Revelation: A Reference Commentary.Introduction to RevelationIndex
Foreword.Anyone who tries to write a commentary on Revelation owes a debt to those who in the past have written commentaries on Revelation and who have had to grapple with its many difficulties, these are acknowledged in the references. Mounce has been my constant companion for most of the writing of this book and also helpful have been Barclay, Caird, Hailey, Hendriksen, Hughes, Johnson, Ladd, Lang, Milligan, Morris and Wilcock. Other commentaries and works consulted are listed at the end of the introduction. At times we have all stumbled through passages we didn't or barely understood. The problem is illustrated by the many variant interpretations one can find, as well as the different schools of interpretation. I owe a debt to a series of tapes by Malcolm Smith who first demonstrated to me that the key to much of its interpretation lies in the bible itself. He made difficult passages suddenly seem to be brilliantly clear, his interpretation belongs clearly to the idealist school. I have to note that as I wrote this commentary my stance has changed from idealist to more futuristic. Anyone who writes on Revelation should write for his own generation and therefore I have eschewed a preterist interpretation and used more of a futurist interpretation because we in the West are looking for the appearance of the antichrist and need to be prepared for his coming which will precede the greater coming of our Lord. However there is a danger in being pre-occupied with the appearance of the antichrist (Rev 13) because we may become so preoccupied that we as the church stop our pre-eminent work of preaching the gospel to all nations and to the ends of the earth and of making disciples (Rev 11). Everyone who tries to write a commentary on Revelation brings his own baggage, his own doctrinal assumptions, the same is true here. No one has 'the' correct interpretation of Revelation, this is partly because it shows the principles but not always the details, (Wilcock) its interpretation depends on the circumstances of the church at the time. To some it may be 'Wake up'! Strengthen that which is about to die...' to some it may be 'Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.' The book of Revelation will bless all who hear it and take it to heart and therefore it speaks to all churches, of all ages, to some the beast is Rome to others China, Russia or the future antichrist. The reader must judge for himself whether the argument or scriptures used have weight or not. It is hoped that the references given will give the reader the clues required to make up his own mind as to the interpretation, I hope that this commentary will show the solid biblical basis of Revelation. In many ways a commentary on Revelation is a lifetimes work as its interpretation will mature as we mature. I trust that if you differ from me on some points you will bear with me, 'We all stumble in many ways.' James 3:2. In 1 Thess 5:21 Paul tells them to 'test everything and to hold on to the good', I hope that everyone who reads this commentary will also take this attitude. Why yet another commentary on Revelation? Like Everest, because it is there, but also because I am convinced that the keys to its interpretation lie in scripture and to give due acknowledgement to those Christians persecuted throughout the ages and even now, to those the beast is alive and waging war on the saints and overcoming them. Another reason is that as Christians we all, in every generation, need to know the signs of His coming and to hear afresh and to heed the message within Revelation. When I wrote the commentary I was aware of the saints that preceded me and who gave their lives for the truth of the gospel. But in our generation I wanted to write a commentary that would be relevant which is why I have not included much historical information on the Roman empire. Most Christians in the West are looking out for the antichrist and so it is important to look for the signs of his appearance. But at the same time Christians in other parts of the world are undergoing persecution and Revelation is relevant for them too. So a purely futuristic interpretation of Revelation is not really appropriate to our times. It is a reference commentary because I have tried to incorporate all the major cross references upon which it is based or that shed light on the book from the old and new testaments and Revelation itself. It is also written on a verse by verse basis and there is some duplication because of this. I hope that it will therefore be of use to as a reference tool as well as shedding light on a book that many Christians who take their bible seriously may find perplexing. One of my aims is to make it as pastoral as possible and to show its relevance to our living; to those under persecution and under pressure to compromise with the world there is much application and encouragement. Revelation is a closed book to many but to those who diligently study it, it will slowly reveal its treasures and the joy of such discoveries will amply reward the effort made. I commend the last book in the bible to those disposed to make such an effort. I would like to thank Alan Nairne, David Easlea and John Platt for reviewing the manuscript and adding their comments. (xxxx) refers to an unknown or forgotten reference, it indicates that the thought expressed originated with someone else. I have followed Wilcock by splitting Revelation into eight scenes. All scripture references are from the New International Bible unless otherwise stated. My Greek Bible is linked to the KJV. Differences between the NIV and KJV are indicated in my KJV article. The differences amount to very little in so far as they affect the interpretation of Revelation. 1. Introduction:To many on reading Revelation for the first time, particularly as a new Christian, it seems a fantastic book, but as one grows in the understanding of the bible more of it becomes recognisable and familiar. The reason why it seems fantastic to us is because of the apocalyptic style it was written in, this style would be familiar to the first century readers but it is not a style with which we are familiar and it is therefore a barrier to our understanding the message of the book. The aim of this short commentary is to fill in some more gaps in our understanding and to show how both OT and NT scriptures, and indeed Revelation itself, provide many of the keys to the interpretation of the book of Revelation. Much insight can be gained merely by studying the many cross references within Revelation and in particular the contrasts within it. It is rooted in particular with OT imagery but a detailed study reveals a NT perspective on a surprising number of aspects of the book. It also contains a supreme unity all of its own, but its unity with the rest of the word of God makes it a treasure throve. The best commentary on Revelation is scripture itself and I have therefore kept comment to a minimum, as this may only muddy the water. I have tried to answer the question 'what does it all mean', however it is only possible to provide answers to some of these questions. I do not claim to totally understand all the book, but some insights should prove useful. Revelation is a frequently neglected book partly because its symbolism makes it obscure. Therefore it cannot be read lightly but with diligence it will yield its treasures to those who seek them. Another reason why it is not often preached upon is the warning in 22:18-19 about adding or taking away from the words of the prophecy. However the blessings of 1:3 and 22:7 also mean that it is to be read, heard and understood. Why should we study Revelation?
Revelation was written to show God's servants what must soon take place, that is it is a prophecy concerning the near future (1:1, 1:3, 1:19, 4:1, 22:6, 22:10) and also the distant future because it shows us the end of God's enemies. The words of the prophecy were originally intended to be read aloud, one must assume that anyone with a maturity of the Christian life and a good knowledge of both the OT and NT such as an elder would be able to make sense of the book at the time it was written. There is a blessing for the person who reads aloud the book to the assembly, as well as to those who hear and take to heart what is written in it because the time for those things in it to be fulfilled is near. The book shows tribulation for the saints in the form of persecution and tribulation for the world in the form of wars, famines, demonic attack, deception, disasters and plagues from God warning mankind to repent. No doubt our Lord had in mind the period of persecution under the Roman Empire lasting until Constantine in 314 AD when giving this prophecy to John but He also had in mind all the periods of persecution lasting until the time He returns. This is the last book in the bible and therefore it is His last word to His people warning us to be faithful to the end when He returns in glory with his holy angels and ushers in God's eternal kingdom and reign. This book is intended to strengthen our faith until he returns. The book claims to be an apocalypsis (1:1), a prophecy (1:3) an epistle (1:4, 11: 22:21) and a vision (9:17). It is written partly in the style of apocalyptic Jewish literature of the time (200 BC to 100 AD), and there also exists a sizeable body of early Christian writing that falls into this genre (Talbert) other examples of this style of writing in the Bible include parts of Daniel and Zechariah, the nearest modern equivalent is the political cartoon. That Revelation falls into the apocalyptic genre is one of the keys to its interpretation. Mounce points out that 'a major role of the apocalypse was to explain why the righteous suffered and why the kingdom of God delayed' we can see this clearly in Revelation which is helpful on both these points. This type of literature was written under the pseudonym of some important person from the past such as Moses or Enoch, in this respect Revelation differs being written under the name of John which was a common name at the time. The apocalypse is usually revealed by a celestial being such as an angel, this is the case with Revelation, however it explicitly claims God as the author, but it is mediated through Jesus Christ and his angel. The message of apocalypse is expressed using vivid symbolism and depicts the struggles between good and evil in world history past and future. It depicts man as being powerless to overcome evil. Finally God will intervene cataclysmically to destroy the powers of evil. This may be associated with the coming of the Messiah and the inauguration of God's kingdom (xxxx). This apocalyptic idiom would be a familiar style to Johns audience, but to us it seems strange. Ladd comments that the book is filled with allusions to OT prophetic writings but that there is not a similar proven allusion to any known Jewish apocalyptic writings. Swete quoting another source says that of the 404 verses of the Apocalypse there are 278 which contain references to the Jewish Scriptures and he then gives an extensive list of about 300 OT references. One difference between Revelation and Jewish apocalyptic literature of the time should be noted, although John was a Jew he is also a Christian and as such his message is Christ centred. The reason for the apocalyptic style is likely to make it vivid enough to remember by those undergoing persecution and to whom it is primarily intended, those undergoing persecution may not remember so easily the theology of Paul's epistles but the vivid imagery of Revelation could easily be recalled (Goldsworthy). The use of symbolic imagery also makes it meaningful to all generations because it does not tie the symbols to any one specific event in church history. Obviously the imagery of the beast can frequently be shown to relate to the Roman empire (as in the preterist interpretation) but it is not tied down to only the Roman empire but to tyrannies down through the centuries who persecute the church culminating in the antichrist. It also means that we cannot use Revelation to predict the exact time of the second coming of Christ, the point of Revelation is to help prepare God's people for the second coming and the difficult time prior to it. The book is apocalyptic in style and therefore must be interpreted symbolically and not literally. Taking a completely literal approach soon gives rise to difficulties, for example, when trying to work out who the eight kings of Rev 17:11 are, or the meaning of the number of the beast, 666, or the new Jerusalem which is a 12,000 stadia cube. By its own admission it is symbolic, Jesus himself explains the symbolism of the seven stars and seven golden lampstands (1:20) and thus gives us Christians at the end of the second millennium a key to its interpretation.
However as a prophecy it is foretelling the future as well forth telling the word of God. As an epistle John stresses repentance and holiness on the part of the saints. It aims to encourage the saints to endure persecution, and not to compromise with the standards of the world and in doing so it shows the rewards of those who overcome and obey the words of this book and the punishment of the cowardly. We owe to the book of Revelation a kaleidoscope of descriptions and visions of Jesus in his heavenly glory, for example: the vision of the someone 'like a son of man' (1:13-16), the Lamb, looking as if it had been slain (5:6 ff.), the Lamb as the shepherd leading his people to springs of living water (7:17), the Lamb standing on Mount Zion with the 144,000 (14:1), the rider on the white horse as King of kings and Lord of lords (19:11 ff.) and the Lamb as the Lamp of the new Jerusalem. We also owe to Revelation a great many names of Jesus: the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, the ruler of the kings of the earth, the First and the Last, the Living One, the Amen, the ruler of God's creation, the Lamb, Faithful and True, the Word of God, King of kings and Lord of lords, the Alpha and the Omega, the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star. It also gives us many examples of hymns of praise and worship which have inspired hymn writers down the centuries. 2.1. A Portrait of the Risen, Ascended and Glorified Christ in Revelation.The first verse of Revelation declares that the book is 'The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place.' This can be interpreted in two ways, as a revelation of the person of Jesus Christ or as the revelation coming from God and mediated through Jesus Christ. There is no point in arguing for one interpretation over another for both are true. Revelation shows us the risen ascended and glorified Christ as no other book in the bible and there follows a brief portrait of Jesus Christ given to us by Revelation. The book of Revelation also has many divine titles of Jesus Christ. We should also note that at the beginning of the book he is called Jesus Christ and not just Jesus or the Christ. Jesus emphasises his earthly life and his role as Saviour because Jesus means 'He will save his people from their sins' (Mt 1:21). Christ emphasises his heavenly origin because he is God's anointed One. Mike Bickle in his book 'A passion for Jesus' says that in order to overcome persecution and the temptations of the world it is necessary to be intimately aquainted with the personhood of Jesus. Meditating on the descriptions of Jesus in Revelation is one way of doing this. In 1:1 we find that God gave Jesus Christ the revelation to show his servants what must soon take place. Thus right at the start of the book Jesus can be seen as the master of his servants showing them his blue-print for the future. In 1:5 Jesus Christ is described as:
In 1:13 we find someone 'like a son of man' standing among the seven churches. This emphasises his humanity which he never lost when he ascended into heaven, the universe is controlled by a man, the first among many brothers. There then follows a description of this glorious man 'dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance' (1:13-16). The sight of him was enough to make John fall at his feet as though dead. Jesus then gives some of his divine titles (note the 'I am'):
Then comes the letters to the seven churches from the one who walks among the seven churches and whose blazing eyes observe their condition. For each church he knows their deeds as he walks among them. He praises what is good and reproves and corrects what is bad. He also himself promises heavenly rewards to those who overcome.
In Rev 5 we see Christ as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David as the one who has triumphed. He is standing at the centre of the throne of God surrounded by the living creatures and elders which pictures him at the very centre of heaven. He is then introduced as the 'Lamb, looking as if it had been slain' (5:6) cf. Isa 53:7. In 5:7 He is the only one worthy in all creation to take the scroll from the Father's hand. He is then praised by the four living creatures as the one who is worthy to open the seals:
He is then praised by the angels as the one who is worthy:
He is then praised by all creation:
Jesus is worshipped together with God. In Rev 6 he is the one who opens the seven seals to reveal the contents of the scroll. In 7:14 we have the marvellous description of the great multitude as those they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. In 7:17 we find the Lamb described as their Shepherd who leads them to springs of living water. In 12:5 he is described as the one 'who will rule all the nations with an iron sceptre'. In 13:8 the book of life belongs to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. In 14:14 ff. he is the one who reaps the harvest of the earth. In 19:7 we find that the bride has made herself ready for the wedding of the Lamb. In 19:11 ff. we find one of the fullest descriptions of the Lamb in victory over his enemies.
Rev 19:17-21 describes the final victory of the Lamb over the beast and false prophet and their army, the victory over Satan is described in chapter 20. In 21:22 we find that the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of the new Jerusalem and the Lamb is the lamp of the New Jerusalem. In 22:1 we find that the source of the river of life is the throne of God and of the Lamb. In 22:12 Jesus testifies that he is coming soon with his reward, it is He who will reward the righteous and the wicked for their deeds. He is described in 22:13 with the divine titles as the 'Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End'. In my view this verse is one of the best proof texts to demonstrate the divinity of Christ. In 22:16 he describes himself as the 'Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star'. Finally it is Christ who testifies to the truth of this book and who says "Yes, I am coming soon." For "Hymns of Praise and Worship in Revelation:" go here |
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