Revelation: A Love Story

Revelation

A Love Story

Rob Dalrymple

foreword by

Scot McKnight

Revelation

A Love Story

Copyright ©

2024

Rob Dalrymple. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers,

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Cascade Books

An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers

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paperback isbn: 978-1-6667-3356-3

hardcover isbn: 978-1-6667-2830-9

ebook isbn: 978-1-6667-2831-6

Cataloguing-in-Publication data:

Names: Dalrymple, Rob, author. | McKnight, Scot, foreword.

Title: Revelation : a love story / Rob Dalrymple ; foreword by Scot McKnight.

Description: Eugene, OR: Cascade Books,

2024.

| Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers:

isbn 978-1-6667-3356-3 (

paperback

). | isbn 978-1-6667-2830-9 (

hardcover

). | isbn 978-1-6667-2831-6 (

ebook

).

Subjects: LCSH: Bible. Revelation—Commentaries.

Classification:

bs2825.53 d37 2024 (

print

). | bs2825.53 (

ebook

).

version number 08/01/24

Table of Contents

Title Page

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1: Introduction:Revelation as a Love Story

Chapter 2: The Structure of the Book of Revelation

Chapter 3: Reading Revelation as a Narrative

Chapter 4: Understanding John’s Purpose

Chapter 5: John’s Use of Numbers

Chapter 6: Understanding the Message of Revelation

Revelation 1:1–8 The Prologue

Revelation 1:9–20 John’s Vision on Patmos

Revelation 2:1–3:22 The Seven Messages204

Revelation 4:1—5:14 John Taken to Heaven:Throne Room Scene

Revelation 4:1—5:14 Throne Room Scene Continued

Revelation 6:1–17 The First Six Seals

Revelation 7:1–17 An Interlude: The 144,000 and the Great Multitude

Revelation 8:1—9:21 Seventh Seal and the First Six Trumpets:Introduction

Revelation 8:1—9:21 The Seventh Seal and the First Six Trumpets:Continued

Revelation 10:1—11:13 An Interlude:The Scroll and the Two Witnesses

Revelation 10:1—11:13 An Interlude:The Scroll and The Two Witnesses Continued

Revelation 11:15–19 The Seventh Trumpet

Revelation 12:1–18 The Woman and the Dragon

Revelation 13:1—14:5 The Beasts and the 144,000

Revelation 13:1—14:5 The Beast, the False Prophet, and the 144,000 Continued

Revelation 14:1–5 The Beast, the False Prophet, and the 144,000

Revelation 14:6–20 Six Another Angels and One like the Son of Man

Revelation 15:1—16:21 The Seven Angels and the Seven Bowls

Revelation 15:1–8 The Seven Angels and the Overcomers

Revelation 16:1–21 The Seven Bowls Introduction

Revelation 17:1–17 The Great Prostitute Introduction

Revelation 17:1–17 The Great Prostitute

Revelation 18:1—19:10 The Fall of Babylon and the Three Hallelujahs

Revelation 19:11—21:8 Transition between the Fall of Babylon and the Descent of the New Jerusalem

Revelation 19:11–16 The Returning Christ

Revelation 19:17–21 Judgment of the Beast and the False Prophet

Revelation 20:1–10 The Judgment of the Dragon (Satan)

Revelation 20:11–15 The Great White Throne Judgment

Revelation 21:1–8 New Creation: The Introduction to the Holy City

Revelation 21:9—22:9 The Bride Is the Holy City

Revelation 22:1–5 The Holy City: The New Eden

Revelation 22:6–21 Epilogue

Conclusion

Resources for Recommended Next Steps

Bibliography

Appendix: Repetition of Key Terms and Phrases

Rob Dalrymple’s well-researched and well-documented (yet very readable) commentary challenges many of the misinterpretations of Revelation in vogue today. He rightly sees the last book of the Bible as a story of God’s nonviolent love in Christ, and therefore a summons to hope and to sacrificial, Christlike witness. This commentary should be widely read and its interpretation taken seriously.

—Michael J. Gorman, chair in biblical and theological studies, St. Mary’s Seminary & University

The Book of Revelation has long been considered to stand in irreconcilable tension with a core tenet of Christian theology, namely that God is love. Rob Dalrymple’s winsomely written and accessible commentary boldly challenges this judgment. He offers a much-needed summons to readers to respond to Revelation not with speculation and fear about the future, but rather with fearless witness and work on behalf of the kingdom of our God and of his Christ in the present.

—David A. deSilva, distinguished professor of New Testament and Greek, Ashland Theological Seminary

Rob Dalrymple’s Revelation commentary is mind-blowing, hope-filled, and energizing. The Bible’s final word is a letter from King Jesus to his church then and now! The letter reinforces our mission as citizens of the kingdom of God and followers of Jesus. We aren’t passive spectators waiting to be evacuated out of this mess. Jesus calls us into the mess as indispensable kingdom agents in God’s rescue operation of the world he loves. Revelation jars us awake to the urgency of the moment. Take up and read!

—Carolyn Custis James, author of Half the Church: Recapturing God’s Global Vision for Women

This book is dedicated to our son Jason Robert Dalrymple d

2004

and to all those who have lost a loved one.

The book of Revelation is a book of hope.

A hope that we will dwell in the presence of the Eternal One: where we will see His face.

A hope that someday there will be no more death, or mourning, or crying, or pain.

A hope that someday there will be no more hunger or thirst.

A hope that we will not need to fear the onslaught of torrential rains and floods, or the fierceness of the scorching sun and drought.

A hope that we will live without fear.

A hope that we will live in peace.

And a hope that we will be reunited with loved ones for eternity.

For my wife and me, we long for that day when we will get to meet our son and be with him forever! And to share the joy with all of you as you embrace those you have lost as well; especially the ones you never met.

Foreword

The subtitle to Rob Dalrymple’s fresh, valuable, and path-breaking study of the Book of Revelation (A Love Story) ought to be the clue that what follows will not be boilerplate commentary as usual.

Something about Revelation has utterly captured me for more than five decades: the beginning and the ending of this most confusing, but brilliant, of New Testament books. To begin with, Revelation’s opening is a more than over the top vision of Jesus Christ who then sends messages through John to seven churches. Think about this: at the time John sent this apocalypse to those seven churches there would have been only several hundred followers of Jesus in western Asia Minor. I’m guessing on the number because guessing is all we can know. Let’s say at most one thousand. In other words, they are on the margin of the already marginalized in the Roman empire. If we then turn to the ending of Revelation, skipping visions and bizarre moments and battles and unearthly moments, we discover a worldwide chorus of singing and praising humans who somehow have been added to that group of maybe a thousand. That ending, even more important than the numbers, is a world at peace because injustice has been disestablished and justice has been established. That ending of peace and justice was established, not by some mighty military machine, like the one we might call Operation Rome, but by a lion-morphed-into-a-Lamb who, instead of wielding a sword in its fist, spoke sword-like words about God, about history, about justice, about creation, about evil, and about the victory of goodness.

I’m amazed, at least weekly, by the number who read Revelation for words about winning, about triumphalism, about vindication, and even about vindictiveness. Too many look for secrets for the defeat of their political and national enemies. Not so with the Lamb in the Book of Revelation. This Lamb fights the battles of love and grace and goodness and justice. Of course, this book is an apocalypse, and apocalypses gonna apocalypse, and that means there’s got to be some kind of battle and some kind of defeat and some kind of victory. But the battle is cosmic, the defeat is of evil, and the victory is the Lamb’s. Not Rome’s. The gruesome scenes unmask the sicknesses and systemic evils of humans cooperating and collaborating with one another to aggrandize power and shove good folks off the stage. On the other side of this cosmic battle are the good people of God who long for justice, who are willing to pay the price even of martyrdom, and who work day by day in the ordinary moments of life for what God wants for all creation.

The way of Revelation is the way of love and the way of hope—for a world loved by God and in love with God and with one another. It takes a mind willing to flex and a heart ready to soar for many today to grasp the love nature of Revelation. No one is more set to help us read Revelation anew more than Rob Dalrymple, who has been teaching, preaching, and pastoring Revelation for decades. His book is courageous, careful, and compelling. What Rob provides for us is a narrative reading of Revelation—he locks us into listening to John until we hear his voice, see his face, and watch has he moves characters onto and off the stage. Instead of speculating about Who today might correspond to Who in the Book of Revelation, Rob settles it by shutting the door on speculation so we can encounter this book all over again. As if for the first time. This time, with a vision for a loving God redeeming God’s people and God’s creation in order to reset creation for an eternity that will go on and on with each day advancing the previous day.

Scot McKnight

Professor of New Testament

Author with Cody Matchett, Revelation for the Rest of Us

Preface

There is more to say. There is always more to say. But since I have already graciously received two extensions from the editors at Cascade Books and all good things must come to an end, I have come to the realization that I need to recognize that I have said enough and that I cannot say everything. Nor do I need to say everything. There are plenty of fine works on the book of Revelation that have already said so much.

Why the present work then? This commentary aims to contribute to our understanding of the book of Revelation by uniquely focusing on Revelation’s narrative, which I contend is a love story. It is my conviction that far too many interpreters, especially, though not limited to, the popular writers, have not only failed to recognize Revelation as a narrative but, in many instances have come to embrace an understanding of the book of Revelation that at times and to varying degrees runs counter to the biblical story. In particular, the common approach to the book of Revelation, while acknowledging that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, somehow also claims that He loves the world so much He is going to bring famine, war, and bloodshed upon its inhabitants in order to persuade those who survive to repent.

In Revelation: A Love Story, I contend that John’s narrative begins with the assertion that with the coming of Christ—His life, death, resurrection, and ascension—God has already begun the process of bringing about both the redemption of humanity¹ and the restoration of His creation. John’s narrative affirms that the means by which God continues His work of bringing about this New Creation is through the faithful, loving, and sacrificial lives of His people who, like Christ, die and are vindicated. That is, just as the process of redeeming humanity and the creation began with the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, so also it continues through His people who follow the Lamb. Hence, the story is a love story. The story, of course, is good news and it is also news that calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who cry out, How long, Lord?

What then, you might ask, do we do with the plagues and devastation that Revelation is famous for? In Revelation: A Love Story, I argue that the Seven Seals and the Seven Trumpets, and to a lesser extent the Seven Bowls, depict the inevitable consequences that take place when humanity rules apart from the fear of the Lord (Prov 1:7): namely, it is human rule that brings about deception and blasphemous ideologies, that results in and promotes war, which itself brings famine and death, and the destruction of the very creation for which we were created to care. The plagues of God’s wrath, in other words, are the result of human rule, which only continues because of God’s gracious delay in bringing the final judgment.

The consummation of this story occurs when Christ returns to vindicate His people, who will stand in His presence and see His face. Christ’s return marks the final judgment of the Beasts, the Dragon, Death and Hades, and all who refuse to acknowledge God’s gracious love. In doing so, the throne of God and Christ descends, the earth and the heavens are made anew, death and sorrow are done away, and the Edenic restoration is made complete.

It is my conviction that in order to recognize the book of Revelation as a love story we must recognize both the structure of the Apocalypse and John’s consistent use of repetition as the means by which he guides his reader/hearers. This commentary, therefore, aims to examine the text of the Apocalypse in order to point out the literary features that John has embedded in his narrative and by which the love story unfolds. I should note, of course, that because this commentary endeavors to highlight how John’s love story plays out in the narrative pages of the Apocalypse, I have chosen to omit some of the introductory features that often accompany a biblical commentary: such as author, date, and place of writing. Some of these questions will be addressed in the scope of this work—though some are relegated to the footnotes.

Finally, the commentary itself is riddled with various excursi. These excursi are vital to the overall understanding of the book of Revelation and its application to the contemporary church.

As with any writer, there is always more to say. In fact, I said to much already. Earlier drafts of this work far exceeded the number of words in my original contract with Cascade Books. As I result, I had to delete a significant amount of the original content. I agree that the book is a better work as a result.

Rob Dalrymple

June

2023

1

. Unfortunately, the book of Revelation affirms that not all are redeemed.

Acknowledgments

First I want to thank my wife for her understanding when it came to the long hours and late nights that were needed to complete this task.

I also want to thank Ian Spencer for his input throughout this entire project. Ian is a gifted thinker and writer and his assistance throughout this project was tremendous. This book would not have been completed without his assistance. It certainly would not have been very good. I am privileged to consider Ian a friend.

In addition, I want to thank others who reviewed and commented on drafts and portions of this work: including, Jace Broadhurst, Carolyn Custis James, David Crump, Vinnie Angelo, Ian Paul, and Curtis Lillie.

I also want to thank everyone who attended my classes and seminars on the book of Revelation—especially my Wednesday night/Thursday morning Zoom Bible study (you are like a family to me). Thank you for allowing me the privilege to teach you and to speak into your life. Thank you for your feedback, questions, and critical examination of all that I taught.

Chapter 1

Introduction:Revelation as a Love Story

The Johannine story of salvation is in essence a love story.¹

The story underlying the Apocalypse is the story of Jesus.²

The slain Lamb’s victory through suffering love is the heart of the Revelation story.³

Introduction

This commentary contends that the book of Revelation is a narrative in which the redemption of the nations and the arrival of the New Creation are brought about through the faithful, loving, and sacrificial lives of God’s people. Consequently, the pressing questions of, When will His kingdom come in all its fullness?⁴ and How are the nations redeemed? are answered in the narrative pages of the book of Revelation with, As soon as the faithful, loving, and sacrificial witness of God’s people is finished.⁵ Hence, the book of Revelation is a love story.

That the book of Revelation is a love story should not come as a surprise—though I suspect it does. After all, the book of Revelation simply carries forward the story of Jesus.⁶ And the story of Jesus is that in Him, the kingdom of God has come and it has come through love. As perhaps the most famous verse in the Bible says, For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son (John 3:16).⁷ Paul also affirms, God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom 5:8). This is why Paul can say, the kindness of God leads you to repentance (Rom 2:4).

It is my conviction that the book of Revelation continues God’s grand love story and, in fact, it brings that story to its consummation.⁸

1

. Coloe and Schneiders, Dwelling in the Household of God, loc.

270

.

2

. Barr, Tales, loc.

167

.

3

. Rossing, Rapture Exposed,

135

.

4

. This question is expressed by the souls under the altar who cry out How long, Lord? (

6

:

10

).

5

. Bauckham has argued most persuasively that the theme of the conversion of the nations serves as the center of the prophetic message of Revelation (Bauckham, Climax,

238

).

6

. Richard Hays notes, The larger point, however, is not only that placing Revelation within the New Testament canon leads to a nonviolent reading of the text, but that the book’s vivid depictions of God, Christ, and the church must all be construed as part of a larger narrative whole (Hays, Revelation and the Politics of Apocalyptic Interpretation, loc.

1894)

.

7

. All citations of the biblical text outside of the book of Revelation are from the NAS. Those within the book of Revelation are the author’s.

8

. As N.T. Wright says, The story Revelation tells is the same story that all four Gospels tell (In Hays, Revelation and the Politics of Apocalyptic Interpretation, loc.

2760)

.

Chapter 2

The Structure of the Book of Revelation

A remarkable feature of the composition of Revelation is the way in which very many phrases occur two or three times in the book, often in widely separated passages, and usually in slightly varying form. These repetitions create a complex network of textual cross-reference, which helps to create and expand the meaning of any one passage by giving it specific relationships to many other passages. . . . We are dealing with . . . a skillfully deployed compositional device. One reason we can be sure of this is that such phrases almost never recur in precisely the same form. The author seems to have taken deliberate care to avoid the obviousness of precise repetition, while at the same time creating phrases which closely allude to each other.⁹

Introduction

In order to follow the narrative flow of the book of Revelation it is vital to recognize the structure of the book. As Stephen Dempster remarks, The structure of a literary work, particularly its beginning and ending, shapes its content. The structure provides a means of organizing the vast array of information, imparting form and contour to the material, arranging the many sub-plots into a larger pattern.¹⁰

Unfortunately, when it comes to recognizing the structure of the book of Revelation there has been little agreement within the scholarly world. At times it seems as though the number of proposals forms a one-to-one correspondence with the number of scholars.¹¹ Although there are many reasons why scholarship has not reached a consensus when it comes to the structure of the book of Revelation, the complexity of John’s presentation, and the rhetorical skill of the author, as Schüssler Fiorenza describes it, are certainly chief among them.¹² Yet, while it is true that John has woven a complex, literary masterpiece, it is my contention that he has not left us without clues: clues that he intended for us to find.

John’s Verbal Clues as Key Indicators of the Structure of the Book of Revelation

Richard Bauckham contends that the body of the book of Revelation has four major sections: 1:9–3:22; 4:1—16:22; 17:1—19:10; 21:9—22:9.¹³ Bauckham defends this conclusion by claiming that John’s primary tool for indicating the larger structure of the Apocalypse was verbal repetition: For structural markers to be effective in oral performance they needed to employ such precise verbal repetition.¹⁴ Bauckham adds, In a text intended for oral performance the structure must be indicated by clear linguistic markers.¹⁵

Although I largely agree with Bauckham’s assessment of the structure of the book of Revelation and John’s use of repetition as a means of indicating the macro-structure of the book of Revelation, I do not believe that Bauckham’s assertion that John uses verbatim repetition completely withstands scrutiny.¹⁶ John is notorious, as we will see, for varying phrases and expressions. In addition, it is difficult to determine what constitutes verbatim repetition. Furthermore, there are several instances in which John repeats something verbatim that does not indicate macro-structure.¹⁷

Therefore, it is my contention that Bauckham’s view needs an additional point of clarification. That is, John indicates major structural transitions within the book of Revelation by his use of verbal repetition and by the fact that these repetitions occur alongside significant transitions, most notably, a change of location for John himself. When it comes to minor transitions or transitions within the various scenes, John also employs verbal repetitions. This means that we can discern John’s indications of macro-structure (i.e., major transitions within the book) from those of micro-structure (i.e., transitions within a larger defined section) both by the extensiveness of the verbal repetition¹⁸ and by the presence of a change of location for John himself as he narrates his vision.

The Macro-Structure of the Book of Revelation

Prologue and Epilogue

It is widely recognized that the book of Revelation begins with a prologue (1:1–8) and ends with an epilogue (22:6–21).¹⁹ In the prologue, John identifies himself as the recipient of the vision (1:4). He also identifies his audience as the seven churches that are in Asia (1:4) and as those to whom he offers grace and peace (1:4). The epilogue contains a closing amen (22:20) and a final offer of grace to the reader/hearers (22:21).

The prologue and the epilogue are also marked with promises of blessing (1:3; 22:7, 14). The prologue offers a blessing for the one who reads,²⁰ for those who hear the words of the prophecy, and for those who keep them (1:3). The epilogue offers a blessing, which may also be understood as a warning, for, the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book (22:7).

Four main scenes²¹/sections and the fifth bridge section

In accordance with the proposal set forth by Bauckham and my clarification of it, I would affirm that the body of the book of Revelation (1:9—22:9) contains four main scenes or sections (1:9—3:22; 4:1—16:21; 17:1—19:10; 21:9—22:9).²²

There is also an additional section in 19:11—21:8, which functions as a bridge between the third and fourth scenes.²³ Because this is not a major section in the Apocalypse, that is, this section does not include a change of location for John and thus it is not a new scene, I am referring to it as a fifth section in order to distinguish it from the four major scenes—even though chronologically it is the fourth in terms of the order of the chapters within the book of Revelation.²⁴

In The Spirit and I Will Show You as Indicators of the Four Main Scenes

That the four main scenes form the basic outline of the book of Revelation is supported by the fact that they all begin with John being in the Spirit (1:10; 4:2), or being carried, away in the Spirit (17:3; 21:10).²⁵ In addition, the final three scenes include the added phrase, I will show you.²⁶

1:9–10: I, John, . . . was in the Spirit. . . .

4:1–2: After these things . . . , the first voice which I heard as a trumpet was speaking with me, saying, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after these things.’ Immediately I was in the Spirit. . . .

17:1–3: Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, ‘Come, I will show you the judgment of the great Prostitute who sits on many waters.’ And he carried me away in the Spirit.

21:9–10: And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, ‘come, and I will show you . . . and He carried me away in the Spirit . . . .

In accord with my proposition that the major transitions in the book of Revelation also serve to carry forth a narrative, it is important to note that each of these four scenes is marked by the fact that John is in a different location (Patmos, heaven, a wilderness, and a mountain). The first scene occurs with John in the Spirit on Patmos (1:9). In the second scene, he is in the Spirit and taken to heaven (4:1–2). In the third scene, John is in the Spirit and taken to a wilderness (17:3). Then, in the final scene, John is in the Spirit and taken to a great and high mountain (21:10). The change in locations (Patmos, heaven, a wilderness, and a mountain) provide natural transitions within a narrative work.²⁷ That these are the only occasions in the book of Revelation in which John is both in the Spirit and in which he changes locations serves as a justification for understanding them as indicators of major structural significance.²⁸

The fact that in each of these four instances, John is said to have been in the Spirit (1:10; 4:2), or that he was carried away in the Spirit (17:3; 21:10), that each of the latter three instances is marked by the use of come (4:1; 17:1; 21:9),²⁹ and I will show you (4:1; 17:1; 21:9), and the fact that in 4:1–2, 17:3, and 21:10 John changes locations, suggests that these four scenes serve as a major indication of structure in the book of Revelation.

Finally, that the latter three scenes all have the additional expression, and I will show you (4:1; 17:1; 21:9), which are the only occasions in which show appears as a future verb in the book of Revelation, also contends that these verses serve as an indicator of structural importance. We might note that the command to come and the accompanying phrase I will show you are absent from the opening scene (1:9–10). Does this not mitigate against the suggestion that John uses come (4:1; 17:1; 21:9) and I will show you (4:1; 17:1; 21:9) as a marker of major structural transition? The answer to this observation is fairly simple. That John is not commanded to come in 1:9–10 derives from the fact that this scene occurs where John is already at. He does not need to come or to go anywhere. Instead, Jesus comes to him! Furthermore, the absence of I will show you from the opening scene may be accounted for on the basis that what John sees in the opening scene relates to what is before him. That is, John does not need to be shown anything, all he must do is look and see. In the latter three scenes (4:1—16:21; 17:1—19:10; 21:9—22:9), however, John is taken somewhere in order that he may see something.³⁰

In light of the conclusion that the macro-structure of the book of Revelation is indicated by these four scenes, we can now begin to add some depth to our examination of the structure of the book of Revelation.

Revelation’s Four Major Scenes/Sections

In the opening scene or section, John is on the island of Patmos (1:9–3:22). John then sees the resurrected, glorified Jesus (1:12–20), who commands him to write what he sees and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea (1:11). The primary content in this scene are the seven messages³¹ to the seven churches (2:1—3:22).

A new scene appears in 4:1–2. This second scene, the heavenly vision, comprises the central section of the book of Revelation (4:1—16:21).³² In this scene, John is in the Spirit (4:2) and taken to heaven where he sees the Father: i.e., the One sitting on the throne (4:2). As the scene develops, John sees that there is a Scroll in the Father’s hand (5:1), which, much to John’s chagrin, no one was worthy to open (5:3–4). John is then relieved when he learns that the Lamb of God who was slain is worthy to open the scroll (5:5–6).

The third (17:1—19:10) and fourth scenes (21:9—22:9) clearly parallel one another.³³ This is evident in that they begin with virtually identical introductions:

And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, ‘Come, I will show you the judgment of the great Prostitute who sits on many waters’ (

17

:

1

).

And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb’ (

21

:

9

).

In addition, the endings of these two scenes parallel one another in that each closes with John falling down to worship an angel (19:10; 22:8), only to be told not to do that, but to worship God (19:10; 22:9):³⁴

Do not do that; I am a fellow-servant of yours and your brothers and sisters who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God (

19

:

10

).

Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brothers and sisters the prophets and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God (

22

:

9

).³⁵

Furthermore, these two scenes are thematically connected. Both describe women—the third scene narrates the account of the Great Prostitute (17:5) and the fourth scene tells us of the Bride (21:9)—which are actually two cities.

The final two scenes, therefore, are contrasting depictions of two women that are in fact cities.

The (Fifth) Bridge Scene 19:11—21:8

³⁶

It is my conviction that 19:11—21:8 functions as an independent section in the Apocalypse. This section is organized around the repeated phrase And I saw, which occurs eight times in this section (19:11, 17, 19; 20:1, 4, 11, 12; 21:1).³⁷

The first And I saw (19:11) serves to introduce the account of the Second Coming of Jesus (19:11–16) and the eighth and final And I saw (21:1) marks the introduction of the new creation.

In the middle of this bridge section, the phrase And I saw occurs six times. These six occurrences form three pairs (19:17, 19; 20:1, 4; and 20:11, 12). The first pair forms the subunit of 19:17–21 and presents the final judgment of the Beast and the False Prophet. The second pair forms the subunit of 20:1–10 and describes the final judgment of the Dragon/Satan (20:1–10).³⁸ The third pair forms the subunit 20:11–15 and recounts the final judgment of everyone whose name has not been found written in the book of life (20:15). It should be noted that each of these three middle units concludes with enemies of Christ being cast into the Lake of Fire (19:20; 20:10; 20:14).

Although this bridge scene is clearly set apart from the accounts of the two women/cities, this does not intend to diminish the significance of this scene within the overall narrative of the book of Revelation. In particular, this bridge scene necessarily presents the coming of Christ and the final judgment of the Beasts, the Dragon/Satan, and Death/Hades, and in doing so, paves the way for the descent of the Holy City/New Jerusalem.

9

. Bauckham, Climax,

22

.

10

. Dempster, Dominion and Dynasty, 46

.

11

. Barr, Tales, loc.

391

–

93

. See also: Bauckham, Climax,

1

–

37

; Beale, Revelation,

108

–

51

; Yarbro Collins, Combat Myth,

5

–

55

; Schüssler Fiorenza, Composition,

344

–

66; and her, Revelation,

159

–

80

; Giblin, Structural,

487

–

504

; Sweet, Revelation,

35

.

12

. See Schüssler Fiorenza, Revelation, loc.

540

–

41

; also Bauckham, Climax,

1

.

13

. Note that Bauckham’s delineation has omitted

19

:

11

—

21

:

8

. I will address this below.

14

. Bauckham, Climax,

23

.

15

. Bauckham, Climax,

3

; emphasis original.

16

. Though the point at hand may well be what does Bauckham mean by verbatim.

17

. For example, each of the seven messages repeats verbatim, Let the one who has an ear hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches (

2

:

7

,

11

,

17

,

29

;

3

:

6

,

13

,

22

). Also, both

21

:

5

and

22

:

6

repeat the expression, these words are faithful and true. Yet these verses are not an indication of macro-structure.

18

. Though, contrary to Bauckham, the instances of extensive repetition are not always absolutely verbatim (

4

:

1

,

17

:

1

;

21

:

9

).

19

. Though virtually all of scholarship agrees with this, many contend that the epilogue begins in

22

:

9

. In doing so, they overlook the fact that several times in the Apocalypse John overlaps sections. Thus,

22

:

6

–

8

serves as both the conclusion of

21

:

9

—

22

:

9

and as the opening of the epilogue (

22

:

6

–

21

).

20

. Note that Rev

1

:

3

includes a blessing to the one who reads (singular) and those who hear (plural). This is singular because in the ancient world, they did not have a Bible in every pew. They would, in fact, be fortunate to have a single copy of a book. That single copy was then read aloud to everyone else who heard" it.

21

. That they are scenes derives from the fact that John is writing a narrative and that they take place in a different location.

22

. Part of the complexity of the structure of the book of Revelation is evident in the fact that John overlaps some sections. Thus,

22

:

6

–

9

serve as both the beginning of the epilogue and as the conclusion to the fourth scene. By overlapping sections, John informs his reader/hearers that there is an overall unity to the book. Bauckham notes, To insist on assigning these verses to only one or other of these sections, as most previous scholars have done, is to misunderstand John’s literary methods, among which are the overlapping and interweaving of sections of his work (Bauckham, Climax,

5

).

23

. Bauckham labels this bridge scene as a single section describing the transition from one to the other (Bauckham, Climax,

5

).

24

. Recognizing this section as a distinct section within the book of Revelation is significant when it comes to the interpretation of the millennium passage (

20

:

4

–

6

) and questions pertaining to the Great White Throne judgment (

20

:

11

–

15

).

25

. Which Bauckham would suggest are verbatim repetitions.

26

. I will address why the first section does not contain, I will show you below.

27

. This is similar to the way Luke structures his narrative. The Gospel of Luke indicates major changes by including a significant transition, usually consisting of a scene change with new characters and a new topic. For example, note how the narrative of Luke

15

:

1

—

17

:

10

is an extended section. The parables of Luke

15

:

3

–

32

, which are in response to the Pharisees and scribes grumbling (

15

:

1

–

2

) are carried along with simple transitions: And He told them this parable (

15

:

3

); And He said (

15

:

11

). Luke

16

:

1

begins, Now he was also saying to His disciples. The only transition that Luke provides us with is the fact that Jesus now turns to address His disciples. Note that in Luke

16

:

14

, Luke introduces new dialogue partners, but not a change of scene: Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening (

16

:

14

). The beginning of Luke

17

continues the previous section also. It begins with, And He said to His disciples (

17

:

1

). It is not until we reach

17

:

11

–

12

that Luke changes scenes by introducing new characters and a new location: While He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee. As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him. . . .

28

. See Tenney, Interpreting Revelation,

33

; Ladd, Revelation,

14

; Bauckham, Climax,

3

; Beale, Revelation,

111

; Smith, Structure,

384

–

92

.

29

. That John uses the adverb come in

17

:

1

and

21

:

9

and not the verb as in

4

:

1

may be accounted for more because of John’s desire to connect

17

:

1

—

19

:

10

and

21

:

9

—

22

:

9

than to disconnect them from

4

:

1

—

16

:

21

.

30

. Note: one should not understand the phrase I will show you as though John was seeing the future. Instead, I will show you (

4

:

1

;

17

:

1

;

21

:

9

) refers to what will happen when John is obedient and comes. This is an important distinction. John is writing a vision report. What happens next often refers to the order of events within the vision and not the order of events as they occur in space-time.

31

. Bauckham adamantly asserts that the messages to the seven churches are not letters as they are commonly referred to, but something more along the lines of messages (private correspondence, June

2022

). That the seven messages are introduced with the common expression, Thus says (

2

:

1

,

8

,

12

,

18

;

3

:

1

,

7

,

14

), which in the LXX regularly introduces the message of a prophet, certainly justifies the conclusion that they are seven prophetic messages and not letters. See Smalley, Revelation,

60

.

32

. Barr divides this scene into two movements (Barr, Tales of the End,

11

–

23

.). Barr’s proposal, however, fails to account for the fact that John utilizes a change of scene for himself, who is carried away in the spirit and shown something as a means of identifying major structural transitions. What Barr presents as his third story (

12

–

22

) has no such change of scenery. And though, as I will discuss in the commentary below, Barr is correct that there is a transition that occurs in

12

:

1

(or

11

:

19

), the transition is within the section and should be not considered as the beginning of a new section.

33

. Bauckham asserts, "These structural markers delimiting the two parallel sections—

17

:

1

—

19

:

10

and

21

:

9

—

22

:

9

–are so clear that it is astonishing that so many attempts to discern the structure of Revelation have ignored them" (Bauckham, Climax,

4

).

34

. The fact that John clearly identifies the end of each of these two scenes by means of the similar endings, affirms that

19

:

11

—

21

:

8

functions as a bridge section between these two sections.

35

. The parallel structure of the two accounts provides an explanation as to why John attempts to worship an angel for the second time. One might have thought that John learned his lesson from his first attempt and the accompanying rebuke (

19

:

10

). Why would he do so a second time? In fact, on the second occurrence, John even says, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel (

22

:

8

). If, however, the repetition of his ill-warranted action serves as a structural device, then the difficulty is alleviated.

36

. It is not uncommon for many to view this bridge section as a part of the narrative of the Great Prostitute. John Christopher Thomas outlines the book of Revelation in the exact same manner as I have done, except he fails to recognize this bridge section as a distinct section in the book of Revelation. See Koester, Oxford Handbook,

331

–

51

.

37

. Many scholars have identified the use of And I saw in this unit but have mistakenly asserted that it occurs seven times. How they arrive at seven, when there are indisputably eight occurrences is somewhat baffling. See Bauckham, Climax,

5

–

6

.

38

. It cannot be overstated the importance of recognizing the structure of this section for the discussion of the millennium passage.

Chapter 3

Reading Revelation as a Narrative

It is easy to miss the most important thing for understanding the Apocalypse: it is a narrative.³⁹

It is my contention that it is necessary to read the book of Revelation narratively: that is, in light of the narrative, or narratives, that John is setting forth. In particular, the first two scenes (1:9—3:22 and 4:1—16:21) present two stories.

The First Story/Scene: John on Patmos (1:9—3:22)

The first narrative takes place with John on the island of Patmos (1:9). The story opens with John hearing a voice like a trumpet (1:10) which instructs him to write what he sees and to send it to the seven churches (1:10–11). In writing the seven messages to the seven churches, John carries out what he was instructed to do by the voice in 1:10–11.

At this point, we might expect the book of Revelation to conclude. After all, as David Barr points out, In the first story John is commissioned to write to the seven churches; and he does so. And when that task is finished, the audience has no reason to suppose there’s anything more to the story. But instead of ending, the story simply shifts as a door opens in the sky and John is told to ascend.⁴⁰

The story, however, does not come to an end. Instead, 4:1—16:21 presents us with a second, though intimately related, story/scene.

The Second Story/Scene: John in Heaven; the Heavenly Vision (4:1—16:21)

The second and, perhaps, central story in the narrative of the book of Revelation, begins in 4:1–2 where John is taken to heaven (4:2).

The story begins with John seeing the Father sitting on a throne (4:2).⁴¹ As the story continues, John adds that the Father has a Scroll in His right hand that is sealed shut with seven Seals (5:1). The suspense increases when we learn that no one was able . . . to open the book or to look at it (5:3). John, in fact, begins to weep because no one was able to open the Scroll (5:4). His concerns, however, are allayed when He learns that Jesus, the Lamb, is able to open the Scroll (5:5–6). Jesus then takes the Scroll from the Father’s hand (5:7).

This second story continues as Jesus begins to open the Scroll by breaking each of its seven Seals (6:1–17; 8:1). Although we are led to anticipate the revealing of the Scroll’s contents after the breaking of the Seventh Seal, we are instead introduced to seven angels who are given Seven Trumpets (8:2).

It is not until 10:1–11 that Scroll reappears. John sees another strong angel (10:1), who has in his hand a Scroll which was open (10:2).⁴² John then hears a voice from heaven (10:8), which tells him to take the Scroll from the angel. John subsequently asks the angel for the Scroll (10:9) and is instructed by the angel to Take it [the Scroll] and eat it (10:9), which he does. Then he is told, You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings (10:11).⁴³

As we can see, the narrative drama builds. John’s reader/hearers, and even the modern reader, anxiously await the revealing of the contents of the Scroll. John has eaten the Scroll and is commanded to prophesy. This is followed by the account of the measuring of the temple (11:1–2) and the Two Witnesses (11:3–13).⁴⁴ Because, as I will argue in the commentary, the account of the Two Witnesses (11:1–13) presents the contents of John’s prophecy, and thereby the contents of the Scroll, it is my contention that it serves as the central narrative of the book of Revelation.

The Focus of John’s Narrative

It is my contention that Revelation’s narrative centers first on God as the sovereign King and Jesus as the Lamb whose death and resurrection have inaugurated God’s eschatological plan for redeeming humanity and the creation—all of which is contained on the Scroll.

As the narrative proceeds we learn that God delays the final consummation in order that the nations may repent. The nations, however, continue to be ruled by those in power. Tragically, human governing brings war, bloodshed, famine, and death upon humanity (Seals 1–4) and upon the created realm (Trumpets 1–4). The nations, however, not only fail to repent (9:20–21), even though they can see that human governing only brings harm, they actually worship the demonic hordes that reside behind humanity’s ruling power. Furthermore, the nations wage war against Christ and the people of God (Trumpets 5–6).⁴⁵

The war against Christ and the people of God results in the death of God’s people (11:7). It is through their death and subsequent resurrection (11:11), however, that the nations are brought to repentance.

Two Key Themes: God’s Throne and the Nations

⁴⁶

The view of this commentary then is that the main narrative of the book of Revelation centers around both the throne of God and the conversion of the nations.

At the opening of the second story, the throne of God is in heaven (4:2). It is not until the fourth scene (21:9—22:9) that the throne of God descends to the New Creation (21:10). This raises the question, What is needed so that the throne of God may descend and establish the New Creation? The answer, so it seems, is that the nations must first be redeemed.

It is important to note that the nations play an important, and albeit complex, role in the narrative of the book of Revelation. Throughout the story, they appear opposed to the work of God and His people.⁴⁷ They are, in fact, aligned with the Dragon and the Beasts. Despite the nations’ opposition to the people of God and Lamb, however, the book of Revelation affirms that The nations will walk by its [the Holy city/New Jerusalem’s] light and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it [the Holy City/New Jerusalem] (21:24).

This leads us to a second key question, which I will contend the narrative Revelation endeavors to answer: How is it that the nations are brought to repentance? It is my contention that the redemption of the nations occurs as a result of the faithful, loving, and sacrificial witness⁴⁸ of God’s people.⁴⁹ Or, as Barr suggests, John is never far from his conviction that the divine will prevails through the faithful witness rather than through the exercise of power.⁵⁰

This implies that the reason for the delay in God’s throne coming down out of heaven is that God is, in fact, waiting for the redemption of the nations. Now, although the book of Revelation does not state explicitly that God delays in order that the nations may have time to repent, it is my contention that it is implicit in the reply to the plea for justice by the souls under the altar in 6:10. In response to their plea, they are told that they must be patient because not all those who are to suffer for the sake of the Gospel have suffered (6:11). But if it is the suffering of the people of God that leads to the redemption of the nations, then it is reasonable to conclude that the delay in the descent of the Holy City and the throne of God also awaits the redemption of the nations. Thus, it is my contention that the storyline of the book of Revelation asserts that the nations⁵¹ are redeemed through the faithful, loving, and sacrificial witness of the people of God.

This is why I believe that the book of Revelation is a love story. After all, just as Jesus’s love led Him to the cross, so also, it is through the loving, sacrificial deaths of the people of God that the nations are redeemed.

39

. Barr, Tales, loc.

149

.

40

. Barr, Tales, loc.

4543

–

51

.

41

. That the One on the throne is the Father is warranted by the reference to the Father’s throne in

3

:

21

.

42

. A narrative reading of the book of Revelation, as I will contend in the commentary, virtually demands that we recognize that the Scroll in

10

:

1

–

11

is the same Scroll that Jesus took from the Father’s hand and subsequently broke each of its Seven Seals. After all, this scroll is opened, which is precisely what one would expect if its seven seals have been broken. See Bauckham, Climax,

243

–

57

.

43

. I will contend in the commentary, that John’s eating of the scroll, ala Ezekiel (Ezek

2

:

8

—

3

:

3

), is the point of his commissioning as a prophet.

44

. I have argued that

11

:

1

–

13

forms one unified account. See my Two Witnesses,

40

–

44

.

45

. This is not made explicit, however, until

16

:

14

,

16

,

19

:

19

, and

20

:

8

.

46

. In chapter

9

of Follow the Lamb, I present an overview of the book of Revelation as a story. In that chapter, I focus on the fact that one of the elements of the story is that God is answering the prayers of the saints.

47

. Of course, the people of God are from the nations (

5

:

9

;

7

:

9

).

48

. The word witness will be a key to understanding the role of God’s people in the book of Revelation. We must note, however, that the modern sense of sharing our faith/testimony is too limiting for what witness means in the NT and the book of Revelation in particular. As we will see from our study, the ultimate witness is in laying down one’s life for the sake of the other as Jesus did. To witness, in other words, is to love and serve. See Trites, Witness.

49

. Those familiar with the NT will note that the message of the book of Revelation is the same message as is found throughout the NT.

50

. Barr, Story John Told,

19

.

51

. I do not intend to suppose that everyone from every nation is redeemed. The book of Revelation clearly depicts that some are thrown into the Lake of Fire (

20

:

15

;

21

:

8

).

Chapter 4

Understanding John’s Purpose

If we read [Revelation] to discover something about Jesus Christ, we shall be served royally! Do it for that reason alone, to reveal the riches of the person of Christ and the significance of the events of his death and resurrection for the future of the world.⁵²

Writing from late-apartheid South Africa, Allan Boesak suggests that: ‘Those who do not know this suffering through oppression, who do not struggle together with God’s people for the sake of the gospel, and who do not feel in their own bodies the meaning of oppression and the freedom and joy of fighting