From this we learn that this [book] is called an
Apocalypse, that is, "revelation," which manifests those secrets which are
hidden and unknown to the senses, and that unless [Christ] himself reveals
them, he who perceives [the revelation] will not have the strength to
understand what he sees. Bishop Apringius of Beja (6th century
AD), Commentary on the Apocalypse 1.1
There are five statements that
we will be using to guide us in interpreting the last book in the New Testament
canon, the book of Revelation:
- Jesus' revelation to John is linked to the Old Testament and Old
Testament symbolism. Although there is no single quote from the Old
Testament books, the book of Revelation is filled with references to
events, symbols and persons of the Old Testament. One scholarly count is that
there are 348 allusions which are traceable both by verbal and by contextual
connection to the Old Testament. Of the 348 references approximately 95 are
repeated. That is an average of more than ten references for each chapter. Bible
scholar Merril Tenney breaks them down even further to 57 Scripture references from
the Pentateuch, 235 from the Prophets, and 56 from the historical and poetic
books of the Old Testament (Tenney, Interpreting Revelation, pages 101
and 104). Therefore, the book of St. John's visions cannot be properly
interpreted without studying the references to the Old Testament events and the
symbolism revealed in Old Testament Scripture.
- Jesus' revelation to John is revealed during heavenly liturgy.
St. John received his visions "on the Lord's Day" (Rev 1:10) when he was "caught up" into
the heavenly assembly where angels and saints worship God and the Lamb (Rev
4:1-5:14). Throughout the book of Revelation the reader is aware that
St. John is present in the heavenly assembly witnessing heavenly liturgy at the same time
that the visions are revealed to him.
- Jesus' revelation to John is a covenant lawsuit against Judah,
prophesizing destruction for covenant abuses and violations. The book of
Revelation is a covenant lawsuit in much the same way God's prophets
Isaiah, Hosea and Jeremiah delivered covenant lawsuits against the Northern
Kingdom of Israel prior to the Assyrian conquest in 722 BC and the Southern
Kingdom of Judah prior to the Babylonian conquest, which resulted in the
destruction of Jerusalem in 587/6 BC (i.e., Is 1:1-9; 34:8;
Hos 2:4/2:2-15/13; 4:1-10; 12:3/2-3;
Jer 1:14-16; 4:3-8; 11:1-17). The covenant lawsuit in Revelation
is a judgment that was announced by Jesus two days before His unjust trial
and crucifixion in Matthew 23:33-36 when He prophesied that God's judgment
against the murder of all God's righteous prophets by the Old Covenant people
would recoil on those of His generation in Judah/Judea: In truth I tell you,
it will all recoil on this generation (Mt 23:36).
- Jesus' revelation to John reveals Jesus Christ as Bridegroom of the
Church, King of Kings and the High Priest of the heavenly Sanctuary. Jesus
is the King of the Kingdom of God He came to establish on earth (Mt 4:17; Mk
1:15), and He serves in the heavenly Sanctuary as both the sacrificial Lamb and
the High Priest of the New Covenant people of God (Heb 8:1-3; Rev 5:6).
- Jesus' revelation to John is the unveiling of the New Israel - the
New Covenant Bride is the universal Church and her role in God's
plan for man's eternal salvation (Rev 19:1-9; 21:1-2).
The book of Revelation
of is written in common Greek. The Greek title is literally "The Apocalypse of
John" or "The Revelation to John." The word "apocalypse" is merely a
transliteration into English of the Greek word apokalypsis, which means "revelation"
or "revealing." The title Revelation is from the Latin revelation, meaning
"an uncovering; revelation." Often the term apocalypse is confused with the
Greek word apocryphal, which means "hidden" and refers to books for
which divine authorship is believed to be falsely claimed. Protestants apply
the term to the seven Old Testament books that were dropped from the Jewish Old
Testament canon in the Middle Ages and from the Protestant canon in the
sixteenth century AD, but Catholics refer to those seven texts as Deuterocanonical,
meaning "second canon."
Some apocryphal
texts may also be apocalyptic literature, writings which focus on the eschatological
future, i.e., divine judgment and the end of world history when the powers of
darkness launch a final struggle against God. Some narrative apocryphal
literature that are non-canonical and therefore not judged to be Holy Spirit
inspired texts that refer to events in the Old Testament are: 3rd
Maccabees, the Book of Jubilees, the Books of Adam and Eve,
and the Martyrdom of Isaiah. Some New Testament era apocryphal
(non-canonical) texts are the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Philip,
the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, and the Gospel of Judas (these are
Gnostic documents which have always been judged by the Church as heresy).
Other books considered by the Church to be non-canonical but worthy of study
are the History of Joseph the Carpenter, and the Protoevangelium of
St. James. Books that are both apocryphal (non-canonical) and apocalyptic (focused
on the final struggle in the "end times") are the Books of Enoch, the Testaments
of the Twelve Patriarchs, and the Assumption of Moses. Apocalyptic
books of the Old Testament that are accepted in the canon include: the books of
the prophets Daniel, Zechariah, Joel (2:1-11:4:1-21),
Isaiah (chapters 13 and 24-27), Ezekiel (chapters 38-39), and Zephaniah
(chapter 1:14-18). The books of the prophets Daniel and Ezekiel have strong
ties to Revelation. The single example of this type of literature in the New
Testament is the Apocalypse of John, also known as The Revelation to
John, or the book of Revelation.
As a literary form
apocalyptic literature became popular about 200 years before the birth of Jesus
and remained popular until about 200 years after His Resurrection. These works
are characterized by the revelation of future catastrophic events that mark the
end of time. The visions associated with these revelations reveal the future
in complicated symbolism which is sometimes, but not always, explained. The
works of non-canonical apocalyptic literature have these major theses in
common:
- Hopeless, "end of the world" message
- Obscure use of symbolism
- Vivid imagery
However, St. John's Apocalypse/
Revelation is unlike non-canonical apocalyptic literature:
- John's use of symbolism and imagery is not obscure like other texts.
His imagery is firmly rooted in Old Testament texts.
- Unlike the pessimism found in other apocalyptic texts (i.e. the world
will get worse and worse until it ends) John does not give up on world history
but sees all of human history as the scene of divine redemption and the triumph
of "The Lamb."
- John's concern is with ethical conduct as his readers take an active
part in the unfolding of revealed prophecy (Rev 1:3; 16:15; 22:14).
- Unlike the non-canonical apocalyptic texts John's work is above all revealed
divine prophecy, as St. John himself testifies (Rev. 1:3; 10:11; 22:7, 10, 18-19).
- Jewish apocalyptic literature of the first two centuries AD longs for "justice"
in the destruction of the oppressive Roman Empire. Christians did not want to
destroy Rome; instead they wanted to convert Rome and to use the power of the Roman Empire to spread Christianity to the ends of the earth in fulfillment of Jesus'
divine commission to His disciples in Matthew 28:19-20.
Biblical scholar David
Chilton sums up these differences with the statement: The apocalyptists
said: The world is coming to an end: Give Up! The Biblical prophets said: The
world is coming to a beginning: Get to work!" (Chilton, Days of
Vengeance, page 26).
It is important to understand
that in the book of Revelation, as in other parts of sacred Scripture,
the "passing away" of heaven and earth is not necessarily the end of the world
as we know it, nor is it necessarily the dissolution of the existing
universe. It was St. Peter' message in his great homily given during the
Jewish Feast of Shavuot / Weeks (known as the Feast of Pentecost in the first
century AD; see Acts 2:1) when he quoted from Joel 3:1-5 (Acts 2:16-21), announcing
that the "Last Days" have come to mankind with the apocalyptic event of Jesus'
death, resurrection, and ascension. St. Peter's message to the crowd of
Jews on their way to the Temple to celebrate the feast that commemorated the
giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai was that those of his generation were now living
in the "new and final" age prophesied by the prophet Isaiah as the time of "new
heavens and a new earth" (Is 65:17; 66:22).
St. John's revelation is
apocalyptic literature concerned with the apocalyptic events as they unfolded
in the time after Jesus' ascension to the Father as the "gate" or "door of
heaven" now stood open (Rev. 4:1)'the "door" of heaven having been closed since
man's fall from grace in Eden but an event now made possible through Christ's
sacrifice on the altar of the Cross (Catechism of the Catholic Church #
1026). In St. John's visions God's judgment unfolds as prophesied by Jesus in
the synoptic Gospels'there is a "mini-apocalyptic" prophecy in every Gospel
except the Gospel of St. John, perhaps because his prophecy was intended
to be revealed in a separate book of sacred Scripture'the Revelation of
Jesus Christ to His servant John.
The Synoptic Gospels versus Revelation The
Judgment on Jerusalem
Views on Authorship and Authenticity through the Centuries
Many modern scholars believe
that the author of this revelation is not St. John Zebedee, the Apostle. The
opening verses of the book identify the author as Jesus Christ (Rev 1:1), and
the receiver and recorder of the revelation identifies himself as "John"
five times: Rev 1:1; 1:4; 1:9; 21:2; and 22:8 (all Bible quotes in this lesson
are from the New Jerusalem Bible translation, all links are teh New American Bible):
- A revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him so that He could
tell His servants what is now to take place very soon; He sent His angel to
make it known to His servant John, and John has borne witness to the Word of
God and to the witness of Jesus Christ, everything that he saw (Rev 1:1).
- John, to the seven churches of Asia... (Rev 1:4).
- I, John, your brother and partner in hardships... (Rev 1:9).
- I, John, saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of
heaven from God, prepared as a bride dressed for her husband (Rev 21:2).
- I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things (Rev 22:8).
The Earliest Testimonies
Concerning Authorship in the Second Century AD:
- St. Justin: There was a certain man named John, one of the
Apostles of Christ, who prophesied by a revelation... (Dialogue with
Trypho, 81, 3). St. Justin's testimony is especially valuable because
Justin was converted to Christianity in Ephesus in c. 135AD. Not only is
Ephesus one of the seven Churches to which the book was written (Rev 2:1), but
Ephesus was by tradition and by the testimony of the Fathers of the Church the
home of St. John the Apostle for many years where he served as bishop until his
death. Justin testified that St. John Zebedee the Apostle was the inspired
writer of the book of Revelation only a few decades after St. John wrote down his visions.
- St. Melito, Bishop of Sardis, a contemporary of St. Justin and bishop
to another of the seven churches mentioned in Revelation (Rev 3:1), wrote a
commentary on the book of Revelation. Only fragments of his commentary
have survived, but in Bishop Eusebius' 4th century AD history of the
Church he refers to St. Melito's testimony that John the Apostle was the author
(Church History, IV, 26, 2).
- St. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, made extensive use of Revelation
in his writings and in c. 180 AD ascribed authorship of the book to "John,
the Lord's disciple" (Irenaeus, Against Heresies 4.20.11). He testified
that St. John was the author, having written the book of Revelation
while a prisoner on the island of Patmos. Irenaeus' testimony is important
because he was a disciple of St. Polycarp (69/70-155 AD) who was a disciple of St. John the Apostle. St. Polycarp was the bishop of Smyrna, one of the seven churches to
receive letters in from Jesus Christ (Rev 2:1-11) and the only church to
receive high praise with no criticism. The point is that Irenaeus' testimony
is very valuable because he is a second generation disciple with a direct
connection to the traditions of St. John.
- Muratorian Fragment: This document dates to c. 155 AD. It
contains the oldest list of canonical New Testament books and records: For
John too, in the Apocalypse, though he writes to only seven churches, yet
speaks to all (Jurgens, The Faith of the Early Fathers, vol. 1 page 107).
Third Century Testimonies on the Authorship of Revelation:
- Biblical scholar Origen of Alexandria, head of the Alexandrian
Catechetical School (c. 185-253/254 AD), testified that the author of Revelation
was the man who wrote the fourth Gospel and had the good fortune to rest his
head on Jesus' breast. (Origen, Commentary of the Gospel of John 1, 14;
2.45; 5.3).
- Tertullian (c. 155/160 - 240/250 AD), Roman lawyer and Catholic
apologist, wrote that paradise was revealed to St. John is his visions (The
Soul, 55, 3 cited in Jurgens, The Faith of the Early Fathers, vol. 1, page
144). He indentified St. John the Apostle as the witness to the visions (Against
Marcion 3, 14) and he wrote c. 220 AD his explicit belief that it was none
other than St. John the Apostle and Evangelist wrote down the visions he
received from Christ in Revelation while a prisoner on the island of
Patmos (Tertullian, Against Heresies 3.24).
- St. Hippolytus (c. 235 AD) wrote: the blessed John, Apostle
and disciple of the Lord authored Revelation (Hippolytus, On the
Antichrist 36).
- A Roman priest named Caius suggested Cerinthus, a prominent
proponent of the Gnostic heresy and a contemporary of St. John, was the author
(Eusebius, Church History, III, 28,2).
- Dionysius of Alexandria (d. 264 AD) denied the book's canonicity
because the millenarianist heresy used the Apocalypse/ Revelation
to support its views (Dionysius of Alexandria, Ex libro de promission, 3-7).
He used arguments based on the differences he believed he identified between
the style and vocabulary of the Apocalypse/ Revelation and the Gospel
of St. John.
- Other writers of the same period called alogoi disputed St. John's authorship and the authenticity of the Apocalypse because they rejected St. John's teachings of Christ as the divine Logos (St. Epiphanius, Heresies,
51, 1-35).
Views on the Canonicity
and Authorship of Revelation in the Fourth and Fifth Centuries:
- A quote in Bishop Eusebius' (d. 340 AD) fourth century Church
History muddied the waters concerning the authorship of Revelation by
his interpretation of a statement by second century AD Bishop Papias of
Hierapolis (d. c. 130 AD): I shall not hesitate to set down for you along
with my interpretations whatever I learned well from the presbyters and recall
clearly, being thoroughly confident of their truth. Unlike most people, I do
not delight in those who talk a great deal, but in those who teach the truth;
nor in those who relate the commandments of others, but in those who relate the
commandments given by the Lord to the faith, and which are derived from Truth
itself. And then too, when anyone came along who had been a follower of the
presbyters, I would inquire about the presbyters' discourses: what was said by
Andrew, or by Peter, or by Philip, or by Thomas or James or by John or Matthew,
or by any other of the Lord's disciples; and what Aristion and the Presbyter
John, the disciples of the Lord say. It did not seem to me that I could get so
much profit from the contents of books as from a living and abiding voice. Eusebius
interpreted Papias' statement to suggest that there were two men named
"John" in the early Church at Ephesus and that it is uncertain whether St. John
Zebedee or the other John wrote Revelation. Eusebius wrote: Here it
is worth noting that he twice mentions the name of John: the first in
connection with Peter and James and Matthew and the rest of the Apostles,
clearly referring to the evangelist; but the other John he mentions after an
interval, and groups him with others outside the number of the Apostles,
placing Aristion before him; and he distinctly calls him a presbyter. In this
way he makes it quite evident that their statement is true, who say that there
were in Asia two persons of that name; and that there are in Ephesus two tombs,
each of which even to the present time is called the tomb of John. It is
important to take note of this: because if anyone would not prefer the first,
then probably it was the second who saw the Revelation which bears the name of
John (Eusebius, Church History, book III, ch. 39).
Eusebius'
statement is far from clear and his thinking may have been colored by the
danger posed by the heresy of millenarianism. Some modern scholars interpret
Eusebius' statement to say that he regarded St. John the Apostle, John the
Evangelist and John the author of the Apocalypse as one and the same
John but then adds that if anyone prefers to consider that the
Apostle-Evangelist John is not the author of the Apocalypse, then, in
this view, it is probable that the author of the Apocalypse is "Presbyter
John." Other scholars point out that there is only one John'the Apostle and
presbyter.
- St. Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria (d. 373 AD), accepted the
book as canonical and recognized St. John the Apostle as author. He cited the
book in his fight against Arianism (Oratio II Contra Arianos, 23).
- St. Basil (d. 379 AD) accepted the authenticity of the book.
- St. Gregory of Nyssa (d. 389 AD) accepted authenticity of the
book.
- The Catechetical School of Antioch denied both authenticity and
canonicity.
- The Eastern Church Fathers: St. Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem (d.
386 AD), St. John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople (d. 407 AD), and Theodoret
of Cyr (d. 466 AD) opposed the unanimous acceptance of the Latin Church to the
canonicity and authorship by John the Apostle of the Apocalypse/ Revelation
as well as the Epistles of John 1-3.
- The regional gathering of bishops known as the Council of Hippo (393
AD) and Council of Carthage (397 AD) pronounced the authenticity of St. John as the author and canonicity of the Apocalypse of St. John (Revelation).
These early Church councils were not councils composed of the entire
Magisterium of the worldwide body of the Catholic Church but were local
councils which also addressed serious issues that concerned the universal
Church.
- St. Jerome, the great Biblical scholar, (d. 420 AD) identified St. John the Apostle as the author of the Apocalypse/ Revelation.
- St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, theologian and scholar, (d. 430
AD) identified St. John the Apostle as the author of the Apocalypse/ Revelation.
- In the fifth century AD the churches of Syria, Cappadocia and Palestine finally include the Apocalypse/ Revelation in their canon.
Views on the Canonicity
and Authorship of the book of Revelation in the Sixth through Sixteenth Centuries:
- Authenticity of the book was undisputed in these councils:
Council of Toledo 633, Council of Florence 1431-39, and Council of Trent
1545-63.
- Bishop Apringius of Beja, sixth century AD bishop serving the
Church in Iberia (Spain) wrote a commentary on Revelation and attributed
authorship to St. John as the writer of the visions: It was during this time
that he ordered John, the Apostle of our Lord, Jesus Christ, to be transported
into exile, and he was taken to the island of Patmos, and while there confirmed
this writing (Apringius, Commentary on the Apocalypse 1.9).
- Church historian and Biblical scholar Bede the Venerable (c.
672/673-735 AD), who was considered to be one of the most learned men of his
age, identified St. John the Apostle as the author in his commentary on the Apocalypse/
Revelation: History notes that John had been banished to this island by
the emperor Domitian on account of the gospel, and that then he was,
appropriately, allowed to penetrate the secrets of heaven while [at the same
time] prohibited from leaving a small space of the earth (Bede, Explanation
of the Apocalypse 1.9).
- Erasmus (1466-1536) priest, doctor of divinity, and great
Renaissance humanist, expressed doubts about the canonicity of Revelation.
- Martin Luther (1483-1546), excommunicated priest and leader of
the Protestant Reformation initially argued against authenticity but later
changed his view (16th century).
The Views of the
Eighteenth Century Rationalists:
These scholars rejected all
prophecy outright and therefore rejected the book of Revelation. They
denied St. John's authorship and used arguments based on what they considered internal
evidence (some similar to those put forth by Dionysius of Alexandria) and on
the basis of the passage in Bishop Eusebius' Church History.
The Twentieth and
Twenty-first Century Views:
There is general
disagreement among scholars - some Protestant scholars have expressed the opinion
that the author of the book of Revelation could not be the same man as
the author of the fourth Gospel given the differences in style and language.
Other scholars, mainly Catholic Biblical scholars, accept that John the Apostle
is the author given the evidence of the writings of the early Church Fathers
and the strength of tradition that supports St. John the Apostle as the
receiver of the visions in the book of Revelation. Catholic scholars also
point out that the differences in subject matter between the fourth Gospel and
the book of Revelation can account for the differences in style (it was
also common for the Apostles, as Bishops today, to use a secretary to record
their letters and to make literary corrections; i.e. Rom 16:22), and they also
point to the similarity in imagery between the two works, like the "living
water" imagery and other unique passages in both books.
Arguments against
Johannine Authorship:
Arguments in Favor of Johannine Authorship:
The use of Johannine
vocabulary, imagery, and theological themes are unique to the Gospel of St. John
and Revelation. Note: in quoting these Bible passages from the New
Jerusalem Bible all the underlining is my emphasis.
- Water imagery:
- The term "living water" is used by St. John as a metaphor for God the Holy Spirit.
See the Gospel of John chapter
4:7-15 in the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well: Jesus
replied to her: If you only knew what God is offering and who it is that is
saying to you, 'Give me something to drink,' you would have been the one to
ask, and He would have given you living water (Jn 4:10).
The same term is used by the woman in reply to Jesus in John 4:11: 'You have no
bucket, sir,' she answered, 'and the well is deep: how do you get this living
water? Jesus' reply is: ...the water that I shall give him would
become in him a spring of water, welling up for eternal life (Jn
4:13). Also see John 7:37-39
when Jesus announced in the Temple on the last day of the Feast of
Tabernacles:
Let anyone who is thirsty come to me! Let anyone who believes
in me come and drink! As Scripture says, "From his heart shall flow streams of living
water." He was speaking of the spirit which those who believed in Him were
to receive; for there was no Spirit as yet because Jesus had not yet been
glorified.
- Compare
those passages from the fourth Gospel to the use of water imagery in Revelation:
(Rev 7:17)...because the Lamb who is at the heart of the throne will be their
shepherd and will guide them to springs of living water...,
and in Rev 22:1-2 (Trinity is expressed in this verse): Then the angel
showed me the river of life, rising from the throne of God and of the Lamb
and flowing crystal-clear. Also see the connection between "water" and "thirst"
in Revelation and the Gospel of St. John: The Spirit and the
Bride say, 'Come!' Let everyone who listens answer, 'Come!' Then let all who
are thirsty come: all who want it may have the water of life, and have
it free (Rev 22:17). Compare the similarity between that verse and
Jesus' statement in the Gospel of St. John 7:37: In the last day, the
great day of the festival, Jesus stood and cried out: 'Let anyone who is
thirsty come to me! Let anyone who believes in me come and drink!'
- The "Word of God" (Logos) imagery:
The "Word
of God" imagery in the prologue of the Gospel of John and in the First
Letter of St. John:
- In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God and the Word was God (Jn 1:1).
- And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace
and truth; we have beheld His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father
(Jn 1:14).
- Something which has existed since the beginning, which we have heard,
which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have watched and touched with
our own hands, the Word of life this is our theme (1 Jn 1:1).
Compare
those passages with "word of God" imagery in Revelation:
- A revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him so that He could
tell His servants what is now to take place very soon; He sent His angel to
make it known to His servant John, and John has borne witness to the Word of
God and to the witness of Jesus Christ everything that He saw (Rev
1:1-2).
- And now I saw heaven open, and a white horse appear; its rider was
called Trustworthy and True; in uprightness He judges and makes war. His eyes
were flames of fire, and He was crowned with many coronets; the name written on
Him was known only to Himself, his cloak was soaked in blood. He is known by
the name, The Word of God (Rev. 19:11-13).
The
only other use of "Word" in the Bible in this theological sense is in 2 Titus
4:2).
- "The Lamb of God" imagery:
"Lamb of God" imagery in the Gospel of John:
- Look, there is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the
world (Jn 1:29).
- Look, there is the Lamb of God (Jn 1:36).
This comparison with
Christ is not found in the Gospels of Sts. Matthew, Mark or Luke.
Compare these passages with
the use of the same imagery in Revelation:
- I saw a Lamb standing that seemed to have been sacrificed (Rev 5:6).
- The Lamb came forward to take the scroll... (Rev 4:7).
- Then in my vision, I saw the Lamb break one of the seven
seals...(Rev 6:1).
- I could not see any temple in the city since the Lord God almighty
and the Lamb were themselves the temple, and the city did not need the
sun or the moon for light since it was lit by the radiant glory of God and
the Lamb was a lighted torch for it (Rev 21:22-23).
- "Lamb" imagery connected to Christ is used 30 times in Revelation.
- "Light" imagery:
In Johannine writings
"light" is a metaphor for Jesus Christ. Light imagery in the Gospel of John
and in 1 John:
- What has come into being in Him was life, life that was the
light of men (Jn 1:4).
- The Word was the real light that gives light to
everyone (Jn 1:9).
- And the judgment is this: though the light has come
into the world people have preferred darkness to the light because their deeds
were evil (Jn 3:19-21).
- And John 8:12 and 9:5: (8:12): When Jesus spoke again
to the people He said: " I AM the light of the world: anyone who follows
me will not be walking in the dark but will have the light of life" (Jn
8:12).
- As long as I AM in the world I AM the light of the
world (Jn 9:5).
- Also see John 11:9-10; John 12:35, 36 and 46;
1John 1:5, 7; 2:8-10.
Compare with these
passages with "light" imagery in Revelation:
- I could not see any temple in the city since the Lord God
almighty and the Lamb were themselves the temple, and the city did not need the
sun or the moon for light since it was lit by the radiant glory of God and
the Lamb was a lighted torch for it (Rev 21:22-23).
- The nations will come to its light and the kings of the
earth will bring it their treasures. Its gates will never be closed by day'and
there will be no night there... (Rev 21:24-25).
- And night will be abolished; they will not need lamplight or
sunlight, because the Lord God will be shinning on them (Rev 22:5).
The Symbolic use of
numbers in the Gospel of John and Revelation:
- Both books are arranged in a series of sevens: The number seven is used
fifty-two times in the book of Revelation and the first chapter of the
fourth Gospel builds to the climax of the "seventh day" using the words "the
next day" and "on the third day" until the wedding at Cana in chapter two: day
#2 = Jn 1:29; day #3 = Jn 1:35; day #4 = Jn 1:43; "On the third day" (Jn 2:1);
four days plus three days = seven days.
- John's Gospel begins the countdown to the Crucifixion of Christ by
announcing in that it is six days to the Passover (Jn 12:1). Six is the number
of man and symbolizes man in rebellion against God. Jesus will be crucified
the day after the Passover sacrifice, on a Friday, the sixth day of the week,
but it is the seventh day from St. John's announcement in Jn 12:1.
- In Revelation the word "seventh' is used five times and a phrase
using the number(s) seven is used thirty-five (5x7) times. There are also
multiple sevens as in the seven letters to the seven churches in Revelation
chapters 2-3. According to Hebrew tradition every number has a symbolic
significance. Three, seven, ten, and twelve are known as the "perfect"
numbers. Seven is the second perfect number signifying fullness and
perfection, especially spiritual perfection; it is also the number of covenant
union and it is the number of the Holy Spirit. For a list of sevens in the book
of Revelation see the chart below:
The List of "Sevens" in
Revelation
|
Churches
|
1:4; 2:1-3:22
|
|
Letters
|
2:1 - 3:22
|
|
Spirits
|
1:4; 3:1; 4:5; 5:6
|
|
Golden lamp-stands
|
1:12, 20; 2:1; 4:5
|
|
Stars
|
1:16, 20; 2:1; 3:1
|
|
Lamps of fire
|
4:5
|
|
Seals
|
5:1; 5:5; 6:1
|
|
Horns
|
5:6
|
|
Eyes
|
5:6
|
|
Angels
|
8:2, 6; 15:1, 6, 7; 15:8;
16:1; 17:1; 21:9
|
|
Trumpets
|
8:2, 6
|
|
Thunders
|
10:3, 4
|
|
Thousand people
|
11:13
|
|
Heads
|
12:3; 13:1; 17:3, 7, 9
|
|
Crowns
|
12:3
|
|
Plagues
|
15:1, 6, 8; 21:9
|
|
Golden bowls
|
15:7; 16:1; 17:1; 21:9
|
|
Hills
|
17:9
|
|
Kings
|
17:10, 11
|
|
Last seven visions
|
Chapters 20-21
|
For more information on the
symbolic meaning of numbers in the Bible, please see the document "The
Significance of Numbers in Scripture" in the Documents Section under the
subtitle "Scripture Study" and a summary of the symbolism of numbers in the
Bible in the appendix to this lesson.
Both the Gospel of St.
John and Revelation are structured in terms of the Holy Days of the Jewish
Liturgical Calendar and Heavenly Liturgy (sacred time and sacred space):
- The Gospel of John revolves
around the Old Covenant liturgical calendar and the liturgical feasts in
which three Passovers divide Jesus ministry. The first Passover is in
2:14, the second in 6:4, and the third during Jesus last visit to Jerusalem in 12:1.
Other feasts that are mentioned are the sacred feasts of Pentecost'not
named but assumed to be this feast by most scholars (Jn 5:1), Tabernacles
(Jn 7:2) and the national feast of Hanukkah/Dedication (Jn 10:22).
- The majority of St. John's visions are given to him in the heavenly Sanctuary during heavenly liturgy
(beginning from the time John is taken up into heaven in Revelation 4:1).
- In his revelation St. John is involved in time in two directions: the time in which he was living and through
his visions he is projected forward in time to the judgment on Jerusalem, the Second Advent of Christ, the Final Judgment, and the creation of the New
Jerusalem at the end of time.
Most, though not all,
Christian scholars agree that letters sent to the seven churches in Asia Minor
in the first three chapters of Revelation describe the problems and
triumphs of the historical faith communities that flourished when St. John was
bishop of Ephesus, messages that have remained meaningful to the Church down
through the centuries and meaningful to Christians in all generations. Most scholars
also agree that the last half of chapter 20 (verses 11-15) and all of chapters
21 and 22 apply to the end times: the Second Advent of Christ, Judgement Day,
the consummation of all things, and the eternal life of the saints with God.
But, the time frame of the middle part of the book in chapters 4:1-20:10 has
been, and continues to be, in dispute. In lesson 2 we will discuss the
different schools of thought for interpreting the time-frame of the unfolding
events recorded in the book of Revelation.
The Magisterium, composed
of the Council of Bishops and the reigning Pope, has pronounced on both the authenticity
and canonicity of the Apocalypse/Revelation in the councils of Hippo
(393 AD), Carthage (397 and 419 AD), Florence (1441 AD) and Trent (1545-63).
At Trent the Ecumenical Council, in the decree De Canonicis Scripturis (April
8, 1546), gave a formal definition of the "Canon of the Bible" and in accepting
the list approved in the previous councils, which included the last New
Testament book, Revelation. However, even though the Church has
dogmatically defined the book of Revelation as canonical, it has not
pronounced as strongly on who wrote it (The Navarre Bible Commentary:
Revelation page 15).
An Important Key to Interpreting the Visions of John
A significant key to
unlocking the meaning of St. John's extraordinary visions may be found in the
Old Testament books of the sixth century BC prophets Ezekiel and Daniel. The books
of Ezekiel and Daniel resemble the book of Revelation more
than any of the other Old Testament books. This Old Testament link will be one
of the main themes of our study.
Parallels between the
visions in the book of Revelation and the visions of the prophet Ezekiel
in the Old Testament book of Ezekiel:
Parallels between the
visions in the book of Revelation and the visions of the prophet Daniel in
the Old Testament book of Daniel:
The book of Revelation only
identifies the receiver of the visions as a man named "John," however, St. John
Zebedee's identification with the book was virtually universal in the early centuries
of the Church, as St. Justin Martyr wrote: John, one of the apostles of
Christ, who prophesied by a revelation that was made to him (Justin Martyr,
Dialogue with Trypho, 81). If St. John Zebedee is indeed the writer of
the book of Revelation, then his life and experiences recorded in
Scripture and in the writings of the Church Fathers are relevant to the study
of this book of amazing visions.
St. John the Apostle in the New Testament
- John son of Zebedee, in Hebrew Yehohanan ben Zabiyah (transliterated
as "Yahweh's faithful/merciful) love son of Yahweh's gift"), was the son of the
Galilean fisherman Zebedee and his wife Salome (Mk 14:40 and 16:17).
- He may have been one of John the Baptists' disciples and was
possibly the "other" disciple who went with St. Andrew to where Jesus was
staying and spent the day in conversation with Him (Jn 1:35-42). In John's
Gospel the Apostle John is never named. The writer of the fourth Gospel always
refers to himself as "the other disciple" and as "the one Jesus loved"
(sometimes translated as "the beloved disciple"). For references to the
writer of the fourth Gospel as the "other" see Jn 18:16; 20:2, 3, 4, 8, and 25.
For references to "the one Jesus loved" or "the beloved disciple" see
Jn 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20.
- The Apostle John gave up everything to follow Jesus: He [Jesus]
walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James and John. They were
in a boat with their father Zebedee mending their nets. He called them and
immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him (Mt
4:21-22). Mark 1:20 adds that they...left their father and their hired
men...to follow Jesus.
- John is named in all the lists of the Apostles (Mt 10:2;
Mk 3:16-17; Lk 6:13; and Acts 1:13). In the lists found in the Gospels, John Zebedee,
the youngest of Jesus' Apostles, is always listed after Peter, Andrew, and his
brother James Zebedee, but after Jesus' crucifixion his status in the lists is
altered. In the list in Acts1:13 he is named immediately after Peter and in
Acts he is always mentioned in association with Peter (Acts 3:1; 4:13; 8:14).
Scripture suggests St. John had a strong personality:
- Mark 3:17: James, son of Zebedee, and John the brother of
James, whom he [Jesus] named Boanerges, that is "Sons of Thunder (in
Aramaic = ben ereges).
- Luke 9:49; 9:51-56: (John is rebuked by Jesus) verse 49: Then
John said in reply: 'Master we saw someone casting out demons in your name and
we tried to prevent him because he was not following our company.' Jesus said
'Do not prevent him for whoever is not against you is for you.'
- Luke 9:54: When the disciples James and John saw this they
asked 'Lord do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?'
Jesus turned and rebuked them."
Scripture suggests that St. John was ambitious to serve Jesus in His Kingdom:
- Matthew 20:20-24: Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee
approached Him with her sons and did Him homage wishing to ask him for something. He said to her:
'What do you wish?' She answered him 'Command that these two sons of mine to
sit one at your right and the other sit to your left in your kingdom.' When
the ten heard this they became indigent.
- Mark 10:35-40: They [James and John Zebedee] said to
him, 'Allow us to sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your
glory.' But Jesus said to them, 'You do not know what you are asking. Can you
drink the cup that I shall drink, or be baptized with the baptism with which I
shall be baptized?' They replied, 'We can.' Jesus said to them, 'The cup that
I shall drink you shall drink, and with the baptism with which I shall be
baptized you shall be baptized, but as for seats at my right hand or my left,
these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been
allotted.'
Jesus selected John for
certain experiences not shared with all the other Apostles:
- St. John was singled out from among the other Apostles at certain
times as he was singled out with Peter and James in the curing of Peter's
mother-in-law (Mk 1:29).
- In the curing of the synagogue official's daughter: ...he did
not allow anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James and John (Mk
5:37).
- At the Mt. of Transfiguration experience: ... Jesus took with
him Peter and James and his brother John... (Mt 17:1). After six days
Jesus took Peter, James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain
by themselves. And He was transformed before them (Mk 9:2; also see Lk
9:28).
- Only Peter and John were assigned the task of preparing the
banquet room for the sacred meal of the Passover victim on the first nigh of
the Feast of Unleavened Bread'the meal of the Last Supper: The day of
Unleavened Bread came round, on which the Passover had to be sacrificed, and he
sent Peter and John to make preparations for Passover (Lk 22:7-8).
- John was with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane: Then Jesus
came with them to a plot of land called Gethsemane; and he said to his
disciples, 'Stay here while I go over there to pray.' He took Peter and the
two sons of Zebedee with him (Mt 26:36-37a).
- From the time St. Peter and St. John were assigned to prepare the
Upper Room for the Last Supper, John was always paired with Peter. It was St.
Peter and the "other disciple" who waited at the High Priest's palace as Jesus
was being tried by the Sanhedrin (Jn 18:15-18). In John 18:16 the unnamed
disciple who was with St. Peter was known at the high priest's palace and was
able to get Peter and himself into the courtyard after Jesus was arrested.
- It is the "disciple whom Jesus loved" who was the only Apostle to
stand with the Virgin Mary and the other women at the foot of the Cross. It was
to this disciple that Jesus entrusted the care of His mother (Jn 19:25-27).
- Mary Magdalene went to St. Peter and "the other disciple" to tell
them that Jesus had been raised from the dead, and St. Peter and the "other
disciple, the "one whom Jesus loved," went together to the tomb to see that
Jesus was no longer there (Jn 20:1-10).
- John was with the other Apostles (except Thomas) when Jesus came
to the Upper Room on Resurrection Sunday and breathing on them gave them the
power through the Holy Spirit to govern the universal Church and to bind or loose
the sins of men and women (Jn 20:19-22).
- In Acts of Apostles it was Sts. Peter and John, teaching
at the Temple after Jesus' Ascension (Acts 3:1), who were questioned by the
Jewish Sanhedrin (Acts 4:1, 13, 19-20). Later they were the Church's representatives
who went together to Samaria to confirm the baptism of converts by laying hands
upon the converts and empowering them with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit
(Acts 8:14-17).
- John was present with the other Apostles at the first universal
Church council: the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:6).
- St. Paul testified in his visit to Jerusalem to confer with the
Apostles that he met with St. Peter (Paul calls him Cephas from his Aramaic
title "Rock"/ Kepha, given to Peter by Jesus), St. James Bishop of Jerusalem,
and St. John who Paul wrote were recognized as "pillars" of the Church (Gal 2:9).
Other interesting facts
about John Zebedee from the writings of the Church Fathers:
- Bishop St. Irenaeus (d. c. 200) wrote that at the Last Supper St.
John was the one called the "beloved disciple" who was put at the place of
honor at the table reclining with Jesus on the same couch and who wrote the
fourth Gospel while residing at the city of Ephesus in Asia Minor (Irenaeus,
Against Heresies, 3, 1, 1).
- Bishop Eusebius also recorded that St. John reclined with Jesus
at the Last Supper (Eusebius, Church History, XXXI, 3; XXIV, 3; Jn
13:21-25).
- There is documentation that testifies that St. John, Bishop of
Ephesus in Asia Minor, and St. James, Bishop of Jerusalem, both wore a sacred
head-plate similar to the one worn by the Jewish High Priest (Eusebius, Church
History, XXXI, 3; XXIV, 3).
- Bishop St. Polycrates of Ephesus (ca. 125-196 AD) wrote in his
letter to Pope St. Victor (ca. 190 AD): ... moreover John, who was both a
witness and a teacher, who reclined upon the bosom of the Lord, and being a
priest wore the sacerdotal plate (The Faith of the Early Fathers, vol.
I, page 82). St. Polycrates' testimony is especially significant
because he was the bishop of the same church in the Roman city of Ephesus were
St. John had served as the first Christian bishop for many years until his
death.
- St. Clement of Alexandria (prior to 200 AD) wrote about John's
long life as the Bishop of Ephesus and his title "father of the Eastern Church."
Quoting St. Irenaeus he wrote: (Irenaeus) writes in one place in the second
of his books Against the Heresies, as follows: 'And all the presbyters
who had been associated in Asia with John, the disciple of the Lord, bear
witness to his tradition, for he remained with them until the times of Trajan.'
And in the third book of the same work he makes the same statement as follows:
'Now the Church at Ephesus was founded by Paul, but John stayed there until the
time of Trajan, and it is a true witness of the tradition of the Apostles'
(Kovak, Christianity and the Roman Empire, page 42).
The Roman Emperor Trajan
ruled after the death of the Emperor Domitian from 98 AD until 117 AD. If John
was about 20 years old when Jesus was crucified in 30AD (he could have been
younger), and if he did live until the year 100 AD or later, it is
understandable why St. John says of himself at the end of his Gospel that there
were those who thought he wouldn't die until Jesus came again. In the last
chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus revealed to St. Peter the kind of
death he was to suffer (Jn 21:18-19): Peter turned and saw the disciple whom
Jesus loved following them - the one who had leant back close to his chest at the
supper and had said to him, 'Lord, who is it that will betray you?' Seeing
him, Peter said to Jesus, 'What about him, Lord?' Jesus answered, 'If I want
him to stay behind till I come, what does it matter to you? You are to follow
me.' The rumor then went out among the brothers that this disciple would not
die. Yet Jesus had not said to Peter, 'He will not die,' but, 'If I want him
to stay behind till I come.' According to the history of the early Church
St. John was the only Apostle who wasn't martyred, and he was the last of the
original twelve Apostles to pass from this earthly exile to join his Savior and
Lord in the eternal kingdom.
Michal Hunt, Copyright © 2001 & 2010 Agape Bible
Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.
Appendix:
The Symbolic Significance of Numbers in the Bible
|
Number
|
Symbolic Significance
|
|
One
|
Unity, primacy, sovereignty, divine completeness:
Christians saw this
number as symbolic of
God the Father.
|
|
Two
|
Difference, division: on
the second day God created light and darkness. Christians saw this number as
a symbol of the second person of the Trinity, God the Son (see Jesus' comment
in Mt 10:34-36).
|
|
Three
|
This number symbolizes
that which is real, solid, substantial, complete and of importance or
significance. The number three always signifies some important event in
Salvation History: Jesus' ministry lasted three years (as the ancients
counted); He arose from the dead on the third day (as the ancients counted);
the earth was separated from the waters on the 3rd day. It is one
of the four "perfect" numbers. Christians saw this number as symbolic of the
Trinity.
|
|
Four
|
This number signifies
God's creative works in association with the earth (four seasons, four winds,
etc.).
|
|
Five
|
This number is symbolic
of God's grace and power.
|
|
Six
|
This number is symbolic
of man who was created on the 6th day; a symbol of man in
rebellion against God (especially in multiples of six, i.e. "666").
|
|
Seven
|
This is the second
"perfect" number signifying perfection and fullness, especially spiritual
perfection. It is the number of the Holy Spirit and the number of covenant.
|
|
Eight
|
The number symbolizing
salvation, rebirth, resurrection and regeneration: i.e., eight people were
saved in the Ark, an Israelite child was reborn into the covenant with YHWH
on the 8th day of life, and Jesus was resurrected from the dead on
the 8th day.
|
|
Nine
|
This number signifies
God's divine judgment.
|
|
Ten
|
This is the third
perfect number which signifies perfection of divine order (i.e., the Ten
Commandments).
|
|
Eleven
|
It is the number that
symbolizes disorder, disharmony, imperfection and disintegration.
|
|
Twelve
|
The fourth perfect
number signifying divine government = the Covenant people/ the Church. It is
the number of Israel (descendants of the 12 physical sons of Jacob) as well
as the number of the New Covenant Church (spiritual descendants of Jesus'
Twelve Apostles).
|
|
Thirteen
|
The number and its
multiples signify ill omen, hostility, rebellion, apostasy, defection and
corruption (i.e., see Gen 14:4; 17:25).
|
|
Fourteen
|
It is the number
signifying a double blessing of spiritual perfection.
|
|
Forty
|
The number signifying
trial and/ or consecration: i.e., the series of 40 days in the Flood
narrative, Moses' 40 days on Mt. Sinai, and Jesus 40 days of testing in the
wilderness.
|
|
Fifty
|
The number symbolizing
divine deliverance/ mercy: i.e., the celebration of the Jubilee Year every 50th
year.
|
|
Seventy/ seventy-two
|
The number which
signified spiritual perfection times divine order (10 x 12) in God's plan of
salvation: i.e., the 70 nations in Gen 10, the 70 men of Israel's family who
migrated to Egypt, the 70 elders of Israel, and Jesus' 70/ 72 disciples.
|
See the document "The Significance of Numbers in Scripture"
Michal Hunt, Copyright © 2009 Agape Bible
Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.
