UNDERSTANDING
THE BOOK OF REVELATION
Part
One
An
Honest Look at the Text
By
Gary Ray Branscome
The
Book of Revelation opens by telling us that it was given by God to reveal
things for which the time was “at hand” and which would “shortly come to pass”
(Revelation 1:1, 3). Those words not only tell us that this book is a book of
prophecy, but also that it speaks of things in the past, things that have
already taken place, as well as things in the future.
That
being said, one of the biggest disagreements between those who interpret this
book has to do with whether the words of the text are literal or figurative.
However, I am convinced that both sides in that disagreement miss the point. It
is not the words which are figurative, but the dream or vision which those
words describe. Let me explain:
Genesis
41:1-7 describes a dream which Pharaoh had. And, that dream was highly
figurative. However, that does not mean that the words that tell us about that
dream are figurative. On the contrary, the Bible tells us in plain literal
words that Pharaoh saw seven thin cows eat seven fat cows. There is nothing
figurative about the words of the text. It was the dream that was figurative,
not the words used to describe it. And, the same holds true for the Book of
Revelation. It is the dream/vision that is figurative, not the words that
describe it.
Having said that, I need to make it clear that the “literal” meaning of
the text is the natural, grammatical meaning of the words – the same meaning
that the words would have in everyday conversation – not some artificial
meaning that excludes any figure of speech. As Dr. Robert Preus put it:
“The literal sense of Scripture is the
meaning, or tenor, that the words directly and obviously convey. For instance,
in John 3:16 the literal sense is immediately clear. But there is also a
literal sense to those passages that are tropical and figurative. Such passages
we do not read superficially according to the surface tenor of the words, as
when Herod is called a fox or when we are to cut off a hand that offends us —
such an interpretation would be absurd. In figurative statements of this kind,
not only the words according to their native sense but also the thing or point
(res) that the words express according to their quondam imagery must be
considered. The literal sense, then, is the sense intended by the writer,
whatever trope or genre is used. Figures of speech, words, and even ideas all
have their literal sense. And the literal sense (meaning, intention) of a
pericope is drawn from all these ingredients. Glassius makes it quite clear
that the literal sense of a Scripture passage or pericope is not necessarily
identical with the surface meaning of the words, but the genre of the text or
the tropes therein must also be ascertained, when necessary, to determine the
literal sense of a text.” [TTOPRL, pages 321-322.]
That being
understood, as we read the text we need to distinguish between the words, which
give us a literal description of what John saw, and the dream/vision which is
highly figurative. For example: In chapter twelve the Bible tells us, in plain
literal language, that John saw a woman, clothed in the sun, who was giving
birth to Christ (verses 1-5). Now, it should be obvious that even though those
verses are describing Christ’s birth, they are not describing literal earthy
events that actually took place in
An Overview of the Book
Although the Book of
Revelation contains many different scenes which some might view as separate
visions, because many of those visions relate to one another and seem to fit
together, I believe that there are three primary visions. Those are; 1) The
vision of Christ and the seven churches, 2) The vision of the heavenly throne,
the seven seals, and the seven trumpets, and 3) The vision of the dragon, the
beast and the false prophet. I realize that those visions contain much more than
just what I mentioned, but as I go through them one by one I will explain how
the various parts relate to one another and why I think they should be grouped
that way.
I also need to point out
that visions given by God often have two aspects to them; 1) what is seen, and
2) what is said. For example: The dream that God gave to Pharaoh consisted only
of what he saw. However, the first time an angel spoke to Joseph in a dream, he
not only saw an angel, but he received a message from the angel, saying, “do
not be afraid to take Mary as your wife etc. (Matthew
For example: I mentioned
previously that chapter twelve begins with a vision of a woman clothed in the
sun, who was giving birth to Christ (verses 1-5). Of course Catholics assume that the woman is
Mary. But, what does the Bible say? Well, when we look for statements that
might give us a clue, we find that the last verse of chapter twelve says, “the dragon was angry with the woman, and went to make war against
the rest of her children, who keep God’s commandments, and have the testimony
of Jesus Christ”.
As you read that
statement, notice that the woman is the mother
of those who have the testimony of Jesus Christ. On the surface that seems like
an odd statement. However, the words of Galatians
Conclusion
Two key things to remember are, 1) the distinction between
the words of the text (which are literal) and the images John saw (which are
figurative), and 2) The fact that the vision consists of both what was seen and
what was heard. Also, as you read the Book of Revelation do not fail to notice
the many doctrinal statements that are often overlooked. For example: “To him
who loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,” (Rev. 1:5 and 5:9).
Or, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, says the Lord, who is,
and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty” (Rev. 1:8).
In the next
section we will examine the vision of Christ and his message to the seven
churches.