Date: February 2007 Series: "I Want to Be Left Behind" (XXVIII) Title: The Apocalypse

       The Apocalypse - Every “end-time” scenario, at some point, is going to “come home to Mama” - the book of Revelation.  As you already know by now, my early beliefs about the end times were not rooted in the Bible, but what Hal Lindsey told me the Bible says.  I really devoured The Late Great Planet Earth, but I reveled (pardon the pun) in Lindsey’s midrash on the book of Revelation - There’s a New World Coming.

       The more I learned about the whole Bible, the less thrilled I was with what Lindsey was saying.  Topical studies on crucial issues/terms throughout the Bible, reflecting on Bible History, and dealing repeatedly with what is in the book of Revelation led me in another direction.  Then in my Master’s program, I did an independent research project on the literary structure of the Apocalypse and that was very enlightening.  A popular approach among A-millennialists (Revelation 20 is the current age) is the “cyclical” view of Revelation - that it portrays the Church Age through three or seven repeated presentations.  I have considered and abandoned that view and will now explain why.

       What I think I know - The Book of Revelation is a combination of three types of literature: an Apocalupsis (1:3), epistolary material/letters (2-3), and prophecy.^[1]  An apocalupsis was a drawing aside of the curtain to explain what has been covered or hidden - thus, the book of Revelation was supposed to “clarify” rather than “mystify.”  Whatever “the tribulation” (and kingdom and perseverance) is, it was already under way and John thought he was participating in it with his original readers - 1:9 in Greek.  Whatever Christ’s kingdom is (11:14-15), we know that Jesus was already the exalted/enthroned (3:21) king over a priestly kingdom (1:5-6) that was blood-bought and international (5:9-10) by the time this was written.  I am pretty sure that the key to understanding the book lies within the circle of things available to the early church that it was originally addressed to - the rest of the Bible and the historical events that were unfolding (Roman persecution).  In the ancient world, apocalyptic writings were used to do a couple of things - portray meaningful people and events in a symbolic way and sometimes to provide a symbolic overview of a larger story.  I believe the book of Revelation does both.

       What I believe - I gradually came to believe the Book of Revelation to be a vision of God’s plan throughout history, centered on Christ.  I believe this for two major reasons.  First, it appears that accountability and the proportion of humanity judged/punished increases as you move through the three major units of the vision - 1/4 in the seals (6:8), 1/3 in the Trumpets (8:7-12), and all in the bowls (16:3,4,14).  Since accountability comes with revelation and awareness of God’s will (Luke 12:47-48; Romans 4:15), I believe this indicates the three segments of the vision represent three progressive eras of history.  If the seals, trumpets, and bowls are three repeated views of the same age, the apparently increasing accountability is hard to explain, but if we are moving through three eras of history (three dispensations?) and each offers more knowledge of God and His will than the previous, then increased accountability and judgment make sense.  My second reason for suspecting this literary structure builds upon the first.  Standing back from the tree so as to take in the forest, I also notice a historical flow symbolically portrayed in the “clusters of symbolism,” with the first coming of Christ portrayed in the midst of the vision.

       (1) The vision begins with God portrayed at the center of things.  The focus is upon God the Creator (4:11), Revealer & Redeemer (5:1-10), and Ruler (5:11-14).

       (2) The Seals (6:1 - 8:1) portray general truths that been have with us since the first sin - conquest leads to war, then to hunger, and lots of death (6:1-8), the innocent righteous suffer (9-11), God’s intervening judgments (6:12-17), with a telescopic portrait of all of God’s redeemed being marked out in a 12-tribe group (7:1-8) and then an international group focused on a victorious heavenly Lamb (7:9-17).  Is chapter six the Patriarchal Era, from creation to Moses?

       (3) The Trumpets (8 - 14) portray clusters of images that make one think of the Mosaic Era: the plagues and Exodus (8:1-13), Israel’s spiritual struggle (9:1-12), and Israel’s national downfall to overwhelming armies from east of the Euphrates because of their idolatries and disobedience to the Law of Moses (9:13-21).  Then, a strong messenger from heaven announces that something delayed is about to occur - something proclaimed to/through the prophets that will occur with the sounding of the 7^th angel - and the Apostle John seems to be called to enter the flow of the action (10).  We are then told of the Temple evaluated and turned over to the nations for trampling in connection with two witnesses that resemble Moses and Elijah who are both killed in the “Great City” and then return to life and ascend to heaven, followed by the announcement of God/Christ’s kingdom with the 7^th angel’s trumpet, and judgment begins (11).  A heavenly “sign” portrays a great red dragon ready to devour the child of a woman clothed with the sun, moon, and 12 stars (Genesis 37:9-10), but the child ascends to heaven and persecution against Jews and the followers of Jesus begins (12-13).  I think these are big images of Israel’s national history ending with the first coming of Christ, the opposition to John and Jesus (embodying the Law and Prophets), followed by the resurrection of Christ, destruction of Herod’s Temple and national Judaism, and the beginning of Roman persecution against the Church in the first century AD. (to be continued)