The Revelation of Jesus Christ (Chapter 1)

That very well may be the case--I look forward to hearing from the people who believe so, to broaden my own perspective. Myself, I'm only a little reluctant to say that the Revelator had primarily future events in mind because, several times throughout the book, the chronology is reset, almost like a video game, and the same events are played through with different imagery.

For instance, in chapter 11, we watch 42 months go by, and see two important witnesses slain and then resurrected. Then, in chapter, 13 we go back and watch those same 42 months swing by, and this time see a woman hidden in the wilderness. Believe it or not, a very good case can be made for seeing those images as describing the same events from two different spiritual angles. This is why I emphasize the order of the chapter-verse chronology less than the sequence of symbolic events.

The other big reason, the biggest reason, I hesitate to refer primarily to future events and not past or current events, is because it becomes abundantly clear for those with "eyes to see"--meaning, those within the Christian/Jewish circle, and not those hostile pagans without--that we are walking through symbolic histories of Israel, beginning with the exile and ending... well, ending somewhere we've all been.

Symbolic histories and stories of Israel are found in a few places in the Old Testament. Daniel 7-12 is one notable example, where the story of Israel unfolds in very spiritual terms rooted in Jewish culture. Isaiah has an extended visionary play full of spiritual characters acting out the present and future story of Israel. Ezekiel applies the same method in 20.46-21.4, where he tells the story of Israel symbolically, and then immediately translates it. If we get far enough along in our study, we will see how clearly the Revelator has pulled images from all over the Old Testament, images that belonged to Israel and her story, and reapplied them to the story he is compelled to share.

I feel the need to be really honest here, so that no one is caught by surprise weeks into the study, so that no one feels I have been misleading. Though I certainly don't want people to abandon their own beliefs for my own, and though I hope that many other perspectives are shared during the course of my study, it is my personal belief that the Revelator is pursuing the Great Commission through symbolic literature--he was told to share the gospel, and though the circumstances of the day were hostile to that gospel message, he found a way to share it, not only in a 'safe' fashion, but also in a way that committed the Christian faith to its Jewish ancestry.

I'll put it more bluntly: I believe that Revelation is the historical story of Israel, from (roughly) the exile in the wilderness to the arrival of Jesus preaching the return of the kingdom, along with the rest the gospel story. The title of my book that I will be pulling most of my material from is "Revelation: The Hidden Gospel of John." It was an amazing and unexpected journey, but I have come to see John as a fifth gospel, written in an apocalyptic mode that is the natural development of the methods Jesus himself used (parables, allegory, the recasting of scripture, etc.) to describe his own ministry and his place within Israel's story.

For those who have never considered this possibility it can seem quite unusual, because it varies so greatly from many traditional perspectives. This is why I stress that this reading does not sabotage any part of the gospel message. Reading Revelation like this DOES NOT CANCEL out the doctrines of the Resurrection of Jesus, or his Second Coming, or any other part of the Bible's promises. Neither does it cancel out by default those readings that see the Spirit further revealing through Revelation future events still to come. The only consequence of this reading is the addition of an important, even foundational, layer of understanding to the Book of Revelation.

So, having been that honest, I hope that the many of you with other understandings of Revelation, perhaps even better understandings, will stick around and teach me something--I'm not bent on convincing people that I am right; I am interested, rather, in exploring the images of Revelation, their origins, their implications, and their meanings. If that is your interest, as well, then I see no problem. Because this is not a debate-oriented group, no one should feel threatened when sharing an entirely different perspective than my own, and I hope I succeed in making that clear throughout our time together.

Justin Staller - Moderator
justinstaller@yahoo.com

Search the scriptures--for in them ye think ye have eternal life: They are they which testify of me--and ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. (John 5.39-40)