Revelation Overview
Background Information
Most scholars agree that the Book of Revelation is not pseudonymous, though they debate which John authored it: John the Apostle, John the Elder, an unknown John, John Mark, or John the Baptist.[1] However, the latter two have not gained serious support, leaving the former three as potential authors of the Book.[2] John identifies himself three times as the author of the Letter (1:1, 4, 9; 22:8), and throughout the Greek Book, the syntax and idiosyncrasies “that reflect Semitic syntax,” demonstrate the author's native tongue of Galilean Hebrew.[3] Therefore, it is proper to assume that John the Apostle authored the Book, and “Early [C]hurch tradition [attests to this]... Johannine [A]postolic authorship is found in the writings of Justin Martyr (ca. AD 100-165), Irenaeus (ca. AD 130-200), Clement of Alexandria (ca. AD 150-215), Hippolytus (ca. AD 170-236), Origen (ca. AD 185-254), and Tertullian (ca. AD 160-225).”[4] Moreover, “Irenaeus, a native of Smyrna, may have received his information directly from Polycarp, a disciple of John… [and] Irenaeus’s testimony was affirmed by Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Victorinus (died ca. AD 304), Eusebius (ca. AD 260-340), and Jerome (ca. AD 354-420).”[5]
The date of John’s writing is divided between two periods, “an early date (AD 64-69) and a late date (AD 95-96).”[6] While some opt for a middle position, “the preponderance of the internal and external evidence suggests the mid-90s during the reign of Domitian as the most probable date of composition for Revelation. The external testimony overwhelmingly favors the late date, which became the established tradition throughout church history.”[7]
The provenance and occasion of Revelation is more straightforward to determine, as John identifies Patmos as its origin (1:9). While it is popular to assume “Patmos functioned as a place of exile, no records exist identifying it as such,”[8] nor does John mention the idea of an exile explicitly. Instead, he “indicates that the reason he was there was “the [W]ord of God and the testimony of Jesus.”[9] However, John self-identifies as a “fellow participant with the churches in their hardships (1:9; see 2:9-10, 22; 7:14). Therefore, John’s presence on Patmos was the result of official opposition to his message.”[10] Under these circumstances, John writes to the seven churches, Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, “as a direct command from the Lord (1:11, 19; see 2:1).”[11] His purpose in writing to them is to encourage them “to remain faithful to Christ and to endure hardships as they [swim] against the currents of the surrounding culture,”[12] just as John was led to Patmos by doing so himself.
The rest of this essay will follow the traditions of the Early Church, which posit that John the Apostle authored Revelation on Patmos in AD 95-96.
Message and Structure
For brevity’s sake, this portion of the essay will be divided into three sections: prologue and epistle to the seven churches (1-3), the throne room, visions, and Babylon’s fall (4-19:10), and Christ’s return that ushers in the new creation (19:11-22:5).
John begins Revelation with a short prologue (1:1-8) before writing to the seven churches (1:9-3:22). He identifies himself as the author (1:4, 9), and declares that he is a “partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus (1:9),”[13] who ordered John to write to the seven churches (1:1). These churches are revealed to John as lampstands and “[to] each of them [John] gives a description of Christ, a commendation, rebuke, solution, consequences for disobedience, and promise for conquerors.”[14] He warns them that “[t]hey need to see the splendor of Jesus to conquer [their declining spiritual vitality]. If they do, they will receive rewards. If not, He will come with a sword.”[15]
Some scholars reject Johannine Apostolic authorship because John is not a prophet; he is an Apostle.[16] However, it is plausible that John can function in both roles as he was with Jesus in His ministry, and he was taken before the throne “like other prophets, Isaiah and Ezekiel, [who were] summoned into the secret heavenly council of the Lord.”[17] In this throne room, John receives visions from the Lord, and “[e]verything in the narrative emanates in circular fashion from the one on the throne and the Lamb (4-5).”[18] In other words, “it is from this spot that all of Revelation and all of history proceeds, including the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls. When the Lamb opens the scroll, the judgments of God are released upon the Earth.”[19] These specific instances of God’s judgment, the seals, the trumpets, and the bowls, are a form of recapitulation; John “tells the same story a few different times. He gives multiple views of Jesus’ victory, and, therefore, Revelation is not strictly chronological, but it does follow some sort of progression.”[20] While this apocalyptic language is confusing to some, it is not meant to conceal the will of the Lord, but to reveal it in symbolic imagery.[21] John then tells the story a different way; “now he displays it as the destruction of a city and harlot in contrast to the bride… Babylon falls (18-1-8)” and the antithetical bride, the Church, is married to the Lamb (19:6-10).[22]
These instances described by John are physical and symbolic representations of the spiritual reality: “John looks up and sees Christ’s return. He is riding on a horse as the divine warrior. He judges the earth and conducts the only just war with a robe dipped in blood (19:11-21). He crushes those under His feet who have opposed Him, fire comes from His eyes, and a sword from His mouth.”[23] When He has become victorious over His enemies, including binding Satan, His people “who had not worshipped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands” (20:4) rule with Him for a thousand years (20:1-10). The amillennial position is preferred. Christ is victorious over sin, death, and Satan in His crucifixion and resurrection; He binds him so that His Church can reign with him for a thousand years. The millennium is the age of the Church, and it culminates in the destruction or complete defeat of Satan in the lake of fire and sulfur (20:7-10) before God gathers His people at “the last judgment, where readers return to the throne. The book has now come full circle. It started in the throne room and ends in the throne room. But more is to come. Judgment clears the path for peace.”[24]
Christ’s victory ushers in the new creation (21:1-22:5). After the judgment, a new Jerusalem and Eden is made (21:9-27; 22:1-5): “The city is on a high mountain, it shimmers, and has twelve gates and foundation stones. It is a perfect cube, resembling the holy of holies, and its measurement points to flawlessness. There is no sun or moon, because the glory of God is in its midst.”[25] Here, the people of God will dwell with Him forever, “and there will be no more sadness.”[26] Their life, being, and immortality will come from the river that flows from the throne of their God.
Application
The opening of the scroll by Jesus, the Lamb, and the pouring out of God’s judgment culminate in the destruction of Babylon (17:1-19:10) and the return of Christ (19:11-20:15), who brings about the new creation as King and Judge (21:1-22:5). Revelation, therefore, is undoubtedly Christocentric and readers would be wise to apply this Christocentric emphasis to their own lives. Only Jesus is worthy of opening the scroll (5), thus, Christians must exult Him:
Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth…
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing…
To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
Be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever! (5:9-10, 12-13).
This song is meant to be sung by all those who worship the Lord, and perhaps it is the most beautiful doxology of the entire Bible.
Second, John is told, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy” (22:10-11). Therefore, since the time is near and the end has already begun, Christians must stand firm in righteousness and holiness while they wait for the coming of their Lord. Likewise, to John, Christians must wait for the day with great anticipation, imploring, “Come, Lord Jesus!” (22:21).
FOOTNOTES
[1] Andreas J. Kӧstenberger, L. Scott Kellum, and Charles L. Quarles, The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2016), 929.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid., 930.
[4] Ibid., 931.
[5] Ibid., 941.
[6] Ibid., 933.
[7] Kostenberger, Kellum, and Quarles, 942.
[8] Ibid., 943.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Ibid., 944.
[12] Ibid.
[13] Unless otherwise specified, all Bible references in this paper are to the English Standard Version (ESV) (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2016).
[14] Patrick Schreiner, The Visual Word: Illustrated Outlines of the New Testament, illustrated by Anthony M. Benedetto (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2021), 174.
[15] Ibid.
[16] Kostenberger, Kellum, and Quarles, 931.
[17] Patrick Schreiner, “New Testament Survey II - Dr. Patrick Schreiner - Revelation,” YouTube.com, December 7, 2023, 0:48-56, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv7vOqzgQmA
[18] Patrick Schreiner, The Visual Word: Illustrated Outlines of the New Testament, 172.
[19] Patrick Schreiner, “New Testament Survey II - Dr. Patrick Schreiner - Revelation Intro,” YouTube.com, December 7, 2023, 3:39-4:08, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_1BTPuC-0c
[20] Ibid., 2:59-3:17.
[21] Ibid., 2:15-2:28.
[22] Patrick Schreiner, The Visual Word: Illustrated Outlines of the New Testament, 177.
[23] Ibid.
[24] Patrick Schreiner, The Visual Word: Illustrated Outlines of the New Testament, 177.
[25] Ibid.
[26] Ibid.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kӧstenberger, Andreas J., L. Scott Kellum, and Charles L. Quarles. The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2016.
Schreiner, Patrick. “New Testament Survey II - Dr. Patrick Schreiner - Revelation Intro” YouTube.com. December 7, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_1BTPuC-0c
______. “New Testament Survey II - Dr. Patrick Schreiner - Revelation” YouTube.com. December 7, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv7vOqzgQmA
______. The Visual Word: Illustrated Outlines of the New Testament. Illustrated by Anthony M. Benedetto. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2021.
