cycle of days that completes a week and THE BOOK OF REVELATION then starts again. The book is divided into This last book of the Bible was penned by groups of sevens – seven lampstands and the Apostle John, probably towards the end seven letters, seven wax seals on a scroll, of the First Century. He writes in a time of seven trumpets that blow in turn, and seven persecution, when he has been sent into altar bowls poured out on the earth. There exile by the Roman authorities, marooned in is another twist – seven in seven. This the island of Patmos “on account of the concept comes from the conquest of Jericho word of God and the testimony about Jesus” by Joshua. The soldiers of Israel marched (Revelation 1:9). Patmos is a tiny island off round the city of Jericho once a day for six the coast of Turkey, about 13 square miles days. But on the seventh day they marched (34 square kilometres) in area. round seven times, and on the 49th circuit, The Revelation is the record of a series of the walls collapsed and the city fell. So in inspired visions in which John sees and the Revelation there are six seals, but when hears his Master Jesus talking to him, the seventh is cut through it is found to passing on a message for the Christian enclose the seven trumpets, and when the brothers and sisters. The opening verse is seventh trumpet begins to blow it conceals important - “The revelation of Jesus Christ, the seven bowls. Only when we reach the which God gave him to show to his servants seventh bowl does the Kingdom of God the things that must soon take place.” The finally arrive in all its glory. vision was to show John things that must Diagram of the layout of the Book take place. So it was a prophecy, like the of Revelation prophecies of Isaiah or Jeremiah. It Here is a schematic diagram which predicted the course of events far into the illustrates the way the book of Revelation is future, so that God’s servants would be laid out in sets of sevens: prepared and strengthened in times of persecution, knowing that world events are in God’s hands, and moving steadily 1 2 3 4 towards the goal of his Kingdom. 4 5 AD 96 6 7 7 Letters To appreciate the book of Revelation we AD312 need to have read the rest of the Bible first, 1 2 3 EARTHQUAKE! because it is shot through with links and 4 5 6 AD96 6 7 AD312 allusions to the earlier writings. Practically 7 Seals every phrase and theme has been plucked from the Old Testament (in some cases the 1 EARTHQUAKE! 2 3 New Testament), and applied to a new but AD312 3 4 5 6 7 AD1789 similar situation. We will find strong links 7 Trumpets to the visions of the prophet Daniel, who 1 saw four amazing beasts with attributes that 2 2 3 4 EARTHQUAKE! foretold the course of history from his day 4 5 AD1789 6 6 7 up to the First Century. John’s visions take 7 Altar bowls over where Daniel’s left off, and we shall meet Daniel’s beasts in a new guise, used In the opening chapter John sees his master, this time to predict the events of European the Lord Jesus, in heavenly glory. Jesus is history through many centuries. walking amongst seven golden lampstands, A key idea in the Revelation is the number which John is told represent seven Christian seven. Seven is the perfect number, the congregations in the province of Asia. Each in turn is given a written report, dictated to He cuts the first string, and as the scroll flies John, outlining their successes and their open a white horse gallops across the stage weak points, just like the traditional end-of- with a warrior on his back. The next seal term report at school. Each letter ends with a introduces a red horse ridden by a man with beautiful promise, held out to “him who a dagger. The third horse is black. His conquers”. It is a surprise to find seven jockey carries scales for weighing out daily churches in the same area with such a food rations. The fourth is the colour of a variation in their spiritual health, from corpse, and the skeleton on his back is Ephesus, patiently enduring and bearing up accompanied by a symbolic grave, for Jesus’ sake, to Laodicea, smug and shovelling up the dead over a quarter of the complacent but in Jesus’ view close to death earth. (see Revelation 1:11 to 3:22). The four coloured horses are taken from the At this point John is invited to come up into Old Testament prophet Zechariah. It is not heaven so that he can watch history unfold difficult to line up the four seals with the before his eyes. Unlike the Seven Letters, history of the Roman Empire after John was which were sent to his contemporaries, the dead – an initial period of prosperity and rest of Revelation relates to events after peace, followed by civil war, then famine John’s lifetime. To understand the setting and pestilence, especially in the Italian from this point onwards, we need to imagine division of the Empire, which was divided a drama, a historical pageant acted out as a into four quarters at this time. The time series of scenes on the stage of a theatre. period covers AD 100 to AD 270. The next John the observer is invited up into the royal Seal introduces an altar splashed with blood, box for the performance. Looking down, he and the blood is said to represent the lives of sees the earth and the sea below him. As Christian believers. Many of them were each act is announced, the characters come indeed martyred for their faith by the pagan and go, accompanied by appropriate sound (idol worshipping) Emperor Diocletian effects. As an added refinement, the ‘royal around 300AD. The Sixth Seal opens with box’ is defined in chapter four as the dramatic sound-effects – an earthquake, and Temple from the Old Testament, complete the removal of the sun, moon and stars – a with an Ark (the ‘throne’ on which God’s traditional Bible symbol for a change of angel once sat as his representative), an rulership. This links with the revolutionary incense altar, an altar for sacrifices, a great change that took place when Constantine reservoir or ‘sea’ for water, a lampstand, battled successfully for control of the and four cherubims or ‘living creatures’. He Empire. Pagan Rome became Christian also sees in the foreground 24 elders who Rome, as he removed, once and for all, the serve the Lord, as did the 24 orders of persecution of those who refused to worship Levites in the Temple of Solomon. the ancient gods. Constantine came to the In the opening scene, John sees the Lord throne in AD 312. God, seated on the throne, holding a scroll During the quiet time that followed, John in his hand. It is made up of seven sections, sees in chapter seven 144,000 people, each separately sealed with a string and a marked in the forehead by an angelic wax pendant. Nobody could read the scroll messenger, like those faithful men Ezekiel until the strings were cut. John sees a saw set aside for God before the fall of wounded Lamb approach the throne. It is Jerusalem in his vision (Ezekiel 9:4). They Jesus, the Lamb of God, and he is given the come from the 12 tribes of Israel, but Dan is right to open the scroll. omitted from the list, for these are not literally Jews, but a harvest of believers, reaped under the new and favourable regime, in the lull before the destruction of May 1453 they take Constantinople, and the the Empire by the barbarian tribes. They Roman Empire comes to an end. form part of a huge multitude, from all The sixth trumpet continues to reverberate nations under heaven, that John now hears for some time. The tenth chapter has a praising God, in a comforting vision of the vision that was kept sealed up, but in the Kingdom of God. But before that reward eleventh chapter John sees two Witnesses can be given, there are others who must be speak out against the evils of their time. called out to join them, and so Seal number These men are linked with Moses and seven introduces the seven trumpets – the Elijah, the two great prophets from the Old next phase of “those things that must soon Testament. By this time the Christian church take place”. itself had become corrupt, and those who During the sealing period, a storm of winds protested risked their lives. They continued had been held back from devastating the to preach for 1260 days (in Bible earth down below the Apostle. These chronology a day stands for a year) but were represented the barbarian invasions that eventually extinguished. The darkness that were going to sweep the Empire and snuff fell upon Europe after the historic Massacre out the political power of Rome in the West. of St Bartholomew in AD 1572 was only Now, as the First Trumpet sounds, hail and relieved by another great earthquake, in fire (taken from Moses’ plagues upon which once more John sees a drastic change Egypt) smite one-third of the earth as the of rulership. This lines up with the French Goths sweep into Italy. With the Second Revolution in AD 1759, which restored Trumpet, a burning mountain falls into the freedom of speech, and overthrew the Sea – the navy of the Vandals sinks the stifling control of the Church and kings over Romans from the Mediterranean. The Third men’s lives, first in France and then Trumpet sees a meteor strike the region of spreading to the rest of the world. rivers and streams, as Attila and the Huns We eventually come to the Seventh crash into the Alpine region. The Fourth Trumpet, (Revelation 11:15), and as it deletes the sun, moon and stars, which begins to blow, the Kingdom of God is corresponds to Odoacer king of the Goths announced. But the end has not yet quite removing the last Emperor in the city of come, for there is more history to come to Rome, and crowning himself as king. The pass before the last saint (believer set aside Empire had three divisions in this period, for God) has been called out from the and the Western third had now ceased to nations of the earth. In fact, at this point the exist. narrative of the drama goes back in time, The Eastern side of the Empire, ruled from like a novel, to look at what has been Constantinople, was not to escape the happening on the religious front while all judgement of God. The Fifth Trumpet these political changes have come and gone. blared, and a swarm of locusts emerged like In chapter twelve, we catch up with events smoke from a pit (this motif links with inside the church. And the picture is not Abraham’s cliff-edge view of the encouraging. As chapter 12 opens John sees destruction of Sodom) and covered the face a pregnant woman in heaven. She gives of the earth. The star that led them was birth to a son, who fights, and throws out of Mahomet, and his followers were to heaven, a large red dragon that was dragging subjugate the Mediterranean basin for three one third of the stars behind his tail. This hundred years. Trumpet Six sees a huge strange imagery is based on the first force of cavalry race across the earth, as the prophecy in the Bible – the promise to Turks in turn subdue the eastern empire. In Adam and Eve that a descendant of the woman would destroy the Serpent that had brought sin into the world (Genesis 3:15). to those which Daniel saw, but also with That promise we saw fulfilled in the Lord seven heads. This time one of the heads had Jesus – son of the virgin Mary, hence seed been given a mortal wound, but it revived of the Woman, and defeating the power of and came back to life. This beast Sin in his death and resurrection. But that “was allowed to make war on the saints and was three hundred years ago. The to conquer them. And authority was given it Revelation uses this Old Testament over every tribe and people and language language to describe the fourth century and nation, and all who dwell on earth will battle between Constantine and the pagan worship it, everyone whose name has not emperor (Licinius) who ruled over the been written before the foundation of the eastern third of the Empire and opposed world in the book of life of the Lamb who him. With the overthrow of paganism, the was slain ..... If anyone is to be taken Christians could rejoice that they could captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to worship in peace. For them, it was a be slain with the sword, with the sword must foreshadowing of the peace of the Kingdom. he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance But shadows lay ahead. The woman and faith of the saints” (Revelation 13:7- represented the Church. She was no longer a 10). virgin, pure and separate from the world, As this beast lumbers off the stage another awaiting the return of the Lord to whom she beast appears. This one has two horns, and was betrothed (see 2 Corinthians 11:2). She makes an image of the previous beast (like was pregnant. She had been unfaithful to Nebuchadnezzar) and forces people to him. She was in a position of power as a worship it. It has the number 666. partner of emperors and princes. That is why in the vision she is seen sitting in heaven, What is all this about? The seven heads are the ruling place, and crowned with the sun identified for us in chapter 17, when we and stars. The true gospel of the First come to consider the last phase of the beast - Century church had, as the apostles foresaw, a red beast ridden by a harlot. The red beast become corrupt and defiled. New doctrines, still has the seven heads, and they are linked such as the immortality of the soul, and the in verses 9 and 18 with a city of seven hills, concept that Jesus was God, had crept in ruling over the earth. This city is clearly from Greek philosophy. A hierarchy of Rome. But John dare not attack Rome by priests, bishops and archbishops had name in his writings, because it was Rome replaced the simplicity of the early church. that had sent him into exile and was Christians who once refused to fight in the persecuting the readers of his letter. So he Roman army, were now absorbed into the uses this simple code that the Christians ranks. would recognise. It was Rome that killed God’s saints when the pagan emperors There were some, though, who protested reigned. And when they were gone, another against the apostasy. A tiny minority, they Rome, a Roman Catholic Rome, rose from nevertheless championed the Truth revealed the ashes of the imperial city to become a through the apostles. And they suffered in new head of religion, opposing to the death consequence. There is no intolerance like those who protested against her. religious intolerance. As the centuries crept by, they faced exclusion, imprisonment and The next two chapters, 14 and 15, comfort death. the saints with a picture of the Day of Judgment, when their innocent blood would In chapter 12 the ousted pagan dragon had be avenged. But as we near the end of the seven heads. In the next chapter he is story, the spotlight swings back to the replaced by another composite beast, similar secular world of politics, to see how this would be accomplished. In chapter 16, the What is the outcome of the struggle? In Seven Bowls are now poured in sequence chapter 17 John sees the red beast ridden by onto the world, a series of judgments on a the harlot, who gathers the nations against Christian Roman empire that had shed the the Lord Jesus Christ. He wins. She is cast blood of God’s saints for too long. We left down into a fiery and fatal destruction, and off with the French Revolution. That was Jesus’ faithful fiancée prepares herself for followed by the rise of Napoleon, who the marriage supper of the Lamb. John brought destruction to the rulers and the observes the resurrection of the dead, and Church, freeing Europe from their grip. The the Day of Judgment, where the wicked are Sixth Bowl saw the drying up of the River returned to a second death, but the faithful Euphrates (representing the Turkish Empire) are to live and reign on the earth with their at the end of the 19th century, to prepare the Lord. The last two chapters paint a way for Christ’s coming, and setting the wonderful picture of the new world, the land of Israel free for her people to return. Kingdom of God, where tears and suffering, And then, suddenly, Jesus comes! Like the all part of the Curse, are taken away. God thief in the night who catches us unprepared, dwells with men and women in his holy city he steals into the world (Revelation 16:15). Jerusalem, and living waters glide out of the His appearing initiates the War of capital city to bring healing and peace to all Armageddon, the climactic confrontation nations. The story has gone full circle. that runs through all the scriptures, when the Genesis started with paradise on earth. It united forces of man set themselves against was lost through Adam’s sin. Jesus’ task has God and his Son. The outcome is clear. A been to restore that harmony with God, third earthquake shatters the world, and the through his own sacrifice, and our faith in coalition is destroyed by giant hailstones, him. In the symbolic words of the last like the enemies of Israel in the battle of chapter of this precious book, his followers Gibeon (see Joshua 10:11). are given the right to eat of the Tree of Life, All that remains is one last glimpse of the and they live forever. religious world. The two women – the loyal virgin bride and the adulterous Roman harlot, have been battling it out for centuries. © Copyright David Pearce, used with permission.