For example, the Roman Empire is symbolized as a beast like a leopard with feet like a bear’s and a mouth like a lion’s mouth, for those who were being persecuted by Rome knew well. Such strange beasts were more or less commonplace features in apocalyptic literature – and the book of Revelation is a notable example of that literary genre. We too make use of animals as symbols of nations and groups: The British lion, the Russian bear, the American eagle, the Democratic donkey, the Republican elephant. It is important to recognize that the descriptions are descriptions of symbols, not the reality conveyed by the symbols.
Four persons are mentioned in the NT who bore the name John. Which of these is intended has been extensively debated. The absence of any specific data in the book itself makes it difficult to come to a firm decision. Since there is no qualifying identification (such as John the elder or John Mark), it is probable that the author intends his readers to understand that he is the John, who was so well known that he needed no titles or credentials. From the mid-second century onward the book was widely, though not universally, ascribed to the apostle John, the son of Zebedee.
Some argued on the basis of differences of vocabulary and grammatical style between the fourth gospel and the apocalypse and believed the latter to be the work of another person named John. The apostolic origin of Revelation was frequently disputed in the East.
The book of Revelation was composed and sent to seven churches in the Roman province of Asia at some point between A.D. 69 and 96 in order to encourage them with the assurance that, despite all the forces marshaled against them, victory was theirs if they remained loyal to Y’Shua.
The book was written about A.D. 90-95. John called his book an apocalypse, meaning an unveiling, a disclosure.
Jewish apocalyptic literature begins with the book of Daniel, through apocalyptic tendencies can be seen in Isa. 24-27, Ez. 38-39, and Zech. 0-14, where there are frequent references to the approaching day of the L-rd.
Important apocalyptic writings outside the OT are the book of Enoch, the apocalypse of Baruch, the Fourth book of Ezra, the Ascension of Isaiah, the apocalypse of Zephaniah, and parts of the Sibylline Oracles. The apocalyptists receive their revelations in ecstatic or dream visions, which are reported with the stylistic features typical of apocalyptic literature. Persons are represented in the likeness of animals, and historical events in the form of natural phenomena. Colors and numbers have secret meanings. The images themselves often have a history behind them and originate from astrological, cosmological, and mythological tradition of antiquity.
Although there are no formal laws that are applicable to all apocalypses, most of these books have the following basic features:
The authors of such books view the universe as divided into two camps, one good and the other evil. These camps are engaged in a long and fearful struggle. Behind the conflict are supernatural powers (G-d and Satan) at work among people and institutions. In everyday life it is not always easy to distinguish clearly the works of the two, but at the end of time every human being will be found to be one side or the other. The final separation of the two is the meaning of judgment. Apocalypses usually contain predictions about he final outcome of human affairs, focusing on the last age of the world, when good will triumph and evil will be judged. Present troubles are represented as birth pangs that will usher in the end. G-d has set a limit to the era of wickedness and will intervene at he appointed time to execute judgment. In the final battle the powers of evil, together with the evil nations they represent, will be utterly destroyed. Then a new order will be established, when the end will be as the beginning, and paradise will be restored.
The focus on the book of Revelation is the Second Coming of the L-rd Y’Shua the Messiah and the definitive establishment of G-d’s kingdom at the end of time.
There are probably seven of these sections, for John is fond of sevens; he mentions seven golden lampstands, seven stars, seven flaming torches, seven spirits of G-d, seven eyes, seven seals, seven angels, seven trumpets, seven thunders, seven heads on the dragon, seven plagues, seven bowls, seven mountains, and seven kings. Furthermore, without directly enumerating them, John includes seven beatitudes scattered throughout his book as well as seven-fold praise presented to the Lamb.
Here and there in John’s account of his visionary experiences he uses the word ‘then’. There is no reason to assume that the order in which John received his visions must be the order in which the contents of the visions are to be fulfilled. For example in chapter 12, we will find a vision that takes us back to the time of the birth of Y’Shua. Such features in the book should make us wary of turning Revelation into a kind of almanac or time chart of the last days based on the sequence of the visions that John experienced. Like any good teacher, he knows that repletion is a helpful learning device, so he repeats his messages more than once from differing points of view.
It should be noted that although most of the events in the apocalyptic writings such as the Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament are seen in the events of the years preceding and following the first century, there are a few which can’t be accounted for by these events and appear yet to be fulfilled.
Things seen in a vision are not physically present, the descriptions are not descriptions of real occurrences, but of symbols of the real occurrences. Die through the imagers is, the overall intention of the sounding of the seven trumpets is not to inflict vengeance but to bring people to repentance.
No comments:
Post a Comment