Revelation, Book of

The title of the last book in the canonical Christian scriptures, the Book of Revelation or Apocalypse of St. John, lends its name to an entire scriptural as well as popular literary genre of end-time scenarios called “apocalyptic.” One of its opening words, revelation, translates from the Greek, Ψé. Here, the sense of the word revelation includes an uncovering of things previously unknown or possibly unknowable and has nothing to do with the end of time as such. Yet it is through the Christian Book of Revelation that apocalyptic literature became defined as those narratives that include catastrophic end-time scenarios.

Although it is by no means the first end-time religious narrative, Revelation became the standard for defining apocalyptic literature. This genre includes the many canonical and nonca-nonical apocalypses of Judaism and Christianity, apocalypses of other religious traditions, and even secular narratives that continue to be produced.

The Book of Revelation brandishes a dense if not impenetrable poetic imagery. It addresses the specific historical needs of a particular group of people in a particular place and time and at the same time provides sufficient allegory, and opacity, to invite wide interpretation from believers in whatever place and time it has been read.

As obscure as the imagery may be, the structure and content are fairly straightforward. The book begins with salutary, epistolary, and testimonial opening remarks typical of early Christian writing, including establishing the authority of the writer who self-identifies as “John,” a “servant” of Jesus Christ and “brother” to his readers. Sometimes referred to as “John the Revelator,” the writer follows his opening remarks with angelic messages to seven Christian churches. In Jewish and Christian numerology, the number seven represents completion. That the writer addresses seven Christian churches would have been sufficiently understood by early Christians to have meant that the complete Christian church was being addressed.

After the messages to the churches, the narrative launches into a vision of how the end-time will progress. The vision begins with God and “the lamb” on two heavenly thrones. Seven seals of seven scrolls are opened, and seven trumpets are blown, heralding the penultimate struggle between good and evil. Imagery includes evil epitomized in the dragon, the whore, the evil city, the monster from the sea, and the beast from the land. All these are set against the good represented [Page 1108]by God, heavenly angels, the lamb, and God's people who number the numerologically significant 144,000 (12 × 12 × 1,000).

After more angelic messages, the “son of man” arrives in the clouds and is told by angels to reap the sheaves and to press the grapes with God's wrath. When he follows their command, blood flows from the presses. Then come praises from the conquering holy ones in heaven while those unbelievers left behind are visited by seven plagues from seven bowls. After the plagues follows the judgment of the great whore (the antivirgin), the beast (the Antichrist), and Babylon (the anti-Jerusalem). Babylon falls as heaven rejoices and God's enemies are defeated. A dragon is chained for 1,000 years during the worldly reign of righteous, believing monarchs. After this millennial reign, there is the final war and its defeat of evil. At the conclusion of this final battle, Satan and the beast are bound and tormented forever. All the dead are resurrected and judged, with the righteous being given the new heaven and new earth, while the unrighteous are either made new (21:5), die a final death in the lake of fire (21:8), or are simply left outside of the new Jerusalem (22:15). The book closes with blessings and curses and Jesus's assurance that he and all this is “coming soon.”

...