The Book of Revelation

  1. Where do fundamentalists focus?:
    1. “The Beast” of Revelation: Rev 13:1-3, 16-17
      1. “The Beast” and the antichrist: 1 John 4:3; 2:22; 2:18-19
    2. Tribulation: Daniel 7:35; 12:2, Revelation 11:2
    3. Rapture: 1 Thes 4:16-17
      1. “rapture” – from the Latin verb here, rapiemur, “caught up”
      2. Matt 24:40-41; Psalm 102:16, Matthew 24:36, Acts 1:11; 1 Corinthians 15:20-23; 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Romans 14:10; Acts 1:3,6, Daniel 2:44, Luke 1:31-33; 1Corinthians 15:24-28, Revelation ch. 20, 21:1-7.”
    4. The Whore of Babylon (From “Jesuscaresaboutyou.org)

  2. A Key term:
    1. Apocalypse: from apokaluyiz – “revelation,” “disclosure”
    2. Jewish apocalypses: Daniel 7–12; Apocalypse of Abraham; Testament of Levi
    3. Other Christian apocalypses: Apocalypse of Peter; Shepherd of Hermas;
    4. Heretical Gnostic apocalypses: Apocalypse of Adam; Apocalypse of James
      1. See James Charlesworth, Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, vol. 1

  3. Roots of apocalyptic in Daniel
    1. The persecution of Jews by Antiochus IV, found recounted historically in 1 and 2 Maccabees
    2. Daniel 7:1-9
      1. The sea: beneath the earth: Genesis 7:11; 49:25; Genesis 1:6-8
        1. The pillars in the waters: 1 Sam 2:8c; Ps 24:1-2
        2. The dwelling place of monsters: Isaiah 27:1
      2. A winged lion: the Babylonian empire
      3. A bear: the Median empire
      4. A leopard: Persia
      5. Four heads: the four Persian kings of Daniel 11:2.
      6. The ten horns: the Seleucid dynasty
      7. The little horn: Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175–163 B.C.)

  4. Three hypotheses for Revelation’s use of apocalyptic style
    1. (1) Responding to a community’s suffering from persecution
    2. (2) Cognitive Dissonance (Collins): Apocalyptic as a response to social-theological crisis
      1. socially at odd with their world: Rome, Nero, imperial cult, John’s exile
      2. theologically at odds with their world:
        1. with Jews (Smyrna 2:9-10 and Philadelphia 3:9);
        2. idolatry (Pergamum and Thyatira
        3. marriage (porneusai) (1 Cor 7:12-16)
        4. wealth (Laodiceans – Rev 3:17-18)
    3. (3) Accomodation and assimilation: internal (not external) crisis:
      1. External: pagans (1 Peter 4:3-4) and Jews (Heb 10:32-34
      2. Internal:
        1. false teachers (2:2 – apostles; 2:6, 15 – Nicolaitan; 2:14 – followers of Balaam; 2:20-23 – the prophetess Jezebel)
        2. spiritual lethargy (2:4 – backsliding; 3:4 – soiled garments; 3:15 – loss of zeal; 1:9; 2:2, 3, 19; 3:10 – patient endurance)
        3. Not poor (2:9); not persecuted (2:13 – persecution in the future: 2:10; 2:22; 3:10).

  5. Keys to Understanding Revelation
    1. Move away from “prophesy” – Mark 13:31-37
    2. Start with John’s world (not ours)

  6. Rev Chapter 13 and Daniel 7
    1. Rev 13:1 and the four beasts in Daniel 7:2–28,
    2. The leopard/bear/lion and Rome
    3. The mortal wound and Nero
    4. Worshipping the dragon and Domitian (see Archangel Michael– Rev 12:7)
    5. Forty-two months:
      1. the profanation of the holy city (Rev 11:2),
      2. the prophetic mission of the two witnesses (Rev 11:3),
      3. and the retreat of the woman into the desert (Rev 12:6,14).”
    6. Waging war: 70 AD, the Romans Under Titus, conquered Jerusalem
    7. The book of life – Dan 12:1
    8. False prophets – Rev 16:13; 19:20; 20:10 / False messiahs – Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22; 2 Thes 2:9; Deut 13:2–4.
    9. Great signs, – 1 Kgs 18:17-46
    10. The mark of the beast – Deut 6:4-9 contra the seal of God – Rev 7:3; 14:1
    11. Six hundred and sixty-six and the numeric value of “Caesar Nero”
    12. Mount Zion = in Jerusalem, cf 2 Kings 19:30–31; Joel 2:32; Obadiah 1:17; Micah 4:6–8; Zeph 3:12–20.
    13. 144,000: the new Israel – cf Rev 14:1–5; Gal 6:16; James 1:1; Rev 7:9.

  7. Summary Conclusions:
    1. 4 conclusion of critical scholars, Catholic and mainline Protestants
      1. it is fundamentally about the first century world and the struggle (its debated) of the early church with either
        1. persecution from the Roman empire, Rome being the beast
        2. cooption of lukewarm Christians into accepting the materialistic values of their day
      2. there are eternal values expressed in this book
        1. encouraging believers of all times in their struggle against
          1. evil,
          2. temptation,
          3. and abuse of authority.
      3. it communicates the failure of human institutions that attempt to take God’s place in the lives of God’s people
      4. it also expresses hope for oppressed people and those going through hard times:
        1. God will triumph

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