Biblical Theology LXII: Revelation

The Apocalypse (i.e., Revelation) of John should actually be named, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ,” since that is the title given to the book by the author. It is understood to be given to John the Apostle for numerous reasons (e.g., the book is heavily Johannine in its theology, apocalyptic books only tend to relate the visions of prominent figures, etc.). The dating of the book is most certainly between A.D. 81–96, and is likely written during the persecution under Domitian. This is made certain from the listing of the emperors in Revelation 17, coupled with the fact that apocalyptic tends to be written during the time of persecution and not as a prediction of it in the future. 

Theology: God is Supreme over the emperor. Whereas the Roman emperor is called the autokratōr “sole power,” God is called the pantokratōr “All Powerful.” Whereas, the emperor is considered the “king of kings,” it is actually Christ who is the true King of Kings over the emperor, who is merely one of the kings over whom He rules. God and Christ are also worthy to be worshiped because (1) they are truly divine and beautiful, (2) God has created all things, and (3) Christ has redeemed all things. Hence, their honor is both intrinsic and earned. 

The emperor and the Roman Empire are under the power of the devil, who uses them to tempt Christians to betray God and His Christ. The world system is supported not only by the state, but by false religion, which includes the false church as well. These three: the devil, the beast, and the false prophet, form an unholy trinity that seeks to wrap the world, including Christians, in a deception that their lives in the here and now are more important than the world to come.

Ethics: The purpose of the book is primarily to encourage the faithful to remain strong in the faith and to warn the unfaithful to repent. This goal is seen first in the letters to the seven churches in Chapters 3 and 4. They connect to the reward or punishment at the end of the book so as to argue that who one follows today will be where one spends eternity. One’s federal head determines his destiny. 

If Jesus Christ is Lord, not merely in confession, but also in one’s commitment to Christian orthodoxy and obedience to God’s commands, then the inheritance of Christ, i.e., the kingdom of the new heavens and earth, is given to him. If the beast is one’s federal head, either by adopting false religious ideas or its immoral practices, then the eternal punishment and banishment given to the beast is also given to him. Hence, John argues that one is solidifying his eternal destination depending upon which master he is following now. 

This is brought out by the names that are written upon individuals, and the infamous number 666. The number is the beast’s name that is written upon the forehead or hand of everyone who follows him via his theology or ethics (the head and the hand likely signify religious belief and practice). Christ’s name, however, is written upon the forehead of every faithful believer who follows Him. These are not literal stamps on people’s body, but ways of expressing the idea of federal headship, i.e., ownership. 

In the end, those who remain faithful to love Christ more than their own lives are seen as victorious, which subverts the world’s idea of victory as that which manifests itself in an acquirement of dominant political and military power. Instead, victory for the Christian manifests itself as being faithful to Christ in the midst of external and internal pressures from both the world and the false church to compromise one’s allegiance to Christ. This displays that Christ is superior to the Christian than any force or bribe on earth, including his very life. The book ends with a longing cry for Christ to return.