Viewing Book of Revelation in Perspective

 

Revelation is the principal book in the Bible outlining what will happen during the so-called last days but it has to be pointed out that there are OT books containing end-times prophecies as well.  How should this particular NT book (with specific focus on one subject matter) be viewed in relation to those OT prophets who likewise discussed the end times (albeit among the various other themes also running throughout their respective books)?

 

Genesis discloses to humankind what occurred at the very beginning.  For completeness, the Bible has additionally incorporated Revelation to foretell how all proceedings will come to a climax.  Since sin tainted what God created at the outset, believers may feel defeatist had not the Almighty provided the re-assuring pronouncement that He has in place an outside-the-box plan to be implemented at the end: “the first heaven and the first earth will pass away” and there will be “a new heaven and a new earth” where “there shall be no more death, nor sorrow nor crying” (Revelation 21:1-4).

 

In view of Abraham’s faith, God chose the Hebrews to be His people so as to showcase His love and compassion for the human beings created in His image even though they remained stubborn in their sinful ways.  Not unexpectedly, the OT end-times prophecies reveal how the Jews will be impacted during the last days: for example, deliberately mentioned by Daniel (and later referred to by Jesus) is the desecration of the sanctuary where “they shall take away the daily sacrifices and place there the abomination of desolation” (Daniel 11:31) while the concluding chapters of Ezekiel furnish a wealth of information about the much-anticipated third temple that is awaiting the opportune time to be erected on the divinely-designated site in the holy city of Jerusalem.

 

Although the primary focus of the OT is on God’s hesed love for the Jews, also recorded in selected books are instances of His compassion being extended to non-Hebrews (eg Rachel, Ruth and even the Ninevites in Jonah 3) prior to the onset of the NT era.  This is not an after-thought: when Abram was called to leave his ancestral home-land for re-location to the Promised Land, God already declared in the very first set of assurances offered to him that “in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3) and He subsequently changed the name of His friend to Abraham “for I have made you a father of many nations” (Genesis 17:5).  Building on this, the NT books (except for the 4 gospels which narrate the Man Jesus Christ’s ministry on earth) explain how the Gentiles are additionally included in God’s plan of salvation.  This is especially so in Revelation (where the backdrop is the entire world given that the events prophesied in the book will unfold on a global scale):

(1)     all of the 7 churches singled out by the Alpha & the Omega in the initial chapters of Revelation are not located within Israel’s boundaries

(2)     a commonly-cited pre-requisite is that the everlasting gospel must be preached world-wide “to every nation, tribe, tongue and people” (Revelation 14:6)

(3)     the new song for the 4 living creatures and 24 elders to sing is in praise of the Lamb Who “redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9)

(4)     John saw “a great multitude, which no one could number, from all nations, tribes and peoples and tongues standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9)

(5)     within the New Jerusalem are “the nations of those who are saved …” (Revelation 21:24)

(6)     on the 12 foundations of the new Jerusalem are “the names of the 12 apostles” (Revelation 21:14) signifying the spread of what was proffered for His chosen people in the OT to the rest of the world in the NT.

 

Lest any should think that the statements sequentially listed in S/No 1‒6 smack of replacement theology (which argues for the replacement of Israel by the Church as God’s chosen people during the post-apostolic age), attention ought to be concurrently drawn to the following verses also found in the book of Revelation:

(a)     on the 12 gates of the new Jerusalem are “the names of the 12 tribes of the children of Israel” (Revelation 21:12)

(b)     the 4 angels described in Revelation 7 will not be allowed to unleash their destructive powers on earth until “we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads” (Revelation 7:3), these being the 12,000 Jews from each of the 12 tribes in Israel

(c)     the OT scriptural designations “Lion of Judah” and “Root of David” (Revelation 5:5) continue to be used when referring to the resurrected Messiah Who thence ascended to heaven

(d)     “the place called in Hebrew Armageddon” (Revelation 16:16) is typically identified to be the venue for the end-time battles foretold by the OT prophets.

 

By the way, replacement theology has no place in God’s salvation plan which has been systematically expounded in the theological book of Romans.  Immediately after Paul’s elucidating exposition that “blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in” (Romans 11:25) comes his resolute affirmation that “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29) with regard to the chosen race’s salvation route.  Simply put, God will never renege on what He promised to “Abraham My friend” (Isaiah 41:8) millennia ago, with the psalmist reminding humankind that “He remembers forever ... the covenant which He made with Abraham” (Psalm 105:8-9).

 

In essence, the book of Revelation seeks to help believers beset by the cursed consequences wrought by sin (such as natural disasters, epidemic outbreaks and congenital disorders) to look beyond the present circumstances towards the end game where they can be assured that “there shall be no more pain for the former things have passed away” as God will “make all things new” (Revelation 21:4-5).  Why then do most of the 22 chapters contain visions and symbols that are difficult to comprehend?  These details were dutifully documented because “the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secrets to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7); for example, all of the seemingly-enigmatic messianic verses interspersed throughout OT scriptures made sense only after they had been collectively fulfilled in due time during the Son of Man’s sojourn on earth.  In the meanwhile, believers who find Revelation a daunting read (even after repeated attempts to fathom its detailed contents) should perhaps view this book in perspective so as to draw encouragement from the expectation of a new created order founded on the divine declaration that “there shall be no more curse” (Revelation 22:3) following the final judgment before the great white throne that will culminate in all evil thereafter being “cast into the lake of fire and brimstone ... [to] be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).