| "The eastern world, it is explodin', Violence flarin', bullets loadin'. You're old enough to kill, but not for votin'. You don't believe in war, but what's that gun you're totin'? And even the Jordan River has bodies floatin', But you tell me Over and over and over again, my friend, No, you don't believe We're on the eve of destruction." (McGuire, "Eve of Destruction") |
| He sees it vividly, as though it were tomorrow: Bullets, stinging like scorpions, come from every tree, Cast by the unseen VC. Burning napalm rains from the open skies-- Aflame with lies. Tomorrow, or maybe never, he reaches Saigon. How much of it is post-traumatic stress, And how much is yearning for the closure-- The resolution that never came? What therapy will it take For him to finally accept That the war is over? The war is over. ("Can't Leave Vietnam," from Temple's Book of Poems) |
IT'S ALL OVER!by Frank Daniels |
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© 1997, 1999 Frank Daniels |
PREFACE
"It was the last of times. It was the first of times."
Members of the Jewish "Zealot" faction were on the move. Fed up with being dominated by the Romans and appauled at the treatment they were receiving from Procurator Florus, they were ready to strike. Popular support for the group was growing by leaps and bounds as Florus continued to extort money from the people and even from the temple. At one point, Josephus records, Florus's men simply took money from the temple to which he felt entitled. Under the direction of Eleazar, the priests ceased their practice of offering a sacrifice for the well-being of the Emperor. This sparked an ever-increasing spirit of rebellion among the general public. Agrippa tried to prevent war, attempting to persuade the Jews that rebellion was futile, but his efforts were in vain. By September of 66, the Roman garrison at Antonia had been taken by the rebels, with its guard slain.
The Zealots saw this as an opportunity to move against the Empire. Mustering forces, they laid siege on the fortress at Masada. With weapons acquired at the Masada arsenal, they marched on Jerusalem. Upon reaching Jerusalem, conflict ensued between the Zealot forces and Eleazar's men, a battle which resulted in the slaying of one of the Zealot leaders and the Zealot faction's retreat to Masada. Suddenly, rebellion broke out all over Palestine. By November, the Roman government saw this as a situation out of control, and they sent in the armies.
The force commanded by Cestius Gallius was turned away from the capital, however, spelling a temporary victory for the Jewish rebels. In Spring of 67, Vespasian assumed control of the Roman forces and made a steady advance from the north toward Jerusalem. As his armies moved, they left bloody slaughter in their wake. During this time, citizens of the cities of Palestine took sides against one another, elevating the atmosphere of chaos to the level of fever.
When Vespasian neared Jerusalem, however, the Jews were temporarily spared. Emperor Nero committed suicide in early June of 68, leaving the Empire in turmoil. He was the last of the Julian emperors, and a civil war broke out to determine who would be the next Emperor. Jerusalem saw a reprieve from desolation, albeit a temporary one. The Jews developed a stronger command and control structure as the Romans sorted out their troubles. Three rival leaders emerged, as in Rome first Galba, then Otho, and finally Vitellius took the mantle of Emperor. By June of 69, however, the Roman affairs of state had been settled, with Vespasian himself (a popular military leader) taking over as Emperor and establishing his family as the Imperial line.
Moving quickly, the Romans asserted their command over the situation in Palestine. A few strongholds, plus Jerusalem itself, were all that remained under Jewish control. The siege of Jerusalem began in April of 70, led by Vespasian's own son, Titus. For five brutal months of brutal war, the Jews held their capital, but despite their fervor they continued to lose ground. People were dying everywhere. As Summer passed, the temple itself was occupied by Titus' forces--something Titus himself would later regret--and the entire structure was razed by fire. With the holy building destroyed, the resistance would last only a month longer--until September. By that time, the Romans had desolated the entire city, leaving it virtually in ruin.
Christian Jews had been called upon to help defend Jerusalem and the Jewish state, but they refused, taking the advice of Jesus to flee to the mountains. This symbolic rejection of their heritage created a permanent rift between Jews and Christians. By 120, they would have nothing to do with one another.
Still, resistance at the three Jewish strongholds continued for another three years. Yet these too fell, one by one, leaving innumerable dead to be buried. The last to fall was Masada, which managed to hold out until Spring of 73 (or 74). Many people fled to the south to avoid being butchered. As the battle for Masada went on, it became obvious to the Jews involved that their defense was hopeless. Rather than suffer the indignity of being captured or killed by the Romans, the last garrision committed mass suicide under the direction of Eleazar ben Yair himself, who reasoned that if God was their sole authority, then they could not submit to Roman power.
The war, the First Jewish Revolt, was over. So great a victory was this for the Romans that Vespasian ordered coins minted to commemorate their win, coins that would be imitated by Vespasian's sons when they eventually became Caesar, even though by that time, a number of years had passed. Yet Vespasian's victory was not a victory for his family, all of whom died in unusual ways, putting an end to the Flavian lineage before the end of the century. To this day, of course, the Jews have yet to hold the ground on which their temple once stood.
Futurists hold that the major portion of the events detailed in Revelation have yet to occur. In particular, the "rapture" and "millenium (or thousand year reign)" have not yet happened. Many futurists take these events quite literally; that is, the millenium is a literal thousand years. Even so, futurists find themselves grouped into sub-categories, divided over the details. All of them believe that a seven year "great tribulation" is coming.
Futurist amillenialists believe that the coming millenium is not a specific period of time. Rather, it is a spiritual description of the current state of affairs. The events of Revelation 4-19 are future events, but the millenium is not to be understood literally.
Futurist postmillenialists believe that a literal thousand year reign is coming in the future, and that the "second coming" of Jesus will occur AFTER that thousand years. This second coming is often referred to as the "rapture".
Futurist premillenialists believe that the literal thousand year reign of Jesus will follow the rapture. That is, the second coming of Jesus will occur BEFORE the 1000 years. This viewpoint is also divided into three sub-categories, depending upon whether a person believes that the rapture will happen before, during, or after the "great tribulation" (seven year war, armegeddon). These views are usually called pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, and post-tribulation. Thus, the question "Will Christians have to endure the tribulation?" is discussed among premillenialists.
Historicists hold that God has been fulfilling the events described in Revelation (and the related prophecies) as time passed. They relate various events throughout history, then, to the images mentioned in the book. Chiefly, this is limited to chapters four through nineteen, but some historicists understand the seven letters to be referring to eras in church history.
This view is particularly strong among Protestants, many of whom (Protestant Historicists) identify the wild animal (or "beast") of Revelation with the Papacy. The Greek word "lateinos" (describing the Roman race and language) does add up to the required 666. Although there are many disagreements as to which historical events are to be identified with the images in Revelation, the historical viewpoint was shared by many Reformation leaders.
Often, for example, the "42 months" mentioned in the book are taken to mean 1260 years, since a day, here, is equated with a year. Sometimes, the statement that with God "a day is like a thousand years" is used to create a picture of history as it developed from the time of Adam to the present.
All Historicists generally believe that a "millenium" is still coming and that the final events of Revelation are imminent.
The Idealist sees the prophecies about the "end times" to refer only to the timeless struggle between Good and Evil. God always triumphs over evil in the long run, and the church should benefit by reading the prophecies and understanding their true significance. This opinion is an old one, going back at least to the third century. By comparison with the two views already mentioned, and even the Preterist view, this is a minority opinion. That statement should not be construed as ruling it out, however. The seers may have been looking toward the future struggles of the church allegorically.
Preterists hold that the events of Revelation 4-19 occurred in the first century. Dr. Kenneth Gentry (Before Jerusalem Fell) is one of the most ardent proponents of this view in modern times. "Praeter" means "past" in Latin, and thus the description "Preterist" to describe this view.
The Preterist identifies the war described in Revelation and in Matt 24 (and parallels) as the First Jewish Revolt (66-73). Usually, the "beast" is identified with Nero Caesar, whose name in Hebrew adds to 666. The persecutions mentioned as coming from the Caesars may be those of Vespasian or Domitian, although some extend these into the second century as well, depending upon when they believe the book was written.
Preterists still look forward to the second coming of Jesus and to the events described in Revelation 20-22. To them, these things have not yet happened. In that, all four of the viewpoints converge. All of the main opinions about the "end times" look forward to the glorious second coming of Jesus.
The construction of this commentary will take none of the aforementioned views, although it will most closely resemble the Preterist view. The present author refers to his view as "Post-Apocalyptic."
Revelation holds a unique position textually among the writings of the New Testament, for several reasons. The prophecy often circulated alone. It was not universally accepted by the church in ancient times. These factors combine to yield a comparatively sparse set of manuscripts for the book. Kurt and Barbara Aland (Text of the New Testament, 2nd Edition) list a grand total of 287 Greek manuscripts containing Revelation or a portion thereof. Of these, only 2 manuscripts predate the development of text types (c.325 CE), these being p18, containing only 1:4-7, and
p47, which contains most of chapters 9-17. A heavy weight must therefore be placed on p47 when determining the text of Revelation.
Consideration must also be given to the following uncial manuscripts: (although its character is lesser in Revelation); A (whose character is superior here); and C (whose character is also superior). This is the consideration generally given by the Nestle-Aland text, and so it has been generally adopted as the basis for the new translation. Any point at which the Greek text deviates from the Nestle-Aland text, it will be following p 47, A, and/or C.
The translation of Revelation which is provided with the commentary is part of a complete New Testament translation. This translation differs from most modern editions in that it eliminates the bias of the ecclesiastical paradigm and also translates rather than transliterates words normally carrying a sacred or pseudo-sacred meaning. For example: Anointed One is used rather than Christ; messengers rather than angels appear; "satanas" is translated Enemy rather than transliterated Satan. For this reason, the new translation is rightly called a Non-Ecclesiastical New Testament. The translator believes this translation to be the most accurate available.
First of all, the “scroll of the prophecy” (22:19) needs to be fit into its appropriate social and historical context in order for the prophecy to be understood. Therefore, some words need to be said about the authorship and the date of the writing.
The book is ascribed to someone calling himself Johannes (1:4). He writes from the Isle of Patmos (1:9). From the style of the writing, the author is a Palestinian Jew, familiar with the style of Jewish apocalyptic. The use of Hebraisms throughout suggests that the author’s first language was probably Aramaic and not Greek. The author has knowledge of the goings-on at various Christian assemblies throughout Asia.
The above information seems to rule out any speculation that the book could have been written after AD 70. Not long after this time, gentiles began to dominate Christianity. That this book is written by a Jew and addressed primarily to Jewish Christians cannot be readily disputed. Such a thoroughly Jewish mindset would not have been present in some “John the Elder” who lived in the second century. So, while some have theorized that a late first century or second century “elder” wrote this prophecy, the internal evidence speaks against this theory. Since tradition speaks almost unanimously in favor of authorship by Johannes the envoy, and since that Johannes fits the description of the author given in the work itself, it seems likely that the son of Zebediah the fisherman was the author of the Revelation.
As to the date, there are numerous internal considerations (aside from the Jewish nature of the book) which give rise to the necessity for an early date. The book, Before Jerusalem Fell (by Kenneth Gentry), makes an excellent and well documented argument for the so-called early date, although John A.T. Robinson’s Redating the New Testament must be recognized as the seminal work on the subject. Some of these internal considerations must and will be dealt with in the present book.
To summarize, we place Johannes the envoy, the son of Zebediah, as the author of the work. Patmos was the place of writing. The date of composition was c.64-67 CE, before the death of Emperor Nero, and possibly, as we shall see, before the deaths of Peter and Paulus.
Revelation borrows heavily from the former Jewish writings. Isaiah, Zechariah, Daniel, and Amos are cited, to name just a few. The visions seen by the author are not equated with those of the former prophets; that is, they are not referring necessarily to the same events. However, in each case, the use of images from the former prophets indicates that the subject matter is similar in nature.
The structure of the writing appears somewhat complex to the person not accustomed to apocalyptic style. It is complicated by the introductory letters, which normally did not accompany a prophetic work. Nevertheless, we can perceive a structure as follows:
| INTRODUCTION | 1:1-1:3 |
| LETTERS | 1:4-3:22 |
| SYMBOLS OF JUDGMENT | 4:1-11:18 |
| FINAL EXPLANATION, on earth | 11:19-22:5 |
| CONCLUDING REMARKS | 22:6-22:21 |
These major sections are divided into smaller parts throughout the book.
The introduction and conclusion are both important in the sense that they set the stage for the rest of the work. What is coming is to take place soon (“in a short time,” 1:1, 22:6, 7). The “time is near” (1:4). Because the events are to take place so soon, Johannes is not to “seal up the words of the prophecy” (22:10). This is to be contrasted with the conclusion to Daniel, where Daniel is told, “seal up the words, and seal the scroll, until the time of the completion” (12:4). The content of Daniel’s own interpretation of the vision (11:1-12:4) shows that the conclusion of the matter was circa 164 BCE, at the end of the reign of Antiochus IV, less than 400 years from when Daniel received his vision. By contrast, the events of Revelation would happen soon. The urgency of Revelation is continued to the end, where we are again told that the matters in the prophecy would happen soon (22:20).
The letters to the assemblies continue to convey this temporal urgency. He addresses seven very real and specific groups of Christians, making warnings where appropriate. He refers to local matters for which the communities were known and formulates guidance based on these things.
The symbolic judgment sections are meant to add to this sensation that a swift and powerful judgment is on the horizon for the readers. Some will be spared from this judgment against Israel, but the sense conveyed in the sections is that nothing will be the same for Israel after the judgment takes place. While some of the specific symbols are meaningful, they have little to no bearing on the overall meaning of the book.
Now we will examine the book in closer detail:
The work begins with no mention of the author. Instead, the author gives credit to the
ones who orchestrated the vision that is to be written down. The reason Johannes was given
the vision (and therefore the reason for the book) is mentioned immediately: to show God's
faithful ones what is about to happen. These things must happen, in contrast to the warnings
of certain of the prophets (e.g., Jonah), and they will happen soon. Having written this, the
author considers it suitable to introduce himself and bear testimony to the vision he is
writing down. He indicates that he was the Johannes who testified to God's message. That
is, he is the envoy.
The writing was meant to be read out loud in gatherings of Jewish Christians.
"Blessed is the one who reads" is referring to public reading, and therefore it is
followed by "and those who hear." And for the second time, the author impresses the
urgency of the events that are contained in the vision: "the season is near."
7 ""Look! He is coming with the clouds," and every eye will see him, even
the ones who pierced him, "and all the tribes of the land will lament over him."
"Yes indeed.
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says Yahweh God: the one who is, and who was, and
who is coming; the Almighty."
9 I, Johannes, your brother and co-partner in the affliction and the endurance in Jesus happened to be on that island that is called Patmos on account of God's message and the testimony of Jesus. It happened that I was with the breath during the Lord's day, and behind me I heard a loud voice, like a trumpet, saying, "Write on a scroll what you see, and send it to the seven assemblies: to Ephesus; and to Smurna; and to Pergamum; and to Thuateira; and to Sardis; and to Philadelphia; and to Laodikeia."
And I turned around to look at the voice that was speaking with me. And after turning around, I noticed seven gold lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands was someone similar to a mortal, clothed in a foot-length garment and having a golden belt wrapped around his breasts. Now his head and hairs were white like white wool, like snow, and his eyes were like a flame of fire, and his feet were similar to fine brass (fiery like a furnace), and his voice was like a voice of many waters. And in his right hand he had seven stars, and from his mouth came out a sharp, two-edged, broad sword, and his appearance was like the sun appears in its power.
And when I saw him, I fell to his feet like a dead man, and he placed his right hand on me, saying, "Don't be afraid. I am the First and the Last and the one who is alive. And I became dead, and look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I have the keys of death and Hades. Therefore, write what you saw, even what is and what is about to happen after these things.
20 "This is the secret of the seven stars that you saw at my right side and the seven gold lampstands: The seven stars are messengers of the seven assemblies, and the seven lampstands are the seven assemblies."
Though the introductory common letter is a unit, it would be best to analyze it in sections. The first of these sections is 1:4-1:6, in which the author politely and graciously greets the seven assemblies. For the first time, God is mentioned as "the one who is, and who was, and who is coming." Similar mention of God (not always identical) will occur later throughout the book. God is: he exists. This is perhaps the single statement basic to all Jews: "Hear O Israel, Yahweh is our God. Yahweh is one" (Dt 6:4). It affirms both the existance of God and the personal nature of his relationship with Israel. God was. This takes us back to the beginning, at which time "God created the heavens and the earth" (Gn 1:1). The final phrase, God is coming, takes us forward not only throughout eternity but also to the events that will happen "in a short time." God is coming. When reading the writings of the prophets who warned Israel to repent from their sins, the coming of God is seen as a fearful thing. But for God's faithful, it is also a joy, as we will see.
It should be mentioned that the "seven spirits" are seven messengers (angels). They will
be mentioned further later on.
Johannes concludes the salutation with a doxology, partly addressed to Jesus and partly
addressed to God.
On to the matter at hand. Vv. 7-8 contain a brief statement embodying what is about to
happen, borrowed from Dan 7:13 and harkening back also to Zech 12. This connects the so-called
"second coming" with the events in Revelation. In all of this, we have God's own affirmation,
for the words come from God himself. Here, he not only affirms himself as the one who is, was,
and is coming, but also calls himself the Almighty, a term usually equated with the Hebrew
expression "Yahweh of (the) Hosts". God's own power will accomplish the things in the book.
Verses 9-19 tell how the vision came to Johannes, and the images here also set the stage
for what Jesus is to tell each of the assemblies (through the seven messengers). Johannes is
enduring persecution (from Jews and Romans) just as the hearers of the letters are suffering.
Therefore, he indicates his partnership with them.
Tradition tells us that Johannes was exiled to the Isle of Patmos because he was teaching
about Jesus. While the author does not mention exile, he does say that he was there at Patmos
because of "God's message" (the message he was speaking about Jesus), and so he may very well
have been exiled.
He continues to indicate that he was "with the breath" on one occasion. In the language
of the first century writers, then, he was inspired. This is an assurance that God and Jesus
were actually speaking to him when he received the vision. This happened during "the Lord's
day," an expression used in the Old Testament for a day when God did something particularly
noteworthy. On the day of the Lord, something illustrious would happen, and in Johannes' case,
a vision came to him of the "last times."
The voice of Jesus sounded to Johannes like a trumpet, indicating to him that he should
write everything down and send it to the seven assemblies. The vision that he received of Jesus
would tie in to the problems faced by those seven groups of Christians. When the author turned
around, he noticed someone "similar to a mortal." This is the same expression used in Daniel 7
and means that the being he saw seemed human, an indication that the being
appeared somewhat more than human as well. Normally, the expression would merely mean that he
was a human being, but the addition of "similar to" indicates that the author felt he
looked human. From the description, we can see why he would describe Jesus this
way.
First, Johannes notices the seven lampstands. In verse 20, he indicates the meaning of
the seven lampstands: they are the seven assemblies. Jesus is standing in their midst and has
the power to remove the lampstands should he so desire (2:5). He is the authority of the
church, holding the seven stars (messengers) in his hand. It is he who sends out the
messengers, and their message is his message.
In the image, Jesus sports a foot-length garment, representing his priesthood (see Ex 28:4;
29:5). The fact that he appears as high priest is notable, since those events that are about
to happen will greatly affect the status of the Jewish priesthood. Wearing a golden belt (or
girdle), he is royalty, the high priest over the "royal priesthood" of believers (Is 61:6;
Ex 19:5). The whiteness of his hair indicates that he has come from being in the presence of
God, an image borrowed from Dan 7:9. Like Moses, whose skin glowed after having glimpsed God's
glory (Ex 34), Jesus' hair has been purified, white, from the presence of God. But Jesus has
seen God's full glory, and so his face glows with the full brightness of the sun "in its power"
(v.16).
The burning eyes search the "kidneys and hearts" (2:23; see 2:18), burning past the
appearance to the reality of people's intentions. The feet of brass (borrowed again from
Daniel, this time from chapter 2) indicate permanence or steadfastness and are also connected
with the message to Thuateira. His feet, his support, have been refined in fire. They are
pure, polished, and strong.
The sound of many waters is like the sound that accompanies God's glory in Ezek 43:1-2.
There, the rushing water represents an unstoppable force; it is no difference here. Jesus'
voice-- the words of the prophecy-- are unstoppable. His words are like a sharp sword, an
image used to indicate that they clearly divide one thing from another (see also Heb 4:12).
In this case (2:12f.), they prohibit the mingling of Yahweh worship with anything else.
The image of Jesus is awe-inspring and frightening, causing Johannes to faint (v.17),
or at least to be paralyzed with fear. This is not a surprising response. With comfort in
mind, though, the ominous Jesus touches Johannes and urges him not to be afraid. Perhaps he
said this with the same voice he used when crossing the waters of the Sea of Galilee (John 6:20). He assures Johannes that he is "the First and the Last". In contrast to the "Alpha and Omega" used to refer to God as eternal, the phrase "the First and the Last" indicates Jesus' place within God's plan. Jesus encompasses all of what God has done and all of what God is about to do. Knowing this, Johannes should not be afraid. Jesus also reminds the author that he is "the one who is alive." As if to underscore the impact of his own resurrection, Jesus adds that he was dead and will now live forever. Even death did not destroy Jesus, because it could not. And as if this comfort were not enough, Jesus indicates that he holds the "keys of Death and Hades." That is: no one will die or go to the grave (She'ol, Hades) during the coming events unless Jesus allows it. He possesses such authority. These things ought to assure the author, and they do.
Now that the author is once again competent to write down what he hears, Jesus urges him to do so and explains the symbolism of the lampstands and stars. The other symbols of his appearance to Johannes would become more apparent as Jesus continued to speak.
2:1 "To the messenger of the assembly in Ephesus, write:
"Now the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks in the midst of the seven gold lampstands says these things:
"'I know your deeds and labor, and your endurance, and that you are unable to bear bad
people, and that you have tested those who say themselves to be envoys and are not, and you have
found them to be liars. And you have endurance and have borne on account of my name, and you
have not been made weary.
"'But I have it against you that you have left your first love. Therefore, remember where you fell from, and change your minds, and do the first deeds. But if you don't, I am coming to you, and I will remove your lampstand from its place, if you do not change your minds.
"'But you have this: that you hate the deeds of the Nikolaitans, which I too hate.'"
The one who has an ear should hear what the spirit says to the assemblies.
"To the victor I will give him to eat from the forest of life, which is in God's Paradise.
Jesus reminds the Ephesian messenger that he is the one who controls the seven stars and
stands among the lampstands. That is, he has power over both the messengers of the assemblies
and the assemblies themselves. This reminder is necessary because the people at Ephesus have
begun to wander; they have left their first love. From the description given, apparently they
were sound as far as knowledge was concerned but had been neglecting of late to put what they
know into practice. Therefore, the one who holds their lampstand may take it away; i.e., the
people collectively are in danger of leaving God.
We know little to nothing about the "Nikolaitans." From the letter to Pergamum, we can
fathom that they advocated merging idol-worship (or some forms of it) with Judaism/Christianity.
From their name (from the word for "victory" or "overcomer"), they might have advocated a
system of positional authority, and the idol-worship is merely an analogy connecting gentile
religions metaphorically with an element of modern Judaism that was rejected by Jesus
(Mt 23:1-12). It is possible that they had been claiming to be genuine envoys, but that the
Ephesians had rejected them.
Jesus urges the people at Ephesus in a fashion similar to how he will express himself
to the other assemblies: if they endure through to the victory, they will be saved.
8 "And to the messenger of the assembly in Smurna, write:
"Now the First and the Last, who became dead and is alive, says these things:
"'I know your affliction and poverty (but you are wealthy), and the evil speaking from
those who say themselves to be Jews and are not (but they are the Enemy's gathering). Don't
fear the things that you are about to suffer. Look, the accuser is about to throw some of you
into jail, so that you might be tested, and you will have affliction for ten days. Become
trustworthy until death, and I will give you the crown of life.'"
The one who has ears should hear what the spirit says to the assemblies.
"The victor will by no means suffer injustice from the second death.
The Christians at Smurna have been suffering and are afraid, so Jesus wants to reassure them so that they will endure what is to come. He reminds them with the same calming statements as he said to Johannes that everything--even death--is under his control. He indicates his understanding of their situation ("I know..."). The non-Christian Jews have been persecuting them; these people are the Enemy's gathering (synagogue). Those people will shortly be dealt with. As for the Christians, there will be persecution and testing for "ten days" (a short time), but if they endure, they will receive their reward. The final statement assures them of a place in the afterlife and mentions "the second death" for the first time. More will be revealed about this second (spiritual) death as the vision nears its close.
The abject poverty of the Christians in Smurna appears to have been due to the non-Messianic Jews -- the same people whom Johannes nicknames "the Enemy's gathering" -- where "gathering" (synagogue) is the ordinary word for any group of Jews.
12 "And to the messenger of the assembly in Pergamum, write:
"Now the one who has the two-edged broad sword says these things:
"'I know where you live--where the enemy's throne is--and you hold fast to my name and
did not deny my trust, even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed
near you, where the enemy lives.
"'But I have a few things against you: that you have there ones who hold fast to the
teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block in front of the sons of Israel,
to eat idol-sacrifices and to sin sexually. Just as you also have and similarly hold fast to
the teaching of the Nikolaitans.
"'Therefore, change your minds. But if you don't, I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war with them with my mouth's broad sword.'"
The one who has an ear should hear what the spirit says to the assemblies.
"To the victor I will give him the manna that was hidden, and I will give him a white pebble, and on the pebble a new name will have been written, which no one knows except the one who receives it.
The Pergamites were the ones who were beginning to mingle the true religion with
"idolatry". Some of them had begun to adhere to the teachings of the Nikolaitans. Whether
this was actual Gentile idolatry that the Pergamites were practicing or a teaching of the
Jews like that mentioned above, we cannot say. However, Jesus appears to them with his
broadsword to cleanly divide the truth from lies. The truth of what Jesus taught is about
to be borne out in the events that will soon unfold, and if the Christians at Pergamum do
not get their act together, they will wind up on the wrong side of the conflict when it
happens.
The mention of Balaam (31:16) is part of the accusation of idolatry, for Balaam
had advised Balak to lure the Israelites away from God's protection by seducing them to
worship idols. If Balaam here represents the non-Christian Jews, then the author is advising
that if his readers decide to return to traditional Judaism to follow those who know Jesus
was the Messiah but who are lying, then their faith would not survive the coming war.
The "white pebble" that the victors will receive is symbolic of their entry into the afterlife; they will receive passage, to receive the true manna--spiritual food from God, just as Jesus insisted (John 6) that Moses never gave them the true bread from heaven, but that he (Jesus) would do so. In addition, the victor will obtain a "new name"--not a real name; this represents their new life with God.
18 "And to the messenger of the assembly in Thuateira, write:
"Now God's son, the one who has his eyes like a flame of fire and his feet similar to fine brass, says these things:
"'I know your deeds, and love, and trust, and service, and your endurance. And your last deeds are more than the first ones.
"'But I have it against you that you have accepted the woman Jezabel, the one who says herself to be a prophet and who teaches and leads astray my slaves, to sin sexually and to eat idol-sacrifices. And I gave her time, so that she might change her mind, and she did not want to change her mind from her prostitution. Look, I am casting her into a bed, and those who commit adultery with her I am casting into great affliction, if they do not change their minds from her deeds. And I will kill her children with death, and all the assemblies will know that I am the one who searches kidneys and hearts, and I will give to each of you according to your deeds.
"'But I am telling you--the rest of those who are in Thuateira--as many as do not have this teaching, who don't know the depths of the Enemy (as they say), I am not throwing another burden on you. However, hold fast to what you have until I come.'
"And the victor, that is, the one who keeps my deeds until the end, I will give him authority over the nations, and "He will feed them with an iron rod, like those earthen vessels that it breaks together," as I also obtained from my Father. And I will give him the morning star."
The one who has an ear should hear what the spirit says to the assemblies.
The problem at Thuateira was merely a need to endure, and for them, their endurance would
produce refinement; it would make them better. So for them, Jesus has the penetrating eyes of
flame and feet of brass. He can see their deeds, and his penetrating eyes can search them out.
The people have been working hard, but they are now following "Jezabel". The original
Jezabel, King Ahab's wife, is being used here as a symbol of treachery. Here, she "teaches
and leads away my slaves." She is leading them to "sin sexually and eat idol-sacrifices"--the
two things always used symbolically of mingling God's truth with other things. It is possible,
then, that the Nikolaitans were at work in Thuateira as well. This Jezabel, whatever group she
may represent, is about to be judged, having been given enough time to leave "her" harmful
beliefs. Even those Thuateirans who claim to be well-meaning and yet who do the deeds of
Jezabel will suffer and die in the affliction that is coming soon.
As for the rest, they need to endure. While the penetrating eyes are directed at the
ones who follow the mingled teachings, the feet of brass offer security to the others. If
they endure--if they keep doing as Jesus taught--they will be given authority. If our analysis
of the Nikolaitans as position-seekers is accurate and if they were at work here, then this
promise essentially assures the faithful Thuateirans that real power cannot be had on earth.
In citing Psalm 2:8-9, he reminds them that all the nations' power is his, for Psalm 2:7 is the
messianic statement, "You are my son; today I have fathered you." Finally, the faithful
will receive the "morning star", symbolic of glory and power.
3:1 "And to the messenger of the assembly in Sardis, write:
"Now the one who has the seven spirits of God; that is, the seven stars, says these things:
"'I know your deeds, that you have a name, that you are alive and are dead. Become watchful, and strengthen the remaining things that were about to die. For I have not found your deeds to be full in the presence of my God.
"'Therefore, remember how you received and heard, and keep and change your minds. Therefore, if you are not watchful, I will have come like a thief, and by no means will you have known at what hour I will have come upon you. But you have a few names in Sardis that have not soiled their clothes, and they will walk with me in white ones, because they are worthy.'
"The victor will have white clothes cast around him, and by no means will I blot out his name from the scroll of life, and I will acknowledge his name in my Father's presence and in the presence of his messengers."
The one who has an ear should hear what the spirit says to the assemblies.
Like the Ephesians, the Sardisians were not growing spiritually. In this case, though,
no mention is made of their knowledge being sound, so the situation in Sardis appears to have
been more dire. Jesus appears to them as the one who has the power over the assemblies. If
these Christians do not watch out, they will be overwhelmed when the action starts and will fall
away from God. But there were at least a few people there in Sardis who were worth emulating.
Although it is not expressly stated, the implication is that the rest should follow the good
example of the ones who had not "soiled their robes." Those people's robes are still white --
pure.
Here, the victor will be seen as pure (white clothes) by God. As in all the letters,
the one who overcomes his city's troubles will pass on to the afterlife. In this case, we
hear that the victor's name will be written on "the scroll of life" and that Jesus will
personally acknowledge him to God, just as Jesus indicated while on earth (Lk 12:8-9). The
allusion to this statement of Jesus may be an indication that many of the Sardisians were
failing to stand up for Jesus or be called by his name.
7 "And to the messenger of the assembly in Philadelphia, write:
"Now the holy one, the true one, the one who has David's key, the one who opens (and
no one will shut) and who shuts (and no one opens), says these things:
"'I know your deeds. Look, I have given an open door in your presence, which no one
is able to shut, because you have a little power, and have kept my message, and did not deny
my name. Look, I am giving from those of the enemy's gathering who say themselves to be Jews
and are not. (On the contrary, they are lying). Look, I will make them so that they come and
bow down in the presence of your feet, and they will know that I loved you. Because you have
kept the message of my endurance, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is about to
come upon the whole Empire, to test those who dwell on the land. I am coming quickly. Hold
fast to what you have, so that no one may take your crown.'
"The victor, I will make him a pillar in my God's temple, and by no means will he go
outside. Yet I will also write my God's name on him, and the name of my God's city, the new
Jerusalem which is descending from the sky from my God, and my new name."
The one who has an ear should hear what the spirit says to the assemblies.
To Philadelphia, Jesus appears with a key to open doors, an image borrowed from Isa 22:22,
although there it referred to Eliakim. Eliakim is used as a type for the Anointed One, with
the imagery indicating that Jesus stands firmly, with the ability to "open and close doors."
The citizens of Philadelphia need to hear this, because they have been suffering and not
giving in. So, Jesus has opened a door for them. Eternal life is theirs, and no one can take
it from them. Their opposition, called the enemy's gathering (synagogue), these are the ones
who are following the false Jewish teachings--perhaps again the Nikolaitans. After the war,
these "false Jews" will have to acknowledge that the good Philadelphians were the ones who
truly followed God. Jesus has nothing but good things to say to the Christian assembly in
Philadelphia, urging them only to continue to hold on throughout the coming affliction.
The victor will become a pillar, constructing the new temple of the new Jerusalem.
This new "city" will be foretold more near the end of the book. To have God's name (and
Jesus') name written on them symbolizes that they are a "people for God's own
possession." They belong to God.
14 "And to the messenger of the assembly in Laodikeia, write:
"Now the A-mein, the trustworthy and true witness, the beginning of God's creation, says
these things:
"'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. Since it was bound for you to
be cold or hot, just as you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am about to vomit you
from my mouth, because you say that, "I am wealthy and full, and I have need of nothing.
And you don't know that you are the lamentable one, and the pitied one, and the poor one,
and the blind one, and the naked one. I counsel you to buy from me
Laodikeia was a city whose inhabitants were generally wealthy. In their wealth, the
people tended to forget God, feeling that he was no longer "necessary". They had failed
to look forward to the eventual outcome of life and were only regarding their pleasant (physical) state at the time. Jesus gives them a rude awakening! To them, he appears as the trustworthy and true witness; the A-mein. What he will say to them is absolute truth, truth that they cannot avoid. As the "beginning of creation," he asserts that he is the purpose behind everything God has done and will do. The Laodikeians MUST turn to Jesus.
The expressions "neither cold nor hot" and "lukewarm" are not referring to any lack of commitment one way or another, but they should be taken to mean, simply, unpalatable to God. What makes them "lukewarm" is explained readily: because they think they have everything and don't need God. When the wakeup call comes, they need to realize that they need him. Unlike the Smurnans, who have spiritual wealth, the Laodikeians are dirt poor, spiritually.
Laodikeia was known for its clothing dealers and its oils and ointments. So when Jesus calls them naked and blind, he then tells them they need to buy (clean) clothing and salve, for spiritually, these are the things they lack. They also need true spiritual wealth--gold refined by fire; at the time of the vision, the poor Laodikeians have these things only physically.
Such a stern slap in the face is followed by the reminder that Jesus would not chasten them if he didn't care so much about them. "Let me in, and I will let you in," he says. As another symbol of abundant wealth, he offers the victor a throne to sit on, with Jesus himself. Of course, this is intended to be taken spiritually like the items he has mentioned.
Now the letters of warning have been written. The visions of what is to happen "in a short time" are about to unfold. This unfolding takes place in two main parts, called here Book One and Book Two. Book One comprises essentially the things that are to happen to Israel. For the most part, these are told in heaven. Book Two, commencing at 11:19, will display the struggle on earth between the faithful Jews (Christians) and Rome; it takes place largely on earth.
4:1 After these things, I saw. And look, a door opened in the sky, and the first sound that I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, "Come up here, and I will show you what things are necessary to happen after these things."
Immediately, I became spiritual, and look, a throne was placed in heaven, and someone was sitting on the throne. The one who was seated was similar visually to a stone of diamond and a ruby. And a rainbow, similar visually to an emerald, was encircling the throne.
Also encircling the throne were twenty four thrones, and on the twenty four thrones were seated old people who were wrapped in white clothes, and on their heads were gold crowns. And lightning bolts, and sounds, and thunders went out from the throne. And seven lamps of fire were aflame in the presence of the throne. They are the seven spirits of God. And in front of the throne was something like a sea of glass, similar to crystal.
And in the middle of the throne, and around the throne, were four animals that were full of eyes in front and in the back. And the first animal was like a lion, and the second animal was like a young bull, and the third animal had a face like a person, and the fourth animal was like a flying eagle.
And the four animals, one by one, had six wings each. Encircling and within them, they are full of eyes. And they have no rest, day and night, saying, ""Holy, holy, holy is Yahweh, the Almighty God:" the one who was, and who is, and who is coming."
9 And when the animals give glory, and honor, and thanks to the one who is sitting on the throne--to the one who lives for ever and ever--the twenty four old people fall down in the presence of the one who is sitting on the throne, and they bow down to the one who lives for ever and ever, and they throw down their crowns in the presence of the throne, saying, "You are worthy, Lord and our God, to receive the glory, and the honor, and the power, because you created all things, and they were and were created through your wishes."
This is quite obviously a scene of worship, setting us up for the events that are to be
foretold. Johannes is swept away spiritually up into the sky, into the "third heaven," God's
abode. There, he sees God's throne and God upon it. Jews were always careful about describing
God in human terms, even on their coinage they did not depict him, and here the author describes God as radiant and gemlike--surrounded by a rainbow.
Around the throne of God were 24 other thrones. 1 Chr 24:1-9 details the twenty-four
classes of priests, and since these old people have priestly functions (see 4:10; 5:9; 11:16-7;
19:4) in worshipping God, it is reasonable to expect that the entire priesthood is being
symbolized by the twenty-four people whom Johannes envisions. They wear crowns, having been
enthroned and empowered by God.
The number twenty-four is significant, it being two times twelve. Later on, we will be
told about the new Jerusalem, with its twelve foundation stones and twelve gates. The
twenty-four elders may then doubly represent the twelve envoys and the twelve patriarchs
(tribes).
God's voice is like thunder and lightning. God's messengers, or spirits, make another
appearance in this vision. Here, they appear as the fire in seven lamps and may therefore be
representative of the seven assemblies of Asia. Symbolically, this is the throne room in God's
palace. The sea of what appeared to be crystal is reminiscent of the "sea of bronze" in
Solomon's palace (1 Kgs 7:23-26) that had been build by Hiram of Tyre. The Solomonic "sea"
held a large supply of water that was to be used for holy purposes (such as in the ritual of
spring water, Num 19). Here, the glass or crystal indicates a higher level of purity, not
humanly possible, for Hiram never could have constructed a huge water basin out of crystal!
Closer to the throne, Johannes saw four animals. This symbolic image appears much like
the imagery at the beginning of Ezekiel (1:5-28). The descriptions of Ezekiel's animals make
them symbolic of the combined abilities of wisdom, nobility, strength, and swiftness. In
Revelation, the four animals have different faces; in Ezekiel, they each have four faces.
But the faces are essentially the same, and therefore the symbolism is the same. In total,
they represent the positive attributes of human beings and of all the animals. Thus, all
creation never stops praising God. Their many eyes symbolize God's omniscience.
The passage says that every time the universe calls out in praise to God (which repeats continually), the priestly figures worship God in humility, tossing down their crowns and declaring Yahweh God as the worthy one, as the one with full and final authority.
5:1 And at the right side of the one who was sitting on the throne I saw a scroll that was written inside and on the back, fully sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong messenger heralding with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?" And no one in heaven, nor on earth, nor underground, was able to open the scroll or to look at it. And I cried a lot, because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look at it. And one of the old people said to me, "Don't cry. Look, that lion from the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has been victorious. He is opening the scroll and its seven seals."
6 And I saw in the midst of the throne and the four animals, and in the midst of the old people, that a lamb was standing, like it had been slaughtered. It had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God that were sent out into all the land. And he came and took it from the right hand of the one who was sitting on the throne.
And when he took the scroll, the four animals and the twenty four old people fell down in front of the lamb, each one having a harp and a golden bowl that was full of incense (which is the prayers of the holy ones). And they sang a new song, saying, "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slaughtered, and you redeemed for God with your blood, people from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation. And you made them royalty and a priesthood for our God, and they will reign on the land."
And I saw, and I heard many messengers' voices encircling the throne, and the animals, and the old people. And their number was tens of thousands upon tens of thousands, and thousands upon thousands. With a loud voice, they were saying, "The lamb that was slaughtered is worthy to receive the power, and wealth, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and praise!"
And every creature that is in the sky, and on the land, and underground, and on the sea, and the things that are in them--I heard all things saying, "To the one who is sitting on the throne and to the lamb be praise, and honor, and glory, and might, forever and ever. And the four animals said, "A-mein." And the old people fell and bowed down.
Now Johannes' attention--and the reader's--is brought to a scroll that lies (probably on a stand) next to God's throne. The scroll is filled with writings and is sealed with seven seals. What's in this scroll? We are supposed to wonder, just as the author himself wondered. We want it opened, just as everyone in the vision wanted to see the scroll opened. But who should be the one to open it? Who is fit to read it and to declare the future? A "strong" messenger announce that question boldly, and for a pregnant moment, there is no answer. No one anywhere is even fit to look at it! Now what is coming will never be known!
As Johannes cries about this, one of the priests comforts him. This makes sense, for it is the great high priest who is about to open the scroll. He declares that the Anointed One--the Lion, the Root, is about to open the seals and unroll the scroll. The images the old person conjures up, in describing the Messiah, are images of power. The Lion has been victorious; he has overcome!
And who does Johannes see? A slaughtered lamb: the Passover lamb. The sacrificial lamb and the lion who conquers even death are the same person! Naturally, the Anointed One here is Jesus. The lamb is a strange one, with seven horns--symbolizing universal power--and seven eyes--symbolizing universal knowledge.
As all creation prays (and the priests, properly, offer up the prayers as incense), and as they worship God, they praise the Messiah, for by his redemptive death, he alone is worthy to open the scroll. Jesus founded his community, which he redeemed, and he alone is fit to announce what God has planned for them--these things that would happen soon. The spiritual nature of the Messianic Kingdom is in focus here. Jesus redeemed Israel and restored the Kingdom, but not as the Jews were expecting it. He made God's children royalty, adopting them as brothers. He made them a priesthood, as God had always planned. Their "reign on the land" should be interpreted symbolically and not literally. Jesus has overcome (death and sin), and his people are victorious. It is over these things that they will reign. As we will later find out, death and the grave have no power over God's children. At last, here, Jesus gets his due. Everyone and everything acknowledges what he has done: the one who came here to teach...and to die. Wow! How prominent! How magnificent! And when the praise was duly diven, Jesus prepares to open the scroll, allowing the events foretold in them to unfold.
6:1 And I saw when the lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four animals saying (as with the sound of thunder), "Come." And I saw, and look, there was a white horse, and the one who was sitting on it had a bow. And a crown was given to him, and he went out victoriously and so that he might be victorious.
Keep the time frame in mind. Johannes received his vision shortly before the end of Nero's reign. Nero's forces had been responsible for negotiating a settlement between the Roman Empire and the Parthians. King Vologeses I of Parthia so respected Nero that after Nero's death, Vologeses is said to have specifically requested the Roman Senate to honor Nero's memory (Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars, ch. 6, sect. 57). The Parthian warriors were known for their skill with the bow, and it is the Parthians who ride on the white horse of victory in Johannes' vision. (By the way, in the second volume of Wars of the Jews, Josephus reports about the impossibility of defeating the Romans, since the Parthians would not be likely to break their alliance with Nero.)
3 And when he opened the second seal, I heard the second animal saying, "Come." And and another horse, a red one, came out, and to the one who was sitting on it, it was given to take peace from the land, and so that they would slaughter one another. And a great sword was given to him.
Just as the noble lion-like animal announced the vision of the Parthian invasion, the unstoppable bull-like animal announces the opening of the second seal. This time, the horse is red; it and its rider are symbolic of war, and all of the description indicates this.
5 And when he opened the third seal, I heard the third animal saying, "Come." And I saw, and look, there was a black horse, and the one who was sitting on it held a scale in his hand. And I heard something like a voice in the midst of the four animals, saying, "A chonix of wheat for a denarius, and three chonixes of barley for a denarius. And you may not do harm to the oil and the wine."
The human-like animal announces the third calamity. This time, it is a grain famine being forecast. Food will be rationed and sold at high prices.
7 And when he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth animal, saying, "Come." And I saw, and look, there was a pale horse, and the one who was sitting on top of it was named Death, and Hades was following with him. And authority was given to them over one fourth of the land to kill with a broad sword, and with famine, and with death, and by the wild animals of the land.
Finally, the swift animal announces the black death: Plague. The four together symbolize the usual terrors with which the unfaithful Israelites were threatened: wild animals (here, the Parthians, but see Lv 26:22); war (see Lv 26:25); famine (see Lv 26:25); and plague (see Lv 26:25). [Ezek 6:11 and 7:14f. also give the triple threat of war, famine, and plague; Ezek 33:27 gives the threat of war, wild animals, and plague.] This should not be interpreted as indicating that these things would all literally happen, just as they did not always literally happen in earlier times. The seriousness of the threat is the important thing to gather, here. People will die and die soon. Unlike many earlier prophecies, there is no "escape clause" here. These things WILL happen. The first four items are intended to be taken together, and indeed they are summarized together; they are not four things but one.
9 And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered on account of God's message and on account of the testimony that they held. And they called out with a loud voice, saying, "Holy and True Sovereign, until when are you not judging and vindicating our blood from those who dwell on the land.
And white robes were given to them, and it was declared to them that they would rest for still a time, until both their fellow slaves and their brothers were completed--those who were about to be killed, as they had been also.
When the Romans began to retaliate against the (First) Jewish Revolt, many innocents were slain. Here, those innocents are portrayed as waiting impatiently and calling out for justice. The language is unusual in English, but the question being asked of God is "When will you stop doing what you're doing--allowing the innocent to die?" God tells them in the vision that there will be an end to the bloodshed soon. Until that time, their fellow slaves (Christians) and brothers (Jews) would be dying. Thus, the first four seals represent the war for Israel from 66-73, and the fifth seal indicates that innocents would die. [Jesus himself spoke about this (see, for example, Mt 24-5) and gave advice as to what to do and expect. This "little apocalypse" will be dealt with after the book of Revelation is discussed.]
12 And I saw when he opened the sixth seal. And a great earthquake happened, and the sun became black like
sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the ground like a fig tree
casts its unseasonal figs when shaken by a great wind. And the sky was separated, like when a scroll is rolled up,
and every mountain and every island was moved from its place.
And the kings of the land, and the magistrates, and the commanders, and the wealthy, and the strong, and every
slave and free person hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains. "And they said to the mountains
and to the rocks, "Fall on us,"" and "Hide us" from the presence of the one who is sitting on the throne, and from the
lamb's anger! Because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"
In the prophetic writings (see, e.g., Joel 2-3, fulfilled in Acts 2), descriptions of natural disasters indicate that God is doing something illustrious and powerful. Often but not always, this indicates God's anger about something. This is certainly the case here. The Jews who rejected their Messiah are being judged. As the world would soon find out, the nation of Israel, the temple that represented their religion, and the city of Jerusalem itself were about to be ravaged. This was foretold as early as the days of John the Baptizer:
But when he noticed many of the Perushim and Zadokites coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood
of vipers! Who pointed out to you to flee from the coming anger? Therefore, make fruit worthy of the mental change,
and do not think to say among yourselves, 'We have Abraham as a father.' For I am telling you that God is able to
raise up children for Abraham from these stones! But the axe is already lying toward the roots of the trees.
Therefore, each tree that does not make nice fruit will be chopped down and cast into fire.
"I indeed am baptizing in water into mental change. But the one who is coming after me is
stronger than me, whose sandals I am not strong enough to carry. He will baptize you with holy breath and fire.
His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clean out his threshing floor. And he will gather the
wheat into the storehouse, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
Our passage in Revelation borrows from Hosea 10. A more complete citation reads, "Samaria's king will perish like a straw on the surface of the ocean. The idolatrous high places-- the sin of Israel--will be destroyed. Thorn and thistle will grow on their altars. Then they will say to the mountains, 'Cover us!' and to the hills, 'Fall on us!'" We can see that God is promising retribution for the sins of the nation.
Taking the first six seals together, we see that God threatened Israel with the usual terrifying plagues. Furthermore, the innocent are seen as crying out for vindication. In all of this, God is pouring out his anger on those Jews who rejected Anointed Jesus. A logical question might be, "Would anyone be safe?"
7:1 After this, I saw four messengers standing on the four corners of the land, holding fast the four winds
of the land, so that the wind would not blow on the land, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
And I saw another messenger, ascending from the sunrise, who had a seal of the living God. And with a loud
voice he called out to the four messengers to whom it had been given to do injustice to the land and the sea, saying,
"Do not do harm to the land, or to the sea, or to the trees, until we seal our God's slaves on their foreheads."
And I heard the number of those who were sealed: one hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed from every
tribe of the sons of Israel:
From the tribe of Judah, there twelve thousand who were sealed.
From the tribe of Reuben there were twelve thousand.
From the tribe of Gad there were twelve thousand.
From the tribe of Asher there were twelve thousand.
From the tribe of Naftali there were twelve thousand.
From the tribe of Manasseh there were twelve thousand.
From the tribe of Simeon there were twelve thousand.
From the tribe of Levi there were twelve thousand.
From the tribe of Issachar there were twelve thousand.
From the tribe of Zebulun there were twelve thousand.
From the tribe of Yosef there were twelve thousand.
From the tribe of Ben-Yamin, there were twelve thousand who were sealed.
After asking "Who is able to stand," we are immediately given a comforting answer. Four messengers are seen, with control over the wind (or breath, or spirit). This prepares the way for the fifth messenger to enter. Symbolically, the messenger with God's seal represents the fact that God would save certain people. Nothing can be done to the land until the position of God's people is secured. The number 144,000 is special. It is 12 x 12 x 1000, indicating not a specific number but the full number of living faithful Jews, i.e., Jews who had accepted Jesus as the Anointed One. Thus, all Jewish Christians will be saved. Gentile Christians are not mentioned here because the prophecy generally concerns the fate of the Jewish nation; the gentiles are not in focus.
9 After these things, I saw. And look, there was a great crowd, which no one is able to number, from all nations,
and tribes, and peoples, and tongues, standing in the presence of the throne and in the presence of the lamb. They were
wrapped in white robes, and there were palm branches in their hands. And they called out with a loud voice, saying,
"Salvation is our God's, who is sitting on the throne, and our lamb's!"
And all the messengers stood encircling the throne, and the old people, and the four animals, and they fell
on their faces in the presence of the throne, and they worshiped God, saying, "A-mein. The blessing, and the glory,
and the wisdom, and the thanks, and the honor, and the power, and the strength be to God for ever and ever. A-mein."
And one of the old people answered, saying to me, "These who have been wrapped in the white robes,
who are they? And where did they come from?" And I answered him, "My lord, you know." And he said to me,
"These are the ones who are coming out of the great affliction, and they have washed their robes and have whitened
them with the lamb's blood. On account of this, they are in the presence of God's throne and do religious service to
him day and night in his temple. And the one who is sitting on the throne will pitch his tent over them.
"They will not still hunger, nor will they still thirst, nor will the sun fall on them, nor any heat." Because the
lamb that is in the middle of the throne will feed them and will lead them to fountains of waters of life.
"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.""
First, we are shown a scene of all faithful Jewish Christians being sealed (i.e., saved). Now, we (along with Johannes) see the dead--the martyrs--those who die during the Revolt in service to Jesus. This massive crowd have already received their palm branches, symbols of victory. They stand in God's presence, wearing their white robes (since they have been spiritually purified). Even Johannes himself knew who these people represented, for when he was asked, he told the answer. These represent the people who died in "the great affliction"--i.e., the First Revolt (66-73). They worship God day and night. For the first time, we read of people having "every tear" wiped away. Here, the passage speaks of the dead; later on, a similar statement will be made for living people.
In this section, we also find the second interesting irony revolving around the lamb. Earlier, as the sixth seal was undone, Johannes revealed a vision of people wishing to escape "the lamb's anger." The Lamb is not a powerless lamb but a mighty one, even though he was slaughtered on an altar. Now we read about clothes being "whitened...with the lamb's blood." This imagery appears elsewhere in the NT and again forms a deliberate picture of irony: the robes of the dead have been made white by the crimson blood of the lamb. Naturally, this signifies the fact that these people are Christians.
8:1 And when he opened the seventh seal, silence happened in heaven for about one half hour. And I saw the seven messengers who stood in God's presence, and seven trumpets were given to them. And another messenger came and stood at the altar. He had a golden brazier, and a lot of incense was given to him, so that he would give it for the prayers of all the holy ones on that golden altar that is in front of the throne. And the smoke of the incense sticks went up for the prayers of the holy ones, out of the hand of the messenger, in God's presence. And the messenger took the brazier, and he filled it from the fire of the altar, and he threw it to the ground. And thunderings, and sounds, and lightnings, and earthquakes happened.
This section could be considered the beginning of Part Four, since the opening of the seventh seal
represents (by itself) further revelation of the things uncovered by the opening of the first six seals. The seals
appear in groups of 4 and 3, with the latter three seals being broken down as 2 + 1. Whether Johannes intended
to break 7 down into powers of 2, 4 + 2 + 1, cannot be determined, but the division is a fine one. The repitition to
come indicates that the time is growing nearer. The images to follow, representing essentially the same series of
events, will be more vivid and must have seemed to Johannes to be more urgent.
When Yahweh comes, there is often silence, as there is here. After a short but appropriate pause, the seven
messengers are seen in the author's vision to take up seven trumpets. An eighth messenger makes an appearance
in the vision. He serves in the priestly function of carrying coals to the altar of incense (which is mentioned in
Ex 30:1-10 and also here in Rv 8:3): the "golden altar" in front of God's throne. [The earthly ones were wooden
and were set up in front of the Ark of the Covenant, opposite the throne of mercy.]
On the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the high priest used the altar and censer in a way that is directly
related to what is depicted here in Revelation:
"Aaron must offer the bull which is to be a sacrifice for his own sin, then he must perform the rite of atonement for himself and for his family, and immolate the bull. Then he is to fill a censer with live coals from the altar that stands before Yahweh; and to take two handfuls of finely ground aromatic incense. He is to take these through the veil and then to put the incense on the fire before Yahweh, and with a cloud of incense he must cover the throne of mercy that is on the Testimony; if the does this, he shall not die. Then he must take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the eastern side of the throne of mercy; in front of the throne of mercy he must sprinkle this blood seven times with his finger."
What Johannes witnesses is quite similar to what happens (as punishment) in Ezek 9-10. A punishment on Israel, one which spares the innocent, is ushered in by the scattering of incense--in that case on the city of Jerusalem, and in this case on all the land (of Israel). The symbol that Johannes saw, then, represents an interrupted offering. Yahweh has rejected the deeds of those Jews who in turn rejected Jesus. Thus, symbolically, the incense is cast down on the whole land. The various sounds and lightning signify, as usual, a majestic act of God.
6 And those seven messengers who had the seven trumpets prepared them, so that they would blow them.
7 And the first one blew, and hail and fire happened, mixed with blood, and they were cast into the land. And one third of the land was burnt up, and one third of the trees were burnt up, and every green grass was burnt up.
8 And the second messenger blew, and something like a great fiery burning mountain was cast into the sea. And one third of the sea became blood, and one third of the creatures of the sea (those which have lives) died, and one third of the ships decayed.
10 And the third messenger blew, and a great star fell from the sky, burning like a lamp, and it fell on one third of the rivers and on the fountains of the waters. And the star's name was called Wormwood. And one third of the waters became wormwood, and many of the people died from the waters, because they were bitter.
12 And the fourth messenger blew, and one third of the sun, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars were plagued, so that one third of them would be darkened and day would not appear (one third of it), and night likewise. And I saw, and I heard one eagle flying in the middle of the sky, saying with a loud voice, "Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the land, from the remaining soundings of the trumpets of the three messengers who are about to blow!"
Once again, this series of four happenings illustrates God's anger. The details of the trumpet-blowing
do not signify any actual events on earth but are rather the usual apocalyptic language associated with the
coming of an angry Yahweh. Fire (symbolic of destruction in Jewish literature) and plague appear here as they
did earlier. The land, the sea, and the air are affected, indicating the universal nature of God's punishment for
Israel. This time, however, the punishments seem more violent, indicating that they are nearer. "Wormwood" is a
drug used in Jeremiah (9:15; 23:15) as a symbol of divine chastisement.
The announcement of the eagle (a symbol of swiftness--urgency) indicates that we are to pay special attention
to the symbolism of the final three trumpets; the use of the term "woes" to describe them indicates their particularly
harsh nature. Watch out!
9:1 And the fifth messenger blew. And I saw a star falling from the sky to the land. And to him was
given the key to the pit of the deep waters. And he opened the pit of the deep waters, and smoke went up from the
pit like the smoke of a great furnace. And the sun and the air were darkened by the pit's smoke. And locusts came out
of the smoke into the land. And authority was given to them, like the scorpions of the land have authority. And it was
declared to them that they might not do harm to the land's grass, nor to any green thing, nor to any tree, to nothing
except the people who did not have God's seal on their foreheads. And it was given to them that they not kill them,
but that the people would be tormented for five months. And their torment was like the torment of when a scorpion
stings a person. And during those days, the people will seek death and will not find it, and they will strongly desire
death, and death will flee from them.
And the likenesses of the locusts were like horses prepared for war, and on their heads was something like
crowns, similar to gold. And their faces were like human beings' faces. And they had hair like women's hair. And
their teeth were like a lion's. And they had breastplates like iron breastplates, and the sound of their wings was like
the sound of many chariots of horses rushing into a war. And they have tails similar to scorpions' tails, and
stingers, and in their tails was the authority to do harm to people for five months. They have a king over them, the
messenger of the deep, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek his name is Destroyer.
12 One woe has gone away. Look, two woes are still coming after these things!
Some reckon the "messenger of the deep," the one who opens up the pit, to be the Enemy (Satan), but it is
also possible, given the name, that the image is supposed to remind the hearer of the Passover (Ex 12). There,
various plagues go forth from God, with the final plague being the "plague of the firstborn". The Passover plague
was headed up by "the Destroyer" (Ex 12:23, e.g.), the agent of God himself. The fact that he is referred to as a star
falling from the sky may only indicate his origin: that he was sent from heaven.
The "deep waters" (aka the Deep, aka the Abyss) are the place where the unknown, often terrible, creatures
lurk. Something coming up out of the "deep waters" indicates that a hitherto unknown terror is arising.
The plague of locusts (see Ex 10:12-15) is suggestive of armies, just as the image is used in the first two
chapters of Joel. There too, the locust-armies "look like horses" (Joel 2:4). The teeth are also described in Joel.
Here as there (Joel 2:2), the coming of the locusts is preceded by their ominous cloud--the cloud of anticipation; in this
case, it is described as "the smoke of a great furnace." Historically, the retribution by the Roman Empire against the
Jews did hang over them like a cloud. According to Josephus, Nero sent Vespasian into Palestine in early 67 to stop
the revolt. But trouble at Rome and the suicide of Nero (June 9, 68) brought a temporary respite to the attack against
the Jewish people. After three short-lived Caesars, Vespasian found himself as Emperor (summer of 69) and resumed
the ruthless attack. The Palestinian Jews had a long time to wait, knowing that the Romans would soon continue the war.
As on the day of Passover, the plague of the Destroyer was only sent to harm those who were not following
God. We read in the "little apocalypse" (Mt 24:15-23) that Jesus had given his followers signs, so that they would
know when the foretold events were going to happen. He advised them to flee Jerusalem, not taking the time even
to gather their belongings. The only innocents who would die, then, would be those who had not listened to Jesus,
just as the only innocents who died at the first Passover were those Jews who had not followed God's instructions
and those Jews who realized during the war that Jesus was the Anointed One.
Here, the locusts symbolize the Parthian hordes. The Eufrates River (v.14) was at the eastern border of the
Roman Empire, from where the Parthians were likely to invade. The coming of foreign invaders into the holy land
is the first of woes. Their "sting" will last a relatively long period of time, here symbolized by "five months."
13 And the sixth messenger blew, and I heard a voice, one of the four horns of that golden altar which is in God's
presence, saying to the sixth messenger who had the trumpet, "Let loose those four messengers who have been bound
at the great river Eufrates". And those four messengers, the ones who had been prepared for the hour, and day, and
month, and year, were loosed, so that they would kill one third of the people. And the number of the armies of the
cavalry was twenty thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.
And I saw the horses in the vision that way, and those who were sitting on them. They had breastplates of fire
and hyacinth and sulphur, and the horses' heads were like the heads of lions; and fire, and smoke, and sulphur went
out from their mouths. One third of the people were killed by these three plagues: from the fire, and the smoke, and
the sulphur that went out from their mouths. For the authority of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their
tails are similar to serpents: they have heads and do harm with them.
And the rest of the people, those who were not killed in these plagues, did not even change their minds away
from the deeds of their hands, so that they would not worship the spirit beings, [and the idols], and the golden things,
and the silver things, and the bronze things, and the wooden things which are able neither to see, nor to hear, nor to
walk. And they did not change their minds away from their murders, nor from their alchemies, nor from their sexual
sins, nor from their thefts.
The cavalry is coming! But as was the case with the "locusts" (the army), the descriptions of the cavalry are
not to be taken literally. They will be an overwhelming force, but the number 200,000,000 is a symbolic one. Ten
thousand normally indicates a very large "whole amount." Twenty thousand times ten thousand, then, indicates a
double-strength overwhelming force. Just as the coming of the army was told in language reminiscent of the plagues
on Egypt (see Ex 10:12f., the plague of locusts), so is the coming of the cavalry. The plagues mentioned here are
fire (destruction), smoke (darkness, see Ex 10:21f.), and sulphur. If the army is signified by a more hazardous
version of the eighth plague on Egypt, then this is a more hazardous version of the ninth plague, that of darkness).
This darkness kills and causes suffering. The symbolism of the four messengers indicates that the attack would seem
to come from everywhere (the four directions).
After the ninth plague on the Egyptians, the Pharaoh's hard was hardened even more, and he refused to hear
Moses' words (Ex 10:27-9). Similarly, when the attacking hordes come, the nation of Israel will refuse to repent of
their wickedness, which as usual is portrayed as forms of idolatry. In reality, the people's sin was in rejecting Jesus
in favor of their religious system. The final plague against the Egyptian nation was the removal of Egypt's first born
children. The entire nation of Israel would be removcd by the stronger plague on Israel, which was about to be
foretold.
10:1 And I saw another strong messenger descending from the sky, wrapped in a cloud, and the rainbow
was on his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet were like pillars of fire. And he had in his hand a small
scroll, opened. And he placed his right foot on the sea and the left on the land, and he called out with a loud voice,
just like a lion roars. And when he called out, the seven thunders spoke their sounds.
And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write. And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, "Seal up
the things that the seven thunders spoke, and don't write them."
And the messenger, the one I had seen standing on the sea and on the land, lifted up his right hand into the
sky. And he took an oath by the one who lives for ever and ever, the one who created the sky (and the things that
are in it), and the land (and the things that are in it), and the sea (and the things that are in it), that "The time still
will not be. But during the days of the sound of the seventh messenger, when he is about to blow, God's secret will
also be completed, as he announced the good message to his slaves, the prophets."
Before the final trumpet sounds and the last woe is announced, there is an interlude filled with consolation
and comfort for the faithful. The first portion of this consolation concerns the utterances of God in theophany.
The theophany is described as mysterious (cloud), wearing a royal crown (rainbow), as glorious (sun), and having
the power to destroy (fire). The cloud and the pillars of fire are probably supposed to remind the faithful ones of
the manners in which God led his people through the desert after the Passover (Ex 13:21-2). Thus, all four symbols
are signs of safety for the people: the sun to light their days and the fire their nights; the rainbow was the sign of
safety that God sent to Noah (Gen 9:12-17). Thus, the Jewish Christians are being reminded of God's guidance out
of Egypt and of God's sign of protection to Noah--that not everyone is going to be destroyed.
When God speaks, it is as the voice of thunder (see, e.g., Jer 25:30-32). But Johannes cannot write them
down, for this would reveal the exact nature of the things that are about to happen, and the time for that has not yet
come. God, who has nothing greater to swear by, takes an oath by himself (see Heb 7:20f., for example, about the
high priest, Jesus) that just as the message about Jesus (the good message) was announced to the prophets, so also
this message that was being announced would be revealed and completed.
Note that when the theophany takes the oath, he stands so as to touch land, sea, and air: the three states of
matter and the three regions of the earth. God is master of all three.
8 And the voice from heaven that I heard was again speaking with me, and it was saying, "Go. Take the scroll
that is opened in the hand of that messenger who is standing on the sea and on the land." And I went away to the
messenger, saying to him, "Give me the small scroll." And he said to me, "Take and devour it, and it will make your
belly bitter, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey."
And I took the small scroll from the messenger's hand, and I devoured it, and in my mouth it was like honey,
sweet, and when I ate it, my belly was made bitter.
The news of the impending destruction of Jerusalem is bittersweet. God's enemies (both Jew and gentile) are about to be destroyed, and so the news is sweet. But God's faithful will suffer, and so the news is bitter.
11 And they said to me, "It is necessary for you to prophesy again to the peoples, and nations, and tongues,
and many kings." And a reed (similar to a rod) was given to me, as he said, "Get up and measure God's temple,
and the altar, and those who are worshiping in it. And cast out that court which is outside the temple, and don't
measure it, because was given to the gentiles, and they will set foot in the holy city for forty two months.
11:3 "And I will give my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for one thousand two hundred and sixty
days, wrapped in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees--those two lampstands that are standing in the presence
of the Lord of the Land. And if anyone wants to do them harm, fire will go out from their mouths and devour their
enemies. And if anyone wants to do them harm, it is necessary that they be killed this way.
"These people have the authority to shut the sky, so that it would not bring forth rain during the days of their
prophesying, and they have authority over the waters, to turn them into blood and to strike the land with every
plague, as often as they want.
"And when they have completed their testimony, the wild animal that ascends from the deep will make
war with them, and will be victorious over them, and with kill them. And their corpses will be on the street
of the great city (which is called, spiritually, 'Sodom' and 'Egypt'), where also the Lord was crucified. And those
from the peoples, and tribes, and tongues, and nations will see their corpses for three and a half days, and they will
not allow their corpses to be placed into a tomb. And those who dwell on the land will rejoice over them and will
be glad, and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the land."
And after the three and one half days, "the breath of life" from God "entered into them, and they stood up
on their feet," and great fear fell upon those who were watching them. And I heard a loud voice from the sky
telling them, "Come up here." And they ascended into the sky in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. And
during that hour, a great earthquake happened, and one tenth of the city fell, and the names of seven thousand people
were killed in the earthquake, and the rest became afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14 The second woe has gone away. Look, the third woe is coming quickly!
Johannes is to "prophesy again"--to tell the story one more time. This time, the content will be more
clear. It is not just about Jerusalem but about the whole Empire--nations, and tongues, and many kings.
The "temple and the altar"--God's faithful--are measured. That is, they will be preserved. But the "outer
court"--Priestly Judaism--will be destroyed as gentiles overrun Jerusalem. Forty-two months, or three and one-half
years, was the approximate time it took for the Romans to ravage the Jewish nation. But here, the time is probably
symbolic, borrowed from Daniel (ch. 7) to represent any period of persecution, in this case the persecution by Nero
and Vespasian.
Two witnesses will be testifying during this period. This image is borrowed from Zechariah (4:3-14). The
olive trees are standing next to a lampstand in Zech., apparently providing oil for it. Here, the olive trees ARE the
lampstands, too--the life of the assembly.
The images in Zechariah represent Joshua (who was important in the development of the early Jewish
community) and Zerubbabel (who was important in the days of the prophecy). The author uses this image, and the
images of Elijah (whose prayers held back and restored rain) and Moses (who called the plagues upon Egypt), to
represent Peter and Paulus. If Revelation was written before their deaths, then here it is predicting them.
For the first time, we encounter a "wild animal" that is said to have come up from the deep. We will eventually
see that this is the Roman Empire--its first mention in any of the visions. Although both Peter and Paulus were
both put to death in Rome (Paulus was beheaded and Peter was crucified upside down), the image indicates that
indirectly the Jewish leaders are to blame. Their bodies are said to lie in the streets of Jerusalem (where Jesus was
crucified). This is the first of two great cities to be mentioned, and it is nicknamed Sodom and Egypt.
Sodom as a nickname indicates that the Jews who rejected their Messiah did so out of a desire to keep the
system that the leaders had put into place. In doing so, they rejected God. Whenever this sort of thing happened in the
Old Testament, or whenever the people were unfaithful to God in general, he often referred to them as prostitutes.
The use of "Sodom," here is a more extreme version of the familiar label. The use of Egypt is supposed to signify a
land of slavery, and the Jews' maintenance of a legalistic system is often referred to this way by NT writers (particularly
Paulus). Both the Jewish leaders and the Romans were glad when Paulus and Peter were killed, just as the passage
indicates (or predicts).
However, the passage predicts that they would rise again and continue proclaiming Jesus. Like the "dry bones"
of Ezekiel 37 (from where the image is borrowed), the breath of life will enter them, and they will ascend into
heaven. Like many of the images, this is not to be taken literally. They rose from the grave, symbolically, because
their assassination did not stop the spread of the good message. People who had heard Peter and/or Paulus continued
to proclaim the message all the more boldly. This is recorded in the secular writings as a curious thing, almost as if
the people were considered insane. The description of their ascent to heaven parallels that of Elijah (2 Kgs 2:11).
The first two "woes" have past. The third woe, soon to come, involves the fall of the Empire of the Caesars.
15 And the seventh messenger blew, and a loud voice happened in the sky. It said, "The kingdom of our
Lord's universe has also become the kingdom of his Anointed One, and he will reign for ever and ever!"
And the twenty four old people who were sitting on their thrones in God's presence fell on their faces and
worshiped God, saying, "We thank you, Yahweh God, the Almighty One, who is and who was--because you have
taken your great power and have reigned. And the nations became angry, and your anger came. And the season
came for the dead to be judged and to give the reward to your slaves, the prophets, and to the holy ones, and to those
who fear your name--to the little ones and the great ones--and to make those people decay who are making the
land decay."
The aftermath of the destruction of the temple and the system that ran the temple is the rise of God's
people--the church. Thus, God's kingdom has become Jesus' kingdom. And Christianity will exist forever.
The twenty-four old people are the same ones as in the earlier vision. Now, though, when they praise
God, he is no longer "the one who is coming," because in the historical development of the narrative, he has already
come. Here, the old people fortell what is to be told in Book Two. This narrative is placed, chronologically,
after the judgment in chapter 20. The loud voice is announcing the state of affairs in chapters 21 and 22.
PART SIX
19 And God's temple, the one in heaven, was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen in his temple,
and lightnings, and sounds, and thunderings, and earthquakes, and great hail happened. And a great sign was seen
in the sky: a woman wrapped in the sun. And the moon was under her feet, and on her head was a crown of twelve
stars. And since she had a baby in her belly, she also called out, laboring and being tormented to bear a child.
12:3 And another sign was seen in the sky: and look, a great red dragon who had seven heads and ten
horns. And on his head were seven diadems. And his tail was dragging one third of the stars of the sky, and he cast
them into the land. And the dragon stood in the presence of the woman who was about to bear a child, so that when
she gave birth, he would devour her child. And she gave birth to a male son, who is about to shepherd all the nations
with an iron rod, and her child was snatched away to God and to his throne. And the woman fled into the desert, where
she has a place there prepared by God, so that they would nourish her there for one thousand two hundred sixty days.
God’s true temple is opened, making the mysteries of the previous visions (and those still to come) known. This is where the most careful discussion must begin.
At the start of the vision, we have no immediate clue as to the time frame, but one such clue emerges
shortly. A woman appears “in the sky.” This woman, like the other who will appear, is a city. This first woman
is Jerusalem in her most pure form, and by extension, the true Israel. These are the Jews who have been following
God. This is God's system as he intended it. The image may have been borrowed from Joseph's dream in Gen 37:9.
There, the dream foretold the fact that Joseph would someday have a position over the whole civilized world
(Gen 42:6). Here, the image most likely represents Israel as God's chosen people. She is crowned with twelve stars,
representing the twelve tribes of Israel. At the start of the explanation, she is about to give birth to a child, the Anointed
One (see also Isa 66:7). This dates the beginning of the explanation to shortly before the birth of Jesus.
A dragon appears in the sky. This dragon is the Enemy, as we are told in 12:9. Here, he is portrayed as
enormously powerful, with the head and horns indicating that he is the one who empowers the Roman Empire
(more later). The Enemy, we are told, tries to destroy Jerusalem and her child Jesus the Anointed One, but they are
kept safe. The "1260 days" are symbolic of Jesus' lifetime. Escape into the desert was traditional for Jews undergoing
persecution in the Old Testament.
7 And a war in the sky happened. Michael and his messengers made war with the dragon. And the dragon
and his messengers made war, and they were not strong enough, neither was their place still found in the sky.
And the great dragon was cast down; the serpent, the ancient one, the one called Accuser and Enemy, the one who
deceives the whole empire was cast into the land, and his messengers were cast down with him. And I heard a loud
voice in the sky saying, "Salvation has now happened, and the power, and our God's kingdom, and the authority of his
Anointed One, because the accuser of our brothers has been cast down--the one who accuses them in our God's
presence day and night!
"And they were victorious over him through the lamb's blood and through the message of their testimony.
And they did not love their lives, until death. On account of this, be glad: the heavens and the things that make their
tents in them!
"Woe to the land and the sea, because the Accuser has been cast down to you. He has great rage, knowing
that he has a short season."
And when the dragon saw that he had been cast into the land, he pursued the woman who had given birth to
the male child. And the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she might fly into the desert,
into her place, where she would be nourished there away from the serpent's presence for a season, and seasons,
and half a season.
And the serpent cast water like a river from his mouth after the woman, so that he might make her be carried
away in the river. And the land helped the woman, and it opened its mouth and drank up the water that the dragon had
cast from its mouth. And the dragon was angered at the woman, and he went away to make war with the remainder of
her seed who keep God's precepts and who have the testimony of Jesus.
This passage describes the conflict between good and evil, occurring during the lifetime of Jesus. Since the Anointed One was born (v.5) and kept safe (for the symbolic three and one half years), the Enemy was metaphorically cast down (v.9). How? By the crucifixion of Jesus (v.11, "the lamb's blood") and the message of those who adhered to Jesus’ teachings. This is the cause of great rejoicing, but the Enemy still believed himself capable of thwarting God's plan. In the vision, the dragon then pursues the woman and makes war with her offspring, the faithful Jews, and specifically against those who have accepted Jesus as Anointed One (v.17). The image of the flood represents the Roman Empire, unleashed by the Enemy to destroy the faithful. Nero's persecutions did not begin until around the time of the burning of Rome (64 CE), which most ancient sources blame Nero himself for having started. Nero blamed the fire on Christians (see, e.g., Suetonius) and began his persecutions. The image of a river flooding Judah is found in Isa 8:5-8 and is the picture from which Johannes borrows this image here, the difference being that the Enemy brings the "river" here in Revelation.
13:1 And I was placed on the sand of the sea, and I saw a wild animal ascending from the sea, which had
ten horns and seven heads. And on its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads were names that were evil speakings.
And the wild animal that I saw was similar to a leopard, and its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a
lion's mouth. And the dragon gave it its power and its throne and great authority.
And one of its heads was slaughtered to the point of death, and the plague of its death was cured.
And the whole land wondered after the wild animal, and they worshiped the dragon because he had given the
authority to the wild animal. And they worshiped the wild animal, saying, "Who is like the wild animal? And who
is able to make war with it?"
And a mouth was given to it that spoke great things and evil speech, and authority was given to it to do this
for forty two months. And it opened its mouth in evil speech toward God to speak evil of his name, and of his tent,
and of those who make their tents in heaven. [And it was given to it to make war with the holy ones and to be victorious
over them.] And authority was given to it over every tribe, and people, and tongue, and nation. And all those who
dwell on the land will worship it--those whose names have not been written in the scroll of life of the lamb that was
slaughtered from the laying down of creation.
If anyone has an ear, he should hear.
If anyone is for captivity, he will be led to it. If anyone kills with a sword, he will be killed with a sword.
Here is the endurance and the trust of the holy ones.
The next figure to emerge is the first wild animal, or “beast,” which makes its first appearance in 13:1.
In this writing, the term “monster” is an acceptable rendering of the term. This wild animal is the Roman Empire.
It has seven heads, which we are told are the Emperors, the Caesars (17:10). The ten crowned heads are the rulers
of the subsidiary kingdoms. Another interpretation will be provided there as well: the heads also represent the seven
hills of Rome (17:9), in case there is any doubt as to the animal’s identity. The leopard, the bear, and the lion are
probably taken from Dan 7:4-6, meaning that the Roman Empire is as powerful as all of the kingdoms mentioned in
Daniel (Babylonians, Medes, Persians, Greeks).
The animal is fierce and all-conquering, as the Empire was, and in the vision it was empowered by the Enemy.
One of its heads (Emperors) was wounded to death. This is Nero, who was alleged to be resuscitated as Vespasian.
The Empire was briefly in turmoil after Nero's death, until a new line of emperors arose. The historian Tacitus wrote:
"The history on which I am entering is that of a period rich in disasters, terrible with battles, torn by civil struggles, horrible even in peace. Four emperors failed by the sword; there were three civil wars, more foreign wars and often both at the same time...Moreover, Italy was distressed by disasters unknown before or returning after the lapse of ages.... In Rome there was more awful cruelty...."
The Empire first spoke against God and his people and then made full scale war against the Jews (v.7).
The speaking of "evil speech" may extend to the fact that emperor-worship was encouraged, then required, throughout
the Empire.
The people gave in to the lifestyle of Rome. In that sense, they worshiped the Empire and the "dragon". An
interesting play on words occurs here. Michael, in Hebrew, means, "Who is like God?" The Empire's worshipers
are said to ask, "Who is like the wild animal?" I.e., in their question, they make the Empire their god, and Michael has
just been mentioned (ch. 12) as defending God's people.
It is important to notice that the language involved when mentioning the persecution indicates that God did not
lose control. God allowed these things to happen for a season, and by his will they would also be put to an end. Even
the Empire's sovereignty is spoken of passively, for God is the true Sovereign. Then Johannes and his listeners are
comforted: God's true worshipers will not worship the wild animal (they are urged to endure); everyone else in
general, though, falls under the Empire's self-centered spell. The statement about captivity and the sword comes from
Jer 15:2, which was talking about the first destruction of Jerusalem. Jer 15:6 bears quoting:
"You have rejected me, says Yahweh. You keep going backward; so I have stretched out my hand against you and
destroyed you."
11 And I saw another wild animal ascending from the land. And he had two horns that were similar to a lamb's, and he spoke like a dragon. And he does all of the authority of the first wild animal in its presence. And he makes the land and those who dwell in it worship the first wild animal, whose plague of death was cured. And he does great signs, so that he would even make fire descend from the sky to the earth in the presence of people. And he deceives those who dwell on the land on account of the signs that it was given to him to do in the presence of the wild animal, as he tells those who dwell on the land to make an image for the wild animal (who had the plague of the sword and lived).
15 And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the wild animal, so that the image of the wild animal might also speak and act, so that as many people as would not worship the image of the wild animal would be killed. And he makes all people--the little ones and the great ones, and the wealthy and the poor, and the free and the slaves--that they would give themselves a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and that no one would be able to buy or sell except for the one who has the mark, the name of the wild animal, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. The one who has a mind should calculate the number of the wild animal, for it is the number of a person, and his number is six hundred sixty-six.
The second wild animal to emerge appears first to be like a sheep (lamb) but speaks like a dragon. We might
call him a "wolf in sheep's clothing". Caesar wields the authority of the Empire itself and uses it for evil purposes.
This wild animal comes from the land--i.e., he is a natural being (human, v.18). He is described in terms of the false
prophets, who claimed to be leading the people to truth but instead brought them destruction. Nero, having the power
of the Empire, could seemingly do anything. Suetonius records his flair for the mystic. Although he shunned religion,
even the state religion, Nero was highly superstitious and paid attention to omens. Those who did not embrace the
state and its ways (the mark of the beast) were persecuted or put to death. Here, this is portrayed as not being able to
act without taking the "mark."
This second wild animal is the Emperor: first Nero and then Vespasian, whose rule began in 69, the "year of
the four emperors." After Nero's suicide, Galba became Emperor, although certain among the military favored
Vespasian. Galba was murdered, followed by Otho, who was followed by Vitellius. When Vespasian took over,
he continued the Neronian persecution.
When "Nero Caesar" is added up in its traditional Hebrew form, 666 is the result. 13:18 indicates that the
wild animal is “a man” whose number adds to 666. In transliteration from Latin, Nero’s name added to 616. There
are variant manuscripts here which use 616 in place of 666, indicating that the identity of the wild animal was known
to early readers, as it was supposed to be. Nero's brutal nature was known to Tacitus, who said that he "put to death
so many innocent men." Pliny the Elder (d.79 CE) called him "the destroyer of the human race".
After Nero's death and an unstable year, Nero's brutal personality re-emerged in Vespasian. Suetonius'
Twelve Caesars indicates, "The empire, which for a long time had been unsettled and, as it were, drifting
through the usurpation and violent death of three emperors, was at last taken in hand given stability by the Flavian
family." The Flavian lineage would prove to be a set of persecutors of the church. Some believe that the persecutions
of Vespasian and Domitian were worse than that of Nero. This is difficult to pin down, though, since Tacitus'
Annals break off during Nero's term of office and Suetonius favored Vespasian (he writes against Domitian,
though).
14:1 And I saw, and look: the lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with him were one hundred forty-four
thousand who had his name and the name of his Father written on their foreheads. And I heard a sound from the sky,
like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. And the sound that I was hearing was like harpers
playing their harps. And they were singing something like a new song in the presence of the throne and in the presence
of the four animals and the old people. And no one was able to learn the song except for the one hundred and forty-four
thousand who had been bought from the land.
These are those who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are those who follow the lamb
wherever he goes. These were bought from the people as a firstfruit to God and to the lamb. And falsehood
"was not found in their name;" they are blameless.
6 And I saw another messenger flying in the middle of the sky, who had an eternal good message to announce to
those who were sitting on the land and to every nation, and tribe, and tongue, and people. In a loud voice, he was
saying, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. And worship the one who made
the sky, and the land, and the sea and fountains of the waters."
8 And another messenger, a second, followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen is the great Babylon! She gave all the
nations to drink of the wine of the rage, of her sexual sin."
9 And another messenger, a third, followed them, saying in a loud voice, "If anyone worships the wild animal
and his image and takes a mark on his forehead or on his right hand, he too will drink from the wine of God's rage,
which was mixed without control in the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented in fire and sulphur in the presence
of holy messengers and in the presence of the lamb. And the smoke of their torment will ascend forever and ever.
And those who worship the wild animal and his image (and if anyone takes the mark of his name) will have no rest
day and night." Here is the endurance of the holy ones, the ones who keep God's precepts and the trust of Jesus.
Finally the lamb, Jesus, emerges to lead those Jews who have accepted the Anointed One away from the
violence. These followers have not defiled themselves. When "women" are indicated here, one specific woman, the
prostitute of later chapters, is meant. These are the people who have not prostituted themselves. Thus, "they are
blameless." They are portrayed in the vision as being taken up bodily into heaven. Yet we will see in later chapters
that this is actually indicative only of their belonging to God and being protected by him. They will be part of a new,
spiritual, Jerusalem, to be constructed (on earth) on the ruins of the old, physical, one. The living faithful are portrayed
as being in communion with God and with the prophets. They sing a "new song," because after the war, the state of
affairs for God's people would be different (more later).
With the temple destroyed (70 CE) and Jerusalem and the nation in ruins (by 73), God's judgment is about to
turn on the Empire. This message is brought by a different messenger than the one who announced that the sentence
on Israel was over. In particular, in the vision, the judgment falls on Rome (14:8), and we receive a preparatory
vision, the explanation of which begins at 17:1.
The third messenger indicates judgment against all those who follow the Empire and all those who turn to the
Empire. God will pursue such people vigorously, but those who stay faithful will be safe if they endure.
13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write. From now on, blessed are the dead who have died in the
Lord--'Yes,' says the spirit--that they might rest from their labors. For their deeds follow with them."
14 And I saw, and look: a white cloud. And on the cloud was seated someone similar to a mortal, who
had a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. And another messenger went out from the temple,
calling out with a loud voice to the one who was sitting on the cloud: "Send your sickle, and harvest, because the
hour to harvest has come. Because the harvest of the land is dry."
And the one who was sitting on the cloud cast his sickle at the land, and the land was harvested.
17 And another messenger, who also had a sharp sickle, went out of that temple that is in heaven. And another
messenger went out from the altar, having authority over the fire. And he sounded with a loud voice to the one who
had the large sickle, saying, "Send your sharp sickle, and cut off the clusters of the vine of the land, because its grapes
are ripe."
And the messenger cast his sickle into the land, and the vine of the land was cut, and he cast it into the great
winepress of God's rage. And the winepress was stepped on outside of the city, and blood went out from the winepress,
up to the bridles of the horses one thousand six hundred stadia away.
With the war over, a blessing upon those who were faithful is spoken by Jesus, who has been telling Johannes to write. Then the author sees him on a cloud (representing judgment). He SEEMS human (as he did in chapter 1), meaning that the author perceives that he is greater. Jesus wears a crown, for he is the coronated Prince, the son of God. In this part of the vision, Jesus symbolically gathers the dead who have died both faithfully (vv.14-6) and unfaithfully (v.17f.). In the images received by Johannes, the dead are "harvested" at the end of the war. Jesus sends out two messengers to reap the harvest, one to reap the faithful, and one to reap the wicked. The judgment of the wicked will appear in chapter 20. Their end result is not pleasant: they are "cast...into the great winepress of God's rage." And the winepress (the seeds of unfaithfulness in general, Jew and gentile) is "stepped on", and there is blood for miles! The image is such a strong one because the wine of God's anger (up in v.10) is undiluted. This is the so-called "second coming" of Jesus. See the exegesis of Matthew 24-5 below.
15:1 And I saw another great and wonderful sign in the sky: seven messengers who had the last seven
plagues, because God's rage was being finished in them.
And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire. And the ones who were victorious over the wild
animal, and over his image, and over the number of his name, were standing on the glassy sea, holding God's
harps. And they were singing the song of Moses, God's slave, and the song of the lamb, saying, ""Great and wonderful
are your deeds, Yahweh God, the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, King of the Nations. Who will fear not at all,
Yahweh, and glorify your name?" Because you alone are godly, because "all the nations will come and
worship in your presence." Because your right deeds were made apparent."
And after these things, I saw. And the temple of the tent of the testimony in heaven was opened. And those
seven messengers who had the seven plagues went out from the temple, clothed in clean bright linen and wrapped
with golden belts around their chests. And one of the four animals gave the seven messengers seven golden bowls
filled with the rage of that God who lives forever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from God's glory
and from his power, and no one was able to enter into the temple until the seven plagues of the seven messengers
were completed.
The next scene prepares us for the "pouring of the bowls of anger" on the Roman Empire. The plagues, once
again, are given as seven in number.
This time, the sea of glass contains not water but fire, indicative of God's anger. The song sung by the attending
faithful (who died in the war) is called the song of Moses because of its origin: Exodus 15:1-18. It is also the song
of the lamb, because the words equally apply to those things that have been accomplished since the advent of Jesus
(Part Two of Revelation). God's punishment will be severe, but it is certainly justified, and the justification is
presented in advance, here as in 8:3-5.
The tent of the testimony contained the ark of the testimony (covenant) and is also referred to symbolically
as God's dwelling (Ex 40). Thus, the wrath comes from God himself, through the seven messengers. There may be
an allusion to 2 Macc 2:4-8 here. In symbol, God removed the tent and the ark until the time would come for him
to vindicate his people during the Messianic Age.
Just as no one was able to stop the earlier events (destruction of Jerusalem) from happening, no one will be
able to stop the elimination of the lineage of the Julian/Flavian emperors. As Suetonius indicates, "With Nero the
line of the Caesars became extinct" (Galba, 1). God fulfilled his promise there and would fulfill the rest of the
promise by cutting off the Flavian line as well.
16:1 And I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven messengers, "Go on and pour out into
the land the seven bowls of God's anger."
And the first one went out and poured out his bowl into the land. And a bad and evil ulcer happened to
those people who had the wild animal's mark and those who worshiped his image.
And the second one poured out his bowl into the sea, and blood like a dead person's happened. And every
living soul--the things that were in the sea--died.
And the third one poured out his bowl into the rivers and the fountains of the waters, and blood happened.
5 And I heard the messenger of the waters saying, "You are just: the one who is and who was, the
Pious One, you have judged these people. Because they poured out the blood of holy people and prophets, you also
gave them blood to drink. They are worthy of it."
And I heard the altar saying, "Yes, Yahweh God, the Almighty: your judgments are true and just."
8 And the fourth one poured out his bowl onto the sun, and it was given to him to scorch the people with
fire. And the people were scorched with a great scorching, and they spoke evil of the name of that God who has the
authority over these plagues, and they did not change their minds to give him glory.
The golden bowls resemble the bronze basins that the priests used in the ritual of sacrifice (Ex 27:3). Their pourings-out should be compared to the plagues on Egypt, just as the blowing of the trumpets was compared. The first four bowls are poured out on the land, the sea, the rivers (inland waters), and the sun (sky)--symbolizing the fact that the judgment was universal. The descriptive details are provided to give the listener/reader a sense of terror. The judgment comes against those who were unfaithful (v.2, see Ex 9:10f.). The second and third bowls correspond to the plague of blood upon the Nile River (Ex 7:17-21), when the fish died and the river turned to blood. In this case, the image is more calamitous. The messenger interjects with a statement vindicating God for his actions: the people deserve their fate. The evil ones who died deserved it, and the emperors who will be cut off are worthy of it as well. During God's retribution, the people are hard-hearted and refuse to "change their minds to give God glory."
And the fifth one poured out his bowl onto the wild animal's throne, and it happened that his kingdom was darkened. And they chewed their tongues from the pain, and from their pain and from their ulcers they spoke evil of the God of heaven, and they did not change their minds from their deeds.
The wild animal's throne is Rome (identified with the source of his power and, symbolically, with Egypt). Here, God sends (symbolically) the plague of darkness (Ex 10:21ff.). This darkness causes sharp pain, indicating that it is more powerful than the one against Egypt.
And the sixth one poured out his bowl onto the great river Eufrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way
of those kings who are from the East would be prepared.
And I saw: from the mouth of the dragon, and from the mouth of the wild animal, and from the mouth of the
false prophet came three unclean spirits, like frogs. For they are the spirits of spirit beings which go out, making
signs, to the kings of the whole empire, to gather them into the war of the great day of God the Almighty.
"Look, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who is watchful and keeps his clothes, so that he would
not walk around naked, and they would see his shame."
And he gathered them into the place called in Hebrew Har-Magedon.
The kings of the East were the Parthians. In this symbol, they might break their treaty with Rome and
invade. Thus, this image, like the others, was intended to cause fear and create a sense of defenselessness.
The images of the frog-like spirits was probably borrowed from the plague of frogs on Egypt (Ex 7:25ff.).
The frog was regarded by the Egyptians as disgusting. The false prophet (the Christian who accepts Roman ways)
calls disgusting (unclean) spirits to assist him. These are the spirits of war. Essentially, this image represents the
Empire's resistance to Christianity, coming from fallen Christians, from the Emperor (imperial laws and edicts),
and ultimately from the Enemy.
Jesus pauses to interject his reminder that these things are going to happen soon! "Keeping one's clothes"
is equivalent to "keeping the faith." The one who loses his faith is metaphorically not only naked, but his genitals
are visible to others, who are disgusted.
Har-Megedon is the mound of Megiddo. After Josiah was defeated at Megiddo (2 Kings 23:29ff.), Megiddo
came to be used symbolically of a place of disastrous defeat. This usage is found in Zech 12:11,
"When that day comes [the day of the destruction of nations], there will be a great mourning in Judah,
like the mourning of Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo." Therefore, disaster is being forecast for fallen
Christians, for the Empire, and for the Enemy. And disaster would strike the Empire as Vespasian died mysteriously
of diarrhea, his son Titus collapsed repentantly in a fever, and Vespasian's other son Domitian was murdered (in
96 CE, ending the lineage of the Flavians).
17 And the seventh one poured out his bowl on the air, and a loud voice went out from the temple, from the throne, saying, "It has happened."
18 And lightnings, and sounds, and thunderings happened, and great earthquakes happened. Such a thing has not happened since humanity happened on the earth, such an earthquake, so great. And the great city became in three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And the great Babylon was remembered in God's presence: to give it the cup of the wine of the rage of his anger. And every island fled, and not a mountain was