TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements iv How to Use this Commentary v Introduction 1 a) The Interpretation Of Revelation 1 b) Approaches To Interpreting Revelation 2 i) Millenarianism 2 ii) Praeterism 2 iii) Futurism 2 iv)”Present Millenarianism” 2 v) Augustine’s Interpretation of the Millennium 3 vi) Historical Interpretations 3 c) Criticisms of the Different Approaches 4 d) The Environment of Revelation : Place, Date and Author 5 i) The letters to the Seven Churches 7 ii) The Jerusalem Temple and Babylon 8 iii)The List of Emperors 8 e) The Literary Environment of Revelation : Apocalyptic, Prophecy & Letter 12 f) Symbolism in Revelation 17 g) The Structure of Revelation 20 Chapter 1: The Origins of the Visions (1:1-20) 23 a) Introduction (1:1-3) 23 b) The Letter to the Seven Churches (1:4-8) 24 c) The Vision of Christ (1:9-20) 28 i) The Coming of The Vision (1:9-11) 29 ii) The Vision of the Son of Man (1:12-20) 30 i Chapter 2: The First Earthly Vision: The Oracles to The Seven Churches (2:1-3:22) 34 a) The Oracles to the Seven Churches 34 Chapter 3: Opening the Scroll (4:1- 11:19) 51 a) The Ascent to Heaven (4:1-2) & The Throne Scene (4:3-11) 51 b) The Lamb & the Scroll (5:1-14) 59 c) The Seven Seals (6:1-8:1) 66 e) The Seven Trumpets (8:2-11:19) 79 Chapter 4: Reading the Scroll 1: The Woman & The Dragon (12:1-14:20) 100 a) The Woman & the Dragon (12:1-17) 100 b) The False God: The Dragon & the Beasts 108 e) The Lamb & the Harvest (14:1-20) 117 Chapter 5: Reading the Scroll 2: The Seven Plagues (15:1-16:21) 126 a) Introduction (15:1) 126 b) The Sea Of Glass (15:2-4) 126 c) The Tent of Witness (15:5-8) 128 d) The Seven Bowls (16:1-21) 129 Chapter 6: After the Reading 1: The Great Prostitute (17:1-18) 140 a) The Prostitute (17:1-6) 140 b) The Angel's Commentary (17:7-8) 143 c) The Prostitute's Mount (17:9-18) 144 Chapter 7: After the Reading 2: The Hymns of Babylon's Destruction (18:1-19:8) 150 a) The Judgment of Babylon (18:1-3) 150 b) Prophecies of the Fall Of Babylon (18:4-20) 151 c) The Second Judgment of Babylon (18:21-4) 158 ii d) Praise In Heaven (19:1-8) 160 Chapter 8 : After the Reading 3: The Beginning of the End (19:9-20:11) 163 a) A Warning about True Worship (19:9-10) 163 b) The Rider on the White Horse (19:11-16) 166 c) The Defeat of the Beast (19:17-21) 169 d) The Millennium (20:1-6) 171 e) The End of Satan (20:7-10) 179 f) The Judgment of the Dead (20:11-15) 181 Chapter 9: After the Reading 4: The New Heaven & the New Earth (21:1-22:21) 185 a) New Heaven & New Earth (21:1-8) 185 b) Jerusalem: The Bride (21:9-27) 189 c) The River Of Life (22:1-5) 196 d) The Truth of the Vision (22:6-7) 199 Chapter 10: The Epilogue 200 a) John's Testimony (22:8-9) 201 b) The Angel's Testimony (22:10-11) 201 c) Christ's Testimony (22:12-13) 202 d) Blessing (22:14-15) 203 e) Jesus' Testimony (22:16) 204 f) The Spirit & the Bride (22:17) 204 g) Warning (22:18-19) 205 h) Final Testimony (22:20a) 205 i) Final Prayer (22:20b) 205 j) Benediction (22:21) 206 Study Questions 207 Selected Bibliography & Suggestions for Further Reading 211 iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This book was designed as an entry level commentary, and the language is pitched, as best possible, to those who are reading in English as a second language for diploma or bachelors degrees: I have tried to minimise jargon and unnecessarily complex vocabulary, but do assume some theological knowledge. It originated from a request from the Association of Theological Institutions of East Africa (ATIEA) to provide a Kiswahili commentary of the book of Revelation. In that form it was published by Central Tanganyika Press in 2000: the translation was done by Canon Lawrence Mnubi. I record my thanks to him, and Peter Mang’ati, the Director of Central Tanganyika Press, for assenting to the release of the English text version. There are a few changes: the structure has been simplified and turned into the Table of Contents, I have tidied up the orthography, and added a reference to my 2004 article on Rev 17. Otherwise, I have tried to keep parallels with the printed Kiswahili version. The Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge generously provided grants for materials at the time of writing, and I must acknowledge the support they thus gave me. Credit too is due to the staff and students at St Mark’s College in Dar es Salaam who gave me the context for writing in lectures, tutorials and seminars as we tackled this most difficult of Scriptural texts together. The late Professor John O’Neill also guided my first forays in Revelation as an undergraduate: I found myself returning frequently to his strategy for exegetes as I wrote. Finally, but not least, my thanks to Irene and the boys who remind me that there is so much more to theology than the writing of books. Fergus J. King Newcastle, NSW March 2009 iv HOW TO USE THIS COMMENTARY This book is divided into two parts: an introduction and a commentary on the text of Revelation. The introduction provides background information about the book: when it was written, who wrote it, and how to read it. Rev is a book that is difficult for us to read because it uses symbols. Every culture has its own language of symbols, and their meaning may not be clear to readers from another time or place. Thus, the introduction gives an explanation of the symbols that are used in Rev and advice on how we should interpret them. In the commentary section, the text is analysed passage by passage. First the text has been broken into large units which make up each chapter. These chapters are then broken into sections. Each section contains two parts: 1) An Outline - which gives a description of the section and discusses major points that arise from it. 2) Notes - which give a more detailed examination of difficult phrases and words. The reader is recommended to read the text of each section and then its Outline. Reference should be made to the Notes as needed by the reader. The reader who wishes a quick overview of the book is recommended to work through the Outlines, and then to return to the Notes. There is much cross-reference to passages within Rev within the text. These numbers often appear without the name of the book being repeated. Thus, a reference like "13:1" would be to Rev 13:1. References to other works, scriptural or non-scriptural are prefixed by the title of the work, or an accepted abbreviation, written in italics. Where appropriate the name of the writer is also given in normal type: thus Juvenal, Satires , 6.118 Cross-references within the commentary are intended to reduce repetition. Readers are invited to refer to relevant points in either the Outline or Notes for other sections or verses. These are written "See Outline: The Seven Seals 6:1-8:1" or " See Note 1:18" respectively. Sometimes a page number may be given: thus "See, Introduction, p.25" or similar. Some supplementary questions about each section are offered at the end of the book to help private or group study. v This work is offered as a critical study of the text. It does not profess to offer a full interpretation of Rev . Exegesis like this is only the first part of interpretation. It is the attempt to discover the meaning of the text. When this is done the exegete moves on to another passage. The interpreter's work is, at this point, only half done. The interpreter needs to present that material to a fresh audience. The Ghanaian theologian, E.A. Obeng , has written of Rev that: In Africa today, there are still marks of the 'beast'- pain and suffering arising from ethnic conflicts and civil wars, corruption in high places which results in unnecessary deaths on our roads, political assassinations, high increase in crime on our streets, extreme poverty and hunger which dehumanises many Africans. These are our experiences which must be reflected in our interpretation of the book of Revelation. Critical study of the Bible then places the biblical message in a correct perspective from which point then our needs as Africans can better be addressed. Our needs must be paramount. (Obeng 1997,19) This critical study is offered to brothers and sisters in Christ as a tool to help them in this work. May it be a launching pad for the application of the seer’s visions to Christians in new times and places. vi INTRODUCTION a) The Interpretation Of Revelation Revelation is one of the most difficult NT texts to interpret: evidence of this is found throughout the centuries. The variety of interpretations has led to the book having a chequered history in the life of the Church. In the early and patristic periods, not all Christians accepted it as part of the canon.