The Book of Revelation (Revelation Series Part I)

John, one of Jesus' twelve Apostles and the supposed author of the book of Revelation (I'll make a future post on authorship), didn't really give the book of Revelation a name. In fact, no book in the NT has a name. They are all, to varying degrees, letters with intended audiences, so there was no need for a title like we think of when we think of a "book." Since that's the case, if John were to allow me to name the book of Revelation, I'd go with something like, "A Vision of Christ as King." I would go with that one because Chapter 1 begins with such a brilliant envisioning of Christ with such imaginative vocabulary, declaring that "he is coming on the clouds" (ἔρχεται μετὰ τῶν νεφελῶν ). This expression shows (along with so many others in Revelation) Jesus to be, along with God the Father, the Lord over all creation.

I am trying to write more often. What better place to start than the book of Revelation, right?? I hope you'll join by reading and interacting with what I present. Here is an outline of what I will try to do:

• Four Approaches to Revelation (and why one of the approaches is no good)

• Who is Jesus in Revelation?

• The Significance of Seven

• Seven Scary Scenes

• Three Ways to Conceptualize the Millennium

• New Heavens, New Earth

Along with this post, that will make this a series of 7 posts and a nice homage to John.

If you have anything you would like me to emphasize or touch on in these seven posts, please let me know!

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To Set the Stage...

To set the stage for this series, it's good for you to know how I am reading Revelation. Firstly, I read it as a letter that was carefully, prayerfully, painstakingly chosen by God's people to be a part of the Christian canon of scripture. It was chosen through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and as Holy Scripture, it intends to communicate a necessary truth to God's people for covenantal purposes. Secondly, I recognize Revelation to be a revelation. All that means is that I believe John when he says he received a vision of/from Christ, and the contents of that vision are faithfully detailed in this letter. Thirdly, I recognize Revelation to be a prophecy. Not a prophecy of modern equivalence telling me what I need to do in order to "receive my healing" (This is a common phrase from churches whose lead minister/pastor refers to themselves as a Prophet. These churches' Prophets will perform healings and then preach to the members, saying they need more faith to receive healing before asking for contributions). The book of Revelation is written in line with OT prophecy and can be read as the culmination of OT prophecy. Fourthly, I have used the term several times already, but Revelation is a letter and as such it has a context it is being written as well as a context the author assumes his readers will be reading it through.

Since we are reading a Spirit-inspired revelatory prophecised letter, it should dictate how we interpret particular points. For example, and the part that the majority of readers miss, the vast amount of confusing imagery in Revelation can often be explained through a better understanding of Old Testament prophecy and worldview. I dont even mean the big stuff either like the 7-headed dragon, the harlot, or the two witnesses, but I mean the small stuff too. Like I mentioned above, knowing small details like "he is coming with the clouds" is a reference to Daniel 7 and is meant to imagine Christ as ascending to Heaven, not descending to earth, helps us to understand that Chapter 1 is detailing the Ascension of Jesus to the right hand of God. This is important, right? The Ascension of Christ is the final piece in the story of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we need to be able to articulate such a belief. Well, what better way than by using the imagery given to us in Revelation?

What if we were to utilize Revelation in a way to glorify Christ rather than scare believers and unbelievers alike? What if we read Revelation to inspire us to give allegiance to Christ's Kingdom and not the kingdom of the world (Babylon)? I think we miss the value of Revelation when we only read it for exoticism's sake. It appeals to us primarily because it's viewed as mysterious or foreign when in reality it is a revelation meant to reveal the mystery–not create mystery!

My hope is that after viewing the first few posts here, I will have enumerated the tools needed to read and understand Revelation. Once we have the tools for interpretation in hand, Revelation becomes a testimony to the greatness of God, the presence of His Spirit in our lives, and Christ's Lordship over all creation. I hope you are as blessed reading these posts as I have in studying.

Sources I am reading from...

Alexander E. Stewart, Revelation, Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishers, 2024)

Bruce M. Metzger, Breaking the Code: Understanding the Book of Revelation (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1993)

Craig R. Koester, Revelation and the End of All Things, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2018)

David Chilton, The Days of Vengeance: An Exposition of the Book of Revelation (Ft. Worth, TX: Dominion Press, 1987)

G. K. Beale and David H. Campbell, Revelation: A Shorter Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Williams B. Eerdmans, 2015)

J. Dwight Pentecost, Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology (Grand Rapids, MI: Dunham Publishing Company, 1964)

James B. Jordan, The Book of Revelation with Class Notes, Theopolisinstitute.com

John J. Collins, The Apocalyptic Imagination: An Introduction to Jewish Apocalyptic Literature, 2^nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1998)

Peter J. Leithart, The Book of Revelation: Video Series, Theolopolisinstitute.com

Richard Bauckham, The Theology of the book of Revelation, New Testament theology (New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1993)

Steve Gregg, Revelation: Four Views, Revised and Updated A Parallel Commentary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Press, 2013)

You should have a decent mix of folks in this list. Here I have the four approaches and three views on the millennium represented. The preterist and idealist views are overrepresented, but it seems to be the way the majority of scholarship leans. In this list, there is only one with a Futurist reading because those are hard to find!–and two Historicists. In terms of views on the millennium, this list comprises three postmillennials, one premillennialist, one amillennial, with the rest not giving much time to the eschatological conversation in the works listed.

Once Peter Leithart's commentary on Revelation with ICC comes out next month, I think I will end my study through Revelation for the time being. I have noticed lately, I am given to study a particular subject for only a certain period before I burn out on it. After reading, teaching, and now writing on it, it will be time to set it aside for a moment.

With all that said, I am attempting to post once a week with a typical read time never to exceed ten minutes. However, if there is an overwhelming outpouring of desire from readers to go more in-depth or for me to explain exegetical/hermeneutical decisions, I may slow down or extend some essays.

May God bless you!

"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place; he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it; for the time is near." Rev 1:1–3