Michelangelo's Last Judgment (1536-1541)
Author: John (1:1, 4; 9; 22:8). Writing on Patmos, he takes for granted his hearers know who he is: the Apostle of Jesus Christ who also wrote the fourth Gospel and three letters which are all collected in our New Testament.
Date: 90's A.D. Irenaeus of Lyons, an important Church Father (c. 130 - 202 A.D.) stated that the Apostle John “saw the revelation... at the close of Domitian’s reign” (AD 81-96). Irenaeus received this information from Polycarp (60 - 155 A.D.) who was bishop of Smyrna and had sat at the feet of the Apostle John in the city of Ephesus.
Genre: Revelation fits in the category of apocalyptic literature, yet it is technically also a letter (1:4) and a prophecy (1:3). The first word in the book is apokalypsis in Greek, which means "unveiling, revelation."
Structure: the structure of Revelation is widely debated by scholars. But here is a helpful, general outline:
A helpful summary of the book looks like this (taken from W. Harrington):
Overture (1)
Messages to the Churches (2 -3)
The Scroll Vision (4 - 5)
The Seven Seals (6:1 - 8:5)
The Seven Trumpets (8:6 - 11:19)
The Woman and the Dragon (12)
The Two Beasts (13)
Salvation and Judgment (14)
The Last Plagues (15 - 16)
The End of Babylon (17:1 - 19:10)
The End of Evil (19:11 - 20:15)
The New Jerusalem (21:1 - 22:5)
Epilogue and Conclusion (22:6-21)
It is important to note the visionary events in Revelation see the entire age of the church from a heavenly perspective. Time folds in upon itself, and both past and future are experienced in the present. Each new vision is a different perspective and adds a little more to what was presented in the earlier visions.
Symbolism: The book of Revelation is saturated with symbols.
Numbers:
3 The Divine Number - the Tri-unity of the Godhead.
3 1/2 Half of seven. The number of the interruption of the divine order of things by Satan, wickedness, and chaos. An incomplete number, it signifies the age of persecution and imperfection. This is also known as “a time, times, and half a time”; 42 months or 1260 days (three and one-half years)
4 The natural creation. Symbolizes the four corners of the earth; the habitation of man, the four winds. Also the four Evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).
6 The six days of creation, one short of seven, the mystical number. For the Jew, the number six had in it the very sound of doom. Three sixes, the very enunciation of the words carries the hiss of the serpent, is a symbol for the beast.
7 Perfection; three (the divine number) and four (the cosmic number) added together equals seven. The four-square world plus the divine completeness of God. Earth crowned with heaven. Seven was also the number of days to complete His creation. Also in the OT, there were seven high festivals in the Jewish year, four of them falling in the seventh month, and two of them lasting seven days.
10 Totality or completeness. There are 10 commandments; the man who has five fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot was a full-rounded man. Thus five, doubled to ten symbolizes human completeness.
12 The people of God (the 12 tribes in the OT and the 12 disciples in the NT). Four multiplied by three.
24 The whole People of God in both the OT and the NT (12 + 12).
1000 The highest completeness (10 x 10 x 10)
Colors:
White = Purity
Gold = Heaven
Red = Sin, Corruption, blood
Purple = Luxury, Royalty
Black = Darkness, Wickedness, Sin, Apostasy, Evil
Pale / Green = Death, Sickness
Genre: Revelation fits in the category of apocalyptic literature, yet it is technically also a letter (1:4) and a prophecy (1:3). The first word in the book is apokalypsis in Greek, which means "unveiling, revelation."
John of Patmos by Jan Toorop
- Introduction (1:1 - 3:22) - This contains the prologue, a description of John’s commissioning to write the book, and the seven letters to the seven churches.
- Prophetic Message (4:1 - 22:5)
- Epilogue (22:6-21)
A helpful summary of the book looks like this (taken from W. Harrington):
Overture (1)
Messages to the Churches (2 -3)
The Scroll Vision (4 - 5)
The Seven Seals (6:1 - 8:5)
The Seven Trumpets (8:6 - 11:19)
The Woman and the Dragon (12)
The Two Beasts (13)
Salvation and Judgment (14)
The Last Plagues (15 - 16)
The End of Babylon (17:1 - 19:10)
The End of Evil (19:11 - 20:15)
The New Jerusalem (21:1 - 22:5)
Epilogue and Conclusion (22:6-21)
It is important to note the visionary events in Revelation see the entire age of the church from a heavenly perspective. Time folds in upon itself, and both past and future are experienced in the present. Each new vision is a different perspective and adds a little more to what was presented in the earlier visions.
An ancient papyrus manuscript of Revelation.
Symbolism: The book of Revelation is saturated with symbols.
Numbers:
3 The Divine Number - the Tri-unity of the Godhead.
3 1/2 Half of seven. The number of the interruption of the divine order of things by Satan, wickedness, and chaos. An incomplete number, it signifies the age of persecution and imperfection. This is also known as “a time, times, and half a time”; 42 months or 1260 days (three and one-half years)
4 The natural creation. Symbolizes the four corners of the earth; the habitation of man, the four winds. Also the four Evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).
6 The six days of creation, one short of seven, the mystical number. For the Jew, the number six had in it the very sound of doom. Three sixes, the very enunciation of the words carries the hiss of the serpent, is a symbol for the beast.
7 Perfection; three (the divine number) and four (the cosmic number) added together equals seven. The four-square world plus the divine completeness of God. Earth crowned with heaven. Seven was also the number of days to complete His creation. Also in the OT, there were seven high festivals in the Jewish year, four of them falling in the seventh month, and two of them lasting seven days.
10 Totality or completeness. There are 10 commandments; the man who has five fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot was a full-rounded man. Thus five, doubled to ten symbolizes human completeness.
12 The people of God (the 12 tribes in the OT and the 12 disciples in the NT). Four multiplied by three.
24 The whole People of God in both the OT and the NT (12 + 12).
1000 The highest completeness (10 x 10 x 10)
The Four Horsemen by Viktor Vasnetsov
Colors:
White = Purity
Gold = Heaven
Red = Sin, Corruption, blood
Purple = Luxury, Royalty
Black = Darkness, Wickedness, Sin, Apostasy, Evil
Pale / Green = Death, Sickness
Symbols:
Angels = Messengers
Bowls = Judgment
Crowns = Power, Majesty
Eyes = Power of Sight
Fire = Judgement
Heads = Major Powers, Rulers, Government
Horns = Power, Strength
Israel = True Followers of Christ
Keys = Control, Jurisdiction
Lamb = Jesus, Atoning Sacrifice
Lampstands = Churches as bearers of the light
Palms = Triumph
Rainbow = Covenant Promise
Stars = Angels
Thunder = Proclamation of Judgment
Trumpets = Announcement of Warning
Wind = Strife, Commotion
Purpose: Revelation is the culmination of the Bible canonically, and the culmination of God's message of salvation theologically. It reveals and confirms that Christ was prophetically promised and that his incarnation, death, and resurrection restore God’s creation to its original glory and righteousness. Revelation thus points to the final meaning and final answer to all that is revealed in the Bible. In addition, as the last book, Revelation puts an endorsement on all of God’s revelation, a final confirmation of the divine truth and origin of God’s spoken and written Word. This finality points to the urgency of the last times in which all things will be brought to an end – an urgency which reminds the Christian to hold fast to the faith - “Be faithful until death and I will give you a crown of life" (2:10).
Christ's Place in Revelation: All of Scripture testifies to Christ. The saving work of Christ is implicit throughout Revelation as it focuses on the exalted reign of Christ, which exaltation resulted from his death and resurrection. Because of his death and resurrection and since his ascension, the Lord Christ, in his state of exaltation, is Lord over all. Revelation assumes in the entire book that the work of Christ in our place (humiliation and vicarious atonement) has already taken place, and it assumes that the reader knows and trusts that work. The four Gospels narrate the incarnation, humiliation and resurrection of Jesus. Revelation pictures the exaltation of Christ and what this exalted reign of Christ means for the church. Revelation tells the story of the Gospels in an apocalyptic way, and it continues the story from the ascension to the second coming of the Lord – and into eternity. Revelation also demonstrates how the church carries on the mission of Christ in the world for it was the ascended and exalted Christ who worked by the Spirit for and through the apostles.
Christ is pictured in Revelation as: the exalted Son of Man (1), the Lamb of God (5), the mighty angel of the church (10), the Lord of the church (2-3; 22), the Word of God (19:13) and the Source of the creation of God: the new heaven and earth. He is the Lord of history, the Lord of the living and the dead, the Lord of the angels and the Lord of the world and of all creation.
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