First of all, this interaction that the "seer" (John) has here with the "Son of man" is the same experience that his predecessor (over 500 years earlier) had. Daniel - chapter 10 - records Daniel lifting up his eyes and seeing one with eyes like fire, feet like fine brass, and a voice like the sound of many waters. Daniel also fell on his face as a dead man, and a hand touched him and set him up again, and told him not to be afraid. This experience which the seers, those highly beloved prophets who rested in the bosom of Christ shared, shows us (at very least) that Daniel's visions and John's visions are quite possibly the same (of course this becomes more than possible when one takes into account the similarities found within the visions). Daniel saw it afar off (Dan 12: 4, 9 - told to seal up the vision till the time of the end) and John sees it just before it is fulfilled (Rev 22:6, 10 - told to seal not the vision, for "the time is at hand"). Daniel was told about what would happen to his people (the nation of Israel) in the "latter days"(Dan 10:14). John sees his vision during the final hour of the "latter days" (Heb 1:2, Jms 5:3) when all was about to be fulfilled (Luk 21:22).
The voice John hears is like a trumpet. This is significant, for it was the "voice of a trumpet" which the children of Israel heard from beneath mount Sinai when the Lord invited them near to give them his law (Ex 19). The mountain was smoking and there were thunderings, lightnings and earthquakes. We will see this imagery repeated over and over again throughout Revelation - it seems to be reminding its first century audience (whose roots were Hebrew) of this momentous occasion in their history. Except this time the law was not being given, it was being retracted. A people were not being espoused, they were being divorced. Blessings were not being handed out, rather this time it was curses -- every curse of the law which Moses promised would come upon them if they did not keep the terms of the His covenant with them.
Another strong time indicator found in Rev 1 is in verse 19:
"Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this." For this indicator we must look to more literal translations or to the Greek text itself - the NKJV as I quoted above says the "things which will take place after these" but the Greek literally translates "the things which are about to take place after these."
Young's literal translation reads like this: "Write the things that thou hast seen, and the things that are, and the things that are about to come after these things." The original text emphasizes the nearness, or urgency of the event. Strong's lexicon states that the word mello (mellei in this tense) means "to be about to" or "to be on the point of doing or suffering something." Amazingly enough, most translations have completely ignored this Greek word and its time indications throughout the New Testament.
This same word is utilized in a few key verses in the messages to the churches as well:
---Rev 2:10 - "Be not afraid of the things that thou art about to suffer; lo, the devil is about to cast of you to prison, that ye may be tried..."
---Rev. 3:10 - "Because thou didst keep the word of my endurance, I also will keep thee from the hour of the trial that is about to come upon all the world (or land), to try those dwelling upon the earth."
For the sake of consistency, here are a few key times that this word is used elsewhere in the New Testament (as it pertains to the subject of this study):
---1 Pet. 5:1 - "The elders which are among you I exhort, who am their fellow-elder and witness of the sufferings of the Christ, who also am partaker of the glory about to be revealed:"
---2 Tim 4:1 - "I do fully testify, then, before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is about to judge living and dead at his manifestation and his reign..."
---Acts 24:15 - "Having hope toward God, which they themselves also wait for, [that] there is about to be a rising again of the dead, both of righteous and unrighteous;"
---Luk 21:36 - "Watch therefore, praying at every season, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things which are about to come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."
And one of the most telling and specific, from the mouth of Christ himself:
---Mat 16:27 - "For, the Son of Man is about to come in the glory of his Father, with his messengers, and then he will reward each, according to his work. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom."
So let it be recognized that the message of imminence (shortly, at hand, quickly) found in the book of Revelation is not an isolated one, but is consistent with the whole of the New Testament. Christ promised they would see it with their own eyes, the Apostolic church believed they would see it with their own eyes, and John the revelator promised them that it was indeed about to take place before their eyes. Christ was about to come.
Next installement - We should be jumping in to chapter 4 and will begin unravelling the mysterious signs of the prophecy!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
Getting Revelation -Part 5- Dating the Vision
Disclaimer: This short post only scratches the surface of this subject, and is meant to be only a peek into the dating of Revelation. It is not quite as exciting as other posts, but it is important -- as the popular dating of this book is usually the first question a modern Bible student has concerning this more audience-relevant interpretation of this book... (this post is also a bit longer than I plan making them going forward - sorry!)
There are two common dates ascribed to the penning of this book - the mid 60's AD or mid 90's AD. To decide when the book was originally written, we examine both internal and external evidences. Internal evidence is evidence found within the text itself which gives clues as to when the book was penned. External is evidence from external sources which vouch for when the book was penned. Both are taken into consideration when attempting to determine when an ancient writing was originally written, but let us not forget that only the internal evidence is 100% reliable. The dating of the book of Revelation has always been of special interest because when this book was written helps lend weight to its proper interpretation.
A BRIEF LOOK AT EXTERNAL EVIDENCE:
The mid-90's AD date comes from a single, fairly ambiguous statement made by Irenaeus, an early church father in the 2nd century (Against Heresies, Book V, chapter 30, last sentence in Section 3) where he states "that (the vision, an original copy of the vision, or John himself?) was seen no very long time since, but almost in our day, towards the end of Domitian’s reign." In his book, Irenaeus also said that Jesus lived to be 50 years old (Book 2, Chapter 22, opening sentence). So to take a single unclear statement from a writer whose dating abilities are clearly questionable and use it as the singular authority for dating such an important book as Revelation, would be a mistake for obvious reasons. Irenaeus' quote above is the only original external source for the "late" (Domitianic) date of Revelation (and all other early church fathers who propose this late date are simply quoting Irenaeus!).
However, there are a variety of different external sources for a mid-60's AD dating of Revelation.
-Clement (150-215) "For the teaching of our Lord at His advent, beginning with Augustus and Tiberius,was completed in the middle of the times of Tiberius. And that of the apostles, embracing the ministry of Paul, end with Nero." (Miscellanies 7:17.)
-Epiphanius of Salamis (fourth century)"[John], who prophesied in the time of Claudius [Nero]...the prophetic word according to the Apocalypse being disclosed." (Epiphanius, Panarion/Heresies 51:12,33)
-Syriac Vulgate Bible (sixth century) "The Apocalypse of St. John, written in Patmos, whither John was sent by Nero Caesar." (Opening Title for the Book of Revelation)
-Arethas (sixth century) "Arethas in the sixth century, applies the sixth seal to the destruction of Jerusalem (A.D. 70), adding that the Apocalypse was written before that event" (From Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, 1871, under section titled "Date and Place of Writing")
Other early sources supporting the mid-60's AD date of Revelation are Tertullian, Papias, Jerome, The Muratorian Canon, and the Shephard of Hermas.
More modern early-date proponents include Greg L. Bahnsen; Adam Clarke; F. W. Farrar; John A. T. Robinson; Henry Barclay Swete; Milton S. Terry; Wilhelm Bousset; F. F. Bruce; Rudolf Bultmann; Samuel Davidson; Alfred Edersheim; Johann Eichorn; Joseph A. Fitzmyer; J. B. Lightfoot; C. F. D. Moule; R. C. Sproul; and Augustus H. Strong, just to name a few.
Philip Schaaf, the well known 19th century church historian said, "On two points I have changed my opinion--the second Roman captivity of Paul (which I am disposed to admit in the interest of the Pastoral Epistles), and the date of the Apocalypse (which I now assign, with the majority of modern critics, to the year 68 or 69 instead of 95, as before)." (1882, The History of the Christian Church, Vol. I, Preface to the Revised Edition, 4th paragraph)
Dr Kenneth Gentry, a reputable 21st century Bible scholar, recently wrote a thorough and scholarly work defending the early date of Revelation, and it is a free e-book here, which I recommend for further study on early date evidence (or watch the youtube videos based on this book -especially parts 4 and forward here).
AN INITIAL PEEK AT THE INTERNAL EVIDENCE
Now a brief peek at evidence found within the text of Revelation itself which testifies as to when the book was penned:
1. The book opens and closes with clear statements that the events signified would "soon" take place (1:1,3, 22:6), that His coming would occur "quickly" (2:16, 22:7,12,20), and the Revelator was even told to "Seal not the sayings of this book, for the time is at hand." (22:10) The awful persecution and slaughter of the Christians for 3.5 years under Nero Caesar (62-66AD) and the terrible siege and destruction of Jerusalem for 3.5 years (66-70AD) were the only events involving both the church, the Jews, and the Romans worthy of such cataclysmic descriptions to take place in the first few hundred years following Christ. The book had to have been written before or during this awesome string of events.
2. The Jewish persecution of the church was still a reality when the book was penned. In John's messages to Smyrna and Philadelphia in chapters 2 and 3 (both verse 9), he encourages them to stand strong in the face of this intense Jewish persecution. This Jewish persecution of the church ended according to history when the unbelieving Jews were slaughtered and thoroughly scattered at the end of the siege on Jerusalem in 70AD. Revelation had to have been written before this event.
3. Rev. 17:10 says that the seven headed beast (also from chapter 13) represents seven kings, of whom the 6th is currently reigning, and the "seventh has not yet come," but when the 7th comes he will "remain a little while." This perfectly fits the line of Roman Caesars as listed by first century historians: Julius(1), Augustus(2), Tiberius(3), Caligula(4), Claudius(5), Nero(6), and Galba(7). The 6th emperor of Rome was Nero (who was the first emperor to turn against the Christians) and furthermore in chapter 13 (vs 18), the reader is told to "count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man - six hundred and sixty-six." The Hebrew letters which spell Nero Caesar (NRWN QSR) add up to six hundred sixty-six. Galba (the seventh), who followed Nero, only reigned 6 months - a very "little while" when compared to his predecessors. Again, further internal evidence that this book was written between 62 and 66 AD during the intense Neronic persecution of the early church, in order to give the Christians hope and assurance that their Lord Jesus would soon come to judge to their oppressors and give them their promised deliverance.
These three points I give as a simple introduction to internal evidence. As we travel through this book, peering at the text through the eyes of a first century Christian (to whom the book was written), I submit that it becomes abundantly apparent that the events signified throughout match the events in and around Judea which the persecuted first-century church personally witnessed from 62-70AD -- and they match them so closely that after seeing all the evidence together, its hard to imagine Revelation referring to anything else!
In the next installment, we will dive in and begin examining Revelation from chapter 1, verse 11 and forward... now comes the fun part!
There are two common dates ascribed to the penning of this book - the mid 60's AD or mid 90's AD. To decide when the book was originally written, we examine both internal and external evidences. Internal evidence is evidence found within the text itself which gives clues as to when the book was penned. External is evidence from external sources which vouch for when the book was penned. Both are taken into consideration when attempting to determine when an ancient writing was originally written, but let us not forget that only the internal evidence is 100% reliable. The dating of the book of Revelation has always been of special interest because when this book was written helps lend weight to its proper interpretation.
A BRIEF LOOK AT EXTERNAL EVIDENCE:
The mid-90's AD date comes from a single, fairly ambiguous statement made by Irenaeus, an early church father in the 2nd century (Against Heresies, Book V, chapter 30, last sentence in Section 3) where he states "that (the vision, an original copy of the vision, or John himself?) was seen no very long time since, but almost in our day, towards the end of Domitian’s reign." In his book, Irenaeus also said that Jesus lived to be 50 years old (Book 2, Chapter 22, opening sentence). So to take a single unclear statement from a writer whose dating abilities are clearly questionable and use it as the singular authority for dating such an important book as Revelation, would be a mistake for obvious reasons. Irenaeus' quote above is the only original external source for the "late" (Domitianic) date of Revelation (and all other early church fathers who propose this late date are simply quoting Irenaeus!).
However, there are a variety of different external sources for a mid-60's AD dating of Revelation.
-Clement (150-215) "For the teaching of our Lord at His advent, beginning with Augustus and Tiberius,was completed in the middle of the times of Tiberius. And that of the apostles, embracing the ministry of Paul, end with Nero." (Miscellanies 7:17.)
-Epiphanius of Salamis (fourth century)"[John], who prophesied in the time of Claudius [Nero]...the prophetic word according to the Apocalypse being disclosed." (Epiphanius, Panarion/Heresies 51:12,33)
-Syriac Vulgate Bible (sixth century) "The Apocalypse of St. John, written in Patmos, whither John was sent by Nero Caesar." (Opening Title for the Book of Revelation)
-Arethas (sixth century) "Arethas in the sixth century, applies the sixth seal to the destruction of Jerusalem (A.D. 70), adding that the Apocalypse was written before that event" (From Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, 1871, under section titled "Date and Place of Writing")
Other early sources supporting the mid-60's AD date of Revelation are Tertullian, Papias, Jerome, The Muratorian Canon, and the Shephard of Hermas.
More modern early-date proponents include Greg L. Bahnsen; Adam Clarke; F. W. Farrar; John A. T. Robinson; Henry Barclay Swete; Milton S. Terry; Wilhelm Bousset; F. F. Bruce; Rudolf Bultmann; Samuel Davidson; Alfred Edersheim; Johann Eichorn; Joseph A. Fitzmyer; J. B. Lightfoot; C. F. D. Moule; R. C. Sproul; and Augustus H. Strong, just to name a few.
Philip Schaaf, the well known 19th century church historian said, "On two points I have changed my opinion--the second Roman captivity of Paul (which I am disposed to admit in the interest of the Pastoral Epistles), and the date of the Apocalypse (which I now assign, with the majority of modern critics, to the year 68 or 69 instead of 95, as before)." (1882, The History of the Christian Church, Vol. I, Preface to the Revised Edition, 4th paragraph)
Dr Kenneth Gentry, a reputable 21st century Bible scholar, recently wrote a thorough and scholarly work defending the early date of Revelation, and it is a free e-book here, which I recommend for further study on early date evidence (or watch the youtube videos based on this book -especially parts 4 and forward here).
AN INITIAL PEEK AT THE INTERNAL EVIDENCE
Now a brief peek at evidence found within the text of Revelation itself which testifies as to when the book was penned:
1. The book opens and closes with clear statements that the events signified would "soon" take place (1:1,3, 22:6), that His coming would occur "quickly" (2:16, 22:7,12,20), and the Revelator was even told to "Seal not the sayings of this book, for the time is at hand." (22:10) The awful persecution and slaughter of the Christians for 3.5 years under Nero Caesar (62-66AD) and the terrible siege and destruction of Jerusalem for 3.5 years (66-70AD) were the only events involving both the church, the Jews, and the Romans worthy of such cataclysmic descriptions to take place in the first few hundred years following Christ. The book had to have been written before or during this awesome string of events.
2. The Jewish persecution of the church was still a reality when the book was penned. In John's messages to Smyrna and Philadelphia in chapters 2 and 3 (both verse 9), he encourages them to stand strong in the face of this intense Jewish persecution. This Jewish persecution of the church ended according to history when the unbelieving Jews were slaughtered and thoroughly scattered at the end of the siege on Jerusalem in 70AD. Revelation had to have been written before this event.
3. Rev. 17:10 says that the seven headed beast (also from chapter 13) represents seven kings, of whom the 6th is currently reigning, and the "seventh has not yet come," but when the 7th comes he will "remain a little while." This perfectly fits the line of Roman Caesars as listed by first century historians: Julius(1), Augustus(2), Tiberius(3), Caligula(4), Claudius(5), Nero(6), and Galba(7). The 6th emperor of Rome was Nero (who was the first emperor to turn against the Christians) and furthermore in chapter 13 (vs 18), the reader is told to "count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man - six hundred and sixty-six." The Hebrew letters which spell Nero Caesar (NRWN QSR) add up to six hundred sixty-six. Galba (the seventh), who followed Nero, only reigned 6 months - a very "little while" when compared to his predecessors. Again, further internal evidence that this book was written between 62 and 66 AD during the intense Neronic persecution of the early church, in order to give the Christians hope and assurance that their Lord Jesus would soon come to judge to their oppressors and give them their promised deliverance.
These three points I give as a simple introduction to internal evidence. As we travel through this book, peering at the text through the eyes of a first century Christian (to whom the book was written), I submit that it becomes abundantly apparent that the events signified throughout match the events in and around Judea which the persecuted first-century church personally witnessed from 62-70AD -- and they match them so closely that after seeing all the evidence together, its hard to imagine Revelation referring to anything else!
In the next installment, we will dive in and begin examining Revelation from chapter 1, verse 11 and forward... now comes the fun part!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Getting Revelation -Part 4- He Comes With Clouds!
"Behold, He cometh with clouds!" This declaration which opens verse seven is familiar Old Testament apocalyptic symbolism used often by the ancient Jewish prophets, and would have been rich in meaning to the first century Jews. First and foremost, it signifies that John's Revelation details the fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy about 500 years earlier:Dan 7:13-14 - "I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.."
Daniel is told later to "seal up" his visions in a book because they would not come to pass for a long time (Dan 12:4 & 12:9), and now in his vision John declares confidently that its fulfillment is at hand in the first century AD (see especially Rev. 22:10 - "Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand." - the complete opposite of what Daniel is told - more on that in a future installment) So what does "Coming with clouds" mean? Let us look at this symbolism as it is used in the Old Testament:
Isa 19:1 - "The burden against Egypt. Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud, And will come into Egypt; The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence, And the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst." (regarding the impending destruction on ancient Egypt)
Ez 38:15-16 - "And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes." (regarding the impending destruction of ancient Israel)
2 Sam 22:7-16 & Ps 18:7-15 - "He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet. And he made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies. And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind... And he sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and discomfited them." (King Davids song celebrating judgment on his enemies)
Jer 4:13 - "Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled... Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment." (regarding the impending destruction of ancient Israel)
See also Lam 2:1, Ez 30:18, Joel 2:1-2, Zeph 1:14-16. In all these passages the Lord "came with clouds" against disobedient nations by bringing in foreign armies to seige and destroy them. He came with clouds against ancient Egypt, he came with clouds against ancient Israel, and he came with clouds against the enemies of David. In the examples above, coming with clouds did not mean a literal, visible appearance of God in the sky overhead -- rather it was powerful prophetic imagery symbolizing the divinely appointed destruction of a wicked people!
So let us compare this Jewish prophetic symbolism with our text: "Behold he cometh with clouds!" There is little question: The nation of Israel knew what "Coming with clouds" meant. It is the same reason why the Jewish leaders tore their garments in anger when Jesus told them during his trial "After this you will see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." (Mat 26:64) It meant judgment. It meant the destruction and siege of their precious city and temple. The violent and bloody end of the disobedient Jewish nation that had been foretold over and again by the prophets of old. The time had finally arrived -- and the 12 tribes of the land (who had pierced him) would indeed all see it, and would wail at his coming!
Next: Part 5 will address the dating of the book of Revelation.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Getting Revelation -Pt 3- The Rally Cry of Revelation
Rev 1:7 - "Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen."
First and foremost, when reading this verse, the student who is more than casually familiar with the New Testament realizes that this statement has been made before -- by Jesus Christ!
Mat 24:30 - "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."
John is quoting the words of Christ here, a definate and sound allusion to the Olivet discourse as recorded in Mat 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. It is interesting to note that John had no Olivet discourse recorded in his gospel -- it would seem to reason that the book of Revelation stands as his own unique version of Jesus' Olivet discourse.
In that prophetic discourse, Jesus limited the fulfillment of his prophesies to take place before that generation to whom he was speaking had passed away, including this glorious "Cloud coming." (Mat 24:34,Luke 21:32,Mark 13:30) Therefore whatever great event he was referring to, it was something that was witnessed by that first century transitional generation, "upon whom the end of the age had come" (1 Cor 10:11, Heb 9:26).
Now, back to Rev 1:7 - Literal translations of this verse lend much aid in properly understanding its aim:
"Lo, he doth come with the clouds, and see him shall every eye, even those who did pierce him, and wail because of him shall all the tribes of the land. Yes! Amen!" (Rev 1:7,YNG)
"Every eye" that would see him was every eye of those "who pierced him" - and those "tribes" who would "wail because of him" were all 12 "tribes" of Israel! This word "tribes" (gr:phyle,5443) is exclusively used in the NT when referencing the 12 tribes of Israel alone (check it out - its used 31 times in the NT)! The unbelieving twelve tribes had put to death the apostles and prophets, and the very son of God, and now the time of the final judgment foretold upon them beginning at Moses, throughout their history, and finally by Christ himself (Mt 23:29-39,Lk 23:27-31,19:41-44 & in many of his parables), had arrived.
According to history, this time of great judgment on the Jews indeed came within the scope of that same generation which witnessed Christ's crucifixion -- it began with 3.5 years of awful tribulation on the Christian church from 62-66AD (under Nero Caesar) and then 3.5 years of judgments on the nation of Israel during the horrific siege on Jerusalem (from 66-70AD) culminating with the thorough and fiery destruction of the Jewish temple in 70AD, just as (and just when) Christ had foretold.
The next installment will examine the phrase "He comes with clouds!" which opens same verse (1:7), and which draws its roots soundly in the Old Testament scriptures!
First and foremost, when reading this verse, the student who is more than casually familiar with the New Testament realizes that this statement has been made before -- by Jesus Christ!
Mat 24:30 - "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."
John is quoting the words of Christ here, a definate and sound allusion to the Olivet discourse as recorded in Mat 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. It is interesting to note that John had no Olivet discourse recorded in his gospel -- it would seem to reason that the book of Revelation stands as his own unique version of Jesus' Olivet discourse.
In that prophetic discourse, Jesus limited the fulfillment of his prophesies to take place before that generation to whom he was speaking had passed away, including this glorious "Cloud coming." (Mat 24:34,Luke 21:32,Mark 13:30) Therefore whatever great event he was referring to, it was something that was witnessed by that first century transitional generation, "upon whom the end of the age had come" (1 Cor 10:11, Heb 9:26).
Now, back to Rev 1:7 - Literal translations of this verse lend much aid in properly understanding its aim:
"Lo, he doth come with the clouds, and see him shall every eye, even those who did pierce him, and wail because of him shall all the tribes of the land. Yes! Amen!" (Rev 1:7,YNG)
"Every eye" that would see him was every eye of those "who pierced him" - and those "tribes" who would "wail because of him" were all 12 "tribes" of Israel! This word "tribes" (gr:phyle,5443) is exclusively used in the NT when referencing the 12 tribes of Israel alone (check it out - its used 31 times in the NT)! The unbelieving twelve tribes had put to death the apostles and prophets, and the very son of God, and now the time of the final judgment foretold upon them beginning at Moses, throughout their history, and finally by Christ himself (Mt 23:29-39,Lk 23:27-31,19:41-44 & in many of his parables), had arrived.
According to history, this time of great judgment on the Jews indeed came within the scope of that same generation which witnessed Christ's crucifixion -- it began with 3.5 years of awful tribulation on the Christian church from 62-66AD (under Nero Caesar) and then 3.5 years of judgments on the nation of Israel during the horrific siege on Jerusalem (from 66-70AD) culminating with the thorough and fiery destruction of the Jewish temple in 70AD, just as (and just when) Christ had foretold.
The next installment will examine the phrase "He comes with clouds!" which opens same verse (1:7), and which draws its roots soundly in the Old Testament scriptures!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Getting Revelation - 1.2
In 1.1 we noted the extreme immenence (nearness) that the writer communicated to his audience concerning events signified in his vision. Next a few more noteable clues which help in unravelling the aim and object of the book:
1:1 - "And He sent and signified [it] by His angel to His servant John".
This word "signify" means "to give signs for" or to symbolize (same word used in Jhn 12:33, 18:32, 21:19). This told his audience (the first century churches in Asia - vs. 4) that the amazing prophetic descriptions they were about to read in this book of prophecy were not to be taken literally -- but they did stand as signs (symbols) for literal events which would come to pass shortly thereafter.
1:4 - "John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,"
It may seem basic, but John's audience was to seven literal churches in 7 literal cities in Asia minor in the first century AD. The Bible was not written to us today in the 21st century - rather it was written for us. Before we can attempt to apply scripture to our own lives today, we must first understand what it meant to its original audience. In this case the original audience was a first century one, and they were being heavily persecuted at the hands of the Jewish leaders and by Rome. This proves vitally important as we proceed, because we will find that Revelation spends most of its time detailing the impending judgments on these two first century oppressors (which gave great comfort to the first century churches).
1:9 - "I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ."
John was their companion in the tribulation. John and his peers were then experiencing the tribulation Christ had foretold they would suffer just before the end:
Mat. 24:9,34 - "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake... Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place."
As we proceed, we will find many striking parallels between the descriptions found throughout the book of Revelation and the descriptions found in Jesus' prophetic Olivet discourse (Mat. 24, Mark 13, Luke 21) -- which Jesus plainly promised to take place before that generation (gr: genea, 1074) of wicked Jews had died out (Mat 24:34,Luke 21:32,Mark 13:30).
The next installment (1.3) will be examining verse 7 -- a beautiful and bold prophetic statement which also gives a handful of clues to the true meaning of the whole book!
1:1 - "And He sent and signified [it] by His angel to His servant John".
This word "signify" means "to give signs for" or to symbolize (same word used in Jhn 12:33, 18:32, 21:19). This told his audience (the first century churches in Asia - vs. 4) that the amazing prophetic descriptions they were about to read in this book of prophecy were not to be taken literally -- but they did stand as signs (symbols) for literal events which would come to pass shortly thereafter.
1:4 - "John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,"
It may seem basic, but John's audience was to seven literal churches in 7 literal cities in Asia minor in the first century AD. The Bible was not written to us today in the 21st century - rather it was written for us. Before we can attempt to apply scripture to our own lives today, we must first understand what it meant to its original audience. In this case the original audience was a first century one, and they were being heavily persecuted at the hands of the Jewish leaders and by Rome. This proves vitally important as we proceed, because we will find that Revelation spends most of its time detailing the impending judgments on these two first century oppressors (which gave great comfort to the first century churches).
1:9 - "I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ."
John was their companion in the tribulation. John and his peers were then experiencing the tribulation Christ had foretold they would suffer just before the end:
Mat. 24:9,34 - "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake... Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place."
As we proceed, we will find many striking parallels between the descriptions found throughout the book of Revelation and the descriptions found in Jesus' prophetic Olivet discourse (Mat. 24, Mark 13, Luke 21) -- which Jesus plainly promised to take place before that generation (gr: genea, 1074) of wicked Jews had died out (Mat 24:34,Luke 21:32,Mark 13:30).
The next installment (1.3) will be examining verse 7 -- a beautiful and bold prophetic statement which also gives a handful of clues to the true meaning of the whole book!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Getting Revelation - 1.1
Rev. 1:1 - "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants--things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,"
The first verse, ironically enough, contains the primary key to the proper interpretation of the whole book, and this key statement is repeated again and again throughout the book (especially in the opening in closing passages). John informs his audience that the vision he is about to share is concerning "Things which must shortly take place." This same restrictive time stamp is repeated in verse three.
1:3 - "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is at hand."
"The time is at hand." The greek words behind these terms cannot be stretched to mean anything else. Shortly is Tachos in Greek (Strongs 5034) and at hand is Eggys (1451). There is no mincing words here. The seer wants to communicate the definite and undisputable eminence of the events he is about to detail.
The book of Revelation was penned in the first century to a first century set of persecuted churches; and, if the writer declares that the book is concerning things which must "shortly" take place, and were then "at hand," then we need not look to the future, but to the distant past to pinpoint the events which mark their fulfillment! The events signified in Revelation had to have taken place in or shortly after the first century to stay true to the plain and consistent time declarations of the prophet (this eminence is repeated again and again throughout the book, especially in the final chapter - 22).
NEXT TIME we will peer closer at other clues in verses 1-10...
The first verse, ironically enough, contains the primary key to the proper interpretation of the whole book, and this key statement is repeated again and again throughout the book (especially in the opening in closing passages). John informs his audience that the vision he is about to share is concerning "Things which must shortly take place." This same restrictive time stamp is repeated in verse three.
1:3 - "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is at hand."
"The time is at hand." The greek words behind these terms cannot be stretched to mean anything else. Shortly is Tachos in Greek (Strongs 5034) and at hand is Eggys (1451). There is no mincing words here. The seer wants to communicate the definite and undisputable eminence of the events he is about to detail.
The book of Revelation was penned in the first century to a first century set of persecuted churches; and, if the writer declares that the book is concerning things which must "shortly" take place, and were then "at hand," then we need not look to the future, but to the distant past to pinpoint the events which mark their fulfillment! The events signified in Revelation had to have taken place in or shortly after the first century to stay true to the plain and consistent time declarations of the prophet (this eminence is repeated again and again throughout the book, especially in the final chapter - 22).
NEXT TIME we will peer closer at other clues in verses 1-10...
Introductory Installment
The book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ is quite possibly the most widely misinterpreted book in the entire Bible. This is more than apparent when taking into account the great variety of interpretations which have been extrapolated from the book over the last 200 years (they can't all be right, of course). For this reason I am writing a general commentary on this book in a series of short installments here. It is my hope and prayer that the reader would gain understanding where there once was none, and would gain a sense of peace on a subject (that of "the end-times") where there is so little peace nowadays.
That being said, I feel driven to remind the participant who is considering joining me here that the book of Revelation, however liberally misinterpreted in the recent past, is still a part of the whole of scripture passed down to us by our ancestors, and as such is just as important to the overall message of the scripture as other more easily understood books like Matthew, Romans, or James, and ought not simply be swept under the rug as unimportant. God would not have included this final book of Revelation if He never meant for it to be successfully understood, and understood to the strengthening of the church universal.
One more comment before I begin. I do not pretend to know everything on this subject. However, I am not hesitant to say that my studies over the last few years in eschatology (the study of last things) have brought me to some simple conclusions that I believe are indeed what John the revelator - and the audience to whom he wrote - plainly understood the book to be referring.
Having thus said, we will proceed with installment 1.1, in which we will discover that the very first sentence of Revelation contains a major key to properly interpreting the whole book!
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