Nature of the Book of Revelation
The Book Apocalypse:
An apocalypse is a particular kind of literature with no modern equivalent. While there is only one OT apocalyptic book (Daniel) and one NT book that demonstrate some features of this type (Revelation), it was a common form of writing in the two centuries before and after the birth of Christ. There are several distinct features of apocalyptic writing:
- It arises out of a historical context of great turmoil, persecution, and oppression. The prophets looked forward to God balancing the scales of justice within history. Apocalyptic has given up on history and has become so pessimistic of change that it can only see God acting by bringing a radical end to history, destroying all evil, and beginning again with a new world.
- It is presented in visions, dreams, and otherworldly journeys. Several features intend to communicate a sense of mystery, revealing secrets long hidden in the mists of the past. Therefore, most apocalyptic writing is written under the name of a long-dead person of some reputation (Abraham, Moses, Enoch) who is instructed to keep the book for the “latter days,” which, of course, would be the time the book was written. Also, there is often a guide to reveal secrets or mysteries.
- It is Nature of the Book of Revelation
An apocalypse is a particular kind of literature with no modern equivalent. While there is only one OT apocalyptic book (Daniel) and one NT book that demonstrate some features of this type (Revelation), it was a common form of writing in the two centuries before and after the birth of Christ. There are several distinct features of apocalyptic writing:
- It arises out of a historical context of great turmoil, persecution, and oppression. The prophets looked forward to God balancing the scales of justice within history. Apocalyptic has given up on history and has become so pessimistic of change that it can only see God acting by bringing a radical end to history, destroying all evil, and beginning again with a new world.
- It is presented in visions, dreams, and otherworldly journeys. Several features intend to communicate a sense of mystery, revealing secrets long hidden in the mists of the past. Therefore, most apocalyptic writing is written under the name of a long-dead person of some reputation (Abraham, Moses, Enoch) who is instructed to keep the book for the “latter days,” which, of course, would be the time the book was written. Also, there is often a guide to reveal secrets or mysteries.
- It is carefully crafted literature, and it was not spoken (like prophetic sermons) but was composed. Therefore, it exhibits certain features of regular writing, such as structure, form, the flow of thought, creative use of language, etc.
- Its images and symbols are forms of fantasy rather than reality, and its language is cryptic, metaphorical, and highly symbolic. These symbols are not drawn from our modern World but the ancient World’s language, experience, and cultural “pool.” The assumptions that underlie the symbols are likewise not those of a modern scientific worldview of the 21st-century Western World, but those of the Ancient Near East 2,000 years ago. Strange multi-headed beasts, weird creatures, dragons, and odd combinations of standard images (locusts with scorpion’s tails and human heads) are common ways of writing. It purposely presents a world that does not exist except as a means of communication.
- It is a highly stylized and schematized way of writing. There are neat packages of time and events, all moving in a very systematic way. Sequences of numbers, people, or events are expected. Numbers, especially, take on symbolic value, even to the point of ciphering (specific numbers standing for certain letters of the alphabet). There are frequent uses of specific numbers, such as 3, 7, and 12 (and multiples, 144,000).
- However, simply because writing exhibits some of the features of an apocalypse does not necessarily mean that its message or theology must conform to that genre. That would be to ignore both the dynamic of inspiration (God’s word) and the author/community of faith (in human words). While the book of Revelation is modeled in some ways on the classic form of apocalyptic writings, the book’s message implies something far different from “traditional” apocalyptic writings.
***continuation tomorrow
