The New Testament Scriptures would have been incomplete if the Book of Revelation had not been written. The last book of the Bible is a necessary conclusion to God’s revelation of himself and of His plan for the human family. It is in the Book of Revelation that many of the great themes of divine truth are brought to a climactic conclusion.
THE PURPOSE
The purpose of the Book of Revelation is to unveil Jesus Christ, and to present Him as the victorious Lord-active, alive, and in full control over all that is happening on earth. He will ultimately defeat every enemy, and will bring peace and order to this troubled planet.
The word “Revelation” is the Latin translation of the Greek word “Apocalypse” which simply means “to unveil.” The Revelation is an unveiling of Jesus Christ as He brings human history to a close here on earth. It is not a revelation of the four horsemen; it is not a revelation of the ten homed beast; it is not a revelation of the fall of Babylon; it is a revelation of Jesus Christ bringing human history to a close. Remember not to call this Book “the book of Revelations” because, while there are many visions and symbols, it is the revealing of truth about one great person.
The Book of Revelation is the only book in the Bible that begins and ends with a distinct promise of blessing to those who read it and observe its instructions. Chapter 1:3 says “Blessed is he that reads, and they that…keep those things that are written in it. Chapter 22:7 says “Blessed is he that keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
THE SETTING
The Book of Revelation was written near the end of the First Century, at a time of great suffering, persecution, and hardship for Christians. Emperor worship was becoming more and more common in the Roman Empire. During the reign of Emperor Domitian it had reached a peak. Domitian (A.D. 81-A.D. 90) demanded that he be worshiped as a god and that he be addressed as Lord and god.” Christians and Jews refused to show that kind of worship and as a result were called “atheists.” Some were put to death; some were pressured economically; others (like John) were banished to a barren island. Persecution was widespread.
The core message of the Revelation is: “Cling to Jesus Christ! Be faithful to Him even if it means death, end you will receive a crown of life.” Often in life it seems like Satan is winning the battle–but Jesus Christ is in control–and when He comes, He will defeat every enemy and manifest His victory to the world.
INTERPRETATION
There are four main schools of interpretation, four systems of approach to the study of the Book of Revelation.
* The Preterist — Revelation relates only to the events of the day in which it was written. The symbols of the book nearly all refer to the things that happened in the days of the Roman Empire. The events had taken place by the end of the first century. Weakness: The view ignores the professed forward look of John’s message (Rev. 1:3; 1:19;22:18).
* The Idealist — Revelation is the account of the conflict between the forces of good and evil. The view spiritualizes the teachings of the book, and says that it does not set forth actual events at all, but gives symbols that depict spiritual truths. Weakness: It eliminates the historical setting of the book–for example, the reference to the church at Ephesus, at Laodicea, etc., and it is not in keeping with the fact that the Bible’s message is an account of what God is doing in human history.
* The Historicist — Revelation corresponds to the events of history from Pentecost to the end time. The book is a symbolic forecast of the history of the church from its beginning until the second coming of Christ. Historicists find symbols to represent Constantine, the rise of the papacy, the Reformation, the French Revolution, etc. Weakness: The view is filled with serious and unreconcilable disagreements among those who hold this view.
* The Futurist — The Book of Revelation tells about events on into the future, looking ahead for fulfillment. The key verse is Revelation 1:19, and while part of the book is about the history of the church, the greater part of the book reveals things that will take place at the end of the age.
There are some merits in each of the above views. There is value in looking for some fulfillments along the path of history there are some great spiritual truths taught here, but Revelation 1:1-5 clearly speaks of a prophecy and of things which must soon come to pass. Thus the futurist view is what we believe is the correct basic view to accept. Surely no judgments in history have ever equaled those described in chapters 6, 8, 9, and 16. The resurrections and the judgment described in Revelation 20 have not yet occurred. There has been no visible return of Christ as portrayed in chapter 19.
SYMBOLISM
It is best to read and to seek to understand the Revelation in its plain, literal sense. In other words, take the words of the Revelation in their ordinary meaning (“stars” means stars and “earthquakes” means earthquakes), unless the context indicates that the language is symbolic.
All of us know there are symbols in the Bible. For example, in Psalm 22, verse 18 prophesied the casting of lots for Christ’s garments. This was a literal statement. But verses 12-13 depict the fierceness of the Lord’s enemies as “strong bulls” and “ravishing lions.” These are symbols with a very plain meaning. We see a similar contract in Revelation 8 and 9. Rev. 8:10 prophesies a judgment which will affect the sun, moon, and stars–literal astronomical bodies. Rev. 9:1-2 speaks of a star falling from heaven and unto “him” was given the key to the bottomless pit–a plain symbol depicting some created being.
We use the word “star” in our English language just like ii is used in Revelation 8 and 9. We speak literally of the stars in the heavens. We also refer symbolically to stars on the athletic field or in the movie industry. To take a futurist view does not mean that we deny the presence of symbols in the Revelation, nor do we claim to be able to explain every detail with certainty-but where context and the laws of grammar permit, we consistently try to follow the plain interpretation all the way through the Book.
ATTITUDES
Generally speaking there are two extreme attitudes toward the study of the Revelation. Some say the book cannot be understood, therefore it should not be studied, taught, or preached. Differences of interpretation, they say, have divided Christians and so we should for the most pert bypass the Revelation. Others consider themselves to be so sure of every detail of the Book that they set dates and propose fanciful interpretations. To them, Revelation is about the only New Testament book worth studying. Sometimes fanatics who have studied Revelation have given it such weird interpretations that people have been discouraged from studying it.
The proper attitude toward the Book does not lie in either extreme. The Book of Revelation is important and profitable, but it is not the only Book in the New Testament. In any study of the Book of Revelation there will be many questions left unanswered, but we must not be discouraged by the difficulties. Let us rather be encouraged by the clear victory which Christ will achieve.
THE OUTLINE
There are a number of ways one can divide the Book of Revelation, but most careful Bible students see Chapter 1:19 as a divinely given outline:
* 1) The things which John had seen up to 1:19-the vision of Jesus Christ (Chapter 1).
* 2) The things which are now–the present state of the church (Chapters 2-3).
* 3) The things which shall be hereafter–the great end time events after the church is completed (Chapters 4-22).
In other words, the Book of Revelation speaks of things past (what John had just seen in chapter 1, the vision of the glorified Christ); of things present (the conditions in the seven churches as described in chapters 2 and 3); of things future (the things that will take place at the close of the age–the scene in heaven, the tribulation on earth, the millennial age, and the eternal state, as seen in chapters 4-22).
–Harold S. Martin
March/April 1997
