Revelation

1
Revelation

• Reminds us of early Christian hope in quick
  transformation of world
• Gods prearranged plan
• Christs universal reign immanent
• Apokalypsisunveiling
• Cryptic language of metaphor and symbol
• Positioned at close of Christian scripturesnot
  last chronologically

2
Revelation

• Dates from 95-96 CE
• Apocalyptic hope
• Reintroduces Jesus as major character
• Changed
• No longer humanized
• Messiah-king who slays enemies
• Not there to forgive sins
• Inflicts punishment

3
Revelation

• New order only through Gods direct involvement
  in human world
• Jesus must act as Gods judge and destroyer
• Not immediately accepted into canon
• Luther doubted its authority re Christ
• Only complete apocalypse of Christian scriptures
• Tradition of Daniel, Joel, Enoch, and 2Edras

4
Revelation

• Early theory of authorship suggested John the
  apostle
• Author now known as John of Patmos
• Itinerant Christian prophet
• Mystic/visionary
• No official position in any church
• Likely a native of Palestine

5
Revelation

• Written late in reign of Domitian
• Son of Vespasian and younger brother of Titus
• Titus (79-81 CE) defeated Jewish revolt against
  Rome and destroyed Jewish temple
• Domitian accepted divine honors
• Became worshipped in areas of Empire
• May not have personally demanded Emperor worship
• Emperor worship common mechanism for earning
  citizenship

6
Revelation

• Encourages division between believers and
  Greco-Roman society
• Emphasizes the tremendous odds against true
  believers
• Must maintain separation from pagans and
  oppressors of Greco-Roman world

7
Order of Revelation

• Prologue
• Jesus letters to 7 churches of Asia Minor
• Visions from heaven seven seals/seven trumpets
• Signs in heaven woman, dragon, the beast, the
  lamb, and the plagues
• Visions of the great whore and the fall of
  Babylon (Rome)

8
Order of Revelation

• Visions of the eschaton the warrior Messiah,
  imprisonment of the beast and Satan, judgment of
  the dead, final defeat of evil
• Visions of the new heaven and a new earth
  descent of heavenly Jerusalem to earth
• Epilogue authenticity of visions

9
Revelation

• Structure Immense cycle starting and ending in
  physical reality
• Encompasses broad range of unseen regions of
  heaven and future
• Classic portrait of divine being
• Male deity with snow-white hair, flaming eyes,
  incandescent feet and sharp sword coming from
  mouth
• Designed to surpass gods of other cultures

10
Revelation

• 7 churches presented as important/sacred as
  golden candelabrum in Jerusalem sanctuary
• Display Christs light on world
• John presents himself as recording secretary
• Recording words of divine voice

11
Revelation

• 2 series of visions
• 7 seals
• 7 trumpets
• Assure believers in immanent deliverance
• First four sealsfour horsemen of apocalypse
• Fifth sealChristian martyrs who cry for
  vengeance
• Sixth sealseismic and astronomical phenomena
• Seventh sealvision of seven trumpetsplagues

12
Revelation

• Ch. 12signs in heaven
• Unnumbered visions dramatizing cosmic battle
  between lamb and dragon
• Spiritual counterpart to earthly Armageddon
• Vision of woman dressed in sun, moon, and
  starsIsrael
• Vision of dragonSatan
• Recalls earlier apocalyptic bests (e.g. Tiamat,
  Leviathan)

13
Revelation

• Vision of the Roman beast10 hors and seven heads
• Rome as earthly embodiment of dragons evil
• Nero Caesar666
• 1st Christian to persecute Christians
• Rome as corrupt whore adorned with jewels
• New Babylon doomed to fall

14
Revelation

• Vision of Eschatonfinal series of conflict
  visions
• Lambs ultimate triumph over dragon
• Angel hurls dragon into abyss
• Dragon imprisoned for 1,000 yearsthe millennium
• 1,000 year prelude to gods kingdom
• Martyrs to return with Christ
• Image of lake of fireplace of punishment

15
Revelation

• Emphasis on divine wrath
• Questionable if Revelations god displays divine
  love
• Revelation does not transcend binary of good/evil
• Evil merely annihilated
• Good fails to redirect evilonly suspends
• God and Satan use similar methods of destruction
  and pain

16
Revelation

• 1 Self-conscious opening
• Time of fulfillment near
• Author in exile
• Image of divine
• Sevens
• 2 Endurance
• Jesus words for 7 churches
• Jezebel

17
Revelation

• 3 Wake up people
• Coming soon
• Love, reprove, discipline
• 4 Vision of what must take place
• 5 7 seals
• Breaking of sealsLamb to open
• 6 4 horsemen
• Martyrs
• Earthquakes
• 7 Seal of living god

18
Revelation

• 144,000 marked with seal
• All nations represented?
• Passed through great ordeal
• 8 7th sealprompts 7 trumpets
• Mountains and rivers of fire
• Woe to inhabitants of earth
• 9 Key to abyssabyss opened
• Dragon thrown in abyss
• Cannot be killed

19
Revelation

• Angels to kill 1/3 of humankind
• 10 Time nearno more delay
• 11 Two witnesses given authority to prophesize
• Beast to return from abyss
• 12 Woman robed with sun
• 7 headed dragon
• Birth of militaristic messiah
• Cosmic wardragon thrown down to earth

20
Revelation

• Sacrifice of lamb conquers dragon
• 13 new beast
• World worships beast
• Beast allowed to wage war
• Beast allowed to be worshipped
• 14 Lamb on Mount Zion
• Only the 144,000 can learn the song
• Men who stayed away from women

21
Revelation

• Time and endurance
• 15 7 plagues
• 16 Sores
• Another earthquake
• 17 Great whore of Babylon/Rome
• Book of life
• 18 Merchants of mighty city
• Traders

22
Revelation

• 19 Wedding banquet of lamb
• Christ as Logos
• Militaristic Messiah
• Beast and false prophets in lake of fire
• 20 Satan chained for 1,000 years in abyss
• After 1,000 years, must be let out again
• Book of life for Judgment
• 21 New heaven/New earth
• Old order has passed away

23
Revelation

• 21 Angel uses human measurements for new
  Jerusalem
• New Jerusalem doesnt need sun or moon
• Splendor of god keeps it illuminated
• 22 Time coming soon
• Let the thirsty come
• Curse on editors