PREFACE
I have just finished the Gospel of John this past week; I will be using the same format I used in my exegesis of John's Epistles and the Gospel. I will write out the text from the King James Version, and then below that I will give my personal translation in italics, with the letters, LGT [literal Greek translation]. Below that I will write out my exposition of the passage, seeking to keep very clear and contextual. My plan is to keep my exposition brief but accurate and I want you kids to use it as a stepping-stone to your own expositions that can be more detailed. I hope I am able to lay a foundation that you all can build on and then share with one another what you have learned. As we know, no one has the spiritual gifts in this age of grace, so any one can learn the Word of God, regardless of IQ or education; so keep studying diligently and you will be rewarded with great treasures from the Scriptures.
Of course, I will be using the literal method of interpretation, as this is the only way to be assured of being accurate. There are two methods of interpretation used by the so-called Christian Church. There is the allegorical method, the method which puts an emphasis on spiritualizing a given text, giving the interpreter a whole range of speculating on Scriptures, which began with Origen, and continued by Augustine, who picked up this allegorical method, and is considered the stalwart Bible expositor for the Roman Catholic Church. By using this allegorical method, Augustine puts his emphasis on the Creed of the Church, and he reads into the Word to make it fit what the 'Holy Fathers' had already decided as Church Dogma. Just as we use Grace as our great divider of truth, most churches today, including Roman Catholicism, use the allegorical method of interpretation. The true method of interpretation is the literal method, which is the grammatical-historical method. Tertullian down to Diodorus of Tarsus the founder of the school of Antioch used the literal method. There were two Schools in the early Church, the School of Alexandria, which was represented by the allegorical teaching of Origen and Augustine, that of perverting the Scriptures by spiritualizing them. And the School of Antioch, which used the literal method, that is, the grammatical-historical method. Diodorus was the teacher of Chrysostum and Theodore of Mopsuestia and their method of interpretation was rejected by the early Catholic Church as heretical, and wasn't accepted until the Middle Ages [aka] the Dark Ages, by the Protestant Reformers. (Pentecost gives a good account of this issue in his textbook, Things to Come).
A good example of the two methods of interpretation can be illustrated by John the Baptist pointing at Jesus and saying, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Now, using the literal method we would conclude that the Lamb of God is a metaphor [a figure of speech] that represents God offering His only begotten Son as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. In the OT a lamb without blemish would be offered for the sins of the people, so we know that this expression by John the Baptist is a reference to Christ as the Lamb of God that was typified by the OT sacrifice. Christ is the fulfillment of all OT prophecies concerning salvation by Christ. So we have a literal interpretation with recognition of a metaphor. Now, if we were to interpret this passage allegorically, we would be at liberty to spiritualize the phrase Lamb of God as referring to the gentleness of the Savior; that He saves by his gentleness and His love, not by the sacrifice by His shedding of His precious blood. The allegorical method of interpretation leaves a wide-open field for perversion. I will be very careful in my exposition to use the literal method of hermeneutics [interpretation]. The last point I will make concerning the literal method of interpretation is that in most cases whenever John uses a symbol it has its counterpart in the Old Testament. I will note these OT Scriptures as we come to them. God bless you all as you study along with me this wonderful Word of God.
Introduction
What is the date of the book?
The date of the book was c. A.D. 95.
"There are two chief theories, the Neronic, soon after Nero's death, the other in the reign of Domitian. Irenaeus is quoted by Eusebius as saying expressly that the Apocalypse of John was written at the close of the reign of Domitian. This testimony is concurred in by Clement of Alexandria, by Origen, by Eusebius, by Jerome. In harmony with this clear testimony of the persecutions suit the later date better than an earlier one. There is, besides, in Rev. 17:11f. an apparent reference to the story that Nero would return again. The fifth king who is one of the seven is an eighth. There was a Nero legend, to be sure, that Nero either was not dead but was in Parthia, or would be redivivus [brought back to life] after death. Juvenal termed Domitian a bald Nero and others called Domitian a second Nero. But in spite of all this Hort, Lightfoot, Sanday, Wescott have argued strongly for the Neronic era. Peake is willing to admit allusions to the Neronic period as Swete is also, but both consider the Domitianic date the best supported. Moffatt considers any earlier date than Domitian almost impossible" (A. T. Robertson).
Who wrote the book?
The Apostle John wrote Revelation as it was revealed directly to Him in a series of visions. John also wrote the Gospel and three Epistles. John stresses Christ's deity in the Gospel assuming His humanity; In the Epistles John stresses Christ's humanity, assuming His deity; In Revelation John stresses the glory of Christ. John was the only apostle who was eye-witness of the 'Glorified Christ.' Paul did not see Christ in His glorified state for he was blinded by the brightness of Christ's Glory. Paul remained blind for three days. John sees Christ in a vision as the Reigning Christ now in heaven.
What is the background for the book?
It is traditionally believed by many early historians and early church leaders from Polycarp and Tertulian on, that John was imprisoned on the Isle of Patmos to work in the mines with the other prisoners during the reign of Domitian
"There is no doubt at all that the emperor cult (emperor worship) played a main part in the persecution of the Christians that was the occasion for this great Christian apocalypse. The book itself bears ample witness to this fact, if the two beasts refer to the Roman power as the agent of Satan. It is not possible to single out each individual emperor in the graphic picture. Most would take the dragon to be Satan and the first and the second beasts to be the imperial and provincial Roman power. The Roman emperors posed as gods and did the work of Satan. In particular there were two persecuting emperors (Nero and Domitian) who were responsible for many martyrs for Christ. But emperor worship began before Nero. Julius Caesar was worshipped in the provinces. Octavius was called Augustus (Sebastos, Reverend). The crazy emperor Caius Caligula not simply claimed to be divine, but actually demanded that his statue be set up for worship in the Holy of Holies in the Temple in Jerusalem. He was killed in January A.D. 41 before he could execute his dire purpose. But the madcap Nero likewise demanded worship and blamed in A.D. 64 the burning of Rome on the Christians, though guilty of it himself. He set the style for persecuting Christians, which slumbered on and burst into flames again under Domitian, who had himself commonly termed Dominus ac Deus noster (Our Lord and God). The worship of the emperor did not disturb the worshippers of other gods save the Jews and the Christians, and in particular the Christians were persecuted after the burning of Rome when they were distinguished from the Jews. Up till then Christians were regarded (as by Gallio in Corinth) as a variety of Jews and so entitled to tolerance as a religio licita [religious license], but they had no standing in law by themselves and their refusal to worship the emperor early gave offence, as Paul indicates in 1 Cor. 12:3. It was Kurios Iesous [Lord Jesus] or Kurios Kaisar [Lord Caesar]. On this very issue Polycarp lost his life. The emperors as a rule were tolerant about it, save Nero and Domitian, who was called Nero redivius, or Nero back again. Trajan in his famous letter to Pliny advised tolerance except in stubborn cases, when the Christians had to be put to death. After Nero it was a crime to be a Christian and all sorts of slanders about them were circulated. We have seen already in 2 Thess, 2:3ff., the man of sin who sets himself above God as the object of worship. We have seen also in 1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 7 the term antichrist applied apparently to Gnostic heretics. One may wonder if, as Beckwith argues, in the Apocalypse the man of sin and the antichrist are united in the beast [this will all be made clear as we come to this subject]" (Word Pictures of the New Testament - A.T. Robertson).
What is the purpose of the book?
The purpose of the book is the unveiling of the mysteries that await the Church from the seven churches throughout the then occupied world through the consummation of all things at the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth when He will set up His earthly Kingdom, and He will reign for a thousand literal years, known as the 'Millennium.' "So considered, this vision of the Reigning Christ in heaven with a constant eye on the suffering saints and martyrs is a guarantee of certain triumph in heaven and ultimate triumph on earth. The picture of Christ in heaven is a glorious one. He is the Lamb that was slain, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Word of God, the victor over His enemies, worshipped in heaven like the Father, the Light and Life of men. Instead of trying to fit the various symbols on particular individuals one will do better to see the same application to times of persecution from time to time through the ages. The same Christ who was the Captain of Salvation in the time of Domitian is the Pioneer of our faith today. The Apocalypse of John gives glimpses of heaven as well as of hell. Hope is the word that it brings to God's people at all times" (Robertson).
Where and when did John write the book?
Many expositors believe John wrote Revelation from Ephesus after his exile. I believe that the internal evidence of the book will reveal to us that he wrote it immediately as it was dictated to him. I have no reason to argue the case one way or the other.
"The best authorities among the Fathers state that John was exiled under Domitian (Irenaeus, v., 30; Clement of Alexandria; Eusebius, 'Ecclesiastical History,' 3:20). Victorinus says that he had to labor in the mines of Patmos. At Domitian's death, 95 A. D., he returned to Ephesus under the emperor Nerva. Some think it was immediately after his return that he wrote the account of the visions vouchsafed [given to him as privileged information] in Patmos (ch. 1:2, 9). But ch. 10:4 seems to imply that he wrote the visions immediately after seeing them. Patmos is one of the Sporades, in circumference about thirty miles. 'It was fitting that when forbidden to go beyond certain bounds of the earth, he was permitted to penetrate the secrets of heaven,' (Bede). Irenaeus says, 'Revelation was seen no long time ago, almost in our own generation, at the close of Domitian's reign.' Revelation has several coincidences of phrases and thought with the preceding epistles of Saints Paul and Peter. The Pauline benediction (ch. 1:4) implies it was written after Paul's death, which was under Nero; for, during St. Paul's life, St. John would have avoided the characteristic greeting of St. Paul" (A. R. Fausset).
What is the style of the book?
As I noted in the preface John used symbols and figurative language throughout the book. I also noted that the book must be interpreted literally and that it is impossible to spiritualize and use the allegorical method to get the real meaning of the text. As we study this wonderful book we will let the Word speak for itself without intruding into the Truth with our own suppositions and speculations.
"The style is figurative and symbolical. It deals with principles rather than particular events. To the neglect of this characteristic, and the corresponding attempt to link the symbols and prophecies with specific historical incidents or persons, are due most of the extravagances of interpretation. No satisfactory argument against its authenticity can be drawn from its content as related to the other writings of John. It proclaims the same eternal truths which are asserted and vindicated in the Gospel and the Epistles - the sovereignty of God, the conflict of sin with righteousness, the temporary triumph of evil, and the final decisive victory of holiness. As in the other writings, Christ is the central figure, the conqueror of sin and death, the crowning joy of the redeemed, and the object of their adoration. It emphasizes the divine hatred of sin and the certainty of the divine judgment of the wicked and of the future bliss of believers in Jesus. The main idea of the Gospel and of the Apocalypse is the same - that of a decisive conflict between the powers of good and evil.
The symbolism of the apocalypse is Jewish, and not Greek or Roman. It is pervaded with the style and imagery of the Old Testament, and is molded by its historical and prophetical books. 'The book,' says Professor Milligan, 'is absolutely steeped in the memories, the incidents, the thoughts, and the language of the church's past. To such an extent is this the case that it may be doubted whether it contains a single figure not drawn from the Old Testament, or a single complete sentence not more or less built up of materials brought from the same source. . . . It is a perfect mosaic of passages from the Old Testament, at one time quoted verbally, at another referred to by distinct allusion; now taken from one scene in Jewish history, and now again from two or three together.'
The symbols of the book are drawn from objects familiar to the writer - the locusts, the eagles, the millstone, the olive and palm and vine" (Word Studies in the New Testament - Marvin R. Vincent).
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