THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST TO HIS SERVANT JOHN
Introduction Lesson #3
Growth of the 1st century Church:
When Jesus began his earthly ministry, He chose 70/72 disciples (Luke 10:1), and 12 Apostles [see Luke 6:12-16; 10:1]. Just as the 12 sons of Jacob [renamed Israel] became the physical fathers of the Sinai Covenant Church so too would these 12 Apostles become the spiritual fathers and the first bishops of the New Covenant Church while the 70 disciples would serve the Apostles as the first ministry of the New Covenant Church as the 70 elders served in the Old Covenant [see Exodus 24:1, 9]. It is to the Apostles, as the first Bishops of the universal Church, that Jesus gave power and authority to govern His kingdom of heaven on earth (Matthew 16:18-19; 28:16-20; Mark 16:15-16; John 17:16-26; John 19:22ff; Acts 1:8).
In His death and resurrection Jesus defeated sin and death. After His resurrection He taught His disciples for 40 days before ascending to the Father: Luke 24:44-45 “Then he told them, ‘This is what I meant when I said, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms, was destined to be fulfilled.’ He then opened their minds to understand the scriptures,…”
Before His ascension He commanded the disciples and Apostles to return to Jerusalem to pray. They prayed 9 days (a novena). The 10th day was the Old Covenant Feast of Pentecost which celebrated the birth of the Old Covenant Church at Mt. Sinai when God descended in fire on the mountain and gave the Law to his covenant people. It was one of the 3 pilgrim feasts when every man of the covenant must present himself before God at the Temple in Jerusalem (see the chart on the 7 Sacred Feast of the Old Covenant). It was celebrated at that time exactly 50 days after the Feast of Firstfruits (rabbinical Judaism has changed the day of celebration for this feast so that it does not coincide with the resurrection of Christ). On this feast day, when orthodox Jews from all over the Roman world were in Jerusalem to celebrate the feast, God the Holy Spirit descended in fire on the New Covenant Church in the Upper Room. Filled with God the Holy Spirit the Apostles began to preach and Peter, the Vicar of Christ delivers his great homily to the assembled crowds on their way to the Temple for the morning service. It was the birth of the New Israel: The universal (catholic) Church!
Jewish and Roman persecution of the Church:
Jewish persecution began with Jesus’ earthly ministry and continued until Judea was destroyed by Rome in the Revolt of 66-70AD with the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (Roman mopping up operations lasted until about 73AD). Roman persecution against Christians didn’t begin until 64AD and was initiated by the Emperor Nero Caesar (54-68AD). Roman persecution continued (with varying degrees of intensity until 313AD when the Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan in which Christianity became an “approved” religion that was protected under Roman Law.
The 1st Jewish Revolt of 66AD: This revolt was literally “the end of the world” for the Old Covenant Jews. Jerusalem and the Temple were burned to the ground by the Roman Army on the 9th of Ab (Av) = July/August 70AD and the Temple was never rebuilt. Today the Moslem shrine the Dome of the Rock sits on the site of the Jerusalem Temple. Without the Temple, the only place where sacrifice for sins could be offered to God, the Old Covenant (Sinai) faith ceased to exist and Jews who survived recreated a Judaism (known today as Rabbinical Judaism) that was not based on the Law of Moses or on the sacrificial system of the Old Covenant. A Jewish priest known to us by his Roman name, Flavius Josephus, survived the war and lived to write the only history that survives as a written record of this period in Jewish history, The Jewish Wars. We will be referring to this work frequently in our study.
New Covenant believers, now known as Christians, did not participate in the revolt. They escaped across the Jordan River into Perea. The revolt lasted from 66AD – 73AD. Over a million Jews perished and the villages and families who participated in the revolt were sold into slavery. Jerusalem and the Temple were utterly destroyed on the 9th of Ab, 70AD. It was the same date (the 9th of Ab) that King Solomon’s Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586BC. The Roman Emperor Vespasian built the Roman Coliseum with the loot taken from Judea, Jerusalem and the Temple.
Christian persecution under the Roman emperors Nero and Domitian: (Please refer to list of Roman Emperors in Introduction Lesson #2).
There was widespread persecution of Christians during the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero Caesar. The persecution began in the summer of AD64. At the height of the persecution both Sts. Peter and Paul were martyred in Rome circa 67AD. But since Christians did not take part in the Jewish Revolt of 66AD the Church enjoyed relative peace under the rule of the Emperor Vespasian (69-79AD) and his son Titus (79-81AD). There is some evidence of persecution during the latter part of the reign of Vespasian’s younger son, Domitian (81-96AD), but there is no historical evidence of the widespread persecution the Church suffered during Nero’s reign. (The viciousness of that first wave of persecution would be repeated with equal ferocity prior to the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great. In 313AD Constantine passed the Edict of Milan which recognized Christianity as an approved state religion and protected Christians from persecution. Although the majority view of Biblical scholars place the writing of John’s Revelation during the reign of the Emperor Domitian, I favor the minority view which places John’s Revelation between 68-70AD; before the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.
A description of the persecution of Christians during the reign of Nero by the Roman historian Tacitus: “In order to stifle the rumor that he had himself set Rome on fire, Nero falsely charged with the guilt and punished with the most fearful tortures the persons commonly called Christians, who were hated for their wicked practices. Christus, the founder of that name, was put to death as a criminal by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea, in the reign of Tiberius; but the pernicious superstition, repressed for a time, broke out again, not only through Judea, where the mischief originated, but through the city of Rome also, whither all things horrible and disgraceful flow from all quarters as to a common receptacle and where they are encouraged. Accordingly, first those were seized who confessed; next on their information, a vast multitude were convicted, not so much on the charge of burning the city, as of hating the human race. In their very deaths they were made the subjects of sport: for they were covered with the hides of wild beasts, and worried to death by dogs, or nailed to crosses, or set fire to, and when the day waned, burned to serve for the evening lights. Nero offered his own gardens for the spectacle, and exhibited a Circensian game, indiscriminately mingling with the common people in the dress of a charioteer, or else standing in his chariot. For this cause a feeling of compassion arose toward the suffers, though guilty and deserving of exemplary capital punishment, because they seemed not to be cut off for the public good, but were victims of the ferocity of one man.” Tacitus, Annals, XV,44
Destruction of Jerusalem: Each of the Gospels has a “mini
Apocalypse” with the exception of the Gospel of John. Read Matthew chapter 23-24:44; Mark 13:1-37; Luke 21:5-36. Why is it that John’s Gospel does not include this significant prophecy of Jesus? Is it because John did not include a “mini” apocalypse in his Gospel because he would write a “maxi” in the Book of Revelation?
Concentrating on the Matthew passages apocalypse passages please re-read Matthew chapter 24 but start with the significant passage in Matthew 23:36 “You serpents, brood of vipers, how can you escape being condemned to hell? This is why—look—I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some you will slaughter and crucify, some you will scourge in your synagogues and hunt from town to town; and so you will draw down on yourselves the blood of every upright person that has been shed on earth, from the blood of Abel the holy to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. In truth I tell you, it will all recoil on this generation.”
This chart provides a comparison between the Book of Revelation and Matthew’s apocalypse passages. You will see a significant connection:
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REVELATION’S DIVISIONS In the Covenant Lawsuit |
MATTHEW’S MINI APOCALYPSE |
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VISION OF THE SON OF MAN Chapter 1: history of the Covenant |
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Four sets of 7 judgments in Revelation |
Matthew Chapter 24: Judgment |
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THE SEVEN LETTERS Chapters 2-3: Specific stipulations dealing with false prophets, persecution, lawlessness, love grown cold, duty of perseverance |
24:3-5, 9-13: “Tell us when is this going to happen and what sign will be of your coming and of the end of the world? …Take care that no one deceives you because many will come using my name…Then you will be handed over to be tortured and put to death…and many will fall away...love in most people will grow cold but anyone who stands firm will be saved!” |
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THE SEVEN SEALS Chapters 4-7: Concerned with wars, famine and earthquakes |
24:6-8 “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for this is something that must happen, but the end will not be yet for nation will fight against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.” |
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THE SEVEN TRUMPETS Chapters 8-14: tells of the Church’s witness to the world, her flight into the wilderness, the great Tribulation & The False Prophet |
24:11-27 “Many false prophets will arise….The good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed to the whole world…so those in Judea must escape to the mountains…Alas for those with child, or babies at the breast when those days come!…For then there will be great distress, unparalleled since the world began….for false Christs and false prophets will arise…” |
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THE SEVEN CHALICES Chapters 15-22: describes the darkening of the Beast’s kingdom, the destruction of the Harlot, gathering of eagles over Jerusalem’s corpse & gathering of the Church into the kingdom |
24:28-31: “Wherever the corpse is, that is where the vultures will gather. Immediately after the distress of those days the sun will be darkened…and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send his angels with a loud trumpet to gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” |
Referring to the Matthew 23:36 passage:
Question: Who are the prophets and wise men and scribes Jesus is sending to the people?
Answer: Jesus’ disciples and Apostles.
Question: What will recoil on this generation?
Answer: Divine judgment!
Do you recall another passage where Jesus condemns his generation? Please read Matthew 17:17
Question: 1). What did Jesus call this generation? This title is repeated in Luke 9:41 and by Peter in Acts 2:40. 2). What other generation in the Old Testament was condemned as “perverse” (can also be translated ‘accursed’)? 3). Why were these two generations condemned by this title?
Answer: 1) A perverse generation. 2) the generation of the golden calf. Read Deuteronomy 32:5 & 20. No other generations has seen first hand the working of the miracles of God and still failed to be obedient and accept His sovereign authority!
Please read Exodus 32:1-29.
Question: What did the people say in verse 4?
Answer: They cried out that the Golden Calf was their God. In Egypt the Apis Bull was worshiped as a god. The bull was considered to be the physical manifestation of the chief Egyptian god Amun and the worship of the Apis bull was associated with fertility rites. This was the first general rejection of God and 3,000 perished (Deuteronomy 32:28).
Now please read Acts chapter 2. Notice verse 40. What does Peter call this generation of the descendants of Israel who have rejected Jesus as the Messiah in Acts 2:40 ?
Answer: The literal translation is “save yourselves from this perverse (or accursed) generation.” It is the same Greek phrase as Matthew 17:17.
Question: How many are added to the New Covenant Church that day? See verse 41.
In Peter’s first great homily (found in Acts Chapter 2) he announces “The Day
of the Lord” has come (Acts 2:20)! In the Old Testament “the Day of the Lord” referred to God’s judgment [see Isaiah 13:9-10; Amos 5:18-20; Joel 1:15; 2:1-31]. Peter will quote Joel 3:1-5 in his first homily on Pentecost Sunday! Looking at Acts 2:14-41: What advice did Peter give the crowd in Acts 2 verse 40? How did he characterize his generation? Does this remind you of Jesus’ statement in Matthew 17:17? Does Peter’s homily agree with what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 23 when he announced that God’s judgement would be visited on “this generation.” This is the generation to which John is addressing his letter. God’s judgement would fall on that generation with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70AD. The prophecy of Matthew chapter 24 was fulfilled.
Notice the order of the topics covered in Matthew’s mini apocalypse:
The Gospel of John has no mini apocalypse like the other 3 Gospels. Is it because the Holy Spirit revealed the maxi apocalypse, which by the way follows this same outline with the addition of the creation of the New Heaven and New Earth? For a more detailed comparison of the Synoptic Gospels and the Book of Revelation please refer to the chart below: The Synoptic Gospels vs. Revelation—The Judgment on Jerusalem
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REVELATION |
MATTHEW |
MARK |
LUKE |
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1. Wars: |
Wars: |
Wars: |
Wars: |
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2. International Strife: verses 3-4 |
International Strife: |
International Strife: |
International Strife: |
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3. Famine |
Famine |
Famine |
Famine |
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4. Pestilence |
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Pestilence |
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5. Persecution |
Persecution |
Persecution |
Persecution |
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6. Earthquakes |
Earthquakes |
Earthquakes |
Earthquakes |
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7. De-creation |
De-creation |
De-creation |
De-creation |
Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon were destroyed by the Babylonian army on the 9th of Ab [Av] 587/6BC and Jerusalem and the Second Temple were destroyed by the Roman Army on the 9th of Ab 70AD. Is this just an amazing coincidence or a prophesized act of divine judgment?
The Second Advent of Christ: Matthew 24:14 gives the time frame for this event and 24:36 provides the information that “only the Father knows” when this event will occur. Also read 1Thessalonians 4:17; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-12 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-53. The trumpet that will sound will be the ram’s horn, the Shofar. This is the horn that is blown 100 times on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which was also called the Feast of Trumpets. For a complete list of the 7 Old Covenant Annual Holy Days of Obligations please refer to the Charts section.
Revelationis a book of prophecy: Revelation 1:3”Blessed is anyone who reads the words of this prophecy…”
Catechism of the Catholic Church on prophets: #64, 218, 436, 497, 702, 712, 719
The Bible is a book, or rather THE BOOK, about Covenant.
The Bible is not an encyclopedia of religious information, it is not a collection of moral parables, nor is it a collection of stories about the distant past. The Bible is God’s written revelation of Himself and man’s relationship to Him through the Covenant bond He establishes with those men and women He calls into a unique relationship. This is the theme of the Bible-- God’s Covenant relationship with His people. Throughout salvation history obedience to God’s Covenant yielded blessings but disobedience rained down Covenant curses; for example the Covenant blessings and curses of the Sinai Covenant with the Old Israel. In the Old Testament God’s relationship with Israel was always defined in terms of the Covenant, the marriage bond by which He joined her to Himself as His chosen people. While covenant blessings and curses in the Old Testament were temporal, covenant blessings and curses in the New Covenant in Christ are eternal and the covenant bond is expresses as a marriage bond between Jesus the Bridegroom and the New Israel, the Catholic [universal] Church as His Bride.
Let’s look more closely at the Old Covenant blessings and curses. Please read Leviticus chapter 26 and Deuteronomy Chapter 28:1-69. The Book of Deuteronomy is the last of the Books of Moses. It is a record of the reestablishing of the Sinai Covenant which created Israel as a holy nation and the extension of that Covenant with the new generation of Israel who had grown up during the 40 years wandering in the wilderness and who are now about to take possession of the Promised Land. Only Joshua and Caleb are alive from the pervious generation who had witnessed such incredible miracles in the Exodus experience. In reaffirming the Covenant treaty between Yahweh and His people Moses enumerates the blessings Yahweh promises for obedience to the covenant in Deuteronomy 28:1-14 but he also warns the people of the curses that will befall them if they are disobedient to their covenant promises and obligations [see verse15 forward]. In the Old Covenant both the blessings and the curses are temporal. The blessings include health, fertility, good harvest and freedom from oppression while the curses remove the blessing of fertility for sterility, good harvest becomes famine, and freedom dissolves into foreign invasion and oppression
Please note the curses in Deuteronomy 28:15-69. These covenant curses became prophecy fulfilled in the first century AD:
of Jerusalem in 70AD when these curses were fulfilled. The Jews kept the Passover feast in the Spring of AD70. The city, which normally had a population of 100,000 now, numbered about 1.5 million people. The Roman army besieged the city during the height of the feast. The siege lasted 3 ½ months during which time famine had increased the suffering of the inhabitants. Josephus, The Jewish War, Volume I, chapter 3 page 444 “…she slew her son; and then roasted him, and ate the one half of him, and kept the other half by her concealed. Upon this the seditious came in presently, and smelling the horrid scent of this food, they threatened her, that they would cut her throat immediately if she did not show them what food she had gotten ready. She replied that she had saved the very fine portion of it for them; and withal uncovered what was left of her son. Hereupon they were seized with a horror and amazement….” The Jewish historian, Josephus, recounts the reaction of the Roman soldiers when they discovered this Jewish woman had murdered and eaten her own child: “..the Romans, some of whom could not believe it; and others pitied the distress which the Jews were under; but there were many of them who were hereby induced to a more bitter hatred than ordinary against our nation.” The Romans set fire to the Temple and utterly destroyed it and the city of Jerusalem. Josephus records that over a million people perished.
Please read Matthew 24:1-2: “Jesus left the Temple, and as He was going away His disciples came up to draw His attention to the Temple buildings. He said to them in reply, ‘You see all these? In truth I tell you, not a single stone here will be left on another; everything will be pulled down.’” The 9th of Ab (Av) 70AD the fire that engulfed the Temple melted the gold which covered the roof and wall ornamentation on the Temple. The gold melted and ran down between the cracks of the stones. After the battle the Roman soldiers poured cold water on the hot stones to break them apart in order to secure the gold that had melted into the cracks of the stones. Today no trace of the beautiful Temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem survives for just as Jesus prophesized in Matthew 24:1-2. The Roman soldiers in their quest for gold and vengeance so devastated the Temple that not one stone was left standing upon another.
Relationships between people and between nations bound by Covenant:
God’s relationship with man has always been defined through
the sacred bond of the Covenant—from the Covenant with Adam and Creation to the
Covenant established with the blood Jesus Christ. In the Sinai Covenant and the
creation of the nation of Israel, God joined Himself to Israel in a Covenant that is expressed as a marriage between Yahweh and His bride, Israel. The formal covenant treaty arrangements of the Bible bear a striking resemblance to the
structure of peace treaties of the city-states and
Empires of the Ancient Near East (see Meredith G. Kline, Treaty of the Great
King: The Covenant Structure of Deuteronomy (Grand Rapids: William B.
Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1963); Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Many Religions—One
Covenant: Israel, the Church and the World (page 50); and Marc Van De
Mieroop, A History of the Ancient Near East ca 3000-323BC.
The Covenant Treaty: In the ancient Near East relations between individual states were codified and structured through treaties between the great kingdoms and their vassal states and between states regarded as equals. The treaties that have been preserved all involve the Hittite state and Assyria, but there are references in other ancient documents which suggest that this same formalized treaty format was common throughout the Near East. A great king could issue two types of treaties: one which was a royal grant and provided, simply from the king’s benevolence, a grant without obligation and time limit and the second which was a covenant treaty (normally between the great king and his vassal or vassal state) which established cooperation from the great king in exchange for services or obligations to which the vassal was committed under the binding oath of the treaty.
In the formation of a Covenant both the dominant King and his vassal swear an oath in Treaty form, thereby creating a covenant binding the 2 parties—the oath swearing in treaty formation is key to understand Biblical covenants. In the Bible two types of covenants are established between Yahweh as the great King and His vassals: The Royal Grant Covenant in which the King, Yahweh, grants His favor without stipulation or obligation in a perpetual covenant and the Covenant Treaty in which Yahweh promises covenant blessings for faithful obedience but covenant curses/judgment for disobedience to the covenant obligations. In the formation of a Covenant both the dominant King and his vassal swear an oath in Treaty form, thereby creating a covenant binding the 2 parties. Each party receives a copy of the covenant treaty. You will recall that the Sinai Covenant written on the stone tablets are written on the front and on the back of two tablets. In the ancient Near East each party kept their copy of the treaty in their most sacred shrine. In the case of the 10 Commandments both Yahweh’s copy and Israel’s copy were kept in the Ark of the Covenant. The standard covenant had 5 parts (Kline)
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1. Preamble: |
Identifying the Lordship of the Great King & stressing his greatness, dominance & immanence |
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2. Historical Prologue: |
Recounting the Great King’s previous relationship to his vassal (with special emphasis on the benefits or blessing of that relationship).
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3. Ethical Stipulations: |
Enumerating the vassal’s obligations to the Great King (his guide to maintaining the relationship)
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4. Sanctions: |
A list of the blessings for obedience and the curses that will fall on the vassal if he breaks the covenant.
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5. Succession Arrangements: |
Arrangements and provisions for the continuity of the covenant relationship over future generations.
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A marriage Covenant followed a similar format with covenant duties and obligations. Covenants form marriages from which come families. There is no word in Hebrew for marriage or family. A covenant with an equal creates “brothers”. Covenants with non-equals, like a great king and his vassal, create a father/ son relationship. The vassal owes the king the loyalty and obedience a son owes a father. Yahweh expresses his covenant with Israel as both a great king to a vassal but more meaningfully as a husband to his wife. When Israel strays from Yahweh to embrace other gods she is an unfaithful wife, a harlot breaking the marriage covenant.
Covenant Treaties of Old Testament:
One of the best examples of a Covenant Treaty in the Old Testament is the covenant renewal treaty found in the Book of Deuteronomy written by Moses just before the new generation of the Sinai Covenant took possession of the Promised Land (the original Exodus generation had died during the 40 years between the giving of the Law at Sinai and arriving at the plains of Moab and the entrance into the Promised Land). The book naturally divides into 5 sections that correspond to the 5 parts of ancient covenant structure. (Kline: Treaty of the Great King; also Sutton That you may Prosper: Dominion by Covenant: Tyler, Tx: Institute for Christian Economics, 1987).
COVENANT TREATY FORMAT OF DEUTERONOMY
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1. Preamble |
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2. Historical Prologue |
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3. Ethical Stipulations |
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4. Sanctions |
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5. Succession Arrangements |
In the ancient Near East when a vassal kingdom violated the terms of the covenant agreement, the Great Lord would send emissaries to warn the offenders of the coming judgment and enforcement of the curse sanctions. If the covenant relationship could not be reestablished and the violations continued the great king’s emissaries would call a “covenant lawsuit” against the offending vassal. In the Bible it was the mission of God’s holy Prophets (who acted as God’s emissaries) to bring a restoration of covenant obligations or, when failing in restoration to act as Yahweh’s prosecuting attorneys and to bring the message of the covenant Lawsuit against the offending nation. In Hebrew a covenant lawsuit is called a ‘rib’ or riv. For example: Isaiah and Hosea brought a Covenant Lawsuit against Israel in the 8th century BC. The prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel brought a Covenant Lawsuit against Judea in the 6th century BC. In every case the holy prophet acting as Yahweh’s emissary addressed the generation on which the Covenant curses would fall. Some examples in Scripture are found in:
The Covenant Lawsuit in the book of Hosea is laid out in the classic Covenant Treaty format:
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1. Preamble: |
Hosea chapter 1 |
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2. Historical prologue |
Hosea chapters 2-3 |
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3. Ethical Stipulations: |
Hosea chapters 2-7 |
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4. Sanctions: |
Hosea chapters 8-9 |
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5. Succession Arrangements: |
Hosea chapters 10-14 |
The book of the prophet Ezekiel especially noteworthy as a Covenant Lawsuit
because it parallels the visions of John in Revelation:
Parallels between the visions of the Book of Revelation and the visions of the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel
| THE VISION | EZEKIEL | REVELATION |
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1. The throne vision |
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2. The book being opened |
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3. The four plagues |
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4. Those slain under the altar |
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5. The wrath of God |
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6. The seal on the Saint’s foreheads |
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7. The coals from the altar |
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8. The 1/3 destruction |
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9. No more delay |
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10. The eating of the book |
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11. Prophecy against the Nations |
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12. The measuring of the Temple |
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13. Comparing Jerusalem to Sodom |
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14. The cup of wrath |
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15. The vine of the land |
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16. The great harlot |
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17. The lament sung over the city |
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18. The scavenger’s feast |
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19. The first resurrection |
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20. The Battle of Gog and Magog |
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21. The New Jerusalem |
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22. The River of Life |
Michal Hunt, Copyright © 2000 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.
The book of the prophet Daniel is not a covenant lawsuit, but please note the parallels between the visions St. John in the Book of Revelation and the visions of the Prophet Daniel. Both the books of Ezekiel and Daniel are the keys to understanding the Book of Revelation.
| THE VISION | DANIEL | REVELATION |
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1. Three and a half time period (a time, 2 times and ½ a time) |
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2. The 10 horns |
Chapters 12:3, 13:1; 17:3, 8
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3. The Leopard, the Bear, and the Lion |
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4. The Beast mouthing boasting and blasphemies |
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5. The war against the Saints |
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6. The worship of the Beast’s statue |
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7. The Son of Man coming on the Glory-Cloud |
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8. The everlasting kingdom |
Michal Hunt copyright 2000
It is very important to note that each of the Old Testament Covenant Lawsuits is addressed to the current generation in the context of the Covenant relationship. When the covenantal context of prophecy is ignored, the message the prophet was told to communicate is either lost or distorted. The point is, if John’s prophetic vision is the calling down of a Covenant Lawsuit (it follows the classic format) then John is addressing the current generation who rejected the Messiah. But he is also addressing the New Covenant Church symbolized in the letters to the seven Churches in Revelation chapters 2-3. Each of those letters is also formatted as a Covenant Treaty. In other words, the Old Covenant Church faces judgment for rejecting the Messiah while the New Covenant Church becomes the successor, the New Israel. I think this is a key to unraveling the interpretation of the book of Revelation. John’s revelation is a prophecy with a specific covenantal orientation and reference. Note: A covenant lawsuit is not a divorce in the “marriage covenant” between God and Israel as some Protestant scholars have suggested; it is a judgment. God’s covenants are irrevocable!
Jesus the Messiah came fulfilling the prophecies of the Prophets of Yahweh. He came as prophet, priest, and king to form the New Covenant promised in Jeremiah 31:31-44 but He also came as Yahweh’s prosecuting attorney against an apostate Old Covenant people. See Matthew 21:43-46 for Jesus’ Covenant Lawsuit announcement against the Old Covenant people: Jesus speaking to the Priests, scribes, and Jews at the Temple: “I tell you, then, that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.… the chief priests and the scribes realized he was speaking about them…”
See Isaiah 8:14, Daniel 2:34-44, and Luke 2:34 and the document Covenant Treaties in the Old and New Testaments in the Documents section of Agape Bible Study.
Understanding Scripture: This study follows the guidelines of the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
Numbers are sometimes literal representations of items, days, or events, but more often a number has greater meaning beyond its literal numerical value. The number 7, for example, is used repeatedly in Revelation. Please refer to the List of Sevens in Revelation in the Chart section. To properly grasp the significance of symbolism of numbers in the Book of Revelation it is important to know that the number 7 signifies spiritual perfection or fullness and completion. It is also the number of the Holy Spirit. Please read The Significance of Numbers in Scripture document in the Documents section. This document will help you understand the important role numerical symbolism plays in the Bible.
It is also useful to know that in Biblical times people did not count sequence as we count today. They did not have the concept of 0, therefore, any sequence of numbers started count from the first number in the sequence and ended with the last. For example, we know that Jesus was in the tomb for 3 days. That is not 3 days as we count. He was crucified on a Friday, remained in the tomb on Saturday, and was resurrected Sunday morning. We would count from Friday to Saturday as the first day and Saturday to Sunday as the second day. The way we count, Jesus only spent 2 days in the tomb. Ancient peoples would begin the count with Friday and end with Sunday, which would yield, for them, 3 days. This time frame for the length of time in the tomb is also an example of the symbolic significance of the number 3. In the Old Testament, 3 represented completion, that which is solid or substantial and entire. It was one of the 4 so-called “perfect” numbers (3, 7, 10, and 12), but in the New Testament we also understand that 3 represents the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. Can you see how the way the ancients looked at numbers and their greater significance is important in this event of the 3 days in the tomb?
Marriage customs at the time of Jesus:
In the 1st Century AD a wedding ceremony lasted 7 days. On the seventh day, after the final words had been spoken uniting this couple in the Covenant of marriage, the bridegroom would lift up the bride and carry her into the bridal tent or room that had been prepared for them. Then he would set her down and for the first time he would lift her veil. This lifting of the veil was called the “apocalypse.” It was the unveiling of the bride just before their physical union when the two would become one. Understanding this custom and this most common use of the word “apocalypse” at the time John had his vision is, I believe, a key to our understanding and interpretation of John’s heavenly vision.
This concludes the introduction to Revelation. You will find this background information indispensable in understanding this most difficult book of prophecy and fulfillment. God bless you in your study.
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