Faith and Knowledge

◩ Nature of Revelation
- Mixture of apocalypse, prophecy, and letter

- Only one of its kind in the NT
-- Apocalypse
-- Prophecy
-- Epistle
 


◩ Exegetical Guide
- The primary meaning is what John intended to mean = what his readers understood.

- Overuse of "analogy of Scripture"- keep it in Revelation and its historical context.

- Imagery of Revelation
-- Rich OT background
-- John interprets some images(son of man, 7 lampstands, great dragon)
-- see visions as wholes
-- the future may not be the (main) point. We don't know, but G know all of future.

 

◩ The Historical Context
- Like a letter, revelation is occasional

- Persecution and suffering is reflected in the Revelation.(1:9)
-- Historical connection to the well-known persecution of Christians during the reign of Domitian(AD 81-96), C. 94-95,
-- Message to a suffering people.

- Don't underestimate the relevance of the historical context.


 
◩ The literary Context
- Read each vision as an integral part of the whole.

- The Drama Unfolds
-- Chs 1-3 introduce significant charachters
-- Chs 4-5 set the stage
-- Chs 6-7 drama A: 7seals and great multitude
-- Chs 8-11 drama B: 7 trumpets, the scroll and two witnesses
-- Chs 12 drama C: Satan is defeated(center of Rev.)
-- Chs 13-14 drama D: Empire strikes back
-- Chs 15-16 drama E: evil empire is doomed
-- Chs 17-22 concluding with tale of two cities; Rome and Jerusalem

 

◩ Exegetical Suggestions
- The Rev. of John is prophetic to the original audience first and foremost

- The images and pictures mainly come form the OT(cf. Ezk. 1 and Rev 4)

- Remember the visions are just that- visions and may not necessarily have connections to reality

- Eschatology (what is our future) may not be the most important point of REv.

- don't miss the message!.