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THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES:

Revelation: contents, author, meaning...

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Contents of Revelation:

An Evangelical Christian theologian, P.N. Benware, describes three interpretations that theologians have made about Revelation:

Allegorical approach: The events in Revelation will not happen literally. They are to be interpreted figuratively and symbolically. This approach leads to a great variety of conflicting scenarios.

Historical approach: Most of the events in Revelation have already happened, perhaps during the persecution of Christians during the reign of Emperors Nero or Domitian before Christianity was tolerated early in the 4^th century CE.

Futuristic approach: This is the approach taken by almost all Fundamentalists and other Evangelical Christians. The events in Revelation have yet to occur, but are anticipated in our very near future. The end times will unfold exactly as specified when the world as we know it comes to an end. ₁

To this list, a other options present themselves:

Morale booster: The book was written at a time of intermittent persecutions of Christians by the Roman Empire. Its purpose may have been simply to encourage Christians at that difficult time. It is typical of apocalyptic writings common among Jewish and Christian writers during the first century CE. According to James Kelhoffer, an assistant professor of theological studies at Saint Louis University:

"Many people who have interpreted the rich symbolism and mythology of [Revelation] have read into it to reflect on a world cataclysm within their lifetime. It greatly misunderstands ancient Jewish and Christian prophets who always talk about apocalypses within their own time, not several centuries hence. ₁₄

Meaningless: The book is made up of visions experienced by the author. They might have been based on one or more nightmares that the author experienced. They might have been induced by eating hallucinogenic material (mushrooms, cacti, certain types of moulds. etc.) They might have been induced during an ecstatic spiritual state. In other words, the writing may be devoid of any theological meaning. It may be as fictional and meaningless as the images of the anti-semitic nun, St. Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824), whose visions formed such a major part of the movie "The Passion of the Christ."

Content of Revelation:

The book describes a number of "end-time events that will occur during the Day of the Lord." These include:

the rise of the Antichrist as a world dictator.

a 40 month period of relative peace.

a 40 month period of horrendous tribulation.

terrible judgments by God on the supporters of the Antichrist.

the marriage of the Lamb (Jesus) and his bride (the Christian church). Presumably the rapture will have happened by this time: faithful Christians who have died will be resurrected, rise from their graves and ascend to heaven.

the second coming of Jesus.

the battle of Armageddon.

the millennium kingdom is established on earth.

final punishment of Satan.

destruction of the old heavens and earth.

unbelievers will be cast into everlasting fire.

God creates a new heaven and earth.₁

Jesus in Revelation:

	Conservative Christians viewpoint: Since Revelation and the remaining books in the Bible is inspired by God and free of error, then Christ is accurately described in the book, just as he is elsewhere in the Bible. However, the book is filled with symbolism. It requires careful attention to separate the prophecies of future events from Revelation's symbolic passages.
	Liberal Christians viewpoint: The author of Revelation does not claim to have known Jesus during his earthly ministry. He is very vague about the apostles.

He appears to be unaware of the place where Jesus was executed. In Revelation 11:8-9 he writes "And the dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that is...called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. Theologian and author Tom Harpur writes: "The Gospels say Jerusalem was the place of crucifixion. But this [book] says Sodom and Egypt. Sodom was destroyed centuries before; Egypt is obviously not a city. What this means is that the crucifixion was in reality a spiritual transaction not rooted in any historical place whatever. The entire story is symbolic." Harpur believes: "...that the Christ of the Apocalypse is not the 'personal Jesus' of the Gospels but a cosmic intelligence and principle. He is the spiritual Christ of Pauline mysticism." ₁₁

Harpur notes that: "Revelation 1:13 describes the Christ as an androgynous figure with 'paps' or female breasts. Plainly, this has nothing to do with a historic Jesus or any coming events on this planet." Harpur is apparently quoting the King James Version of Revelation. Other translations render the Greek differently. The New International Version, for example, refers simply to Jesus having "a golden sash around his chest." ₁₁

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Who Wrote Revelation?

Early Christian writers:

	The text of Revelation 1:4 identifies the author as simply "John," a very common name in the 1st Century CE Palestine. In Revelation 1:9 he said that he was at Patmos, a penal colony of the Roman Empire.
	A number of ancient church fathers, notably Irenaeus, believed that the author of Revelation was also the author of the Gospel of John, and the epistles of 1,2 and 3 John. Irenaeus mentioned that John the Apostle received the visions of Revelation near the end of Domitian's rule. That would be about 95 CE. Justin Martyr circa 150 CE linked the author with the Apostle John. ₂ Other leaders of the early Christian movement who supported this belief were Clement of Alexandria, Cyprian, Hippolytus, and Tertullian. ₁₂
	Other ancient church fathers denied that the author of John also wrote Revelation. They included John Chrysostom, Cyril of Jerusalem, Denis of Alexandria, Eusebius of Caesarea, and Gregory Nazianzen. ₁₂
	The belief in a common authorship between Revelation and the Gospel of John was challenged by many Christian heretics late in the 2nd century and by many orthodox Christian leaders in the early 3rd century. But the belief prevailed in the early church. If it were otherwise, the Revelation might not have made it into the official canon. Apostolic authorship was an important factor before books were accepted into the canon.

Analysis of the text itself:

	Biblical scholars point have detected many differences in the style, vocabulary and theology between Revelation and the Gospel of John.
	Tom Harpur describes the Greek style as "barbarous" -- quite different from the polished Greek in the Gospel of John. ₁₁
	Martin Luther felt that the messages in Revelation contradicted much of the content of the Gospel of John and the synoptic Gospels. He relegated the book to an appendix in his German translation of the Bible.

Conservative Protestants typically believe that Revelation, the Gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John and 3 John were written by John, the beloved disciple of Jesus.

The Roman Catholic Church teaches that "...there are definite linguistic and theological affinities between the two books [Revelation and the Gospel of John]. The tone of the letters to the seven churches [Revelation 1:4 to 3:33]... is indicative of the great authority the author enjoyed over the Christian communities in Asia. It is possible, therefore, that he was a disciple of John the Apostle who is traditionally associated with that part of the world."

Liberal Christians:

	Note that if John the Apostle was born at approximately the same time as Jesus was -- 4 to 7 BCE -- then he would have been about 100 years old circa 95 CE when Revelation was written. Reaching that age would have been a most unusual accomplishment during an era and in a location where the average life expectancy was about 30 years.
	Generally conclude that Revelation was written by an unknown author - perhaps a Jewish Christian whose primary language was Aramaic, near the end of the 1st century CE.
	Some have noted that major portions of the text appears to have been adapted from an earlier Jewish Mithraic apocalypse book called 'Bahman Yasht.' ₁₁

What Does Revelation Mean?

	Conservative Protestants typically believe in the inerrancy of the Bible and follow the futuristic approach. Many follow the theories of John Nelson Darby (1801-1882) who is regarded as the father of modern Dispensationalism. He introduced the concept of the secret Rapture -- that God would remove saved individuals from earth without prior warning. Dispensationalists believe that the end time is very near. They regard the book as one of the most important in the entire Bible, because it describes what will happen in our very near future. They believe that the elements of the end times (tribulation, rapture, Armageddon, and millennium) will occur exactly as specified. However, there are many conflicting theories about the order of the events: Historical Premillennialism, Dispensational Premillennialism, and Amillennialism are three mutually exclusive theories of the sequence of the time happenings.
	Liberal Christians frequently follow an historical interpretation of the book. One source concludes that the writing of Revelation was motivated by persecution of the Christians by the Roman government. ₂The Romans had revived the requirement that everyone worship the emperor as a living god. This practice was reinstituted by Emperor Domitian near the end of his reign, during the early 90's CE. Thus, the book of Revelation is assumed to have been written at about that time. Its main theme is to call for Christian solidarity to resist the demands of the empire and to refuse to worship the emperor. The author of Revelation clearly anticipated the end of the world within a few years of the writing of the book. He writes in the first chapter about "things which must shortly come to pass" and "the time is at hand." Of course, the author was wrong. The end of the world never happened. Most liberals pay little attention to the book. They largely reject it because it portrays a God who is extremely hateful and bent on revenge against virtually all humanity. The God of Revelation bears no resemblance to the loving, kind Abba who was worshiped by Jesus. The book describes armies fighting on horseback with primitive, first century weapons. It obviously has little relevance to us today. It was probably apocalyptic literature which was written to bolster the morale of 1st century Christians in 7 churches, located in present-day Turkey.
	Roman Catholics: The Catholic Encyclopedia suggests that the Seer -- the author of Revelation -- wanted to comfort Christians at a time of great peril:

"The danger of apostasy was great. False prophets went about, trying to seduce the people to conform to the heathen practices and to take part in the Caesar-worship. The Seer urges his Christians to remain true to their faith and to bear their troubles with fortitude. He encourages them with the promise of an ample and speedy reward. He assures them that Christ's triumphant coming is at hand....With the coming of Christ the woes of the Christians will be avenged. Their oppressors will be given up to the judgment and the everlasting torments. The martyrs that have fallen will be raised to life, that they may share the pleasures of Christ's kingdom, the millennium....It would appear, and is so held by many that the Christians of the Apostolic age expected that Christ would return during their own lifetime or generation. This seems to be the more obvious meaning of several passages both in the Epistles and Gospels....The Christians of Asia Minor and the Seer with them, appear to have shared this fallacious expectation. Their mistaken hope, however, did not affect the soundness of their belief in the essential part of the dogma. Their views of a millennial period of corporal happiness were equally erroneous. The Church has wholly cast aside the doctrine of a millennium previous to the resurrection." ₁₃

Christian domestic terrorists: In 1999-OCT, the FBI announced the completion of the Megiddo Project - an intensive study of the potential for domestic terrorism in the new Millennium. A portion of the report's introduction deals with religiously motivated terrorists: ₃It is quoted below:

Interpretations of the Bible:

Religiously based domestic terrorists use the New Testament�s Book of Revelation -- the prophecy of the endtime -- for the foundation of their belief in the Apocalypse. Religious extremists interpret the symbolism portrayed in the Book of Revelation and mold it to predict that the endtime is now and that the Apocalypse is near. To understand many religious extremists, it is crucial to know the origin of the Book of Revelation and the meanings of its words, numbers and characters.

The Book of Revelation was written by a man named �John� who was exiled by the Roman government to a penal colony - the island of Patmos - because of his beliefs in Christ. ₄ While on the island, he experienced a series of visions, described in the Book of Revelation. The writing in the Book of Revelation is addressed to churches who were at the time experiencing or were threatened by persecution from Rome because they were not following the government. For this reason, some believe the Book of Revelation was written in code language, much of which was taken from other parts of the Bible.

One interpretation describing the essence of the message contained in Revelation is that God will overcome Christianity�s enemies (Roman Government/Satan) and that the persecuted communities should persevere. ₅ For right-wing groups who believe they are being persecuted by the satanic government of the United States, the Book of Revelation's message fits perfectly into their world view. This world view, in combination with a literal interpretation of the Book of Revelation, is reflected in extremist ideology, violent acts, and literature. For this reason, it is imperative to know the meaning of some of the �code words� frequently used:

Four (4) signifies the world.

Six (6) signifies imperfection.

Seven (7) is the totality of perfection or fullness and completeness.

Twelve (12) represents the twelve tribes of Israel or the 12 apostles.

One-thousand (1000) signifies immensity.

The color white symbolizes power and can also represent victory, joy and resurrection.

The color red symbolizes a bloody war.

The color black symbolizes famine.

A rider on a pale green horse is a symbol of Death itself.

�Babylon� is the satanic Roman Government, now used to describe the U.S. government. ₆

Black Hebrew Israelites, a black supremacist group, typify the use of numerology from the Book of Revelation. They believe group members will comprise the 144,000 people who are saved by God in the second coming that is outlined in Revelation (7:1-17). In the Book of Revelation, John is shown a vision of 144,000 martyrs who have survived and did not submit to Satan. This number is derived from the assertion that the twelve tribes of Israel consisted of 12,000 people each.

Groups not only use the Bible to interpret the endtimes, but use it to justify their ideology. Phineas Priests, an amorphous group of Christian Identity adherents, base their entire ideology on Chapter 25 of the Book of Numbers. The passage depicts a scene where Phineas kills an Israelite who was having relations with a Midianite woman and God then granted Phineas and all of his descendants a pledge of everlasting priesthood. Modern day followers of the Phineas Priest ideology believe themselves to be the linear descendants of Phineas and this passage gives them biblical justification to punish those who transgress God�s laws. Therefore, the group is ardently opposed to race mixing and strongly believes in racial separation. The number 25 is often used as a symbol of the group.

Apocalyptic Religious Beliefs

To understand the mind set of why religious extremists would actively seek to engage in violent confrontations with law enforcement, the most common extremist ideologies must be understood. Under these ideologies, many extremists view themselves as religious martyrs who have a duty to initiate or take part in the coming battles against Satan. Domestic terrorist groups who place religious significance on the millennium believe the federal government will act as an arm of Satan in the final battle. By extension, the FBI is viewed as acting on Satan�s behalf.

The philosophy behind targeting the federal government or entities perceived to be associated with it is succinctly described by Kerry Noble, a former right-wing extremist. He says the right-wing "envision[s] a dark and gloomy endtime scenario, where some Antichrist makes war against Christians." ₇ The House of Yahweh, a Texas based religious group whose leaders are former members of the tax protesting Posse Comitatus, is typical: [Yisrayl] Hawkins (the leader) has interpreted biblical scripture that the Israeli Peace Accord signed on October 13, 1993, has started a 7-year period of tribulation which will end on October 14, 2000, with the return of the Yeshua (the Messiah). ₈ He also has interpreted that the FBI will be the downfall of the House of Yahweh and that the Waco Branch Davidian raids in 1993 were a warning to The House of Yahweh from the federal government, which he terms "the beast." ₉Similarly, Richard Butler, leader of the white supremacist group Aryan Nations, said the following when asked what might have motivated the day care shooting by Buford O. Furrow, Jr., one of his group's followers: "There's a war against the white race. There's a war of extermination against the white male." ₁₀

References and comments:

The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.

P.N. Benware, "Survey of the New Testament," Moody Press, Chicago IL (1990)
S. MacLean Gilmour, "The Revelation to John," essay in C.M. Laymon: "The Interpreter's One-Volume Commentary on the Bible," Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN (1991)
"Project Megiddo: Introduction," at Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR) at: http://www.cesnur.org/testi/FBI_005.htm
The FBI is here following the contents of Revelation. Theologians differ about the authorship of the book as noted above.
The FBI's interpretation of the Book of Revelation is according to the Catholic Bible and a Catholic scholar-consultant.
Symbolism was taken from The Catholic Bible; New American Bible. [American law enforcement seems to have a fascination with symbols. During the Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA) hoax of the 1980's and early 1990's, few police seminars on SRA was complete without a few pages of strange looking symbols.]
Kerry Noble, "Tabernacle of Hate: Why they Bombed Oklahoma City" ( Voyageur Publishing, Prescott, ON, (1998).
Robert Draper, "Happy Doomsday," Texas Monthly, 1997-JUL, Page 74.
Evan Moore, "A House Divided: Tensions divide Abilene-area cult," The Houston Chronicle, 1996-MAR-24.
John K. Wiley, "Profile of attack suspect is familiar and frightening," The Miami Herald, 1999-AUG-12.
Tom Harpur, "America obsessed with future apocalypse," The Toronto Star, 2003-OCT-5, Page F7.
"The Book of Revelation: Introduction," The New American Bible, Catholic Book Publishing Company, (1970) Page 386.
"Apocalypse," Catholic Encyclopedia, New Advent, at: http://www.newadvent.org/
Jen Gerson, "Today, your number is up," The Toronto Star, 2006-JUN-06, Page C1.

Additional information:

"Project Megiddo: Introduction," at Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR) at: http://www.cesnur.org/

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Copyright � 1997 to 2006 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2006-JUN-06 (06/06/06)
Author: B.A. Robinson