the worship of himself as a god and put statues of himself in designated temples. Nero (54-68 AD) declared himself to be divine, but it was Emperor Domitian (81-96 AD) who first established a systematic empire-wide worship of his own person. He demanded ritual acts of sacrifice at these emperor worship temples from all citizens. To not participate in the this imperial cult meant to become an enemy of the state. The Christians found themselves in a very difficult situation. Nero’s persecution had been gruesome and violent, but localized in the city of Rome. But emperor worship was something that one couldn’t flee, it was everywhere in the Roman Empire.
Especially the city of Smyrna and Philadelphia were early adopters and willing supporters and of the emperor cult. The second temple to the emperor ever built in Asia Minor was in Smyrna. Therefore the churches in these cities were under particular pressure.

Questions arising when suffering
What questions, doubts or feelings arise when believers are undergoing suffering? When the government has made believers enemies of state, when the pressure seems all around, when the government seems all powerful, when the church experiences persecution and the first people are dying a martyr’s death, what would be going on in the mind of the believers? What doubts and questions would plague them? Here are some possibilities:
Who has power over my life? Is Domitian more powerful than Jesus? If God is all-powerful, why doesn’t he stop this persecution? If he has power, why doesn’t he do something about this? If he doesn’t have the power, how can he be God?
How can a loving God allow this? Is God angry with me? Has he abandoned me? Forgotten me? Does he not love me? Have I sinned? Is this a punishment?
Did I join a false religion, a false faith? If God doesn’t help now, who am I worshiping? Why should I die for a God who doesn’t seem to be powerful enough or loving enough to save us? What is the use? Is this worth my life?
What happens to those who die a martyr’s death? Where are they now? Will God not vindicate them? Why is God not bringing about justice? Did these people die for their sin? Is God angry with them? Why is Jesus not coming back as he said?

Revelation’s goal: to quieten these questions, to encourage and steady the church
What does a sorely and multiply afflicted believer or church need to hear?
God is all-powerful. He is God. You didn’t sign up for the wrong religion. In spite of the appearances, nothing is outside of God’s control. There is nothing that is happening to you, that he did not allow. There is nothing that is happening to you, that he cannot turn into something good. Nothing is arbitrary. Suffering is not senseless. The challenges are not by accident. You are not a helpless ball tossed around. God’s hand is in everything. God remains just. He will judge evil ultimately. One day he will judge, avenge and right all wrongs.
God is love. He has not forgotten you. He knows. He sees. He will turn everything into good. You are not the problem. God has neither forsaken you nor is he unhappy with you. Those who are dying are not abandoned by God. They are not guilty of some sin. On the contrary, they are the martyrs, giving their lives for God. He is honored through their faithfulness, their patient perseverance and the sacrifice of their life. No-one can show greater love than to die for a friend – or God. The blood of the innocent who are killed cries out to God. Martyrs go straight into the presence of God. He will bring about their vengeance and judge those who killed them eventually. Justice will be established one day.
God is God. Jesus is Lord into all eternity. He is the Lamb that was slain, worthy of our very lives and our deaths. He is the conquering lion, sovereign, champion of all good, reigning in all eternity. Your hope is not failing. You did not join a false religion. You will not be put to shame, not ultimately. He is the unchallenged, unmatched Lord of all. So be faithful even unto death, and he will give you the crown of life (Rev 2:10).
Revelation powerfully answers the questions of the suffering believers. The only question that Revelation doesn’t answer is the question: ‘How long?’. It is interesting that the very thing modern readers so often hope to gain from Revelation (a date of Jesus’ return or some eschatological schedule) is the one thing Revelation doesn’t speak about. Revelation does not so much satisfy curiosity as to end time events, rather it is a statement of ultimate realities.
This, then, is the message of Revelation. Revelation wants to encourage and re-affirm the churches, it wants to give stability, perspective, faith, strength and endurance to persecuted believers. To understand this means to understand Revelation.

The literary style of Revelation
Revelation is a special book and it is not easy to understand for modern readers who are not used to its writing style. First a few basic points upfront:
Revelation is a letter
Revelation has a frame like a normal letter in the New Testament: the author identifies himself and his addressees (Rev 1:4), he starts with a blessing and prayer (Rev 1:4-8) and ends his letter by again renouncing a blessing (Rev 22:21).
Revelation is an open, circular letter that was passed from church to church to be read. Revelation also contains a personal letter for every church within the greater letter (Rev 2 and 3). Every church can read what God is saying to the other churches, though, so the letters are open.
Revelation is a prophecy
Revelation identifies itself as a prophecy (Rev 1:3, 10:11, 19:10, 22:6,10, 22:18-19). As a prophecy it falls under 1 Cor 14:3, where Paul says that all prophecy must “build up, edify, encourage”. Scary interpretations are missing the point!
Revelation contains future predictions about the end times, but even more so it wants to help the readers to understand the now. It wants to explain what is happening all around them and show them how to hold onto their faith and persevere in a situation like this.
Revelation is an apocalypse
In Rev 1:1 John calls this writing a “revelation”, the Greek word is ‘apocalypse’. Due to scary end time scenarios, the word ‘apocalypse’ has become a frightful word in modern day language; but the Greek word simply means ‘unveiled, revealed, made clear, the curtain removed’. So Revelation is not meant to be a cryptic, confusing, secret writing that only a few people can understand, rather the opposite: it wants to make something very clear.
But what does it want to make clear? Or asked differently: What is Revelation a revelation of? This is a very important question, it will answered throughout this text.
Apocalyptic writing is a literary form that is used in different parts of the Bible (Daniel 7-12, for example). There are also quite a few apocalyptic writings outside the Bible, that are similar in style.

Characteristics of Apocalyptic Writing style
The apocalyptic writing style was used a time of persecution to encourage those who suffer. It portrays the conflict of good and evil as an epic battle, showing judgment and deliverance at the end of time: the good triumph, the evil are judged. It heavily uses symbols, numbers, images, visions, dreams, etc. Cataclysmic occurrences like thunder, hail, earthquakes, stars falling, etc. show God’s power and the importance of what is going on.
Numbers convey concepts, rather than accurate statistical units: “a thousand years” means a very long time, “a third” means a significant part. For more details on the numbers used in Revelation please see ‘Revelation – Detailed study’.
Apocalyptic writings are highly structured, showing that God is in control. But in spite of being highly structured, they are not chronological, rather repetitive or cyclical.
An illustration for the story entering a new cycle is the transition from Rev 11:15 “the kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever” to Rev 12:3 “then a great red dragon… swept down a third of the stars… wants to devour the child”. The earlier verses show the final picture, the later verses show the beginning of yet another cycle. It is therefore a mistake (and very confusing) to try to create linear schedules from Revelation!
In the apocalyptic writing style one needs to ‘step back and take it all in together’; pictures need to be interpreted as pictures, but they should not be pressed for details. Rather interpret pictures or symbols figuratively: What are the big thoughts and feelings they evoke?

The basic time line and structure of Revelation
Even though very complex time lines of Revelation have been made (and based on them false predictions of Jesus’ return), the basic time line is actually very simple. It is what Jesus already taught:
• Jesus’ 1st coming: Jesus comes as a child, lives some thirty-three years on the earth, ministers, is crucified, buried and then resurrected. He shows himself to the disciples, ascends to the Father and sends the Holy Spirit. The first church is started and the gospel starts spreading.
• The church age or age of tension (also called “the last days” by Peter in Acts 2:17): the church keeps spreading and experiences both victory and persecution, both supernatural deliverance and also suffering and death. This has been a reality for the last two thousand years of church history.
• Jesus’ second coming: Jesus will come back as King of kings and Lord of lords, as the victorious slain Lamb, as the white rider on the horse. He will defeat Satan, evil, injustice and death. All dead will rise (so death will be abolished) in order to be judged. Satan, evil spirits and evil men will be bound for ever.
• Heaven: God creates a new heaven and a new earth. It’s a full restoration of all things physical and spiritual, visible and invisible, a total reconciliation and renewal with everything under the rule of Christ. Everything will become what it was meant to be, in perfection, beauty, peace and justice: humans will again have full relationship with God, who is all in all.
Please consider carefully the basic time line diagram give above and also the following overview chart of Revelation. Note the use of the colors blue, red, green as indicated above. Note the overall structure of seven acts with about seven scenes each.

All eyes on God

In chapter 1 John first sees a vision of Christ as God. Though he and Jesus were close buddies on earth, when John sees Jesus as God, he is overwhelmed and falls to the ground.
The vision is an over-powering picture of Jesus’ purity, holiness, life, beauty and awesomeness. Yet Jesus walks among the golden lamp stands, which are explained to be the seven churches: he is aware, present with his people, he sees the situation of the believers and hears their cries, he holds them in his right hand – a picture of comfort and encouragement.
In chapter 2 and 3 John records personal letters to each of the seven churches. Jesus includes both praise and rebuke, promise and warning. The letters address the challenges each church is facing and are holding out a promise and reward to those who persevere in faith.
In chapter 4 the actual apocalypse begins. At the beginning of each of the seven acts, the author draws our eyes towards God, towards the throne and all that is with it. He therefore starts every act by showing a picture of the power, holiness, beauty and omniscience of God on the throne, worshiped by the twenty-four elders (representing Israel and the church), the four living creatures (representing creation), the angels and the multitude from every nation (the believers).
Revelation is set up like a highly structured stage drama. Everything that happens is numbered, ordered and in sequence. Though the happenings on the stage are often fearful, the author always draws the readers’ eyes back to God, who knows everything, who controls history, who will bring all the madness to his intended final and good end.
Jesus is shown as both the honored lion of Judah, powerful and victorious, – yet at the same time as the slain lamb. He is conquering by giving his life. In the same way the believers in Revelation conquer not by power but by giving their lives for Jesus (Rev 12:11).
The first few acts depict the church age (in blue color): The church is both victorious, growing and spreading the word, but also persecuted and suffering. God sometimes judges evil partially (notice the expressions “a third” and “a fourth”) and delivers the believers miraculously – or else they honor him by the word of their testimony and their martyr’s deaths.
The middle few acts depict the final judgment (in red color): God judges fully (notice the expression “all”), terminating evil government (the first beast, Babylon), deceptive and oppressive religion (the second beast), evil spirits and Satan behind it all (the dragon) and also evil humans (those of the earth, Babylon). As all humans are resurrected for either judgment or eternal life, death itself is abolished.
The final few acts depict God’s total restoration all of things created: everything is brought under God’s good rule. Humans are fully restored to relationship with him. No evil, no suffering, no separation will remain.
Revelation is therefore not primarily a revelation of all the fearful future events that will happen, rather it is the revelation that in spite of all the apparent madness (persecution, injustice, death) God is sovereign and in control over world history. He is deeply involved and committed to bring about justice and restoration in the end.
What does Revelation reveal? Revelation reveals God on the throne, powerful, loving, redeeming his people, judging evil, bringing justice and ultimately restoring everything. What the persecuted church needs is not a revelation of what horrible things may happen (they already know that), but a revelation of the invisible God who – against all appearances – is in control of everything. It is not the world stage that needs to be revealed, it is the presence of the invisible and powerful God that needs to be revealed.
That is the comforting, assuring and encouraging message of Revelation.

Color coding suggestions

When coloring Revelation, watch out for the following things:

• Who … names, groups, … those of earth, rulers … God, Trinity … angels … beasts, eagles, …
• Where, when, quotes, emotion, emphatic statements
• Numbers … brackets in the margin … repetitions of structure elements … (seals, trumpets, bowls, portents, voices..)

Repeated themes

• character of God, descriptions of God, Jesus, Spirit
• sin, disobedience, injustice … death, destruction, judgement, wrath
• persecution, suffering, martyrs, endurance, patience, faith
• worship, praise, glory, thanks
• authority, ruler, power, might, throne, kingdom

Revelation!

• What feelings or thoughts come to mind?
• Honestly, if a magazine would print this, we would throw it away! … but we can’t, because it’s in the Bible
• Is it being taught in your church? Have you read books about it?
• Mysterious, scary, little teaching, or fashion emphasis, unfulfilled doomsday scenarios, often extreme, …
• Embarrassment, remembering how I thrived on things like that … embarrassing to Christ?
• Lots of money has been made with people’s fears, best-selling books
• Christians use it to scare each other
• or we use it to bribe the children into being good, telling them about the “golden club”
• Have you read Revelation? Do you like it? Are you scared of it? Embarrassed by it? Tired of false interpretations? Doubtful it is useful? Why would God have put it there if it creates so much chaos?
• Faces … excited-attracted, panicked, confused, tired, angry-annoyed, encouraged-confident … which are you?

Examples of wild modern interpretations

• Flyer handed out by a US marine in the streets of Honolulu: Picture of Satan, with 666 on his chest, in front of Rome’s Saint Peter’s dome. Painting a horror scenario and then urging people to repent to escape that.
• The very popular ‘Left behind’ series, a patch work of dispensationalist ideas written up into an easy to read thriller-romance.
• Flyer of a believer who traveled to Patmos and had a vision of 7 angels destroying the 7 continents.
• Book about Saddam Hussein meditating in the ruins of Babylon, planning a world take over.

Tensions around Revelation

But even if the more far-out interpretations are ignored, Revelation does raise some fundamental questions:

• Why would God give a book like Revelation, that has been so so so wrongly interpreted? And abused?
• Wouldn’t it be better we didn’t have Revelation in our Bibles?
• Foreseeing all the confusion and madness, couldn’t he have made it clearer?
• If the Revelation is inspired, why inspire something as mis-understandable as the book of Revelation?
• Can Revelation be really understood? Especially by somebody like me? Should I stay away? or engage?
• If you have been on ‘one wave too many’, you may simply be too tired to do ‘one more wave’.
• Is this “imminent doom” not a bit of a mind-game God plays with us?

Uniqueness of Revelation

• It is the most difficult book in the Bible – and the most debated book in the Bible.
• It is a the same time a letter, a prophecy, a drama and an apocalypse.
• Think for a moment what it does! Think for a moment if the Bible would end with Jude.
• It has provided comfort to countless believers over the centuries
• It is revolutionary enough that probably only a disciple as close as John and a church elder as long-term as John could have gotten away with it.
• It has been debated over the centuries and given rise to wildly different theologies

1 HOW TO APPROACH REVELATION? FOR WHOM WAS IT WRITTEN?

Sealed book approach: It is written for us, now.

• It is a sealed book, nobody understands it till the last days. Now, since we really are in the last days, the seal opens and we – and we only, none before us – can truly understand it!
• Where does this approach come from? Partially from Dan 12:8-9 … “What shall be the outcome of these things?” He said, “go your way, Daniel, for the words are to remain secret and sealed until the time of the end.”
• Those who take this approach believe, that the time of the end has come, that now it can be understood, though nobody understood before, and that they understand it. It is good in general to stay away from people who think they and only they understand something!
• They say, this description of the beast clearly fits (for example) Saddam Hossain, who meditated in the ruins of ancient Babylon, started rebuilding ancient Babylon, who must therefore be the antichrist …
• There are several problems with this approach:
  • The interpretations are really fashion or fads. Saddam died, and all throughout history people thought figures of their time were the Antichrist (for example: Nero, Domitian, Mohammad, Martin Luther, the pope, Hitler, Stalin, Saddam, President Bush). All these were declared Antichrists at one time or another. All are gone and the world is running still.
  • If I take this approach I am actually saying: these verses meant nothing to John, nothing to the seven churches, nothing to the last 2000 years of church, just only now we understand this. Now it means something. But if this was so, then why does Jesus command these things to be written to 7 real churches in real difficulties, in real history? Why tell people things they cannot understand, only misunderstand? And if they had really understood nothing, why would this writing have been carefully preserved for us over the centuries?
  • This approach makes understanding the Bible into a mystical thing, exclusive knowledge that only very few posssess. Only the initiate few – of whom I am one – can understand this. It goes down the track of the mystery cults: exclusive knowledge, only to a few, rites of initiation, inner rings of knowledge and power. This is exactly what Paul and others wrote against in letters like Ephesians and Colossians; Eph 1:8-9 … “With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will” … Col 1:25-27 … “to make the word of God fully known, the mystery has now been revealed to his saints.” So things are revealed now, to fully known, to everyone.
  • Also: What God is this, who leaves ‘everybody in the dark’? It does not fit very well with God’s character to declare Revelation to be cryptic, mystical, sealed, not understandable or understandable only to the initiate few?
  • Then there also is Rev 22:10 … “do not sear up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. … seems to clearly speak against a sealed-book approach. John expected people to understand this book, he wanted them to have it in hand now, precisely because these things were near. To say ‘nobody understood anything for 2000 years’ contradicts this.

Historic-only approach: for John’s first readers only

• Well then, it was written to real churches in real difficulties in a real place in Asia Minor, in real history … it predicted happenings back then, they are fulfilled and over, so Revelation has nothing more to say now
• Those understanding it in this way think Revelation predicting and is fulfilled by the Jewish-Roman war with subsequent destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 66-70 AD. Or else revelation is predicting and fulfilled by the fall of the Roman empire in around 400 AD.
• But some event 300 years later would not make any more sense to the 1st century readers. And though the destruction of Jerusalem was terrible, and the fall of the Roman empire ended a word known for 500 years, it still was not as cataclysmic as the events in Revelation sound.
• Revelation talks about final, ultimate events … the abolition of evil, the coming right of all wrongs, the total rule of Jesus … this is definitely not fulfilled with either 70 AD nor 400 AD.

Better approach: Revelation is historic, historically applicable and is full of timeless truth for them and us

• So then what? We must approach Revelation as we approached any letter or gospel in the New Testament.
• It is written for real people in a real context, but it is God’s inspired word, God’s eternal principles and his timeless truths that can be applied to all, to us as well.
• It contains predictions not yet fulfilled (even now), as Old Testament prophecy does, but it did make sense to the first readers
• It is applicable to us now, but we need to understand first what it meant to them. Welcome to inductive method!
• So we will carefully look at historical background, so our interpretation is solid > understand meaning for us now.
• Please while studying Revelation: Don’t allow yourself to go down the track of secret, mystical, initiate interpretation, I now understand, and nobody else did. This is a dangerous track and it will lead you into deception. If half-way through the book you have a dream, that reveals to you the secret thunder is, I suggest you are very careful.
• So here we go: the much needed historical background

2 BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Who wrote Revelation?

Internal evidence:

• Rev 1:1, 1:4, 1:9, 22:8 mentions John. He is described as:
• Rev 1:1                          servant of Jesus
• Rev 1:9                         I, John, your brother … sharing with them 3 things: persecution, kingdom and patient endurance
• Options for people by the name of John in the New Testament
  • John the Baptist, died before Jesus
  • John Mark, son or Mary, in whose house the first church met, cousin of Barnabas, part of 1st missionary journey, co-worker of Barnabas, later of Paul, later of Peter, writer of Gospel of Mark
  • John, brother of James, one of the twelve disciples

Other evidence

• Church tradition (Justin, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian) unanimously attributes Rev to the disciple John.
• No other person could mention just “John”, and command so much authority and identity
• Greek Grammar is weak in comparison to Gospel of John and John’s letters, maybe because he did not have co-writers for Revelation. Acts 4:13 describes John as unschooled.
• There are many parallels with the Gospel of John and letters of John.

Other writings of John

Here is a comparison of typical phrases in Revelation, the Gospel of John and the letters of John:

• Parallels with Gospel of John and letters of John.

  	Other writings of John	Revelation
  Logos as term for Christ	John 1:1	Rev 19:13
  Lamb as description of Christ	John 1:29, 1:36	Rev 5:6 etc
  Thirsty drink water of life	John 7:37 ff	Rev 22:17
  He that overcomes	John 16:33, 1 John2:14, 5:4-5	Rev 2:7 etc
  Keeping the commandments	John 14:21	Rev 12:17
  True	9x in John, 4x in 1 Jn, 5x in NT	10x in Rev
  Keep … from	John 17:15	Rev 3:10
  First resurrection	John 5:24-29	Rev 20:5
  Satan cast out at Calvary	John 12:31	Rev 12:9, 12:13
  Stylized quote of Zech 12:10	John 19:37	Rev 1:7

• John implies close relationship with and knowledge about the situation or his readers
• Even though in the beginning Paul and his direct co-workers planted, evangelized and taught in Asia Minor mostly, by the time Revelation is written, John may have lived there for many years (church tradition says so).

Written to whom?

• Rev 1:4 says “to the seven churches in Asia district (Asia Minor Province): Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea” … there were more churches in Asia, though.
• Circular letter, it seems, being sent around among the seven churches in this sequence
• This implies that they would know each other’s rebukes and praises by Jesus … > humility, honesty, mutual support

When written?

• At a time of persecution for both John and the churches of Asia (chapters 1-3) … who persecuted?
• Emperor Nero’s persecution of 64-68 AD was – though savage – mostly locally in Rome, not empire-wide
• Emperor Domitian 81-96 AD demanded emperor worship, widespread persecution in Roman empire > this date given
• Rise of Gnosticism amd false teachings that are also mentioned in ch 2-3
• Church history (Irenaeus) attests John being exiled under Domitian.

Written from where

• Rev 1:9 says that John was (past tense) on the island called Patmos, when he receives these revelations. Maybe he is back in Ephesus by the time of writing it all down.
• Patmos is an island off Ephesus coast, was used by Rome for political prisoners. Prisoners used in mining (?)

Historical Background

• We have had lots of background on Asia Minor Province, Asia District. Later details on the cities will be given.

Repeated Theme “Persecution”, “pressure” or “martyrs”

• When reading Revelation, a quite clear repeated theme of persecution or suffering emerges. > This is the key to understanding Revelation!
• The church over the ages that has been persecuted found great comfort and strength and courage in Revelation. It is the complacent, affluent church that doesn’t like nor understand Revelation
• What type of persecution, trouble, challenge are mentioned in the first 3 chapters of Revelation?
• Rev 1:9       John says “I, John, who share with you the persecution, the kingdom and patient endurance… was on Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus”
• Rev 2:2-3  About Ephesus Jesus says “you cannot tolerate evildoers … tested those claiming to be apostles but are not”
• Rev 2:6      About Ephesus Jesus says “you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.”
• Rev 2:9-10 About Smyrna Jesus says “I know your affliction and your poverty. I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but a synagogue of Satan … Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Beware, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have affliction.”
• Rev 2:13   About Pergamum Jesus says “I know where you are living, where Satan’s throne is SPI-ido. Yet you are holding fast to my name … did not deny your faith, even in the days of Antipas, who was killed among you, where Satan lives.”
• Rev 2:14    About Pergamum Jesus further says “But I have against you: some hold to the teaching of Balaam” > stumbling block before people > eat food sacrificed to idols . Some hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
• Rev 2:19    About Thyatira Jesus says “I know your patient endurance.”
• Rev 2:20-23 About Thyatira Jesus says that he holds against them that “you tolerate Jezebel, calls herself prophet, teaching and beguiling to my servants …” > fornication, eat food, commit adultery with her … her teaching the deep things of Satan.
• Rev 3:8      About Philadelphia Jesus says “you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word … not denied my name.”
• Rev 3:9      About Philadelphia Jesus mentions a “Synagogue of Satan”, who say they are Jews but are not, they will bow down to the church and know that Jesus has loved them.
• Rev 3:10    About Philadelphia Jesus further says “Because you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial coming on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.”
• Looking at these passages, what kind of pressure or persecution are the seven churches facing?

Economic pressure

• Trade guilds (trade and production) were common. Any profession related action was connected with rituals at the temple of the deity of the profession. From social gatherings to trade agreements, guild life and monopolies, everything was connected with worship of the deity. Many temple ceremonies included ritual prostitution and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.
• To quit a guild meant the loss of vast relationship-network. It meant isolation, hostility, exclusion, loss of business, loss of customers, direct pressure, reduced options for ones’ children and for a place to live (professions co-lived). To quit a guild was a threat to one’s professional existence.

Political

• In the first decades of the church there was no organized or systemic political persecution of the early church by the Roman government … but now slowly:
• Steady rise of empire-wide Emperor worship, first un-encouraged and unrewarded, later encouraged and rewarded, becoming slowly the norm. Then emperors starting demanding the worship of their person, leading to an empire-wide, institutionalized imperial cult.
• Julius Ceasar was voluntarily worshiped, Octavius was called “Augustus” (=Reverend), Caligula erected statutes of himself as God (wanting to put one also in Jerusalem’s temple, but was killed in AD 41 before achieving that).
• Emperor Domitian was the first to fully demand to be worshiped as “our Lord and God“. He was called “a second Nero” by many.
• Asia Minor was part of the East in which Emperor worship rose quicker than in the West. Especially in Roman friendly Asia Minor. Smyrna, who was an early Rome-supporter, built 2nd temple ever for Caesar worship in Asia. Also especially in Philadelphia: After Tiberius’ generous aid after the 17 AD earthquake > city almost renamed Neo-Caesarea.
• Because of this the Christians for the first time find themselves not only in local (like Nero) but in systematic political persecution that is empire-wide. To not offern incense to the emperor becomes a transgression, punishable by death. The Christian find themselves as enemies of the state.

Spiritual – Jewish Pressure

• Jewish pressure, teachers of circumcision trying to enter the churches, inside Jewish believers’ influence, exclusion from society, economic aspects, stoning, stirring up of hostile crowds, using political authorities. The Jews themselves had obtained religious freedom in the Roman empire.
• Smyrna had strong Jewish settlement and population, which Jesus calls in Rev 2:9 “a synagogue of Satan”, that is slandering the church.
• Philadelphia had a very active and persecuting synagogue of Jews (known from history, also in Bible). In Rev 3:9 Jesus promises that God will humble them, make them bow and acknowledge that God loves the church.
• Laodicea had a strong Jewish settlement and population (at its peak over 11’000, as documented in history), which is not mentioned in Revelation, though.

Spiritual – Idolatry / Heathen Pressure

• Idol worship of the Greek, Roman or Persian type was found in every city and town.
• Pergamum had a huge Zeus and Jupiter temple (“Zeus is Savior”), a vast many-staired temple referred to as the throne of Zeus. Maybe this is what Jesus calls “the throne of Satan”. Pergamum also had a medical college worshiping Aesculapius (symbol of a snake on a pole).
• Thyatira and Laodicea had an Apollos temples, Ceasar was worshiped as a reincarnation of Apollos, which led to a combination of political and spiritual pressure, even more suffocating to the church.

Spiritual – Mystery cults

• Smyrna: Cybele cult, wild feasts.
• Thyatira: mainly Cybele.
• Philadelphia produced wine > Dionysos mystery cults.
• Laodicea: Cybele cult.

Spiritual – False Philosophies from without and false Teachers from within

• Greek philosophy
• Gnoticism, Doceticism, Ascetisicm, Libertinism, Nicolaitans, “Jezebel”
• Nicolaitans (mentioned concerning Ephesus and Pergamum), a libertine group, maybe tracable to one of the 7 deacons in Acts 6:5, Nicolaus. Some church history sources say he became a heretic, and “the Nicolaitans” refers to his disciples and later followers. Some say that this deacon’s words (“the flesh must be abused”) were later misinterpreted. There is little known about them but all sources agree on them practicing loose living, a life of unrestrained indulgence, debauchery, fornication and shameless. Maybe they combined their teaching with things like Ceasar cult, Zeus, Aesculapius and Athena cult and the trade guilds.
• Balaam’s teaching (weaken and deceive Israel by fornication, leading to the idol worship of Baal Peor, Num 22-25, 31). It seems to be associated with the eating of meat sacrificed to idols.
• Jezebel’s teaching. This must refer to an influential woman, a false prophet, who seems to have lead the church into fornication, adultery and the eating of meat sacrificed to idols, maybe in compromise with mystery cults or guilds. She is said to teach “the deep things of Satan”. The title Jezebel was most likely given her as she was an evil influence like the Jezebel of 1 Ki 16:31-2 Ki 9:37.

Questions arising when suffering

With the believers facing so much spiritual and economic pressure, and finding themselves as the enemies of state in a vast, powerful empire, their situation must have been dire indeed. When believers experience this sort of circumstances, what questions, doubts and feelings arise in their hearts? Here is a sampling:

• How long, Lord?
• How can God allow this? Does he not see? Does he not care? … doubts about God’s love
• How can God allow this? Why doesn’t he do anything? Is this beyond his control? How could he let this happen? Is he not powerful enough to stay this? To save us? … doubts about God’s power
• How can God tolerate evil? The innocent being persecuted? How can he allow this injustice? … doubts about God’s justice
• Is God angry with me? Have I sinned? Why should this come on me? Maybe he is finished with me? Why has he forsaken me? … Doubts about myself
• Why am I dying? What is the use? Is this worth it? How can God allow this senseless killing? If he is not good enough and powerful enough to do something about this, then why should I worship him? and lose my life for worshiping him? … doubts about religion and God in general
• What with those who died? Where are they now? Will God not vindicate them? Why is God not bringing about justice? Did these people die for their sin? Is God angry with them? Why is he not coming back as he said? … doubts about martyrs and Jesus’ second coming
• Revelation was given by God and written down by John precisely to answer these questions. The purpose of Revelation is to quieten these questions, to encourage and steady the believers.

What does a sorely and multiply afflicted believer or church need to hear?

• God is all-powerful. He is God. You didn’t sign up for the wrong religion. Nothing is outside of his control. Nothing that is happening to you did he not allow and can he not turn into something good.
• Nothing is arbitrary, senseless or by accident. You are no helpless ball tossed around. God’s hand is in everything. God remains just. He will judge evil ultimately. One day he will judge / avenge / right all wrongs.
• God is love. He has not forgotten you. He knows. He sees. He will turn everything into good.
• You are not the problem. God has neither forsaken you nor is unhappy with you. Those who are dying are not left by God or worse: guilty, on the contrary, they are the martyrs, giving their lives for God. He is honored through their faithfulness and patient perseverance and the sacrifice of their life. No one can show greater love than to die for a friend … or God. The blood of the innocently killed cries out to God. Martyrs go straight into the presence of God. He will bring about their vengeance and judge those who killed them.
• God is God. Jesus is Lord into all eternity. He is the lamb that was slain, worthy of our very lives and death. He is the conquering lion, sovereign, champion of all good, reigning in all eternity. Your hope is not failing. You didn’t sign up with a false religion. You will not be put to shame, not ultimately. He is the unchallenged, unmatched Lord of all, worthy of our lives and our deaths … > so be faithful even unto death, and he will give you the crown of life (Rev 2:10). God is honored by your faithfulness.
• This is the message of Revelation. If we understand this, we will understand Revelation: encouragement, reaffirmation, stability, perspective, faith and strength to endure to a persecuted church.

Founding of the seven churches

• The Ephesus church maybe planted as early as post-Pentecost, definitely by 50AD, by Priscilla and Aquila, who teach Apollos. Later Paul spends over 2 years there, teaching and preaching, making it a training center and launch pad for mission into all Asia. There is the Diana riot, much fruitful labor and much opposition. Timothy sent there for leadership in the sixties. Later John is moving there before the seventies.
• The five other churches are planted most likely during Paul’s 2 ½ years at Ephesus and evangelism and teaching thrust into Asia, or as a later fruit of that. See Acts 18:19 – 19:19.
• Smyrna only is mentioned in church tradition to have been founded later than Paul’s death.

The Strengths and Weaknesses of the seven churches

The literary structure of Revelation

Revelation is an epistle

• Revelation has an epistlolary frame in chapter 1-3, and at the very end in chapter 22.
• Revelation follows the common Greek letter writing style:
  • Rev 1:4         author and recipient
  • Rev 1:4-5     blessing
  • Rev 1:5-8     prayer
  • Rev 1:9         start of the main body
  • Rev 22:21    blessing
• There are seven individual letters to each church included in chapter 2 and 3.
• Revelation is a circular letter to the seven churches, all things said being public, rebukes and praises.

Revelation is a prophecy

• Identified as prophecy in Rev 1:3, 10:11, 19:10, 22:6, 22:10, 22:18-19.
• As a prophecy Revelation falls under 1 Cor 14:3: “all prophecy must build up, edify, encourage”. Contrary interpretations as missing the main point.
• Prophecy as can be seen from the Old Testament has several functions and parts, future predictions are a part but not the only part (and in a sense not even the most important part) of a prophecy.
  • 1 God’s interpretation of the past events … not so strong in Revelation
  • 2 God’s perspective / view on the present events … present in Revelation
  • 3 Predictions of future events, close by, mid-range, long-range … present in Revelation
• Prophecy in the Old Testament often contained visions, pictures, dreams, enacted symbols (dramatized communication) … Ezekiel laid on his side for months, prophesying to a miniature city … Isaiah walked for 3 years naked to symbolize the coming exile … some broke clay pots … some made yokes … Goal: getting the attention of unrepentant Israel.
• So: Revelation contains future predictions (about the end), but even more so it wants to help the readers understand the now, that is happening all around them.

Revelation is an Apocalypsis, a Stage Drama

• Apocalypse in English has become a very frightful word, one that makes people shudder … all the horrible things that will happen … futuristic films like ‘Apocalypse now’
• Apocalypse is Greek and means simply “unveiled, revealed, made clear, curtain removed” (like a bride’s veil lifted after wedding vows).
• Apocalypse means made clear, and is not meant to be cryptic, secret, only understandable by the initiate
• What is Revelation a revelation of? Very important question, we will keep coming back to it.
• apocalyptic writing is a literary form practiced inside and outside the Bible.
• Examples of apocalyptic writings outside the Bible: Book of Enoch, Apocalypse of Baruch, Book of Jubilees, Assumption of Moses, Psalms of Solomon, Testaments of the 12 Patriarchs, Sibylline Oracles, etc.
• There are similarities of Revelation to these other apocalyptic writings:
  • written in time of intense persecution
  • message in symbolic form
  • portrays conflict of good and evil using symbols / numbers / grotesque images (dragons)
  • angels guide the author
• But Revelation is different from other apocalyptic writings:
  • claims divine inspiration as a prophecy
  • author uses his own name
  • concerned with moral issues / call for repentance
  • not pessimistic
• Apocalyptic passages in the Bible: Daniel 7-12, Isaiah 24-27, Ezekiel many passages, Matthew 25:14-46, Mark 13:24-27, 1 Thess 4:13-5:11, 2 Thess 1:5-2:12 and Rev 4-22
• Apocalyptic is figurative writing and needs to be interpreted as such … Metaphors are sometimes hard for people who speak different languages, live in different parts of the world and have different backgrounds > be careful with interpretation
• Some characteristics of apocalyptic writings:
  • concern judgment, end and deliverance
  • written to people under persecution
  • depict the struggle of good and evil > the good triumph, the evil are judged
  • contains visions, symbols, pictures, dreams, …
  • nations, peoples, spiritual beings are often depicted as animals, like lamb, dragon, beast, locusts
  • God’s and Satan’s kingdom depicted as two women, the bride and the harlot
  • cataclysmic occurrences … thunder, hail, earthquakes, starts falling to show God’s power and judgements
  • numbers convey concepts, rather than accurate statistical units, 1000 means a very long time, 1/3 means a significant minority
  • highly structured
  • not chronological but repetition, jumping back, cyclical – spiral. Illustration: Rev 11:15 “the kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever” followed by Rev 12:3 “then a great red dragon … swept down a third of the stars … wants to devour the child” … We thought we were done! Actually the same final battle is described four times in Revelation! > do not create linear schedules!
  • pictures are to interpreted as pictures and not to be pressed for details, rather as a generous casting of images on our mental screen … otherwise Jesus drops the 7 churches unto John’s shoulder in Rev 1 … interpret pictures and symbols figuratively … Think about big thoughts, big feelings. What do the pictures evoke?
  • The purpose of apocalyptic writing is to encourage to hold on, to comfort in suffering, to strengthen perseverance, to assure that God is in control, to assure that all injustice will eventually be judged and all wrongs righted
• Illustration 1 Video Clip of Pink Floyd: The Wall ‘good bye blue sky’
• Illustration 2 Apocalyptic rendering of Bangladesh’s history since 1971

Numbers in Revelation

• Numbers in Revelation are symbolic, they convey concepts rather than accurate statistical units. Interpret accordingly!
• 2 is number of confirmation, strengthening of a testimony, making sure, reliable, strong, unity of witnesses: Only by the matching witness of two to three persons a truth is established in court (De 17:6, De 19:15, 2 Co 13:1, 1 Ti 5:19). If two or three agree in Jesus’ name, God will hear their prayer (Mt 18:20). Let two to three prophets speak (1 Cor 14:27,29). Jesus sends out the disciples two by two to preach. In Acts often two people together give a witness. In Revelation especially 11:1-13.
• 3 God’s number, the number of the Trinity, heaven’s number: God is the one who was, is and is to come.
• 4 Creation’s number, number of the created, physical world: God will gather the outcasts from the “four corners of the earth” (Isa 11:12). God will bring upon Elam the “four winds the four quarters of heaven” (Jer 49:36). “Come from the four winds, o breath, and breathe upon these slain” (Ez 37:9). “The four winds of heaven” (Zec 2:6). Many things in the temple have four legs or bases for practical reasons (Exo 25:12). Creatures “that walk upon all fours” (Lev 11:20). Ezekiel’s vision of the four living creatures, at the base of (or carrying) God’s throne with faces of a human, a lion, an ox, an eagle (Eze 1). Zechariah’s vision of four horns, four blacksmiths and four horsemen patrolling the earth (Zec 1:18-21, 6:1-8). Four things are a danger to humans (sword, famine, wild animals, pestilence in for example Eze 14:21). In Revelation four living creatures around the throne worshiping (Rev 4:6-8, a description very similar to Eze 1).
• 5 man’s number, human strength, human achievement, human will, often in contrast to God.
• 10 double human strength, human power, human government, often in opposition to God’s.
• 1000 very much, a very big number, a long time, fullness. One day is like a thousand years (2 Pet 3:8). In Revelation in 20:2-3 the thousand years.
• 7 Most important and good number in Jewish thinking. This number means God’s order, it means creation and God in unity, when God truly reigns over all things. Number of holiness, fullness, peace, well-being, salvation. Used 600x in the Bible, 54x in Revelation. There are 7 days in God’s week, 7 notes in music, 7 colors in the rainbow, 4×7 in a moon month, 4×7 in the female cycle. Jericho falls when 7 priests march 7 days around the city, blow 7 trumpets 7x on the 7th day (Jos 6). Syrian Naaman dips 7 times in the Jordan to be healed (2 Kin 5:14), etc.
• 12 Number of God’s people, of a godly community or society of humans, of God’s humans in God’s will. It is the full number of those belonging to God as in the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles of Jesus.
• 144000 = 12 x 12 x 1000. This number means the fullness of God’s people, the complete number of those belonging to God. It means the assurance that no one is missing or lost, all God’s people are included and present.
• 3 ½ for example 3 ½ years, 42 months, 1260 or 1290 days, or “two times, one time and half a time” (Dan 12:7), which also amounts to 3 ½ years. This is a number that is ‘unfinished’, it is not yet fulfilled, not yet complete, longing for God’s completion, hope of becoming God’s (7) completely. It has the nature of 7 but is not yet there. It’s the number of God’s humans in this world, experiencing struggles. Elijah’s drought was 3 ½ years, the time of temple desecration in Dan 12:7, 11: is 3 ½ years, Jesus ministered 3 ½ years. In Revelation it is the number of the church, the number of the church age. It is the promise of God bringing things to fullness and completion – soon.
• 6 number of bad luck, defeat in Jewish thinking. Feared number, superstition (like 13 today). 6 means to want to be big, but to fail, to miss the mark (sin = missing the mark), to want to be like God, but to fail. Number of sin, failure, defeat, evil.
• 1/3 ¼ meaning a part of all, a significant number, but not everybody or everything. In the Age of tension the partial judgments are described by a third or a fourth.

Purpose of Apocalyptic literature

• Apocalyptic literature is meant to encourage the God-fearing to be faithful, to hold out.
• Paulus says in 1 Thess 4:18 after an end-time passage: “Encourage one another with these words”.
• Many interpretations of Revelation go under the “please, panic!” category. If it makes you panic, you have not yet understood
• Revelation is meant to encourage the believers, and (if they were willing to hear it), challenge the unbelievers.
• But with our interpretations we do the opposite: The non-believers don’t take it serious, and the belivers scare each other!

Structure of Revelation

• Revelation is a highly structured drama with 7 acts with 7 scenes each.
• Maybe the high structuredness adds to the security and certainty of God’s control over human history and present events (like Lamentations: when all seems out of control, the Bible uses most highly structured texts)
• PICTURE

Composition

• Omnipresent septets
• Hebrew poetry and songs
• Constant use of Old Testament images, themes, allusions … but not so much as one single full quotation
• Using images of past catastrophes and judgments is the way we still talk “it was worse than the 88 flood”, “destruction like in the 91 cyclone”

Reminders of Genesis

Reminders of Exodus

• Rev 11:8       Egypt is the persecutor
• Rev 12:3 ff   Enemy depicted as dragon … Egypt described as dragon in Eze 29:3, Psa 74:13,
• generally      Plagues of water to blood, darkness, locusts, hail, boils, frogs etc. reflected in Trumpet and Bowl judgments
• Rev 15:3       the song of Moses and of the Lamb
• Rev 12:16     woman escapes and is nourished in the wilderness, like Israel fed by Manna
• Rev 12:16     earth opens up to swallow opposition, like in Korah’s rebellion
• Temple or Tabernacle items … Rev 1:12 golden lamp stands … Rev 2:17 hidden manna … Rev 4:6, 5:12 sea … Rev 6:9 altar …
  altar or incense … Rev 8:3-5 Altar of incense … Rev 11:1, 15:8 Holy of Holies … Rev 11:19 ark of the covenant.

Reminders of Babylonian Exile

• Rev 16:12    Euphrates dries up
• ch 17            Babylon falls, echoing Jeremiah’s and Ezekiel’s laments
• many allusions to apocalyptic Daniel and Ezekiel, both prophets to the Babylonian exile

Main Ideas and Topics in Revelation

• to be a disciple of Jesus includes the cross / suffering / persecution … like Jesus also endured, endure!
• to conquer means to hold on, to sacrifice, to endure, to forgive, to not deny under pressure
• God is almighty, just, loving and in control (though it looks like the opposite), he permits limited persecution for a time, but this will be nothing in comparison with his judgement / wrath with which he will judge all injustice.
• The martyrs are God’s heroes, by whose life he is honored, who are with him in heaven, whom he will vindicate

Main Reasons for writing Revelation

• to comfort those who are suffering, to encourage those under pressure to endure and not to deny
• to withstand false teachings, syncretism, immorality … to correct, exhort, warn and challenge the seven churches
• to reassure the persecuted church of God’s power and justice and love, to bring God’s eternal perspective
• to answer questions about martyrs and assure those left behind or dying next

4 BASIC STRUCTURE AND TIMELINE

• What end time scenarios have you heard preached? … Incredible amount of complicated eschatological itineraries
• much controversy around the exact sequence and even more conflict around where on the timeline we are exactly
• continual (and wrong!) predictions of when Jesus comes back … this easily happens if you assume revelation to be chronological, and not cyclical!
• The basic time line of Revelation is very simple, and is what Jesus already taught:

TIMELINE

Jesus’ first coming

• Jesus comes as child, becomes a man, lives 33 something years, ministers (gospels’ description), is tortured, crucified, dies and is resurrected, shows himself to the disciples and finally ascends to the Father.
• The kingdom of God is here, in your midst, it has started. Those believing are (not will be!) saved. “It is finished” > forgiveness and salvation has been accomplished on the cross, the resurrection has confirmed everything Jesus and the prophets claimed about the Messiah.
• The Holy Spirit has been poured out, the first church is planted, the word of God conquers hearts and world slowly (Acts). This starts of the so-called “Age of Tension” or “Church Age” or the “last days” as Peter calls it in his Pentecost preaching.
• The Holy Spirit has been poured out, the first church is planted,  the word of God conquers hearts and the world slowly (Acts). The church keeps growing and spreading … till today.
  • Acts 2:17       Peter quotes Joel, identifies the current time with “in the last days”
  • Heb 1:2          in these last days he has spoken to us though the son
  • 1 John 2:18  It is the last hour! As you have heard that antichrist is coming > so now many antichrists have come
• So our comfortable relegation of ‘those horrible end time happenings’ to the future are not really correct, it’s been the last days ever since Jesus came 2000 years ago. Peter and John were in the last days, so are we.
• Rev 6:1 – 14:13 … The church will suffer under ungodly political powers, ungodly economic powers, ungodly spiritual powers … some will die, all need to persevere, but there is an end, Jesus will come back and clean up the mess.
• This is true: the church throughout the last 2000 years has experienced great persecution and lived under great tension. Not at all times and in all places equally, but there always has been a great amount of political, economical and spiritual pressure on the church.
• It has been calculated that more Christians died in the 20th century for their faith than in all previous centuries together. And we may expect this to basically continue till Jesus comes back

Jesus second coming, the final judgment, the War, Lamb versus Satan

• Jesus 2nd coming: Jesus will come back completely differently from the first time, he will come back as King of kings and Lord of lords, as the lion of Judah, the victorious Lamb, the white rider on the horse
• He will fight the last and ultimate battle (though it won’t last even a second). He will defeat Satan with his breath. He will defeat Death, Hades and sin. He will come, the dead will all rise, the judgment of all men or all time will happen.
• The sinful world (physical and spiritual) as we know it will cease to exist.
• Rev 14:14-20:15 is a description of these cataclysmic events … it’s not something you could possibly miss.

Heaven, where God reigns and all is fulfilled

• Rev 21-22 … God creates a new heaven and a new earth. The physical creation is not abolished but re-created.
• Heaven and earth (all things) will be destroyed by fire (2 Pet 3), restored (Rom 8), changed in a moment (1 Cor 15), reconciled (Col 1)
• Creation of a new heaven and earth > fully ruled by Christ, the kingdom is fully come, paradise is restored, the way it should have been all along, completeness and perfection, peace and justice. God in full relationship with men. God is all in all.

CHAPTER 1 PROLOGUE

Introduction

• Rev 1:1        “Revelation (singular!) of Jesus Christ”, not ‘revelations about the end time’ … it’s to show Jesus, the Son of God, the worthy one, worthy of our faith, worthy or our life, worthy of our death, ultimately victorious, reigning Sovereign
• If we understand who he really is, we will be able to withstand the pressure or our time and see his hand in the current suffering.
• Rev 1:1        “to show what must soon take place” … soon, to be understood now, to be heeded now, not cryptic and sealed till 2000 years from here. The readers need to hear this, it’s necessary preparation for the hard times ahead … it’s a foretelling, a warning, an encouragement
• Rev 1:3        letters were read in the churches, many may have been illiterate, no copies readily available, blessed who reads, blessed who hears
• Rev 1:4        John, enough identification, enough authority
• Rev 1:4b      from the one who was and who is and who is to come … Creator, Lord of History, ultimate reality … triplet of past,
  present, future
• Rev 1:4-5     from God, from the seven spirits, from Jesus … the trinity. The 7 spirits: Is 11:2 … > 7 descriptions of the Spirit
• Rev 1:5b-6  to him who loved, freed, made us into a kingdom, made us priests serving the Father … glory and dominion … revelation is full of praise / worship / descriptions of God … stand amazed at your God! Revelation of God.
• Rev 1:7         A medley of Old Testament words … as there will be many, a collage of quotes and allusions from Dan 7:13, Zech 12:10-14.
• Rev 1:8        the Alpha and the Omega, first and last letter of the Alphabet, the beginning and the end, the owner of time, the Almighty … vistas of true spiritual reality, unclouded by current human affairs and prideful displays of power … again at the close of Revelation (Inclusio) in Rev 22:13.
• Rev 1:9        John, sharing in the persecution, the kingdom, the patient endurance … humble and uniting address … him also under persecution for the word > Patmos.
• Rev 1:10      in the spirit, heard a voice … the beginning of the vision
• Rev 1:11       for whom the vision is, designation of recipients, the ones whom Jesus knows, sees, cares about
• Rev 1:12-16 description of Jesus … descriptions of the indescribable! John is totally overwhelmed at seeing Jesus, revealed as God. This is the John who used to go pee with his buddy Jesus!
• alluding to Dan 7:9 (head and hair white as wool, snow, eyes like flaming fire … Da 7:13-14, Da 10:5-6, Ez 43:2).
• Attempt to interpret the metaphors … purity, holiness, power, aliveness, beauty, awesomeness
• Seven lamp stands, which turn out to be in Rev 1:20 the seven churches, John interprets important symbols
• seven stars … turn out to be the seven angels of the seven churches … stick to these!
• Picture of what? Jesus, walking among the churches, aware, present, sees, hears, holds them in his right hand …
• Picture of an invisible reality … God has not forgotten, he has not forsaken, he is very aware, very present
• Rev 1:17     if we see God > overpowered with awe … do not be afraid is appropriate to the reality of the Almighty
• Meaning of ‘angel’? … some say pastor of the church, letter bringer to the church, guardian angel of the church. Not conclusive

CHAPTER 2 & 3  LETTERS TO THE CHURCHES

Open letter phenomenon

• Clearly all letters were read by all churches. Laodicea will read what Smyrna got praised for and what Ephesus got rebuked for. And everybody else will read theirs. 7 times comes the sentence “Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches” (plural!). What can we learn from this?
  • We are meant to learn from each others strengths and weaknesses
  • Sin needs to be brought to light, even if shameful
  • to shame someone or to be shamed should not be thought of as the big thing (who told on me??), to repent is the big thing
  • Jesus does not demand sinlessness, but he demands repentance
  • the way of redemption is: confession > repentance > change
  • all do sin, confession creates a humility and an atmosphere where weakness can be shared

Regular pattern

• 1 recipient church’s
• 2 description of Jesus taken from 1:12-16 (the vision of Jesus)
• 3 praise for what is good
• 4 rebuke for what is bad
• 5 command or challenge
• 6 challenge to hear what the Spirit is saying
• 7 promise
• We will not look at the historic background and history of these seven churches:

Ephesus

• Historical Background of Ephesus
• Around 550 BC Croesus of neighboring Lydian kingdom annexes Ephesus, starts building an Artemis or Diana temple
• 334 BC conquered by Alexander.
• Later part of the neighboring Kingdom of Pergamum. Pergamum’s final king Attalus III bequeathed his whole empire to Rome after his death 133 BC.
• Port city on the mouth of the river Cayster, between a mountain range and the sea > highway into the interior of Asia
• Ephesus was the end of a trade route coming from the east (linked up with others) > important sea port to the Greece, Rome and the West in general
• It was a typically Greek city, became a free city (that is: a Roman city with special privileges like a city in Italy) and became the most important city in the Roman province of Asia and the center of the Roman Province Government
• It was a huge city of 3.3 lakh people, prominent, strategic, proud, rich
• By New Testament times, Ephesus was in decline because of the harbor silting up. Reasons were deforestation (timber & charcoal), and overgrazing by the Mediterranean goat > top soil slipped into the streams > swamps > river silting up.
• Despite the problems, great efforts were made to keep the harbour open in pre-Roman and Roman times. This was even more necessary as the sister port of Miletus had been irreparably damaged in war.
• Around 100 AD last attempts to save the harbor, still a center of tourism, living of past glory, but slowly declining
• 263 AD the Goths sacked Ephesus and destroyed the Artemis temple.

Spiritual Background of Ephesus

• Diana (Latin) or Artemis (Greek) temple and cult. Tradition said that a meteorite fell down here (Acts 19:35). Artemis was a fertility goddess, thought to be a supreme deity, feeding other gods.
• The temple was one of the seven wonders of the Ancient world. It was as big as a Olympic size football field, the greatest building in the Greek world, it took 220 years to build, of pure marble.
• A magnificent road 11m wide, lined with columns, ran through the city to the harbour.
• With the Artemis cult came a large silver smith guild, that produced silver Diana temple souvenirs (Acts 19:24-27). The deepening economic depression and decline made Ephesus’ tourism all the more important
• Ephesus was also a center of magic arts. Acts 19:13-19 indicates the influence of the gospel over this: many convert, burn their magic books worth 50’000 silver coins (daily wages), magic formulas, amulets, love potions, spells.
• Syncretism was also common. In Acts 19:13-16 the exorcists called “sons of Sceva” cast out demons in Jesus’ name, though they were not believers
• Emperor cult flourished at Ephesus, Caesar Claudius (41-54 AD), later Caesar Hadrian and Caesar Severus built temples to themselves in Ephesus.
• The great Ephesus theater seated 25’000 to 50’000 people – the scene of the riot around Paul in Acts 19:29-31.
• Jewish Historian Josephus says that Ephesus had a large colony of Jews. Since 200 BC Jews had slowly been moving to the area. The Jews had many privileges and much to lose, therefore they put forward Alexander the Jew, to make sure they were not associated as Jews with Paul the rabble rouser (Acts 19:33-34).
• Mystery religions were secret, elusive fellowships, brotherhoods with closeness of relationships, centered around a god, with its own mythology. The origin of mystery cults was in Egypt, Asia, Persia, Pakistan, Afganistan, … Importance of relationship with that god, of sensual / sexual / spiritual experiences, wild purification or initiation rites including sacrifices
• Ephesus was one of the darkest strongholds of that time.

Founding and history of the Church of Ephesus

• 30 AD          Acts 2:9 Church maybe founded as early as at Pentecost by Jews (having become believers) returning from Jerusalem … this would be 30 AD.
• 50 AD          Already on the 2nd missionary journey Paul was trying to head into Asia, but the Holy Spirit directed Paul to Macedonia and Greece instead in Acts 16:6-10.
• 52 AD          Acts 18:1-21 Paul pays a short visit at the end of his second missionary journey, leaves the couple Priscilla and Aquila to start to work. Paul had just worked with Priscilla & Aquila in Corinth for 1½ years, before that they were expelled from Rome. Aquila was a Jew originally from Pontus.
• Acts 18:24-28 … Apollos, a Jewish believer from Alexandria arrived in Ephesus, preaches eloquently at the synagogue, has converts but Apollos knows only till the baptism of John. Priscilla and Aquila teach and disciple him more. Apollos becomes an important teacher / apologist, later moves on to Corinth
• 53 AD           Acts 19:1-6 On his 3rd missionary journey Paul comes to Ephesus, finds believers who only know the baptism of John. Paul baptizes them in the name of Jesus and the Holy Spirit comes on them.
• 53-56 AD     Acts 19:8-10 On the 3rd missionary journey Paul spends 3 months teaching at the local synagogue, then over 2 years at the school of Tyrannus (Acts 19:8-9), teaching and preaching, making Ephesus his center.
• During this time major church planting in the Province of Asia > Acts 19:10 … “this continued for 2y, so that all the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord
• This means that also the seven churches of Asia of Revelation (Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamom, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadlphia, Laodicea were founded either by Paul or by people or teams he sent … as well as Colossae and Hierapolis (Col 1:6-7, 2:1, Acts 19:10).
• His teaching was very comprehensive. He says to the elders at Miletus, “I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable” (Acts 20:20) and “I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27), and “for three years I did not cease night and day to admonish everyone with tears” (Acts 20:31).
• He was plagued by the Jews (Acts 20:19). It seems that after the three months in the synagogue, the Jews started planning persecution and plotting trials. 2 Tim 4:14 … Paul warns Timothy of Alexander the copper smith, see riot.
• Great effect of the gospel: extraordinary miracles by Paul > deliverances of demons and healings even by handkerchiefs or aprons (Acts 19:11).
• People who were formerly involved in the occult were saved and openly repenting, burning their books. Fifty thousand pieces of silver would correspond to the daily wages of 50,000 workmen, equivalent to about 2 million US$.
• So many were being saved (and fearing God) that the sale of miniature idols was affected, putting silversmiths out of business (Acts 19:24ff). Demetrius called a trade union meeting > great stir > city was filled with confusion > crows to theater (the one holding 25’000) > found Paul’s traveling companions, Gaius and Aristarchus > shouting match in the theater > almost riot.
• The Jews, supposedly wanting to disassociate themselves from the Christians, put forward a spokesman, Alexander, but the crowd knew him to be a Jew, therefore shouted him down chanting, ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’
• It took the town clerk to quieten the crowd. He mentions that  “there are proconsuls”, a very uncommon plural > helps date the incident: 54 AD is the only time Ephesus had 2 proconsuls parallels (the two assassins of Silanus, the former proconsul and great-grandson of Augustus, by the command of Agrippina, mother of Nero).
• 55 AD … After this incident, Paul left Ephesus, never to return as far as we know.
• Paul mentions fighting with wild beasts at Ephesus (1 Cor 15:32), and utterly, unbearable crushed by affliction in Asia, that we despaired of life itself (2 Cor 1:8) could refer to the riot or imprisonment in Ephesus.
• 56 AD … Farewell speech to the elders at the end of the 3rd missionary journey in Miletus (Acts 20:19,21, 26‑28, 31‑35). Paul predicts and warns about false teachers from without and arising from within the church “Fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock, and from among your own selves will arise men speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after them”. (Acts 20:29‑30) … fulfills later with Timothy fighting false teachers.
• 62 AD … Paul sends them the circular letter “Ephesians”.
• 1 Tim 1:3 … He later leaves Timothy to pastor, lead and teach the church, and writes him “1 Timothy”, probably 64-65 AD.
• Peter writes “1 Peter” a circular letter to Asia Minor, Asia being one of the addresses … possibly also “2 Peter”
• After 70 AD (the destruction of Jerusalem) the Apostle John made Ephesus his head quarters or center, and was an elder of the church until his death (according to Irenaeus and Eusebius, later church historians).
• John wrote his “Gospel of John”, his letters 1 John, 2 John, 3 John and the book of Revelation to this area, probably 95-96 AD.
• Ephesus gets a personal letter Rev 2:1-7 … the church that was doing well. There was work, toil and patient endurance. They were exposing and rejecting false teachers and not growing weary. It does seem that their love had grown a little cold and needed to be rekindled (repentance called for!). One point in the church’s favor was that they hated the work of the Nicolaitans.
• 96 AD … The leading elder of the church of Ephesus after John’s death is called Onesimus.
• Later church history: Ephesus had a long line of bishops

Letter to Ephesus – Revelation 2:1-7

• Jesus’ self-identification: “who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lamp stands”
• Jesus praises the church for:
  • cannot tolerate evildoers … tested those claiming to be apostles but are not, have found them false > doctrinal purity
  • works, your toil, patient endurance, bearing up for the sake of my name, not grown weary
  • hate Nicolaitans
• Jesus rebukes the church for: abandoning their first love
• Jesus challenges the church: “remember from what you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first”
• Jesus warns the church: “If not, I will come to your and remove your lamp stand from its place, unless you repent”
• Jesus promises the church: “to everyone who conquers I will give permission to eat from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God”
• What can we learn from this letter? This church has a very impressive record, resonating with us. We may be very hardworking and faithful, but – scarily – it’s not enough. Passion for Jesus is essential. As good as it sounds, none of this would really last that long, definitely not into the second generation. How do I come back to first love? > Commit myself to God, commit yourself to relationship, to spending time with him.

Smyrna
Historical Background to Smyrna

• Today’s “Izmir”, the second largest city of Turkey.
• It was a city famous in antiquity for its beauty and buildings, with porticoes of columns winding up the mountain behind Smyrna in, looking like a crown. Jesus promises the crown of life in Rev 2:10 in an association to this.
• Smyrna, like Ephesus, was an early settlement and had a natural harbor, where the river Hermus and its valley touches the sea. It was the port connecting to a Roman trade route into the East.
• Smyrna became a competition to the neighboring kingdom of Lydia, with its capital Sardis, controlling the area further up the valley.
• In 600 BC Alyattes, the king of Lydia completely destroyed Smyrna and for 300 years it remained virtually uninhabited.
• Only when Alexander conquered the area, and later his general Lysimachus became the ruler of Asia Minor, he recognized the good location of Smyrna and rebuilt it 290 BC. This ‘resurrection from the dead’ Jesus probably refers to in Rev 2:8, calling himself the one who was dead and came to life.
• 195 BC … The competition with Sardis remained, and only through smart political manouvering could Smyrna retain its power: it early recognized Rome as the new rising power and allied itself with Rome before Rome was even a world-power.
• When finally all of Asia Minor came under Rome’s influence and rule (around 133 BC), this early friendship and alliance payed off in form of a favored status in the new Roman empire.
• Smyrna had libraries, museums, medical college, school of science, center of culture, yearly olympic games.

Spiritual Background of Smyrna

• Because of its friendship with Rome Smyrna quickly adopted the rising Emperor worship, it even competed with many other cities to become the site of the second Temple to Emperor Tiberius (23 AD) in Asia … and it won, beating Sardis.
• So Smyrna quickly became a major center of Emperor worship, and therefore also a center for the oppression of those who refused to joning the Emperor worship. In Rev 2:9-11 Jesus alludes to their affliction, and to people being imprisoned for their faith.
• Smyrna also had strong mystery cults, especially Cybele, with wild feasts associated.
• Smyrna also had a strong Jewish community whom Jesus calls “a synagogue of Satan” in Rev 2:9 because of their persecution of the church.
  Founding and history of the Church of Smyrna
• The New Testament doesn’t describe the founding of the church in Smyrna, neither are there other historical records. Presumably the church was founded during Paul’s 2 ½ years in Ephesus, when “all of Asia’ heard the word” as Acts 19:10 describes it. This would be around 53-56 AD.
• AD 155 … Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna and one of the last living disciples of John, dies a martyr’s death in this city.

Letter to Smyrna – Revelation 2:8-11

• Jesus’ self-identification to this church: “I am the first and the last, who was dead and came to life.”
• Jesus praises the church for: faithfulness in persecution
• Jesus rebukes this church for: Nothing!
• Jesus encourages the church: “I know your affliction, poverty… I know the slander of “Jews”, synagogue of Satan”.
• Jesus challenges the church: “Do not fear what you are about to suffer … Beware, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested and for ten days you will have affliction … Be faithful until death and I will give you the crown of life.”
• Jesus promises the church: “Whoever conquers will not be harmed by the second death.”
• It seems this church is in very difficult circumstances, more so than the other churches. It also is a younger, less established church yet facing more pressure. It may be less impressive looking than other churches, yet is doing very well!
• What can we learn from this church? To be doing well spiritually does not mean no pressure or persecution! Persecution is neither punishment, not proof of God’s disfavor, nor proof of our need for purification. Persecution is a normal part of Christian life … yikes. When suffering happens, see it with God’s eyes > right attitude within suffering (see 1 Peter): Recognize God’s love and care within it. Know that God has not fallen off the throne. See it as what it is: a chance to grow, to prove true, to witness to others even more powerfully, to glorify God. Pray for God to help you to see trouble and hard circumstances or persecution with his eyes. There is a mindset, attitude or way of looking at things that God will honor through a thousand odds (like Daniel, Joseph). There is a mindset, attitude or way of looking at things, which will make you move away from God even if he gives everything

Pergamum

Historical Background of Pergamum

• A city on top of a hill, around 3 miles from the river Caicus and 15 miles from the sea.
• The very name “Pergamum” means “height, elevated, citadel”, a city on top of a hill.
• The area was conquered 334 BC by Alexander, and after his death in 323 BC it fell to his general Lysimachus.
• In 282 BC Philetaerus of Pergamum revolted against the rule of the Lysimachus family and was able to make the area a independent kingdom with Pergamum as the capital.
• When the Seleucids of Syria tried to conquer the area in 190 BC, Pergamum and Smyrna were allies of Rome to check their advance and defeat them.
• In 133 BC the final king of the kingdom of Pergamum, Attalaus III, bequeathed his kingdom to Rome. So Pergamum was a very early and willing ally of the rising power Rome like Smyrna.
• The first temple in Asia for Emperor worship was built in Pergamum as early as 29 BC in honor of Rome and Ceasar Augustus.It included a loyalty test of burning incense at the foot of Caesar’s statue. Later more temples to later Caesars were built.
• It had huge library, medicine college that worshiped Aesculapius, whose sign was the snake on a pole (still today used as sign for medical science), it was famous for medicine and healing.

Spiritual Background of Pergamum

• Pergamum was a center of four of the greatest pagan cults, the cult of Zeus, Athena, Dionysos and Asclepius, each of which had a beautiful temple.
• The temple of Asclepius attracted sick people and invalids from all over Asia. The priests and physicians associated with the temple were given the remedies to heal their maladies by means of dreams.
• Pergamum had a great temple to Zeus (Jupiter), including a huge throne to Zeus with insciptions calling him the Savior. This is possibly the “throne of Satan” mentioned in Rev 2:13. The Zeus cult and the Emperor cult merged over time, so the throne of Satan could also refer to this combined cult of spiritual Zeus and political Emperor, with the refusal to burn incense to Caesar making one an enemy of the Empire.

Founding and history of the Church of Pergamum

• The New Testament doesn’t describe the founding of the church of Pergamum directly, neither are there other historical records. Presumably the church was founded during Paul’s 2 ½ years in Ephesus, when “all of Asia heard the word” as Acts 19:10 describes it. This would be around 53-56 AD.
• In such a center of Zeus and Emperor cult, it is not suprising that the first martyr of the church is mentioned in Rev 2:13 … First martyr: “Antipas my witness, my faithful one” … Jesus is commending him.
• The church of Pergamum has Nicolaitans mentioned in Rev 2:15, possibly a group that taught syncretism with the powerfully present pagan cults and Emperor worship. It possibly taught a compromise with the feasts of the trade guilds, which brings up the issue of food sacrificed to idols and fornication mentioned in Rev 2:14

Letter to Pergamum – Revelation 2:12-17

• Jesus’ self-identification: “him who has the sharp two-edged sword”.
• Jesus praises this church for: holding fast, not denying, martyr Antipas
• Jesus rebukes this church for: holding the teaching of Balaam (eating of food sacrifices to idols and immorality) and of tolerating the Nicolaitans
• Jesus encourages the church: “I know that you are living where Satan’s throne is. Yet you are holding fast to my name … you did not deny your faith even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you where Satan lives.”
• Jesus challenges the church: “You have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel, so that they would eat food sacrificed to idols and practice fornication.” And “you have also some who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans … repent then.”
• Jesus warns the church: “If not I will come to you soon ans make war against them with the sword of my mouth.”
• Jesus promises the church: “to everyone who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give a white stone, and on the white stone is written a new name, that no one knows except the one who receives it.”
• It seems the church is very mixed: on the one hand doing well under difficult circumstances, yet not rejecting wrong teachings. Jesus’ warning may not be as bad as it first sounds > Jesus will make war with his mouth, bringing truth, judging lies. The warning is of syncretism, of mixing things. Acombination of faith in Jesus and these cults cannot stand > awareness, conviction, challenge for them to get out.
• What can we learn from this church? We need to proactively, willingly and desperately embrace God’s truth and conviction. We need to be uncompromising in applying truth. We need to not compromise.

Thyatira

Historical Background of Thyatira

• Sitting on a Roman crossroad on a main road from Pergamum to Laodicea.
• In 334 BC the area was conquered by Alexander. His general Seleucius I made Thyatira into a strong military frontier garrison, since it was located on the northern border of his Kingdom.
• In 282 BC, when Philetaerus of Pergamum became independent of the Seleucian Empire, Thyatira became part of the Kingdom of Pergamum, of which it still was the northern frontier garrison.
• When Attelaus III, the last king of Pergamum bequeathed his empire to Rome in 133 BC, Thyatira came under Roman rule, was incorporated into the province of Asia and ceased to be a frontier under the pax romana.
• Thyatira was an important manufacturing center for military equipment, especially bronze armor. Rev 2:18 Jesus described as having burnished bronze feet and eyes like flaming fire (metal smelter).
• Thyatira had powerful trade guilds. As a normal craftsman to conform with the trade guild meant idolatry (worship of the trade deity) and immorality (at the required ceremonies and feasts). Work contracts were made at the temples during feasts. To not conform meant losing social acceptability and also business.
• Thyatira had vigorous commerce in various items, also pottery. It was especially famous for purple and crimson dye and fabric produced there. Purple was an expensive dye and considered a royal color/
• Thyatira used not the expensive shell-fish (murex) but madder-root as basis for its dye and thus competed with traditional purple dye. In Acts 16:14 Lydia of Thyatira, a dealer in purple cloth, hears the gospel from Paul in Philippi.
• Thyatira had a Jewish minority.

Spiritual Background of Thyatira

• Thyatira worshiped a war god, depicted as sitting on a horse with an axe in hand, a picture very similar to Jesus’ representation in Rev 19:11 ff. They valued strength and personal valor in battle. Once under Rome, pax romana put it at peace and it ceased being a frontier. Jesus’ promise in Rev 2:26-27 also uses military imagery.
• Jesus’ warning and rebuke about the church tolerating “Jezebel” (meaning an seductive, idolatrous, powerful woman, like Ahab’s wife Jezebel, see Kings) probably refers to a woman or women associated with the trade guilds’ idolatrous social feasts (since food sacrificed to idols and fornication are mentioned). Possibly these were simply powerful and seductive women associated with the trade guilds, or possibly they had been saved, but had not broken completely with their backgrounds.
• Thyatira also had a Temple to Apollos, a Greek god with its associated pagan cult. Eventually the Roman Emperor was seen as an incarnation of Apollos, thus the pagan cult and the modern political allegiances were combined to a stronger lie.
• Thyatira also had mystery cults, especially Cybele, associated with wild feasts, drunkenness and immorality.

Founding and history of the Church of Thyatira

• The New Testament doesn’t describe the founding of the church of Pergamum, neither are there other historical records.
• Possibly it was founded by Lydia, who in AD 50 converted in Philippi, and probably returned there (Acts 16:14).
• Possibly the church was founded during Paul’s 2 ½ years in Ephesus, when “all of Asia’ heard the word” as Acts 19:10 describes it. This would be around 53-56 AD.

Letter to Thyatira – Revelation 3:1-7

• Jesus’ self-identification to this church: “Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.”
• Jesus praises the church for: good works, love, faith, service, patient endurance.
• Jesus rebukes the church for: tolerating Jezebel (immorality, eating food sacrificed to idols, deep things of Satan).
• Jesus encourages the church: “I know your works, your love, faith, service, patient endurance … I know that your last works are greater than your first”. This is the opposite of Ephesus, they are doing better. “But to the rest of you, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call ‘the deep things of Satan’, I do not lay any other burden, only hold fast to what you have until I come.”
• Jesus challenges the church: “you tolerate Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet and is teaching and beguiling my servants to practice fornication … beware, I am throwing her on a bed, and those who commit adultery with her I am throwing into great distress, unless they repent of her doings and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve.”
• Jesus promises the church: “to everyone who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give a white stone, and on the white stone is written a new name, that no one knows except the one who receives it” … the real deep things!
• This church receives a warm recommendation and recognition of their faith and endurance and growth (unlike Ephesus, though otherwise similar description). But they are  being influenced, confused and even ravaged by a female false teacher. In the Old Testament idolatry is often described as fornication or adultery. Jesus uses very licentious words denouncing fornication, false teaching promoted by licentiousness, most likely initiation into special knowledge or special spiritual experience by fornication (similar to Artemis cult in Ephesus and the teaching of some gnostics).
• What can we learn from this church? Jesus gives a sore warning of following teachings that promote the lower impulses, though obviously there is a strong pull. Anything that sells spirituality without addressing the sin of the heart is a trap. This is a warning of sexual immorality, period.

Sardis

Historical Background of Sardis

• Sardis was located on the slope of Mount Timolus, as a citadel and place of refuge in a wide valley. Its acropolis was on one of the spurs of the mountain and round the walls at the base of the city flowed the river Pactolus, protecting it from conquest, and also famous for containing gold.
• The city was located in a fertile area, and on a major Roman crossroads, controlling its trade.
• It was one of the oldest and most important cities of Asia Minor and the capital of the Lydian Empire.
• It was proverbially rich, and the first center to produce its own silver and gold coins.
• Sardis’ richest and most famous king was Croesus, whose rign was abruptly brought to an end by the Persian king Cyrus besieging and conquering Sardis in 549 BC.
• The conquest happened by Persian soldiers climbing a precipitous rock incorporated into the city’s walls. Thus it was a courageous surprise attack that brought down great Sardis.
• Greece’s Alexander conquered the area in 334 BC and the city fell to Alexander’s general Seleucius.
• In 282 BC, when Philetaerus won independence from the Seleucids, Sardis became part of the independent kingdom of Pergamum.
• In 214 BC the Seleucids tried to recapture Sardis, and managed to enter the city by a suprise attack, by the exact same precipitous climb as in 549 BC.
• It remained under the Kingdom of Pergamum and together with that Kingdom came under Roman rule in 133 BC.
• In 17 AD it was devastated by an earthquake, and though Emperor Tiberius contributed massive funds to its rebuilding, it never recovered its importance.
• Sardis had highly developed crafts and arts, produced dyed wool.

Spiritual Background of Sardis

• Sardis had a temple to Cybele, with its associated cult of immorality and drunkenness. In Rev 3:4 Jesus refers to those who have not soiled their robes, probably referring to some in the church not compromising with the surrounding cults. In Rev 3:5 he promises to clothe them in white robes and to confess their name before the Father.
• Sardis competed with other cities to become the site of a great temple to the Roman Emperor and a center of its cult. They lost to Smyrna.
• Sardis was famous for power and wealth, but also for arrogance, pride and presumption … an being fooled by surprise attacks. In Rev 3:1 Jesus refers to this presumption by saying they have a reputation of being alive, but they are dead. Rev 3:3 describes Jesus coming like a thief (surprise) to judge them.

Founding and history of the Church of Sardis

• The New Testament doesn’t describe the founding of the church of Pergamum, neither are there other historical records. Presumably the church was founded during Paul’s 2 ½ years in Ephesus, when “all of Asia’ heard the word” as Acts 19:10 describes it. This would be around 53-56 AD.

Letter to Sardis – Revelation 3:XXXX

• Jesus’ self-identification to this church: “him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.”
• Jesus praises the church for: the few pure ones left.
• Jesus rebukes the church for: being alive in name but they are dead.
• Jesus encourages the church: “Yet you have still a few persons who have not soiled their clothes, they will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.”
• Jesus challenges the church: “Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God … remember then what you received and heard; obey it and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.”
• Jesus promises the church: “If you conquer, you will be clothed like them in white robes, and I will not blot your name out of the book of life; I will confess your name before my Father and before his angels.”
• It seems the Sardis was a church of not much pressure, persecution or trouble, yet weak, dying … who says it depends on circumstances? Jesus graciously gives the promise of white robes, of forgiveness, purity, of restored freshness even to the less than passionate, the shallow.
• What can we learn from this church? We say it depends on circumstances. Here it absolutely doesn’t. No challenge to this church mentioned whatsoever! It also shows that a church’s reputation may or may not be accurate. Smyrna had the reputation of being poor, Sardis has the reputation of being alive … both were wrong. Don’t worry about reputation, only worry about reality. No false security in good looks, good accomplishments, in doing reasonably well. This is a warning about half-heartedness, shallowness, being happy with the status quo, keeping up the traditions and appearances.

Philadelphia

Historical Background of Philadelphia

• The name of the city “Philadelphia” means brotherly love. It was founded by Attalus II (159-138 BC) king of Pergamum and received its name because of Attalus’ devotion to his brother Eumenes.
• Philadelphia is located on a terrace above a fertile high plain, on a Roman Road leading down to Sardis. It was a center of trade. Its main crop were grapes, and therefore wine.
• The city was called “little Athens” because of the magnificence of its temples and public buildings.
• Philadelphia was also on the border of a large area of recent volcanic rock that was called “burnt land”.
• The area is also prone to earthquakes, and Philadelphia was repeatedly destroyed, the most devastating earthquake being the one of 17 AD.
• In Rev 3:12 Jesus promises the faithful church: I will make you into a pillar in the temple of God, and you will never go out of it. This picture of stability and safety contrasts with the Philadelphian experience of fleeing crumbling buildings during earthquakes.
• The Emperor Tiberius provided generously for its rebuilding. In gratitude the city of Philadelphia was almost renamed “Neo-ceasarea”. Later it was renamed Flavia, after another Ceasar.
• In Rev 3:12b Jesus promises them : I will write on you the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem that comes down from my God our of heaven, and my own new name… probably an allusion to there attempted name changes.

Spiritual Background of Philadelphia

• Associated with the wine production was Philadelphia’s chief deity Dionysos (Greek) or Bacchus (Latin) the god of wine, its cult associated with drunkenness, feasting and immorality.
• Philadelphia had an active and persecuting synagogue of Jews known from history In Rev 3:9 Jesus promises the persecuted church: … I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but are lying – I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you..
• Philadelphia was the last city to fall as an island in the Muslim conquest of the area some 600 years later. Jesus’ promise of an open door which no-one can shut … a Christian church till today.
• Founding and history of the Church of Philadelphia
• The New Testament doesn’t describe the founding of the church of Sardis, neither are there other historical records. Presumably the church was founded during Paul’s 2 ½ years in Ephesus, when “all of Asia’ heard the word” as Acts 19:10 describes it. This would be around 53-56 AD.

Letter to Philadelphia

• Jesus’ self-identification to this church: “the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens”.
• Jesus praises the church for: keeping my word, not denied, patient endurance.
• Jesus rebukes the church for: Nothing, he describes them as having little power.
• Jesus encourages the church: “I know your works. Look, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut … I know that you have but little power, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name … I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but are lying – I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. Because you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.”
• Jesus challenges the church: “I am coming to you very soon, hold fast to what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.”
• Jesus promises the church: “If you conquer, I will make you a pillar in the temple of my God; you will never go out of it. I will write on you the name of my God, and the name of the city of my god, the new Jerusalem that comes down from my God our of heaven, and my own new name.”
• This is again a church under great pressure (Jews, mystery cults probably), but there is faithfulness and endurance. The church receives a wonderful promise of open doors, of lasting, of stability, or eternity.
• What can we learn from this church? Great power is not the measure of how well a church is doing! You don’t have to do powerful things, but you need to be obedient, persevering and loving God. Also: Pressure is not the proof that something is wrong. There is nothing wrong with this church. This shows the great importance of holding on, persevering, being faithful, having faith … see also Hebrews.

Laodicea

Historical background of Laodicea

• Laodicea was founded by the Seleucid Antiochus II (261-246 BC) and named it after his wife Laodice.
• Laodicea is located on the main East-West trade route, at an important crossroads. Earlier Colossae had been the crossroads, but through a redirection of roads Colossae lost importance and Laodicea became the new center in the Lycus valley.
• After 133 BC, when the area came under Roman rule, Laodicea became an important military outpost and trade center. The goods the Romans exploited from Syria and Palestine went through Laodicea, which exacted taxes. It was a center for banking and money exchange and boasted voluminous trade.

Spiritual background of Laodicea

• Laodicea had a temple to Apollos. Later when Emperor worship arose, these two were merged by worshiping the Caesar of Rome as an incarnation of Apollos, uniting spiritual and political weight.
• Laodicea had mystery cults, especially the Cybele cult, which was associated with wild feasts, drunkenness and immorality.
• It also had a strong Jewish community, numbering at one time 11’000 people. Religious freedom was granted them.
• Laodicea was so rich that after an earthquake in 60 AD, they refused money from Emperor Nero and rather rebuilt the city with their own funds. This pride, independence and self-sufficiency Jesus picks up on in Rev 3:17-18 “For you say, ‘Iam rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.’ You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by the fire, so that you may be rich …”
• Laodicea had an important medical university, especially famous for eye-cures or eye ointments.
• Laodicea is located in a fertile area and produced fine black, shiny wool and black cloth from its sheep. They also produced purple dye (the royal color) and exported purple cloth.
• Rev 3:17-18 “For you say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.’ You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by the fire, so that you may be rich; and white robes to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen; and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see…” Jesus is extremely specific in his rebuke to this city, playing on their riches (<=> poor), their black and purple cloth (white robes, covering shame), their famous eye (salve so that they see)!
• Laodicea had no permanent water supply and had to bring in water from surrounding springs. Some of the springs in the area were hot springs. Aquaeducts were built to bring in cold drinking water and hot spring water, both ended up being lukewarm by the time in reached the city.
• Jesus in his rebuke in Rev 3:15-16 picks up on this metaphor … I know your works; you are neither cold not hot, I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Founding and history of the Church of Laodicea

• The New Testament doesn’t describe the founding of the church directly. Presumably the church was founded during Paul’s 2 ½ years in Ephesus, when “all of Asia’ heard the word” as Acts 19:10 describes it. This would be around 53-56 AD.
• Most likely Epaphras is the founder of the Laodicean church. He is, a convert of Paul from Colossae (Col 4:12), who is explicitly mentioned to have founded the Colossian church (Col 1:7). Paul recommends him as one fervently praying for those in Colossae, Laodicea and Hierapolis (all three cities are located in the same valley). As founder he probably feels a real burden and responsibility for them.
• Paul also mentions having written a letter to Laodicea in Col 4:16. This letter is probably lost. Some people think it was the circular letter “Ephesians”.

Letter to Laodicea – Revelation 3:XXXXX

• Jesus’ self-identification to this church: “the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the origin of God’s creation.”
• Jesus praises this church for: Nothing!
• Jesus rebukes this church for: being lukewarm, proud, self-sufficient … yet wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, naked.
• Jesus’ encouragement to this church: None!
• Jesus has lots to say challenging this church: “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or not. So, because you are lukewarm, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, I need nothing. You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich and white roves to clothe you and to keep away the shame of your nakedness from being seen and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. I reprove and discipline those whom I love. Be earnest, therefore, and repent. Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in tho your and eat with you and you with me.”
• Jesus does express a promise to them, though: “to the one who conquers I will give a place with me on the throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.” So Jesus holds out hope to them, but he tells them to be serious.
• This church receives the most sore shake up, the most severe warning of all 7 churches. It is scary to notice that they see themselves completely wrong … whether others saw them wrong is another question, – sometimes reputation lasts longer than reality (see Sardis). Jesus uses all metaphors available, hits as close to home as possible to save some.
• What can we learn from this church? A self-pleasing attitude, pride, self-sufficiency, half-heartedness are strong and real enemies, precisely because they are so hard to notice in oneself – though others don’t find it hard to pick up on them. Illustration from medicine: TB and Leprosy are exactly that: diseases that are slow and therefore hard to notice. This is a warning to watch our lives, attitudes and behavior carefully … where am I seeing symptoms of one of these diseases? This also shows the need for other, feedback, correction … we cannot see it alone, we need to live in community, we need to rub edges, we need to prove spirituality in daily co-living. People being “islands”, alone are a danger unto themselves. Humility is not nice, it is essential for health.

CHAPTERS 4-22 – THE APOCALYPSE

The passages that “set the scene” > Throne of God

• Revelation is arranged like a drama in seven acts, with every act having 7 scenes. Every act has a passage that “sets the scene” for the act to come, giving the background or the anchor to the scenes to come.. Following are these “introduction passages” arrayed together:
• First Act: Rev 1:12-20 … Jesus walking among the lamp stands (churches), holding stars in his right hand (angels of churches)
• Second Act: Rev 4:1-7 … Open door … throne …one seated on it (> God the Father) …24 elders (12 tribes, 12 apostles) …7 spirits of God (> Holy Spirit) …sea … 4 living creatures (similar to Ezekiel, creation,  nature, living beings).
• There is worship Rev 4:8-11 … “Holy, holy, holy” > probably a reference to the Trinity …“Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come” (a triplet, past-present-future, Lord of time and history) … description of four living creatures and 24 elders … “You are worthy for your created all things, by your will they existed” … God worshiped as Creator.
• Rev 5:1-5 … sealed scroll (like in Ezekiel 2:9, Zech 5:1-3) … with 7 seals (>later broken > this will be in the next act) … “who is worthy? … no one … John weeps … > Lion of the tribe of Judah” (Gen 49:9) … “the Root of David” (Is 11:10) has conquered (a reference to the cross) he is worthy and able.”
• Rev 5:6-10 … Lamb as if it had been slaughtered (>contrast to worth/power) … 7 horns, 7 eyes (> godly power, godly knowledge) … takes scroll from God the Father … 24 offer prayers of the saints … worship of the lamb: were slaughtered, ransomed saints from every tribe … made them a kingdom and priests, reign on earth …
• Rev 5:11-14 … many angels, 4 creatures, 24 elders, myriads and thousands worshiping … worthy is the Lamb … then every creature in heaven and on earth and under earth and in sea … honor to the one the throne and the Lamb
• The seven seals will be broken > turn out out to be 7 judgments … so much crying & desire for judgment? The Lamb bringing judgment? What does this show us about God’s judgment that we don’t yet understand?
• Third Act: Rev 3 8:2-6 … 7th seal is 7 angels with 7 trumpets > next act / set of judgments … another angel with censer before golden incense altar offering prayers of the saints … rise before God … coal from altar thrown onto earth …
• Meaning? … God’s control over everything … importance of prayer … prayers before God …. power of prayers
• Fourth Act: Rev 4 11:19 … God’s temple in heaven opened … ark of covenant seen (not normally! Means the curtain is ripped!) … thunder / hail … Meaning? The way to God is open, access ready … Heb 4:16 come before the throne of mercy with boldness … Is the open door good? Or bad? Should God intervene on the earth? Or not? Is judgment good? Or bad?
• Fifth Act: Rev 15:5-16:1 … temple / tent of witness opened … out come seven angels with seven plagues … in bright white linen (> purity, holiness, godliness, this judgment is from God, meted out in justice) … given bowls full of wrath (> next act, starting final judgment) … smoke: glory and power of God (> Ex 40, 1 Chr, Is 6) overwhelming presence of God) … nobody could enter temple till plagues were ended … God’s righteous wrath now poured out.
• Parenthesis: Rev 17:1 … judgment of the great whore … vision of the whore … human political power yielding their power and authority to the beast on whom the whore sits … war on the Lamb … whore = great city …
• Sixth Act: Rev 19:11-16 … heaven opened … white horse with Jesus, called faithful & true … in righteousness he judges & makes war … eyes of fire, many diadems, name that only he knows inscribed … robe dipped in blood (> Is 63), The word of God … armies of heaven in fine linen, whit and pure follow on white horses … mouth > sharp sword … > strike down nations, rule them with iron rod (> Ps 2:8) … tread the wine press (Is 63, picture of final judgment) … King of kings and Lord of lords.
• Seventh Act: Rev 7 21:1 … a new heaven and a new earth … all restored, all reconciled, all fulfilled

Significance

• Why these setting scenes? What does it do to the reader? What do they want to show?
• Before the next round of difficult happenings, our eyes are drawn up, looking up, seeing God, seeing the reality behind the reality
• This is what revelation is revealing: that God is sovereign and in control over world history, over the stage called earth, fully present, fully aware, fully in charge
• Revelation not primarily of what will happen when (and what’s the name of the second beast), but of the God who own and writes history, the God who is deeply involved, who will bring justice, who holds all of mankind in his hand.
• Pictures of power, of comfort, of assurance

REPEATED THEME OF MARTYRS

• Rev 2:13         Pergamum’s Antipas is the first to die for his faith
• Rev 6:9           the martyrs are under the altar, crying out for vindication, judgement on those who killed them. Given white robes and told to rest a little longer, until the full number of martyrs has come in.
• Rev 11:7-13    two witnesses, testifying, being attacked, dying, then resurrected, caught up to heaven
• Rev 12:17       dragon makes war on the children of the woman (=believers)
• Rev 12:11       but they have conquered him by the blood / their testimony, for they did not cling to life even in the face of death … they are the true heroes
• Rev 13:7        first beast allowed to make war on the saints
• Rev 13:10      here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints … calling for what the martyrs successfully did.
• Rev 14:12      another call for endurance
• Rev 14:13     “Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord.” “Yes”, says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them”… assurance to future martyrs
• Rev 17:6         the whore Babylon is drunk with the blood of the saints and witnesses to Jesus
• Rev 17:13-14 kings of the earth, united by beast, make war on the the Lamb and his followers
• Rev 20:4       John sees those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and didn’t worship the beast … came to life and reigned with Jesus 1000 years.
• Rev 20:9       Satan and deceived nations make war on the saints

Significance

• the church had its first martyr already, severe persecution is predicted, there may be more shortly.
• Questions in their minds: “Why did God allow them to be killed? Isn’t God powerful enough to prevent this? Isn’t God more powerful than the human governments / the emperor? Has this person sinned? Has God punished him? Abandoned him? Where is he now? Is he with God? If he had enough faith, wouldn’t God have saved him? If we prayed enough, would God have spared him?”
• Giving assurance:
  
  • the martyrs are very much with God, at the altar, in the middle of the happening, resting, waiting
  • the martyrs are said to have died for Jesus’ testimony / for the word of God … not for any sin / weakness / failure / power of governments
  • the martyrs will be vindicated by God, their oppressors will be judged, wrongs will be righted > no need to take vengance yourself.
• All saints are called to testify, to endure, to hold on to the faith, to do good in the face of evil … for some this will mean death, for others suffering.
• Like Jesus like his followers

REVELATION 6:1-17 SEVEN SEALS

• process: lamb opening first seal … first living creature: come! … first horse
• Why this process? What impression does that give? What does it show to the reader?
• It’s all highly controlled, fully in the center of attention, from the throne of God, Jesus initiating, … God, the Lord of history, who moves around pieces on a chess board … complete power, complete attention, complete sovereignty.
• 1st seal: White horse: rider has a bow, a crown was given him, came out conquering and to conquer … Rome
• 2nd seal: red horse, rider permitted to take peace from the earth > slaughter one another … war, unpeace, conflict between humans, criminality, cruelty, shedding of blood, death … physical persecution
• a consequence of ungodliness is all the above
• 3rd seal: black horse, scales in hand, quart of wheat, 3 quarts of barley for day’s pay, oil and wine undamaged
• prices soaring, inflation, food swallows higher percentage of income … economical persecution
• why oil and wine untouched? … partial judgment only. Wheat, oil and wine = main foods = rice, dal, tea for Bangladesh = Bread, cheese, milk for Europe.
• Maybe also: more luxurious items less touched. Maybe manipulation of markets in favor of the rich.
• 4th seal: pale green horse, Death, Hades following (!), authority over a fourth of earth, kill with sword, famine, pestilence, by wild animals … Death by disease, malnutrition, by criminality, by war, by nature … war and natural catastrophes.
• A fourth? A third? … partial judgment only. God limits judgment, this is not so final judgment with re-establishing justice, … this is letting people know where ungodliness leads … still church age
• 5th seal: under the altar the souls of those slaughtered for the word or testimony … how long will it be before you judge and avenge? … white robe, rest a little longer till number would be complete of their fellow servants and other martyrs
• Martyrs are directly in God’s presence, right before him, resting, God pays special attention, they will be vindicated and avenged, clothed in white robes (honor, purity, function?)
• Rest a little longer, until number complete > more will become martyrs, more will join that special group, maybe the readers themselves. This is where Antipas is, this is where the readers may soon be
• 6th seal: earthquake, sun black, moon like blood, stars fell, sky vanished, mountains & islands removed. Kings, rich, slave, free hide in caves … fall on us and hide us from the face of the one on throne and from the wrath of the lamb
• Picture of God’s judgment on the powerful, the rich, who will not be able to escape God and judgment ultimately
• 7th seal: 8:1 silence I heaven for about half an hour.
• Why silence? … remembrance, seriousness, attention and importance given, heaviness, no easy, light absentmindedness in judging in God

REVELATION 7:1-17 CHURCH INTERLUDE: 144’000 SEALED / MULTITUDE

• Rev 7:1-3 four angels at corners of the earth holding back winds, given power to damage the earth, told to hold off till God’s servants are marked with a seal on their foreheads.
• Destruction of the earth as such stayed
• 144’000 servants of God marked with seal on forehead, 12’000 out of each tribe.
• Literal interpretation? Jehovah’s witnesses interpreted that literally … until their numbers exceeded 144’000 … I don’t know what they teach now.
• Seal on forehead … interpreted to be some special protective intervention of God.
• Contra literal interpretations: Eph 1:9, 4:30 … all believers are marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit as pledge, guarantee of our redemptio, inheritance
• How about the numbers? Well, Israel already at Moses or Joshua’s time counted many times this number (2 Millions), and this presumably are meant to be those who obeyed God throughout history. Also the size of the tribes was very varied. Also, actually, one tribe is not on the list, Dan, his place is taken by Manasseh.
• Worse: Rev 14:1-5 we are given another description of the 144’000 … singing the new song, redeemed from the earth, not defiled themselves with women, virgins, follow the lamb wherever he goes, redeemed from humankind as first fruits for God, no lie in their mouth, blameless.
• Not many of us in that group. Not many Jews either, no women! … do not interpret in a way that contradicts New Testament!
• Rev 7:9 … great multitude, uncountable, from every nation, all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches, praising the Lamb
• Interpret figuratively: The 144’000 are the full number of those obeying God under the Old Covenant, the multitude is the full number of those obeying God from under the New Covenant. Jews and Church. Parallel to the 24 elders, 12 tribal fathers plus 12 apostles.
• The description of the two groups largely overlap, the 144’000 are described in very much New Testament church terms in chapter 14.
• In common: full numbers, robed in white, redeemed out of humankind, blameless, pure, virgins, no lie, fully justified, fully redeemed, fully following and worshiping the Lamb.
• The church is saved out of the world, the 144’000 are saved presumably out of Israel. The Savior in either case is the Lamb.
• Some interpret that having Jewish blood will in itself get you salvation (based on Romans 9-11), I do not agree. Both under the Old Testament and the New Testament there were those who heard and believed and obeyed and there were those who didn’t. No automatics on either side. Old Testament prophets call some of their Jewish contemporaries ‘irreversibly joined to idols’, Jesus calls some Pharisees ‘children of Satan’. Jesus will get you salvation, no racial ancestry.
• What the 2 pictures show, I think is: Whether you were an Old Testament person, looking forward in faith that God would grant a Messiah to deal with sin in the future, or whether you are an New Testament person, looking back in faith to what Jesus did on the cross, doesn’t matter. Both are saved by faith through grace.
• Having that sorted: What does this passage reveal, show or want to convey?
• Full numbers, not one missing, all accounted for, saved, justified, blameless, before God, loving and worshiping the one who won their hearts …
• Assurance of right faith … assurance that this present suffering is nothing compared with eternal glory … Jesus is it. Do not deny, do not jump off. There is no other. Your choice will be eternally vindicated.
• Assurance that you will make it, all will be there, there will be grace enough, strength enough, others have gone before, grace was sufficient for them, it will be sufficient for you …

REVELATION 8:2 – 9:21 SEVEN TRUMPETS

• Rev 8:2-6 Setting, 7 angels lining up, 7 trumpets given to them, standing ready. Other angel with golden censer at altar before throne, offering incense with prayers of all the saints, thrown censer coals on earth > thunder, lightning, earthquake. 7 angels ready to blow
• again very organized, drama-like, very controlled, before the eyes of God. No chaos, no arbitrary happenings, no bad luck, no removed God
• prayers of saints are honored, given importance, seen, heard
• Trumpet judgments are partial, and parallel with Egypt’s plagues
  
  • Trumpet 1 > land > 1/3 of earth / trees / grass destroyed (like Egypt’s 7th plague, hail destroying crops)
  • Trumpet 2 > sea > 1/3 blood, 1/3 sea creatures, 1/3 ships destroyed (like Egypt’s 1st plague)
  • Trumpet 3 > rivers / springs > 1/3 water becomes wormwood (like Egypt’s 1st plague)
  • Trumpet 4 > sun / moon / stars > 1/3 darkened (like Egypt’s 9th plague)
  • Trumpet 5 > demonic locusts tormenting men (like Egypt’s 8th plague)
  • Trumpet 6 > army from Euphrates kills 1/3 of humankind (like Egypt’s 2nd plague)
  • Trumpet 7 > voices, storm, earthquake, hail (like Egypt’s 7th plague)
• again: third, fourth depict partial judgments, versus full  and final judgment
• 1st trumpet: hail and fire, mixed with blood > third of earth burned up, third of trees, third of green grass
• reminds of Egypt’s plague. Partial destruction of earth, here focusing on soil, fertility, vegetation, … indirectly food production … Brazil’s rain forest destruction, Waldsterben, erosion of top soil in Nepal, lost fertility in the southern ex-Soviet Union, reduced fertility all are variations of this 1st trumpet.
• These things are happening in the church age, we are in the blue. Cause & Effect or God’s judgment? Is cause & effect God’s judgment? Pictorial way to say that this is what will happen is humans sell their lives to Satan and disobey God’s commands.
• 2nd trumpet: great, burning mountain thrown into sea > third of the sea blood, third of living creatures in sea died, third of ships were destroyed.
• Sea water pollution, over fishing, naval disasters, titanic, reduction of species in the waters, dead coral reefs, whale extinction …
• 3rd trumpet: blazing star (wormwood) fell from heaven on to third of rivers / springs > third of water became wormwood, many died from water
• Drinking water turned bitter, unclean, poisonous … lack of clean drinking water, lack of water in general, water-borne disease, Arsenic in Bangladesh, Cholera in Mozambique, water lack in Subsahara, water conflicts like Turkey-Irak or India-Bangladesh.
• 4th trumpet: third of sun, moon and stars struck, third of light darkened, third of day kept from shining, also night
• cosmic upheaval, reduced sunlight, radiation, meteorites, … Kaeltetod, Waermetod?
• Rev 8:13 … 3 Woe announcement by eagle: shows pictorial, memorable, imagination-stinging nature of apocalyptic literature
• 5th trumpet: star had fallen from heaven to earth > given key to bottomless pit, opened > smoke, sun darkened, locusts with authority of scorpions > damage grass, green growth, tree, torture by sting, but only those without seal. Afflicted seek death but won’t die. King of the locusts: Abaddon or Apollyon (meaning destruction, destroyer).
• Only those without seal. God protects his saints, limits pressure. Nightmarish pictures
• 6th trumpet: 4 angels released, kill a third of humankind, 200 Mio cavalry, riders on horses (horse’s head: fire, smoke, sulphur = plagues that kill a third of humankind, horses’s tails inflict harm), those not killed by plagues did not repent of works of their hands or give up worshiping demons and idols, murder, sorcery, fornication, theft.
• How do we understand the 5th and 6th trumpet? … evil humans will suffer judgment (partial though still) … Rome will have an end … attacks of long fair-haired northern Germanic tribes … attacks from the countelss peoples of the east … there is a chance to repent (like Pharaoh) … like Pharaoh in the end all have to acknowledge God’s sovereignty

REVELATION 10:1-11:14 2nd WOE, CHURCH INTERLUDE, SCROLL, 2 WITNESSES

• Rev 10:1-11 mighty angel with little scroll, shouts, 7 thunders shout, their message not be written, angel swears: no more delay, when 7th angel blows trumpet, God’s mystery will be fulfilled, John eats scroll > sweet in mouth, bitter in stomach, John must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, kings.
• Here something is sealed away indeed! Unlike Revelation as a whole … don’t buy a book that tells you what the thunders said!
• Scrolls being eaten reminds of Ezekiel
• John must keep prophesying
• Rev 11:1-2 John measuring temple, altar, worshipers, but not court, nations will trample over holy city for 42 months.
• Rev 11:3-6 God grants authority to witnesses to prophesy for 1260 days, wearing sackcloth. = two olive trees = two lamp stands. Those wanting to harm them > fire from their mouths consumes foes. Have authority to shut sky, to turn water into blood, to strike earth with plague.
• Rev 11:7-10 When testimony finished, beast from pit will make war, conquer them, kill them, dead bodies lie in streets of great city, called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. For 3 ½ days peoples will gaze at their dead bodies, celebrate for witnesses were torment to inhabitants of earth
• 3 ½ in different variations > pertaining to the church age. Two witnesses, who is called to witness? ‘their Lord’ was crucified > this must refer to believers or the church. It is the church testifying, church having authority, church miraculously protected, church telling people what they don’t want to hear, church people killed, vilified, but ultimately resurrected.
• Why two? Confirmation of testimony. 2 as missionary team. By the testimony of 2 a matter is established in court. When 2 are present > Jesus with them.
• They are also called 2 olive trees … from Zechariah 4. Olive tree is also a Old Testament picture of the people of God.
• They are also called 2 lampstands … according to Rev 1:20 lampstands refer to churches, the church being a ‘light in the world’.
• Rev 11:11-14 After 3 ½ days, breath enters them, come alive, all terrified, called up to heaven, ascend, earthquake in which a tenth of city falls, 7000 people die, rest terrified and give God the glory
• parallelity of Jesus’ life and the life of his followers. Martyrs especially included, especially parallel
• The great city, Sodom, Egypt, where their Lord was crucified = Jerusalem. How to understand this?
  
  • The Old Jerusalem refers to: the law-focused, legalistic, self-righteous, but morally corrupt Jerusalem, who stones the prophets, who does not recognize the hour of its visitation, who rejects and kills Jesus.
  • The New Jerusalem refers to: the holy city, coming down from heaven, as a bride prepared for her husband, … the church! … Rev 21:1-2
• So the holy city trampled on wasn’t physical Jerusalem, it was the church. > Careful with terms, a lot is figuratively used. Which does not mean you can interpret whatever you want, most is defined.

REVELATION 11:15-18 7th TRUMPET

• Rev 11:15-18 the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of our Lord and his Messiah, 24 elders worship: nations raged, but your wrath has come … judging the dead, rewarding your servants (all who fear your name), destroying those who destroy earth.
• We are in heaven in this scene. The kingdoms are Christ’s. God is glorified.
• Why is this called the 3rd woe?? Judging the bad, destroying those that destroy is a woe to those who are evil, it is a relief to those who fear God and the end of their suffering. Christ’s victory is Satan’s defeat, the judging of evil is good.
• Revelation is good news to the suffering godly, it’s bad news to the evil. It is hope to those who fear God, it is terror to those who don’t.
• But we with our explanations of Revelation do the opposite: we scare the believers, and the unbelievers don’t believe it anyway. Revelation is not meant to scare. If you are scared by it, if it brings you fear, if it discourages you, if it makes you afraid of the future, you have NOT understood it.
• Apocalyptic literature is meant to encourage the God-fearing, Paulus says in 1 Thess 4:18 after an end-time passage: “Encourage one another with these words”. Many interpretations of Revelation go under the: “please, panic!” category. If it makes you panic, you have not yet gotten it.

REVELATION 12:1-17 1st PORTENT – WOMAN AND THE DRAGON

• Rev 12:1-2 Woman … clothed with sun, moon under her feet, crown of 12 stars … pregnant, crying out, giving birth > probably Israel, the people of God (number 12)
• Rev 12:3-4 great, red dragon, seven heads, ten horns, seven diadems … tail swept down a thrid of the stars, threw them on the earth
• Rev 12:4-5 Dragon before woman, wants to devour child … born male child, who is to rule all nations with a rod of iron … > Jesus, pretty clear identification, Messiah, Ps 2:8-9 … > therefore now: woman is Mary, but also Israel most likely, dragon is Satan
• Rev 12:5-6 child was snatched away, taken to God and to his throne, woman fled into wilderness, place prepared by God, nourished for 1260 days. > Jesus time on earth, death, resurrection, ascension … > now the woman is the church
• Rev 12:7-9 War in heaven, Michael and his angels against dragon and his angels … dragon defeated, no place in heaven > dragon thrown down onto earth … when is this? … usually our answer: before even Gen 3, Satan’s rebellion and removal from heaven. Here is seems to be set during Jesus’ time … unclear. Luke 10:18 … during disciples on first preaching trip: “I watched Stan fall from heaven like a flash of lightening”. Either way: he is on the earth now, and he is pursuing the church, which is what our first readers are experiencing.
• Rev 12:10-12 loud voice: now has come the kingdom & authority of the Messiah … accuser has been thrown down … they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not cling to live even in the face of death. Rejoice then, you heavens … woe to the earth … devil with great wrtath, because he knows that his time is short! … we don’t think is so great he is thrown unto the earth, but believers here are counted as already ‘saved out of his dominion’ and as already conquering … God is generous! No: he knows what he will accomplish!
• Rev 12:13-17 dragon pursuing the woman … eagle flying her to a place, 3 ½ times … water from dragon, earth swallows it up … dragon angry > making war on her children
• this is basically a stylized summary of the New Testament … a spiritual recap of the first readers situation: they are the woman & her children pursued, they are the ones conquering Satan.

12:18-13:10 2nd PORTENT – FIRST BEAST – EVIL POLITICAL POWER

• Rev 12:18-13:2 … reminding of Daniel, seeing 3 beasts coming up our of the sea (Dan 7:3) … having 10 horns and 7 heads … double human (political) power, mimicking God with its 7 heads … ten diadems on 10 horns, with blasphemous names … like a leopard, feet like bear, mouth like lion … using exactly the 3 desciptions Daniel used. In Daniel the 3 beasts are 3 consecutive powerful empires, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome. Beasts mean human political powers or empires. Presumably here in Revelation they mean something similar, only now the persecuting political empire is Rome (number 3 of Daniel’s, by the way)
• Rev 13:2 … Dragon gave it power, throne, authority … Satan’s dominion is reflected / extended / expressed in these empires (as far as they are lawless, evil, unjust, unrighteous)
• Rev 13:3-4 … one of its heads seemed to have received a death-blow, but its mortal wound had been healed. In amazement the whole earth followed the beast. They worshiped the dragon … and they worshiped the beast “who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” … what the death-blow to Rome (earlier on) could have been is unclear. Clear is that it is a kind of mock-Jesus almost death and resurrection, investing it with spiritual power, commanding worship. First readers are facing emperor-worship demands.
• Rev 13:5 beast was given a mouth, uttering haughty blasphemous words, allowed to exercise authority 42 months … political power turning evil spiritually, which is what emperor-worship is. Exercises authority over 42 months, meaning the whole church age, so that would also mean later empires, long after Rome has gone. Basically the first beast signifies EVIL POLITICAL POWER, overstepping its God-given boundaries, controlling spiritual things.
• Rev 13:6 opened its mouth, blasphemies against God, his name, his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven … which signifies the believers, believers live in heaven already now (Eph 2:6 … raised us up and seated us with him in the heavenly places), believers’ hearts are God’s dwelling place on earth … the beast slanders or speaks against the believers
• Rev 13:7-10 Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them, given authority over every tribe or nation … all the inhabitants of the earth (=unbelievers) will worship it … God allows, remember all is ultimately controlled by God. Reminds of Job. For a time political powers turned spiritually oppressive can ravage. Do political powers turn religious forces? Yes, they do, and it is always a very oppressive time in history.
• Rev 13:10 “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints” … here it is. The meaning is made clear. John drops out of apocalyptic writing style for a sentence, you could say.

REVELATION 13:11-18 3rd PORTENT – SECOND BEAST – FALSE RELIGIOUS POWER

• Rev 13:11 another beast out of the earth, 2 horns like a lamb, spoke like a dragon. … a power posing as a good power, but actually evil. A power that deceives.
• Rev 13:12-13 It exercises all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, makes the inhabitants of the earth worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed. It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven in the sight of all … makes worship > false religion, spiritual deception, fooling and impressing people
• Rev 13:14-15 Signs allowed to perform on behalf of the beast > deceives the inhabitants of earth, telling them to make an image, gives breath to the image, ability to speak > non-compliants killed … false religion,  deception, false worship, idolatry, hollowly powerful, aggressive to the non-compliant … this is very true of religion that look quite peaceful, but they turn aggressive on the non-compliant. The only religion that has created the practice of religious freedom (not compliance) is Christianity (at its best). Atheism is not tolerant at all.
• Rev 13:16ff all men marked on right hand and forehead, no one can buy and sell without the mark. Mark = name of beast = number of its name. This calls for wisdom … calculate the number, it is the number of a person, … 666. … this passage has given rise to tremendous fear and speculation. Usual interpretation: when the Antichrist rises, he will force all men to take a number on right hand and forehead (Line code? Bank number? Hologram? Computer chip?), > complete centralized controlled financial system, abolishing of money, any financial transaction only possible if one has the mark > fearful scenarios of believers starving to death during the years of the Antichrist.
• Mark? Second time we hear about a mark. First time was Rev 7:3, where the 144’000 are sealed as servants of God. There we also don’t think it’s a real physical mark. It’s the Holy Spirit sealing the believers, a spiritual reality. So this 666 mark is probably equally not a physical reality, but a spiritual reality.
• 666? Hebrews, Greeks, Romans all had a system of assigning numbers to letters, that is, a name could be added up to a number. ‘Ceasar Nero’ can be made to total 666 in Greek. But over time many have calculated other names and also come up with 666. It is a bit a guessing game. Maybe Domitian as second Nero is who John had in mind, which would also explain why he uses a code, not a direct statement. But remember: the meaning of Revelation has stood for 2000y. Generation after generation have found meaning in it.
• Evil Trinity Dragon, beast and second beast are a evil mock-Trinity
• God is quite strong in the Old Testament about separating political from religious power. There are political figures (Saul, David, Kings, Judges …) and spiritual figures, priests (Aaron, Phinehas, Eli) and prophets (Elijah, Jeremiah, …). Government and Religion are to co-work and to keep each other accountable, but a leader is not to have power in both fields.
• Strong and immediate judgment if a political leader is taking over spiritual function. Examples: Saul sacrificing > kingship removed 1 Sa 15:11 ff. David bringing ark with soldiers > Uzzah dead 1 Chr 13. King Uzziah of Judah offering incense > leprosy 2 Chr 26:16 ff. There are also figures where it is together, but then separated out like Moses (> Aaron) or Samuel (> corruption). And in pictures pointing to Jesus it merges (Zech 6).
• A political power who assumes religious power (or uses religious power to support itself) becomes very oppressive without fail. It doesn’t even matter which Religion it is, it is always oppressive. Example: Egypt with a Pharaoh that is also God, medieval Church that meddled much in politics and commanded armies, Communism (that is political & spiritual), Iran’s Imams ruling, … you can be the pastor of the village, or the mayor of the village, but you cannot be both. It’s to much power, it’s too suffocating, and it always turns oppressive, and eventually corrupt. The beasts show that as well: it’s usurping political power, that enlists false religion’s help, and it turns very oppressive. Remember Pergamum, where Caesar now is worshiped as an incarnation of the old Apollos cult. No air to breathe.

REVELATION 14:1-6 4th PORTENT – LAMB & 144’000

• Rev 14:1-2 Lamb, 144’000 with Lamb’s & Father’s name written on their foreheads … again, is this signifying a physical sign?
• Rev 14:3-5 they sing a new song, no one can learn it except them. Not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins, follow the lamb wherever he goes, redeemed from humankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb, no lie in their mouths, blameless … All male, all unmarried.
• Again: often interpreted as a special group from within the church, sometimes interpreted as the only church (Jehovah’s witnesses changed their theology when their adherents numbered above 144’000!). Probably not. Martyrs only? … there are married martyrs. Virgins? Bible calls a monogamy a state as moral as abstinence and has generally a positive view of marriage, family, children.
• Literal interpretations turn funny. If figurative: a picture of the church, all present, all obedient, not defiled with women (this cannot refer to marriage, as that is a moral state. Rather remember the Nicolaitans, Jezebel, the false teaching woman in Thyatira, earlier the woman in Ephesus (1 Tim 2), Jewish myth of Adam receiving enlightenment through Eve, generally sexual immorality associated with idolatry, trade guilds, etc.

REVELATION 14:7-13 5th PORTENT – MESSAGES OF 3 ANGELS

• Rev 14:6-7 angel flying in mid-heaven with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those living on the earth (=unbelievers), to every nation, tribe, language and people. Fear God and give him glory for the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven & earth & all … soon our chart will move on from the church age (blue) to the final judgment (red). This is a last call to repent and believe the gospel to the unbelievers before the end, before the final judgment comes.
• Rev 14:8 Another angel: Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great. She has made all nations drink the wine of the wrath of her fornication … even the most powerful empires will not last forever. Rome will end. So will other empires that will follow it. The portents now project the final judgment to come
• Rev 14:9-13 “those with mark will drink the wine of God’s wrath, will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the Lamb. Smoke of their torment goes up forever …”
• Rev 14:12-13 “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints … blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord. Yes, says the Spirit, they will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them” … Encouragement for the persecuted church, special encouragement for the martyrs (or all dying, also).

REVELATION 14:14-20 6th PORTENT – EARTH HARVESTED

• Rev 14:14 a white cloud, seated on it one like the Son of Man, golden crown and a sharp sickle in his hand! … Jesus here a Reaper and Judge, a picture already in Old Testament prophecy (for example Ps 2:8), also in the New Testament (John the Baptist’s announcement of the axe laid to the root of the tree, Jesus’ parables).
• Rev 14:15 another angel out of the temple … Use your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, harvest is fully ripe … One on cloud swings sickle > earth was reaped …
• Rev 14:14-16 Probably a double picture of the harvest being gathered (believers brought in) and the judgment on evil
• Rev 14:17-20 another angel with sharp sickle from temple, another angel with authority over fire from altar call: Use your sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth … threw it into the great wine press of the wrath of god … blood flowed 200 miles …
• From Old Testament onwards grape harvest is used as a picture of judgment, for example Is 63:1-6 … note even there the double nature of judgment: ‘announcing vindication, mighty to save’ (Is 63:1) and ‘year for my redeeming work’ (Is 63:4) … cutting and fire, reminds of John 15:6 where fruitless branches are cut and burned.

REVELATION 15:1-4 7th PORTENT – 7 BOWLS MADE READY

• Rev 15:1-4 seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is ended.
• Rev 15:2 sea of glass, fire, those who had conquered the beast (believers), sing song of Moses and the Lamb.
• Rev 15:3-4 “great and amazing are your deeds, just and true are your ways, who will not fear and glorify your name? for you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you for your judgments have been revealed” … for us, judgment means bad, evil, anger, unpleasant … we don’t like God judging, and we don’t see his justice, truth and holiness in it. But that’s exactly what judgment is.
• We think: he is sometimes merciful, sometimes he judges. Maybe we are convinced: he is merciful on the believers and judges the non-believers. So as long a you are in the favored group we don’t have to worry. That is true in one sense.
• But: God is not either merciful or just, depending on who it is and what it is. God is merciful and just at the same time. Nothing God does is not grace and not justice at the same time. It’s not either or, but and. It’s not whoever is the happy favorite, but eternal just principle. The cross is the ultimate example of this: his mercy is fully shown (we are forgiven), his justice is fully satisfied (blood is shed for injustice). But it is the same even with final judgment. Final judgment is also a grace. How?
• To end all injustice is grace. To terminate evil is grace. To abolish what caused death & hatred and separation is good.
• Human dilemma / inconsistency: we cry for mercy-mercy-mercy on the one hand (for ourselves) and for punishment (for those who hurt us). God forgive! Why does God not do something about this? We cry for judgment, but when it comes we are scared.
• God is fully just and fully merciful in all things and to all people.

REVELATION 15:5-8 TEMPLE OPENEND, 7 ANGELS, 7 BOWLS

• Rev 15:5-6:1 filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the 7 plagues were ended … Ex 40:35 Moses unable to enter the tent of meeting, 2 Chr 7:1 and the glory of the Lord filled the temple, Is 6:4 smoke in temple, before throne of God … the holiness / justice / righteousness / power of God is stressed in this final judgment scene
• Again the whole thing is like a over-controlled drama, again evoking that nothing can happen without the permission of God, all is highly watched, highly regulated, closely monitored … it’s not God lashing out, being annoyed, slip of the hand due to irritation, arbitrariness in judgment, loss of control.

REVELATION 16:2-21 7 BOWLS – FINAL JUDGMENT

• Rev 16:2 partial language is gone (‘1/3 of the trees’, now it’s not partial judgment any more, its final judgment
• Parallels to Egypt’s plagues:
  
  • Bowl 1 poured on land > sores (like Egypt’s 6th plague)
  • Bowl 2 poured on sea > blood > every living thing died (like Egypt’s 1st plague)
  • Bowl 3 poured on rivers / springs > blood (like Egypt’s 1st plague)
  • Bowl 4 poured on sun > scorched people with heat (like Egypt’s 9th plague)
  • Bowl 5 on throne of beast > darkness, gnawed tongues in agony (like Egypt’s 8th plague)
  • Bowl 6 poured on Euphrates > drying > demonic spirits, Harmageddon (like Egypt’s 2nd plague)
  • Bowl 7 poured on air > It is done! Flashes, thunder, storm, earthquake, hail (like Egypt’s 7th plague)
• First vision of the final battle, the focus being on the ‘inhabitants of the earth’ being judged, 3 more to come
• What characterizes them is the refusal to repent (Egyt’s Pharaoh) in Rev 16:11. Again: it’s not one race against another, it’s not chosen ones against neglected ones, it is not even good ones against evil ones (we are all evil), it is: those humbling themselves to ask for forgiveness & salvation versus those who won’t.
• Nothing in all of the Bible (and also not in Revelation) hints at a God who arbitrarily rejects, it all unmistakenly puts the decisive power with men, willing or unwilling men.

REVELATION 17:1-18 SETTING SCENE – GREAT WHORE AND BEAST

• Rev 17:1-6 the judgment of the great whole … with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication > drunk … beast full of blasphemous names, 7 heads, 10 horns … woman in purple & scarlet, adorned … in her hand cup full of abominations … forehead written a name: Babylon the great, mother of whores … drunk with the blood of the saints / witnesses of Jesus
• Beast – same description as dragon / 1st / 2nd beast (7 heads > faking God-likeness, 10 horns > working through evil human power) … scarlet (royal color) … full pf blasphemous names
• Woman – purple & scarlet (royal colors, leadership, luxury, human dominance) … gold / jewels / pearls … the fancy luxuries of the day … cup of abomination / impurity / fornication > rich & powerful but ugly & sinful … drunk with the blood of the martyrs > persecuting human power / empires / governments
• Rev 17:7-8 … beast was, and is not, and is about to ascend from bottomless pit and go to destruction … inhabitants of the earth (unbelievers) amazed at the beasts because it was and is not and is to come … description like 1st beast, which symbolized evil political power, dazzling and seducing people
• Rev 17:9-14 … This calls for a mind that has wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated … this is a dead-give-away: Rome is called “the city on seven hills”. But already in 1 Peter 5:13 we heard about Rome referred to as Babylon.
• 7 heads are also 7 kings, 5 have fallen, one is living, one is yet to come, beast is an 8th king > to destruction
• 10 horns are ten kings, not yet received kingdom … tempting to do some maths here … long interpreted as EC … future persecuting human emperors, kingdoms, governments
• Rev 17:13 united in yielding their power & authority to the beast … make war on the Lamb … Lamb will defeat them
• Rev 17:15 water are peoples, nations, languages … over which the beast and woman sits
• Rev 17:16-18 10 horns or kings will hate the whore, together with beast > make her desolate, naked, devour her flesh, burn her up … there is no unity in evil government … selfishness leads to internal power-struggles, competition … easily divides … can easily become self-defeating.
• Rev 17:18 woman is the great city … Rome, in John’s time

REVELATION 18:1-19:10 7 VOICES – FINAL JUDGMENT ON BABYLON

• Rev 18:1-3 voice > fallen is Babylon the great … medley of Isa 13, 14, 21, 46-48, Je 25, 50-51, Da 2, Hb 3, Ex 27 Tyre … major there in Old Testament … very strong, very evil, very powerful empires end up crashing in amazingly short time
• Examples: Assyria from unchallenged power 627 AD to completely destroyed 612, 609, 605 BC … Babylon is conquered overnight … vast empire Medo-Persia is run down in 2 years by Alexander (333-331 BC)
• Connection of evil political power and economic interests aligned … often so, some followers are not ideological followers but opportunists
• Rev 18:4 voice > come out of her, my people, so that you do not take part in her sins > not share in her plagues … prophets addressing Jews in Babylon (Jeremiah?)
• Rev 18:5-20 long description of the complete and utter ruin of a once powerful kingdom … many people / merchants have profited from the empire and the corruption > not they are stunned and carry loss … the powerful combination of political & economical power cannot save one another at the time of the crash
• Rev 18:21-24 voice > rejoicing in heaven over Babylon’s fall > God has avenged the blood of his servants
• Rev 18:3-4 voice: Hallelujah! … worship of 24 elders
• Rev 18:5 voice: Praise God!
• Rev 18:6-10 voice of multitude: rejoice that marriage of the Lamb has come, his bride has made herself ready, clothed with fine linen, bright & pure = righteous deeds of the saints

REVELATION 19:11-16 SETTING SCENE – RIDER ON THE WHITE HORSE

• Remember Thyatira’s war god? > Jesus powerful, just, pure, victorious

REVELATION 19:17-20:15 7 “I SAW” – FINAL JUDGMENT ON BEASTS & SATAN

• Third and fourth view of the same ‘final battle’, with beast and 2nd beast being cast into the lake of fire (2nd “I saw”) … and finally Satan as the source of the others (5th “I saw”)
• The order of destruction is the reverse of the order they were introduced in the book.
• Rev 19:17-18 calling on the birds to gorge themselves on the people killed in the last batte … Old Testament picture often used
• Rev 19:19-21 armies gather to make war against Jesus … 1st and 2nd beast captured and put in lake of fire
• Rev 20:1-3 Satan bound for 1000 years so he can’t deceive the nations …
• Rev 20:4 thrones set up, those seated on them were given authority to judge … normal believers elevated to ruling
• Rev 20:4-6 those beheaded for Christ reign with him for 1000 years … 1000 years of martyr rule? Not even all martyrs but only the beheaded? (Paul is in, Peter is out). Ruling over whom? Humans? Good ones? Evil ones? Will they have children? What is the moral state / decision state of those? …
• the rest of the dead did not come to life till the 1000 years ended … 2 phase resurrection? Special honor to the martyrs? Who is resurrected after? Normal believers? All? Only evil ones?
• Rev 20:7-10 Satan let out again for a short time, Gog and Magog into battle (where are these people from?) … final battle besieging the beloved city … (Jerusalem is destroyed!) … fire of heaven destroys them … Satan > lake of fire
• Rev 20:11 great white throne
• Rev 20:12-15 dead from everywhere (earth, sea, Hades) … resurrected and judged by their deeds (books, Is 7:10, Ps 69:28) and whether they are in the book of life (Ex 32:32-34).

REVELATION 21:1-22:5 7 “NO MORE” – COMPLETE RESTORATION

REVELATION 22:6-21 EPILOGUE