Apocalypse
Often and widely misunderstood over the centuries, The Revelation to John is not a prophecy for the ages about the end of the world as we know it, but an apocalyptic writing, which it was not uncommon in that day and age (c.a. 90 AD?) for someone to write to encourage and give hope to (and even scare the daylights out of) people who were suffering through a time of great trouble, oppression, torment and fear. With some disagreement about what was going on at the time, argument because of uncertainties about the document's date, and who was Roman emperor at the time, and the story's christology, and the disintegration of Jewish Christianity that was underway for various reasons, a likely situs may be the persecution of Christians by officials of the Roman Empire after Nero (54-68 AD), during the reign of Vespasian (69-71 AD) and/or Domitian (81-96 AD).
Revelation is a book of frighteningly vivid imagery and symbols, much of the imagery (such as The Beast) and symbolism (such as 666) having been intended to shield the author’s meanings, which would have been treasonous and brought on the death penalty, from Roman authorities. The agenda of encouragement and hope, which is also meant to be threatening, is threefold. Those who are doing the persecuting will be conquered and their punishment will be dreadful. Those who give in to the persecutors and abandon the church and faith of Jesus Christ will suffer fiery retribution for their apostasy. Only those who are faithful and true through the tribulations will be saved and victorious forever. Studying and discussing Revelation can be like sitting in a 3-D movie theater and participating in John's vision as the images rush fearsomely past and over you.
Revelation (the actual name of the book is Apocalypse -- αποκαλυψις ιωαννηου) begins with an anonymous person named John in exile on Patmos, now a pilgrim and tourist spot but then a godforsaken island in the Aegean Sea just off the coast of what is now Turkey. One visualizes John living alone in a cave and doing his best to stay alive and keep warm as he writes by candlelight, or rather by the light of an oil lamp, olive oil. John is writing to people who are terrified, being cruelly persecuted because of their faith. Or perhaps because they refused to make the state’s required obeisance by throwing a pinch of incense in the fire at an altar to Caesar.
The treatment of Christians in time of the Roman persecutions is well known and does not bear rehearsing here.
This one John writes that he had a vision in which he is lifted into heaven, the throne room of God, the presence of Jesus Christ the Lamb who was crucified, died, resurrected, ascended and now rules with God; and has been told by Jesus what is going to happen to the persecutors and to those who fall into apostasy, and the glorious victory of those who remain faithful and true. It’s a scary, nightmarish tale.
In deciding what writings of many dozens to include in the New Testament canon of scripture, the Church faced much conflict about whether to include Revelation (and there were at least two other apocalypses under consideration). Against it were that the imagery is horrific. And one is hard pressed to see the loving Christ of the gospels. And the book stirs up a frighteningly vengeful sense of getting even with one's adversaries. Also, the author is not known. What may have been deciding is that, the author calling himself John, tradition grew up that this was John Zebedee, the apostle. Fifteen hundred years on, Christians, including Martin Luther during the Protestant Reformation, were still saying that Revelation should not be in the canon. But it is. And it makes a great read. And seeing that it’s part of our Bible, we are bound to explore it.
We have it to explore in our Sunday School and Bible Seminars for the Easter Season 2013, because during that time our Sunday Eucharistic Lectionary has us reading from Revelation. We'll be reading Revelation using the new paraphrase translation The Voice, because its wonderful story-telling presentation is so clear, and because its writers put us in the picture with a side narrative just about every time the scene shifts.
We’ll start it in Sunday School on April 7 for seven sessions. And in our Bible Seminars on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 9 and 10, also for seven sessions. No signing up is needed for Sunday School, but folks who are coming to the Bible Seminars are kindly asked to email me and let me know.
Tom+