The
Book of Revelation was
the discussion topic of Great Books KC at its monthly meeting on December
6. That discussion group started in 2004, and I introduced it in a blog post
for the first time in October 2014 (see here).
Although
I attended regularly for many years, last month I attended Great Books KC again
for the first time since last December. They have a “rule” that each year some
book of the Bible will be discussed, and last year that book was the Old
Testament book of Job.
Especially
since this year’s selected book of the Bible was Revelation, I made the effort
to drive down to the Plaza Branch of the Kansas City Public Library to attend
and take an active part in the discussion of that last book of the Bible,
which is so often misunderstood and misused.
While
some of the 13 attendees (most of whom participated via Zoom) had a fairly good
understanding of Revelation, several were clearly perplexed by it and some seemed
to have a serious misunderstanding, which is seemingly true of the general
public.
Misunderstanding
of Revelation was augmented by Hal Lindsey, who died last month, two days after his 95th
birthday. Most of you recognize his name and remember him as the author of The
Late Great Planet Earth (1970).
Lindsey’s
book sold more than 10 million copies before the end of the 1970s, becoming the
best-selling nonfiction book of the decade. By this and his later books,
Lindsey “brought the once-obscure theology of dispensationalist
premillennialism into the mainstream.”
Moreover,
“Lindsey’s books demonstrated an incredible appetite for apocalyptic
speculation … and paved the way for many other prophecy writers, including Tim
LaHaye, Jerry Jenkins, and Joel Rosenberg …. introducing wide audiences to the
concepts of the Rapture, the Antichrist, and the mark of the beast.”*2
In
March 2015, nearly ten years ago, I made a blog post titled “Do You Believe in the Rapture.” Although I did not mention
Revelation, the widespread belief in what dispensationalist Christians call the Rapture
is based on a literal interpretation of Revelation and, to a lesser degree, on
a few other parts of the Bible.*3
Belief
in the Rapture is one of the major misinterpretations of Revelation that has
been held by many Christians since the early part of the 20th
century, and especially since Lindsey’s 1970 book.
In
my remarks at the Great Books KC December meeting, I emphasized the following points,
which I am now sharing briefly.
**
Revelation was
written primarily for the Jesus-followers who were living “then and there”
rather than for people “here and now.”
** Revelation was written in apocalyptic
language that should be taken seriously, but not literally. As N.T. Wright
writes, Revelation “is full of strange, lurid and sometimes bizarre and violent
imagery.” That eminent New Testament scholar goes on to say,
This book in fact offers one of the clearest and sharpest visions of God’s ultimate purpose for the whole creation, and of the way in which the powerful forces of evil, at work in a thousand ways but not least in idolatrous and tyrannous political systems, can be and are being overthrown through the victory of Jesus the Messiah and the consequent costly victory of his followers.
(These quotes are from the Introduction of Wright’s 2011 book Revelation for Everyone.)
** Despite
all the violence depicted in Revelation, the focus is clearly on the non-violent
Lamb, the historical Jesus who was crucified and resurrected.
Revelation,
properly understood, has a direct link to Christmas. By far, the best-known part of Messiah,
Händel’s superlative oratorio, is Hallelujah Chorus, which is often performed
in celebration of Christmas.
The
words of Hallelujah Chorus come from Revelation 19:6, 11:15, and 19:16. During
this busy week before Christmas, perhaps you can take four minutes to listen to
those words being impressively sung (here)
by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
_____
*1 The
title of a blog post I made in October 2017 is “Revelation: The Most Misused
Book in the Bible.” I encourage you to click on this
link and read it (again). There are 30 comments (including my responses) posted
below that article, and according to Blogger.com, there have been about 550
pageviews of that post.
*2 These
quotes are from a lengthy and informative 11/27/24 article in Christianity
Today magazine (see
here).
*3 According
to the stats provided by Blogger.com, that post has, inexplicably, had nearly
3,700 pageviews.
Note: Some of you may be interested in the 11/12/24 post by Religious Dispatches, “The Trump Administration’s Approach to Immigration is Inspired by the Bible — The Book of Revelation.” Here is a link to that provocative article about the grave dangers embedded in the widespread misunderstanding of Revelation.
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I much appreciate local Thinking Friend David Nelson reading my new blog post soon after it was sent and for making kind, affirmative comments:
ReplyDelete"Thanks for intelligent words about Revelation. In a day when conspiracy theories, alternative facts, rewriting history, and ignorance seems to influence a large segment of the human family, your wisdom and reflections are a welcome gift."
Bill Ryan, another local Thinking Friend, who is a personal friend of both David N. and me, sent an email with this brief comment:
ReplyDelete"For years I've said Revelation should be removed from the Bible because it is so easily misunderstood, misused and used to abuse."
I understand your sentiment, Bill, but in line with what Jim Wallis has often said about religion, namely, "The answer to bad religion is better religion," I think Revelation doesn't need to be discarded, it just needs to be interpreted better.
DeleteIn addition to Eller's book and Wright's book that I mentioned in this blog post, I also introduced another good book on Revelation to the group who met for Great Books KC. One was an older book and one I read with great benefit in seminary. It was written by my seminary professor Ray Summers, and the title of his book is "Worthy is the Lamb" (1951). Earlier this year I bought in to have it to read on Kindle.
Vern Barnet, another local Thinking Friend and personal friend, shares this comment:
ReplyDelete"In the first few centuries of the church, Revelation's canonicity was often denied or questioned, and through the Reformation, its status was debated."
Yes, Revelation has a long history of being misunderstood, but I am thankful that it was added to the canon and that it remained there in spite of it not being adequately understood. And as you greatly appreciate good music, I assume you enjoy hearing the words of Revelation being sung in the Hallelujah Chorus, which was first performed in 1742.
ReplyDelete(This is my response to Vern, which I failed to post directly as a reply to his comments.)
DeleteYesterday evening, I received the following, longer comments from Dr. Barnet:
Delete"Yes, despite what some of the Reformers said about Revelation, I'm glad it became part of the Canon. However, I wish other texts, like Secret Mark (all lost except for a couple fragments), Thomas, Secret James, etc, to fill out a better understanding of how the early churches understood Jesus and possibly be a bulwark against fundamentalism, about which you have carefully written ("Fed Up").
You are right about my love of music! I love Handel, his operas, his oratorios, his occasional music. I think his operas Agrippina, Rinaldo, and Rodelinda are fantastic, and his oratorios Samson and Saul are amazing. And of course Messiah! When I saw younger, I performed the tenor recitative (Comfort ye my people) and aria (Every Mountain) that begin the work.
"I have read that the only composer Beethoven considered his better was Handel. I also remember that as Beethoven was dying, he was studying Messiah. One of the amazing things about Handel, especially compared with Beethoven, is that Handel, though German, learned English well and understood the voice as well as any composer. Beethoven, as supreme as his Last Quartets and Late Piano Sonatas are, did not understand the voice and wrote miserably for it, as in his opera Fidelio and the Missa Solemnis, as sublime as that work is.
Thanks again for writing about Revelation! If only Hal Lindsey had left it alone!"
Thank you Leroy! I always appreciate your academic thoughtfulness and measured tone! I think lamb is mentioned about 32 times speaking to the book's ultimate nonviolence. The one time lion is used is as a joke that also turns out to also be a lamb. Is that right?
ReplyDeleteRevelation 5:5 says, "Then one of the elders said to me, 'Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.'" So, I would not say that that is a joke, but from then on, all the references to the one who opens the scroll and its seven seals is none other than the Lamb (=the crucified and resurrected Jesus Christ).
DeleteThe non-violent nature of the Lamb which is seen throughout Revelation is well summarized by Brian Zahnd in his piece titled "War of the Lamb," which can be accessed at this link:
https://brianzahnd.com/2016/05/war-of-the-lamb/
Thinking Friend LeRoy Roberts, a Thinking Friend whom I first met when we were both students at Southwest Baptist College, which was a junior college then, sent me an email which included the following comments.
ReplyDelete"When speaking of Revelation, I wondered if you had Ray Summers at Southern. I noticed the hardback copy of his book "Worthy is the Lamb" is offered for $149.00!"
LeRoy, you hadn't seen my reply to Bill Ryan when you sent your email, for there I mentioned having Dr. Summers as a New Testament professor at Southern Seminary, and I have remained grateful for all the 60+ years since then for what I learned from him about Revelation.
DeleteYes, the hardback edition of is book "Worthy is the Lamb" is exorbitantly priced, but the paperback is only $20, and I bought the Kindle version this year for $8. (I read all the books I can now on Kindle as I find it easier to read with a larger font than is common in most books. I also like the search feature and the immediate link to the dictionary and to Wikipedia.)
Bro. Leroy, so interesting as usual. I reread your blog from the past on Revelation and discovered my thoughts have not changed since my response then. You are so right in your comments, and yet the errors in our churches continue. As a retired director of missions, I was always irritated by how many of my churches would use Revelation as their chosen Bible study and then follow some form of dispensationalism to guide them. Everything was always pointed to a better day coming. This may also explain why Trump held such a large following in this area as he was seen almost as a messiah to save us from the beast-led Democrat party.
ReplyDeleteSummer's book remains one of my go-to resources whenever questions on Revelation arise. James Blevins was my NT professor at Southern and Revelation was his personal domain. He proposed the book as being apocalyptic drama in a published monograph based upon his interpretation of the great theater at Ephesus. He believed John used that theater with its seven stage windows as the backdrop for his writing.
If I remember correctly, Dr. Blevins was working on his Ph.D. at Southern Seminary at the same time I was a graduate student there. But maybe we overlapped just one year and as our fields of study were different, I never got to know him although I am quite sure we first met then. I probably saw him again a few years later at Mars Hill College (as it was then) when I spoke there in 1971 or '72. I see that he taught at Southern from 1976 to 1999 and that his book, "Revelation as Drama" was published in 1984. I wish I could have read it back in the '80s, but I haven't even until now. -- I was surprised to find when I searched for online information about Dr. Blevins that he died in 2004 at the age of 67.
DeleteEarlier today, I received the following rather lengthy and quite instructive email from Thinking Friend Eric Dollard in Chicago:
ReplyDelete"Thanks, Leroy, for your comments about the book of Revelation. It is indeed one of the most abused and misunderstood books in the Bible, along with the book of Daniel.
"Revelation appears to be a composite work. The first three chapters consist of warning letters to seven churches. The rest of revelation is essentially apocalyptic in nature. The series of plagues come in groups of seven; there are seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven angels with seven bowls of the wrath of God. The plagues from the first four trumpets, described in chapter 8, closely parallel those of the seven bowls described in chapter 16. This suggests that two different, but similar, traditions may have been combined. The interlude in chapters 12 and 13 seems out of place and may have been added to stitch together the two different traditions (chapters 5 through 11 and 14 through 16).
"The references to Jewish institutions (e.g., the twelve tribes in chapter 7) suggests that the traditions underlying Revelation may have originated in Jewish apocalyptic literature. The author clearly drew from Old Testament visions. The vision of the throne of God in chapter 4 comes from Ezekiel, chapter 1; in addition, the beast from the sea is taken from Daniel, chapter 7; the visions of the two witnesses, two olive trees, and two lampstands in chapter 11 is based on Zechariah, chapter 4; and the four horsemen in chapter 6 is based on Zechariah, chapter 1.
"The canonical status of Revelation has been controversial. It was accepted in the Latin west before it gained general acceptance in the Greek east, where it was purportedly written. It is listed among the New Testament books in the Muratorian Canon; Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, and Origen all considered it to be canonical. Luther had serious doubts about it, but he included it in his German translation of the New Testament.
"Revelation is a product of its original historical context and much of the imagery relates to the Roman Empire, especially under Domitian, when Revelation was most likely composed. That, as you know so well, has not stopped modern Christian adventists and fundamentalists from relating its imagery to modern figures and events. Even though the imagery in Revelation is irrelevant today, its message of hope and endurance still resonates."
Thanks so much, Eric, for taking the time for researching and posting this instructive information about Revelation. I hope many will read and accept the veracity of your concluding sentence.
DeleteOnce again, Leroy, I appreciate your steady hand through troubled waters.
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned Vernard Eller. Another Anabaptist whose scholarship I admire, J. Denny Weaver, reads the book of Revelation through the lens of “narrative Christus Victor,” and he sees Revelation as a message of encouragement to Christians confronting the power of the Roman Empire. He identifies the 7 seals as the 7 imperial regimes between the crucifixion of Jesus under emperor Tiberius and the reign of Domitian (during whose reign he thinks the book was likely written), with identifying events during each corresponding reign.
Thanks for your comments, Fred. I have read a bit of Dr. Weaver's writings and enjoyed hearing/meeting him when he came to Rainbow Mennonite Church. I haven't read what he wrote about Revelation, though, and I appreciate you posting this information about his thought-provoking approach to it.
DeleteI just now saw this post by Dr. Gary Balmer regarding Hal Lindsey and the dispensationalism of conservative evangelicals and the Religious Right. It has direct relevance to this blog post I made yesterday.
ReplyDeletehttps://goodfaithmedia.org/by-the-way-premillennialism-evangelical-political-apathy-and-bad-architecture/
Thanks for this interesting essay, and for pointing out that Handel's Hallelujah chorus text is from Revelation. Also thanks for the link to the 2017 version. I see I am not the first to realize I largely stand by what I said in comments then.
ReplyDeletePerhaps if we read Revelation as an inspiring piece of poetry rather than as "gospel truth" we could make better use of it. Certainly plenty of Trumps are sounding, and lots of vials are being poured out. I guess I should say the same thing about Genesis, when the Tree of Life first appears. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:1, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." How many have interpreted Revelation through the lens of love?
Thanks for your comments and for concluding with an important question. There is not a lot about love in Revelation, for it was written to encourage Christians who were trying to survive persecution. But as the emphasis is on the non-violent Lamb, as I mentioned in this blog post, I found the following statement helpful:
Delete"The main message of Revelation revolves around the exalted figure of Jesus Christ, the Lamb who was slain and yet reigns victorious, symbolizing the ultimate triumph of sacrificial love and divine redemption. The book's portrayal of the cosmic battle between good and evil, culminating in the establishment of a new heaven and a new earth, serves as a source of hope and assurance for believers, inspiring them to remain steadfast in their faith and unwavering in their commitment to God's eternal purposes."