THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE.
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INTRODUCTION.
VIEW
FOOTNOTES
The
Lord had given the Apostolic Church the special gift of prophecy, by
which
ordinary Christians as well as the apostles were able to predict future
events.
Prophetical passages are found in a number of books of the New
Testament, for
instance, 2 Thess. 2, 3-10; 1 Tim. 4, 1-3. But the prophecy of the last
book of
the Bible belongs to that special form of foretelling future events
which is
known as apocalypsis. In which the future is unveiled to the eyes of
the seer in
the form of visions or pictures. Thus we have here a symbolic history
of the
fortunes of the Church from the first century to the end of time. “In a
series
of vivid pictures John was shown how the Church would develop, pass
through
dreadful conflicts with the wicked powers of earth and hell, and
ultimately gain
the victory.”
The
author of the book calls himself God’s servant John, chap. 1, 1,
without
assuming the designation of apostle. But since he wrote to seven
congregations
of Asia Minor, and, moreover, writes as one having unusual authority,
there is
no reason to question the tradition that it was the Apostle John who
received
the revelation from the Lord and embodied it in this book. He was at
that time
an exile on the island of Patmos in the Southeastern Aegean Sea, off
the coast
of Asia Minor, having been banished to this mountainous, barren, and
lonely spot
“for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus,” chap. 1. 9. It was on
the
Lord’s Day, on a Sunday, that John was granted these visions, his mind,
through the influence of God, being in a peculiarly detached condition,
making
it possible for him to visit remote places in spirit while his body was
on
Patmos. The banishment of John probably took place during the reign of
the
Emperor Domitian, and the book was written in the nineties of the first
century.
The
Book of Revelation was written to the seven congregations of Asia
Minor, which
are named chap. 1, 11. It was designed to meet an immediate need on the
part of
those to whom it was addressed, but, like the other books of the New
Testament,
it serves for consolation to the children of God in the manifold trials
and
tribulations which are the lot of the believers in Christ until the end
of time.
“The prophecy of the ultimate triumph of the kingdom of God over all
hostile
forces of earth and hell, the promise of the coming of Christ, the
pictures of
heaven with its glory and joys, have been a source of cheer, comfort,
and
courage to millions of Christians.”
Although
the book may be divided in various ways, the following outline will
serve for
orientation. After the introduction we may distinguish seven visions.
The first
vision shows us Christ as the Ruler of His Church, governing the
believers by
means of His Word. In the second vision we see Him as King of the
universe, who
controls and directs even the evil for the benefit of His Church. In
the third
vision, Christ appears as the High Priest of His Church, permitting no
false
spirits to overcome its power. The fourth vision pictures Christ’s
fight with
the dragon, the power of the godless world, and with Antichrist. The
fifth
vision shows the avenging judgment of God upon the enemies up to the
time that
the elect strike up the song of triumph. The sixth vision shows Christ
as the
Blaster of the dragon, the latter being finally thrown into the
bottomless pit.
The seventh vision paints a comforting picture of the perfection of the
Kingdom
of Glory in the heavenly Jerusalem. The book concludes with the
appealing cry:
“Even so, come, Lord, Jesus!”