The Enigma of John's Revelation Explained

Thoughts from Dr. Colin Harris - A friend and mentor from Atlanta... JG 

Revelation is an example of what we call apocalyptic literature.  The word itself means to “reveal” or “disclose” much in the way that a shroud is removed from a statue at its dedication, enabling those gathered to see the finer features of the sculpture, where only the bare outline of its shape was seen before.  It is often presented as a vision or dream, usually with a high level of symbolism, numerology, and metaphorical images, designed to connect the reader/listener with deeper ideas and concepts.  There is also a hidden level to the communication, as well, since the uninitiated would not “get it” when the symbols are described.  It would simply sound weird. 

We also noted last week that the book calls itself a “prophecy,” which is significant for how we read it.  The word “prophecy” usually creates a sense of prediction of something that will happen in the future; and because of this is it important to note that biblical prophecy is quite different from fortune telling.  In both the Old Testament and here and other places, prophecy is not so much a word about what God is going to do as it is a word about what God is always doing.  The future focus of a prophetic word points to the consequences of God’s work already evident in history.  It is profound theological insight rather than magical prediction.

An important principle for studying biblical literature is every kind of literature deserves to be read in terms of what it is.  That means we read a gospel as a gospel, not as a biography; we read a letter as a letter, not as a universal rule for all times and places; we read a symbolic, metaphorical message as a pointer beyond itself to a deeper meaning, not as a literal description of something that will happen just as described.  This is especially important for apocalyptic literature and for the Book of Revelation.

The coded language of chapter 5 of the book lends itself well to an examination of this principle.  Chapters 4 and 5 together present the heart of the gospel message in a way that would be clear to the “insiders” and obscure to “outsiders” such as Roman guards and others who might be seeking out the Christians for persecution.

The book is thought to have been written during the last years of the first century, when the church was suffering severe persecution under the Emperor Domitian, whom many thought to be a reincarnation of the hated emperor of a previous generation – Nero.  Open communication of Christian beliefs would be risky, so symbolic communication of basic features of the gospel message proved to be quite useful.

Let’s look briefly at some of the symbols employed in our lesson text.  If you could read the 14 verses of chapter 5 first just get a sense of the imagery, our analysis of the images will probably make more sense.

Chapter 4 has established pretty clearly that the “one seated on the throne” is God, and he has in his right hand a scroll written on the front and the back, sealed with 7 seals.  A “mighty angel” asks with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”  ( Who is able to reveal to the world what God’s agenda is?) No one is found who can do that, and the writer is grieved that no one can.

Then one of the “elders” (note the 24 elders who sit on thrones around the high throne:         2 x 12 = 24 ---- 12 patriarchs/tribes of Israel + 12 apostles) speaks: “Weep not, the Lion of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered and can open the scroll.”

Who is the Lion of Judah, the Root of David?  We’re beginning to pick up clues, but the “disclosure” continues: Between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders (note the imagery of the location) the writer saw a “Lamb standing as if it had been slain” and this lamb is able to open the scroll and break its seals one at a time.

For those of us who know the imagery, the message is clear: If you want to know what God’s agenda for the world is, that agenda is being made clear by the “lamb that was slain, but yet lives.”  And, there is little doubt as to whom it is talking about.  But note that the word “Christ” has not been mentioned, nor has the idea of his sacrificial openness to God as the key to understanding spiritual truth been said explicitly.  Anyone listening in from the outside would hear about elders sitting on thrones, but wouldn’t hear the connection with the covenant faith of Israel and the first generation of Christian apostles; he would hear about weird multi faced creatures, but wouldn’t know that this was a reading from the book of Ezekiel; he would hear about a wounded lamb that can open a scroll, but wouldn’t have a clue that the suffering servant from the book of Isaiah or the risen Christ was being described.

What we have here is the Christian community gathering for worship in a hostile environment, singing hymns of praise and telling the gospel story, all in coded language of symbols and metaphors, perfectly consistent with the rest of the New Testament message.  In keeping with its nature as aprophecy, it is not so much a word about what God is going to do, but more a word about what God is already doing.

The surest way to miss that message is to literalize the symbols; and unfortunately that is what many people do, encouraged by folks who get rich writing books that tell  them that is the way to read it. 

As we have seen in many other areas of biblical study, it is easy to get sidetracked by questions like “Did this really happen?”  Or “Is this really going to happen?”  And miss the more important question: “What truth is this text calling us to see?” 

Dr. Colin Harris

2013 -Atlanta