(…continued) I have seven points I want to make on the book of Revelation.
#1: The Background. The Roman Empire had its own version of the Alcatraz prison surrounded by water. It was on a rocky island in the Aegean Sea called Patmos. Patmos today belongs to the nation of Greece, although it is closest to the mainland of Turkey. Criminals banished to that prison colony were often worked to death. Few were ever pardoned and allowed to leave. In Revelation 1:9, the writer, a man named John, writes that he was on Patmos, exiled there because he was proclaiming Jesus as Lord. Most scholars agree that this John was indeed the well-known disciple of Jesus, now in his 90’s, and the last surviving of the 12 original disciples. All the other disciples had been killed in a variety of unpleasant ways for their faithful testimonies. John alone would die a natural death; and he, as an exiled, lonely prisoner of Rome.
#2: The Question. Jesus had ascended into heaven about 60 years earlier. The number of believers, despite vicious opposition, had grown tremendously by this time, and there were congregations throughout the known world. But many believers were troubled and discouraged. Some had expected that Jesus would be back soon (see Luke 21:32), and he wasn’t. So where was he, and what was taking him so long? Most troubling was that his faithful followers were being so terribly persecuted. John even refers to himself as a “companion in their suffering.” Persecution was sporadic, and not all Christians faced it. But many did, and they were being dragged from their homes, imprisoned, beaten, crucified, and even thrown to the lions in the coliseum to be torn to pieces for the entertainment of the Roman crowds. Worship services had to be held in secret, and people were wondering what Jesus meant when he said he would be with them always. It wasn’t always looking that way. Where was Jesus?
#3: The Answer. The book of Revelation, and the vision of Jesus contained there, speaks to these concerns, and answers these questions. It does so by giving a glimpse into the future; but only in very general terms. These vague glimpses into the future can speak to us also, but only if we understand that these things were not written to tell us the details of what will happen in 2025. The vision acknowledges the great tribulation in their present age, and predicts even worse evil and violence to come. But then, it gives a strong statement of the belief that God still rules over history, and he will bring it all to a wonderful and glorious end—someday. There will be suffering, yes, but then there will be heaven, and all of the goodness of God’s original creation will be restored, and all evil will be destroyed—SOMEDAY. Then God will reign forever and we will live with him forever in His kingdom, and there will be no more death or crying or pain or sadness anymore, as it says in chapter 21.
The vision opens our eyes to the long view, the eternal view of history—far beyond, and bigger and better than the few years we see from our limited viewpoint. It does this in mysterious words (I’ll get to that), but within those words are timeless truths, not a specific timetable. But it broadens our vision to the eternal realities of God’s Kingdom. Yes, this world will end, the vision proclaims; and yes, there will be suffering, and a lot of it. But then there will be heaven. So, hang on folks, keep the faith, and one day you will be all right. Whole empires will come and go, even the great Roman empire. Where is Jesus? He is coming back. Jesus will return, and by believing in Jesus, individuals like you, little old you, can live on forever, with God.
#4: The Confusing Symbols. So, that is the general overview, and that is already a familiar part of our faith. And one reason this all is familiar to you is because this book of Revelation has been a part of the church’s message for almost 20 centuries. So, the basic meaning of Revelation has become a part of our Christian world-view and mind-set. We know this stuff, so in that sense the book has already served its purpose. But much of Revelation is difficult; and there is a very good reason for this. As I said, Christians were being hunted, persecuted, and killed. Therefore, a book like Revelation, encouraging faithfulness in that hostile environment, had to be written in symbolic language, like a secret code, to protect themselves. The situation then was much like it is today in North Korea, where even the smallest criticism of their Dear Leader (as he insists on being called), can mean execution. The images used in Revelation were from the Old Testament. So, when criticizing, or poking fun of Rome, the current enemy, and describing its inevitable destruction, John would say not Rome, which would be treason, but he’d say Babylon, the Old Testament enemy. Fellow believers would understand this. But in case the writings fell into the wrong hands, the subversive message would be hidden. The enemies who confiscated the literature could look and look, but they would not see anything. So, for example, in chapter 18 where all rejoice because Babylon the Great will fall, the real vision is that the despised Roman Empire will fall. But it would be dangerous to be caught saying that.
Well, that image is an easy one in Revelation, but that same thing is what is going on in all that talk of dragons and angels and battlefields covered in blood as high as the horse’s bridles and the mark of the beast, etc. etc. And that coded language is so well hidden that scholars today disagree on many of the meanings. So, the primary purpose of this symbolic language is to speak to those first century believers. Some preachers will read current leaders and events and nations into these symbols, but I do not find their efforts convincing. For one thing, they all disagree. For another thing, the connections to current events have to turnover every ten years because of the turnover in the major players on the international scene. These detailed prophecies are outdated in a very short time because they are always proven to be so very wrong.
One of the best-selling Christian books of all time was Hal Lindsey’s “The Late Great Planet Earth.” It came out in 1970 and 35 million copies were sold over the next few years. And although it did not set a specific date for the end of the world, it laid out a pretty detailed timetable. I remember as a sophomore in college, sitting up in my attic study room and doing the math– and all the indicators carefully outlined in the book meant the world would end, for sure, by no later than 1988. It was all very convincing at the time.
But ‘oops’– wrong again. (continued…)
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