Revelation has been one of the most confusing books..if not THE MOST confusing…in the entire bible. If we are going to try to understand Revelation, there are several questions we must ask:
When was it written? There are 2 camps as to the answer to this: some believe it was written in 65AD and others believe 96AD. The historical position of the church has been the earlier date. Most of the evidence within the book points to an earlier date. Those who believe in the later date point to Iranaeus who, writing around 180AD, seemed to say Revelation was written during Domitian’s reign. Domitian was emperor from 81-96AD. Iranaues is not one who should be overlooked by those who hold to the earlier dating of Revelation. There are two questions though that are raised in reference to Iranaeus’ work. The first is that the translation makes it uncertain as to the subject of the verb “was seen.” Was the subject the apoclaypse was seen by John? Or, was the subject John who was seen by others?(1) Also, his credibility on numbers and dates is questionable. He dated Jesus ministry from 30-50 years.(2)
There is a large body of evidence in support of an earlier dating of the writing of Revelation within the book itself. The earliest existing version of the New Testament, the Syriac, includes a sentence right before the book of Revelation that says, “Again, the revelation which was upon the holy John, the evangelist from God when he was on the island of Patmos where he was thrown by the Emperor Nero.” Nero ruled from 54-68AD.
Revelation 17:10 reads,
”They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while.”
When we look at history, the 1st 5 Roman emperors, had already died by this point, and the 6 who currently ruled in 65AD was Nero. After Nero, who reigned for 14 years, Galba came to the throne and ruled for only 6 months. So, we have 5 who have fallen(the 1st 5 emperors), one is(Nero), the other who hasn’t come yet but when he did would remain for only a little while(Galba).
Revelation 1:7 says that those who had pierced Him would see His coming. We’ve nuanced this verse to say that anyone who has sinned has pierced Him, but John’s readers would have understood this to mean those who had literally pierced Jesus. This parallels Jesus numerous time references, 2 of which bookended the Olivet Discourse, that these things would come upon this generation. He also told Caiaphas, that he would see him coming on clouds.
Several letters to the churches in the opening chapters of Revelation reveal there is still influence of Judaizing heretics. This would have been nearly impossible after the destruction of the Temple because there was no longer any way to return to the old system.
In Revelation 11, John is told to measure the temple. While he couldn’t physically do this because he was on the island of Patmos, the implication is a present existence of the temple. Why instruct John to measure the Temple with no mention of its destruction before such instruction?
In Revelation 10:11, the angels tells John that he “must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.” By 96AD, John would have been a old man. Jerome writes that John was seen in 96AD and he was feeble and infirm with age. He was carried to the church and could only speak a few words.(3) It is unlikely that he would have been able to travel, write, and speak after this.
Finally, in Revelation 22:10, John is instructed, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.” Now, Daniel was instructed to seal up the prophecy because it was a long way off, about 500 years. Yet, John is told NOT to seal it up because the time was near. He also uses several time indicators that speak of the time of fulfillment was near…shortly come to pass…quickly…speedily.
To whom was it written? It was written to early believers facing tremendous persecution. They read from it in their worship services. They would have understood exactly what John was writing about. They would have been familiar with the symbolism contained in the prophesy. Otherwise, it would have done nothing to comfort or encourage them. If the message and symbolism was foreign or something they could not understand, it would have been of no use to them in such a time. It’s illogical to think that, in the midst of a season of trial and persecution, John would write a book…that God would instruct him to write down what he saw…that contained bizarre symbolism they did not understand about a time in the distant future.
What style did he use? Having more of a feel of Old Testament prophesy, Revelation does not seem to fit in the New Testament. It seems to fit best after the major prophets(Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel). It has the feel and length of these books. Its style is strikingly similar to Ezekiel and its structure almost parallels it. John also quotes from Ezekiel frequently, as well as significant number of quotes from Isaiah and Jeremiah.
Ezekiel wrote of the coming destruction at the hands of the Babylonians and his book is remarkably parallel to Revelation. Therefore, it makes sense that John, in using such strikingly similar style and structure, would be writing of the coming destruction at the hands of the Romans. 1st century readers would have recognized this parallel and understood the implications. One glaring difference is that Ezekiel prophesied a return and a rebuilding but John prophesied neither. Instead, he prophesied Jerusalem being replaced by a new heaven, new earth, and new(heavenly) Jerusalem. Interestingly, the destruction of the temple in 70AD occurred on the same day as the destruction of the temple in 586BC…the 9th of Av. By using the same structure and imagery as Ezekiel, and drawing from Isaiah and Jeremiah, John painted a clear comparison between what had happened before and what was about to happen again.
Why did he write it? What was the purpose? Jesus had already prophesied about 70AD in His Olivet Discourse recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. So, why write the book of Revelation 35 years later if they had Jesus’ words written down for them?
John’s gospel had no parallel passage; the coming destruction of 70AD is not found anywhere in the book of John. First, John’s gospel is so different from the other 3. He had a completely different approach, and even recorded risky stuff like Jesus’ command to eat His flesh and drink His blood. It makes sense that His writing of the Olivet Discourse would also be completely different.
Second, when Jesus appeared to John and gave him this vision that paralleled the destruction of Jerusalem in the Old Testament, it also served as an update and encouragement to the Christians who have been believing for the past 35 years that Jesus was coming in judgment at any moment. By this point, many of John’s peers had been killed. He was reminding them to keep watch….as sort of a last cry and reminder that it is indeed coming and do not lose hope! So, Revelation is John’s parallel to the Olivet Discourse and an admonition to the Christians to keep holding on.
What is the name of the book? It is The Revelation of Jesus Christ. It is not Revelations. The Greek word for revelation is apocalypsis, from which we get the word apocalypse. Apocalypse has come to mean a complete final destruction, or an event involving destruction of epic or catastrophic scale. But, the meaning of the Greek word is “unveiling, uncovering, a revealing.” It is a pulling back the curtain to reveal was is right there but has been hidden.
So if the book is to be a revelation, an unveiling, what or who is being revealed, unveiled? Jesus. It is The Revelation of Jesus Christ. But, that raises several questions: why is this unique from other events of His life? Was He not fully revealed already..at His birth…or, at least at the cross or resurrection? And, what was hiding Him?
New Testament writers have been speaking of this revealing(1 Peter 1:7, 13; 2 Thess 1:6-7; 1 Cor. 1:7 are a few). The early church was waiting for the full revelation of Jesus in the near future and it was connected to the destruction of Jerusalem. This was a clear statement that the event prophesied in Revelation was the revealing of Jesus they had been waiting for.
But, how is His revealing connected with the destruction of Jerusalem? This is answered when we look at what was hiding, or veiling, Him.
“…for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But, whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2 Cor. 3:14-18
In other words, the old covenant veiled Jesus….when He was born…when He was doing ministry….when He died…when He was resurrected. Revelation is prophesying His unveiling. When these events were fulfilled, Jesus would be completely unveiled…revealed.
1st century believers would have understood this to be what Revelation was about…the revealing of Jesus…His unveiling…using OT prophetic imagery that paralleled the previous destruction of Jerusalem, only now there would be no return to the old covenant. It would be completely destroyed, no longer veiling God, and revealing fully the glory of Christ and His New Covenant.
When we look at Revelation without understanding its background and purpose, it is frightening, disturbing, and confusing. Futurists live in fearful expectation of experiencing these things in the future. When we look at as the final book in the canon of the New Covenant, we realize it is prophesying the final destruction of the Old Covenant, a system that veil God for years, not as a destruction of the world some time in the future.
Some preterists look back on the events with horror. But, when we look at it in the context of covenant, we realize it is not about the destruction of people, but of a system. Those who clung to the system did suffer and die, but it was not a punishment upon them but the result of clinging to a system that was prophesied for destruction. If a person insists he will stay on a boat that is doomed to sink, he’ll go down with it. God, in His mercy, waited an entire generation, 40 years from Jesus’ first prophetic warnings of judgment until its fulfillment, for His people to forsake the Old Covenant and embrace the New Covenant.
The events in Revelation were glorious and beautiful to God because they were the moment in history when the veil of the Old Covenant would finally be removed. God had been hidden and misunderstood through centuries of history, ever since the Israelites rejected His covenant offer and requested the Law. Now, after the events in Revelation were fulfilled, that veil would no longer get in the way of people relating to Him and knowing His heart.
Heaven rejoiced over the fall of Jerusalem, shouting, “Hallelujah!” three times because with the destruction of the Old Covenant system, Jesus and the New Covenant are now fully revealed in all its glory. Now that the veil has been removed completely, every person on earth could see God, understand Him, and relate to Him. And, without the veil distorting Him, His heart for mankind is now fully on display.
Hallelujah!
Endnotes:
1. Gentry, Kenneth. 1989. Before Jerusalem Fell. Fort Worth, TX: Dominion Press. pp. 46-49.
2. Ibid. pp. 63-64.
3. Welton, Jonathan. 2014. Understanding the Whole Bible. Rochester, NY: Jon Welton Minisries, p. 419.
Hallelujah!
Endnotes:
1. Gentry, Kenneth. 1989. Before Jerusalem Fell. Fort Worth, TX: Dominion Press. pp. 46-49.
2. Ibid. pp. 63-64.
3. Welton, Jonathan. 2014. Understanding the Whole Bible. Rochester, NY: Jon Welton Minisries, p. 419.