Introduction and Scripture Reading

We are now ready to consider the Book of Revelation. As we prepare to do so, I would have you turn in Revelation to chapter 1, and perhaps have your hand in chapter 22 where I’ll read a portion — indeed the opening and closing of this book — that it might set our focus upon the approach I will be taking.

Let’s hear then the Word of God. Revelation 1, verses 1 through 7:

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His bondservants — things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His bondservant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

And then, skipping over to chapter 22, we read verses 6 – 10:

“Then he said to me, ‘These words are faithful and true.’ And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His bondservants the things which must shortly take place. ‘Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.’

Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. Then he said to me, ‘See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.’ And he said to me, ‘Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.’“

Let us pray.

Once again, our Heavenly Father, we pause in Thy presence to give Thee thanks for revealing Thy truth to us. We come now to this very difficult book which has perplexed the minds of Thy church for ages, ever since its original writing apparently. We pray, Lord, for the illumination of the Holy Spirit that we might have some of the tools, some of the keys, for the proper interpretation of it. And may we be diligent to search the Scriptures to see whether these things are so. For it is in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Introduction to the Lecture

In this morning’s lecture, I am entrusted with the task of giving an introductory overview of the Book of Revelation. It is the most difficult book in the Bible. I think, as all of us here would agree, it has been said that wherever you find five commentaries on the Book of Revelation, you will find six different views. Unfortunately, many of the commentaries are like a black hole: they are so dense that no light can escape.

Ambrose Bierce wrote what he called The Devil’s Dictionary. When you look up “Revelation” in it, it says: ”A famous book in which St. John concealed all that he knew.” There is more: ”The revealing is done by the commentators, who know nothing.”

Due to time constraints, very obviously, I cannot deal with this very perplexing book in the space of 50 minutes. But I do want to highlight some portions that I think will be helpful as tools or keys for opening up the Book of Revelation to you. You might be interested to know that I contribute to a book called Four Views on the Book of Revelation, edited by Marvin Pate, where I present this view I am about to give you in fuller form if you want to search it out a little more.

A day with the Lord is as a thousand years, but an hour at Ligonier is only 50 minutes, so I really need to get started. I want us to focus on two big issues. One is — and we’ll focus only briefly there — the date of the writing of Revelation. The other is the theme, which includes the flow of Revelation. I think these will provide for us helpful keys. If you follow my thinking, I think you’ll see at least some plausibility in this approach, and I hope it is persuasive to you.

The Date of Composition

I would like to begin with only a brief evidence of the reason why I argue that John wrote prior to AD 70. My doctoral dissertation was on that subject and is published as the book Before Jerusalem Fell, which is over 400 pages. So, there is a lot of material that we could cover had we the time, but because of constraints, I will have to be brief. Don’t let the brevity of it make you think that’s all there is to the argument.

There are two basic schools of thought on when John wrote Revelation among evangelical scholars today. They are called, on the one hand, the Late Date View, that says he wrote in AD 95 or 96 toward the end of the reign of the Emperor Domitian. Then there is the Early Date View, that says that he wrote just prior to the destruction of the temple, which occurred in AD 70. So perhaps it was written anywhere from AD 65 to early in AD 70. These are the two basic positions.

I want to present two internal indicators that will suggest to you why I believe this book was written prior to AD 70 when the temple was destroyed.

1. The Temple is Standing In the first place, when you read the Book of Revelation, you find that the temple is standing in Jerusalem. In Revelation 11:1-2, we read this command of John: ”Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it,” etc.

Since the temple is standing when John is writing, it has to have been written while the temple was standing, which is prior to AD 70. If John wrote 25 or so years later, then this would be a most anachronistic and confusing statement for his original audience.

2. The Line of Seven Kings Secondly, we find evidence in the line of the seven kings in Revelation chapter 17. In the first six verses, we have a vision of a seven-headed beast. Then, we find evidence that Nero Caesar, that infamous persecutor of the church, is still alive.

We have, by the grace of God, an angel who comes on the scene to interpret the vision for John. In verses 9 and 10, the angel gives John wisdom and shows him that you cannot interpret this book literalistically. This is not a seven-headed beast. The angel says:

“Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time.”

We understand that the Book of Revelation was written during the time of Imperial Rome. When the angel interprets these seven heads as seven mountains, naturally, for the original audience, the Seven Hills of Rome would spring to mind. Rome was known as the “City on Seven Hills.”

But who are the seven kings? I believe he is telling us that these are the emperors. He is counting forward from Julius Caesar.

• The first is Julius.
• The second is Augustus.
• The third is Tiberius.
• The fourth is Gaius (Caligula).
• The fifth is Claudius.

The angel tells us that the first five have fallen. Then he says ”one is.” As a matter of fact, Nero Caesar was the sixth in the line of the emperors of Rome. This tells us that Nero is alive. It tells us, therefore, that it is prior to June 8th, AD 68, because at that time Nero commits suicide as the Roman Empire erupts into flames through civil war.

Then he says, ”the other has not yet come, and when he comes he must remain a little while.” Since Rome has been cast into the throes of civil war and Nero dies after a reign of 13 and a half years, interestingly, the next emperor is Galba. The seventh is Galba, and he reigns from the death of Nero in June until that next January. He reigns but six months.

I think the evidence here is quite suggestive. The temple is standing; Nero is alive. Those being true, we are to understand that the Book of Revelation obviously was written prior to the destruction of the temple.

The Expectation of Revelation

Now I would like to consider the expectation of Revelation. We need to discern what John expects. Here it is vitally important to understand the original audience and how they would read this book. Three factors will emphasize the historical circumstances of John’s original recipients.

1. Audience Relevance John writes to seven historical churches. In Revelation 1:4 he says, ”John, to the seven churches which are in Asia.” In verse 11 he names those churches, and in chapters 2 and 3 he gives evidence of knowing those churches quite well because there are subtle indicators of their culture, their social setting, and their circumstances in the first century.

2. Written to be Understood He wrote in order to be understood. Look at verse 3 of chapter 1: ”Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things written in it.” The idea of hearing is not just receiving audible intonations, but hearing with discernment so that they can keep what he has commanded. Therefore, it is directly relevant to the first-century church. It is not directly relevant to a church 2,000 years later in the same way; he is writing to a particular historical audience.

3. They are in Tribulation Notice that this particular historical audience is already in tribulation. In verse 9 of chapter 1, John says, ”I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation.” In chapters 2 and 3, when he addresses the seven churches, he highlights growing problems they are facing. Some among them are being killed; there is an awful onslaught of Satan in some of those churches. He is dealing with real Christians with their sandals firmly planted in the first century. He is not taunting them about Cobra helicopters and things like that 2,000 years away. He is telling them about events that are going to be dealing with their circumstances.

The Contemporary Expectation Interpretation of the Book of Revelation must begin in the first chapter. John very clearly expects the events that he prophesies to begin occurring soon. Notice two evidences of this: varied expression and strategic placement.

First, Varied Expressions. In verse 1, John says, ”The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants — things which must shortly take place.” That is the Greek word tachos. Like our word “tachometer,” it means shortly. It doesn’t mean thousands of years later. This word occurs also in chapter 2:16, 3:11, 22:6, and in its adverbial form in 22:7, 12, and 20.

He also uses another term in verse 3: ”for the time is near.” Here the Greek word is engus, and it literally means “at arm’s length.” It has to do with the limb; guion means the limb. It is something that is at hand in a very literalistic fashion. This word also occurs in chapter 22:10.

Clearly, the temporal impression that the original audience would perceive is that John really expected these things to come to pass shortly.

Second, Strategic Placement. Not only does he use two different terms, but he places them strategically in the very opening and the very closing of the book — when you enter the world of Revelation and when you exit it. This is in the didactic (teaching) portion of the book, before you get to the dramatic images — the seven-headed beast, the locusts with men’s faces, the fire-breathing prophets. Before all that, you have a clear didactic introduction.

The Theme of Revelation

The question arises: We know they were in the first century under tribulation and expected something soon, but what were they to expect? This leads to the theme.

John states his theme upfront in Revelation 1:7, and the rest of the book is an explication of that theme. Reading from Young’s Literal Translation:

“Behold, he is coming with clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they also who pierced him, and all tribes of the land will mourn because of him.”

This sounds like the Second Advent. However, there is a relationship between AD 70 and the final coming of Christ, just as there are similarities between the language here and the destruction of Babylon in Isaiah 13 or Idumea in Isaiah 34.

Why do I believe this refers to AD 70?

1. Coming with Clouds (Apocalyptic Language) He speaks of His “coming with clouds.” As Dr. Ferguson reminded us, this is drawn from Daniel 7:13. This is apocalyptic language common among the Old Testament prophets to speak of divine visitation upon historical nations. When a nation falls, God is judging.

For example, in Isaiah 19:1, regarding the Assyrian overthrow of Egypt, it says: ”Behold, the Lord rides on a swift cloud, and will come into Egypt.” No sane commentator says God literally hopped on a cloud and taxied down into Egypt. It is an apocalyptic reference to the destruction of Egypt in a war. If apocalyptic language allows us to understand a divine judgment in history as a “cloud coming,” the possibility is open to us here in Revelation 1:7.

Consider also Matthew 21:40 and following. In the parable of the landowner, Jesus asks, ”When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?” The answer: ”He will destroy those wicked men miserably.” Then in verse 43, Christ says, ”The kingdom of God will be taken from you.” The chief priests perceived He was speaking of them. Matthew 21 uses “coming” language for the destruction of Jerusalem, and the Pharisees understood it.

2. Those Who Pierced Him Verse 7 says He is coming against ”those who pierced Him.” Who are they? Especially the first-century Jews. They cried out, ”Crucify Him! We have no king but Caesar.” In Matthew 27:25, they said, ”His blood be upon us and on our children.”

Throughout the New Testament (Acts 5:30, Acts 2:36, 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16), the primary covenantal responsibility for the crucifixion falls upon the Jews, even though the Romans physically did it.

3. Tribes of the Land He says, ”All the tribes of the land will mourn.” The word translated “earth” is the Greek word ge, which can mean earth or land. “The Land” is a famous designation for the Promised Land. When you think of Israel, you think of the twelve tribes. John is saying: Jesus, whom you crucified, is coming to judge you, and all the tribes of the land will mourn. It will be a public event of great and grievous proportions.

Thematic Characters

Revelation is a drama written in vivid, terrifying imagery. I want us to consider two major characters: The Beast and The Harlot.

The Beast In chapter 13:1, John says, ”I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns.” We must look at this beast both generically and specifically.

• Generically: The Beast represents Rome. It has seven heads (seven mountains/hills of Rome). It rises out of the sea (from Israel’s perspective, Rome and its soldiers come across the Mediterranean). The crowns represent political power.
• Specifically: The angel tells us the heads are also seven kings, and “one is” (Nero). In Revelation 13:18, it says, ”The number of the beast is the number of a man.”

Nero Caesar as the Beast In many remarkable ways, Nero fits the facts:

1. The Number 666: Revelation 13:18 says the number is 666 (or six hundred and sixty-six, not a series of three sixes). Hebrew uses letters for numbers (Aleph=1, Bet=2, etc.). If you take the first-century Hebrew spelling of Neron Kesar (Nero Caesar), the arithmetical value adds up to 666.
2. 42 Months: In 13:5, he is given authority for 42 months to make war with the saints. The imperial persecution under Nero began in November AD 64 and ended with his death in June AD 68 — a period of exactly 42 months.
3. Death by Sword: In 13:10, it says, ”He who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword.” Nero committed suicide by thrusting a sword into his throat.
4. The Beast Revived: In 13:3, John sees one of the heads as if it had been mortally wounded, yet it was healed, and the world was amazed. When Nero died in June 68, Rome entered the “Year of the Four Emperors.”

The Revival of the Beast: The Year of the Four Emperors

We left off considering the “deadly wound” of the Beast. Remember, I said when Nero died in June AD 68, the Roman Empire was just entering into the throes of civil war. In fact, there is what is called in AD 68 – 69 the famous ”Year of the Four Emperors.”

There was one after another: Galba, Otho, and Vitellius. Each had three to six-month reigns. Then Vespasian comes along.

When Nero dies and Rome goes into civil war — and Germany revolts to try to escape, and Britain and the various far-flung areas of the empire — we see what looks like the death of Rome. Eternal Rome is collapsing to all eyes.

In fact, Tacitus, the Roman historian, says in Histories 1.11:

“This was the condition of the Roman state when Galba entered upon the year that was to be for Galba his last and for the state almost the end.”

They saw this as a very tragic circumstance. But what happens? The nation revives. The Beast revives from this wound that all thought was bringing it to an end.

Suetonius, a second-century historian, tells us in his book Vespasian (chapter 1):

“The empire, which for a long time had been unsettled and drifting through the usurpation and violent death of three emperors, was at last taken in hand and given stability by the Flavian family.”

The Beast was staggering to its death through the Year of the Four Emperors. And then finally, Vespasian comes on the scene, grabs hold of the reins of the kingdom, stabilizes it, and the Beast revives and lives again.

Notice how Josephus speaks of this in Wars of the Jews (4.11.5):

“So upon this confirmation of Vespasian’s entire government, which was now settled, and upon the unexpected deliverance of the public affairs of the Romans from ruin…”

This was unexpected. The tragedy was a very complicated and ruinous tragedy, this civil war of Rome. The Beast is struck with a mortal blow that takes out one of its heads, its reigning emperor. If you give a head blow, you would expect the animal to die. It falls down; it is collapsing; it is staggering. It goes through the usurpation of a series of military leaders who try to take hold of the reins of government. The Beast, to all appearances, is on its last legs. But then Vespasian comes in and revives it, and it becomes as great and even greater than before.

That is my understanding of the Beast generically and specifically considered.

The Harlot: A Tale of Two Cities

Now, what about the Harlot? Here is where we get into some really controversial exposition, but one I am very convinced about. In fact, I am getting ready to write a commentary on the Book of Revelation called A Tale of Two Cities. The two cities are the historical Jerusalem and the heavenly Jerusalem. That is what John is talking about here.

Let us notice Revelation 17:3 and 5:

“So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns… And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH [or Land].”

Many would tell us that this woman seated on the Beast is Rome, the city itself, because Rome is seated on seven hills. In verse 9, she is seated on these seven hills. But the Beast is already Rome. It would seem to be redundant to say that.

Actually, the imagery here portrays that this woman, the Harlot, is Jerusalem. The way that she sits on the seven hills of Rome is that she relies on Rome and the imperial apparatus to get at Christianity.

Remember, they cried: ”Crucify him! We have no king but Caesar. If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar’s.” Notice how they are relying on the Roman judicial apparatus. The Harlot Jerusalem is seated — that is, leaning upon, reposed upon, and using and driving the Beast — to destroy Christianity.

Evidence that the Harlot is Jerusalem

I want us to note the lines of evidence that demonstrate that the Harlot is Jerusalem.

1. The Great City In Revelation 14:8, Babylon is called “that great city.” What is the great city? The first time you see “the great city” mentioned in Revelation is in chapter 11:8. There, the great city is defined as ”the place where our Lord was crucified.” If our first occurrence of the great city imagery refers to Jerusalem, and then later this Babylonian Harlot is called the great city, there is reason to associate the two.

2. The Blood of the Prophets Remember, the Babylonian Harlot is full of the blood of the saints (Rev 16:6, 17:6). Let’s read Revelation 18:24:

“And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth [or Land].”

I believe the evidence suggests that Jerusalem is the perfect fit for this autopsy of the Harlot.

• In Acts, Jerusalem begins the persecution of Christianity. Paul (as Saul) was breathing out threatenings and slaughter.
• In Acts 8:1, a great persecution erupts against the church in Jerusalem.
• The Jews demanded the crucifixion, and the theme of Revelation (1:7) says ”those who pierced Him” will mourn.

Compare Revelation 18:24 with Matthew 23:34-35.

• Revelation 18:24: ”In her was found the blood of the prophets and saints and of all who were slain on the earth.”
• Matthew 23:35: Jesus says to Jerusalem, ”That on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth.”

You see a direct correspondence there.

3. The Harlot’s Clothing In Revelation 17:4, notice how she is dressed: ”The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls.”

If you know anything about the dress of the High Priest in Israel and the decoration of the temple, you can make a quick mental association here.

Exodus 28:5-6 commands: ”They shall take the gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and the fine linen, and they shall make the ephod…”

This was a dramatic feature of the ritual dress of the High Priest. These are also the colors that decked the temple. In fact, Josephus in Wars of the Jews (Book 5) mentions a quote “Babylonian tapestry” hanging in the temple in which blue, purple, and scarlet were mingled. Not only is it the right color, but Josephus calls it “Babylonian.” John is picking up on imagery associated with the temple to portray this Harlot.

4. The Forehead Inscription One of the features of the Harlot is that she has something written on her forehead: ”Mother of Harlots.” Interestingly, in Exodus 28:36, the High Priest has something on his forehead. It says: ”Holiness to the Lord.”

John is picking up the image of the High Priest because the High Priest represents the temple, the temple represents Jerusalem, and Jerusalem represents the Land. He ascribes that dress — including the foreign decoration — to the Babylonian Harlot.

The Literary Structure: Harlot vs. Bride John intentionally plays one woman off the other. This is a tale of two cities: the historical Jerusalem (the Harlot) versus the heavenly Jerusalem (the Bride). This contrast exists elsewhere in Scripture (Galatians 4:24, Hebrews 12:18).

Notice the parallels:

• The Introductions: In 17:1, an angel says, ”Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot.” In 21:9, the same angel says, ”Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”
• The Titles: ”The Great Harlot” vs. “The Great City, the Holy Jerusalem.”
• The Environments: In 17:3, he carries John into the wilderness to see the Harlot. In 21:10, he carries him to a great high mountain to see the Holy Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is called by pagan names in Revelation. In 11:8, she is called Sodom and Egypt. Now she is called Babylon. Jerusalem is acting exactly like the enemies of God from antiquity.

The Thematic Flow: The Divorce Decree

I want to sketch in broad strokes what I believe to be the vivid drama John is declaring. Revelation is the most Old Testament-flavored book in the New Testament.

In the Old Covenant economy, God’s wife is Israel (or Jerusalem). God graciously took this nation and married Himself to her in covenant. Jeremiah 3:14 says, ”Return, O backsliding children, for I am married to you.” But Israel is an unfaithful wife. She commits spiritual adultery by chasing after foreign gods.

The Covenant Lawsuit Consequently, God sends His lawyers — the prophets — to bring a case (a riv in Hebrew) against Israel (Hosea 4:1, Micah 6:2).

• Isaiah 1:2: ”Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth!” God calls creation as witnesses.
• Isaiah 1:21: ”How the faithful city has become a harlot!”

This covenant imagery comes to bear on Revelation.

• In Revelation 4, God is seated on His throne. The word “throne” occurs in 18 of Revelation’s 22 chapters. It is a judicially based book. God is seated in judgment against Israel for spiritual adultery.
• In Revelation 5, He hands out a seven-sealed scroll. I believe this represents God’s divorce decree against Israel.

He is divorcing this Harlot so that He can take a new Bride, the Church. The scroll is the bill of divorcement (Deut 24, Matt 19). John is picking up on Jeremiah 3:8, where God says, ”I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce.”

The Scroll Written Front and Back In Ezekiel 2, Ezekiel is given a scroll written on the front and back, dealing with Jerusalem’s devastation. In Revelation 5:1, we see a scroll written on the front and back. The seven seals seem to reflect Leviticus 26, where God warns four times: ”I will punish you seven times more for your sins.”

Capital Punishment: Stoning After chapter 5, God has to capitally punish His adulterous wife. In Leviticus 20:10, the adulterer was to be punished by being stoned to death.

While discussing Babylon’s destruction in Revelation 16:21, we read:

“And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent.”

She is being stoned to death.

Josephus, who lived during the Roman siege, records the fulfillment of this. In Wars of the Jews (5.6.3), he writes:

The Hailstones and the 10th Legion (Continued)

Josephus continues his description of the Roman siege in Wars of the Jews (5.6.3):

“As for the Jews, they did at first watch the coming of the stone, for it was white.”

What John is doing poetically and apocalyptically is giving a picture of the Roman legions — the 10th Legion particularly — throwing white, talent-weight hailstones on this city from all sides (except where the Kidron Valley is, where they couldn’t get to). Jerusalem is being assaulted, and talent-weight stones are falling upon her.

Josephus gives us the historical record as a catapult assault. John gives us an apocalyptic foreview in a poetic description.

The New Bride: The New Jerusalem

Having legally disposed of His harlotous wife, Revelation turns to consider what? A new Bride.

God’s old bride has committed adultery. She is capitally punished; she is put away. And so, in the end of Revelation, we see a new Bride coming down out of heaven. In fact, in Revelation 19, the siege of Jerusalem becomes, in effect, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

In Revelation 21:2, John says:

“Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

This Bride is a New Jerusalem which fills the void left by the Old Jerusalem just judged. That is the same imagery found in Galatians 4 and Hebrews 12.

Therefore, Revelation, I believe, is teaching us of God’s divorce of Israel as His special, beloved people because they have committed a final transgression against Him that is so horrible. He divorces her, He capitally punishes her, and He turns to take Him a new Bride and marries the Church coming down from above.

Israel’s Future and the Church

Now, let me just caution you. I don’t believe that that is “it” for Israel. I believe Israel will experience a glorious renewal in the eyes of God. However, I believe that for Israel as a racial people, but I do not believe there is any significance to Israel as a national entity anymore.

Israel as a racial people was judged, and their national claim to fame — their national standing with God — has been destroyed. He has taken a new Bride, the Church. But lo and behold, by the grace of God, all who profess the name of Christ can enter the Church as Christians, not as Jews. The old Israel, the old political structure that God used in the Old Testament to secure His Word and His will in the world, has been done away with.

Conclusion

So, Revelation explains, it justifies, and it warns about the removal of Jerusalem. We must remember the original audience, the near-time expectation, and the leading characters of the book.