Part 1: General Impressions of the Revelation
The fourth major section of the New Testament is composed of the book of Revelation. I encountered the following principles of approach to this book which I greatly appreciated.
Take everything literally unless there is an obvious symbolism intended. (Example: 1:1-3)
Look for an explanation of the meaning within the book itself. (Example: Revelation 1:20)
Look for a further explanation of the meaning within the Bible itself. (Example: Revelation 4:3 with Ezekiel 1:26-27)[1]
It is helpful in approaching a study of this book to first read through it thoroughly, forming general impressions about it as a whole. Afterwards a more detailed study of the book may be entered into with more profit. The general impressions of the Revelation will be presented using an Acrostic on the word “Revelation.” This is a simple mechanism designed to facilitate the study as well as to encourage remembrance of as many of the basic details as possible. Key phrases will be formed using the letters of the word “Revelation” as the initial letters of the key phrases. Each key phrase will suggest a significant aspect of the Revelation as a whole.
Rugged Revelations
The book of Revelation is filled with especially rugged revelations of Truth. This ruggedness is seen from the earliest portions of the book which describe the setting in which the book was written. In Revelation 1:9 this ruggedness is evident:
“I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
The writer of the book indicates that he was accustomed to suffering tribulation, being presently in exile upon the island of Patmos for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. One writer says the following regarding this island.
PATMOS a small rocky and barren island, one of the group called the “Sporades,” in the AEgean Sea. It is mentioned in Scripture only in Revelation 1:9. It was on this island, to which John was banished by the emperor Domitian (A.D. 95), that he received from God the wondrous revelation recorded in his book.[2]
Thus, it was to a rugged follower of Christ that the Revelation was granted, under very rugged circumstances. This suggests that one purpose of God in inspiring this book and including it in His Word is to develop true ruggedness in His people. This would certainly correspond to the circumstances surrounding many Christians in the days when the book began to be circulated, as another writer suggests.
The payment of divine honors to the emperor was made the test of loyalty; the Christian had to refuse, and that refusal made him liable to the penalty of death. The visions given to John made it unmistakably plain to the churches why the Christian had to refuse and die; and these visions wrote out in letters of gold and fire the promise that such dying was not defeat but triumph, a triumph which man shared with the Lamb that was slain, with Him who is King of kings and Lord of lords, whose people go His way through death to victory and royal reign.[3]
The fact that the book is literally filled with the revelation of terribly rugged judgments adds a different dimension to the consummation of Redemption as it is revealed in this wonderful book. The present era of toleration among those calling themselves Christian strangely produces few who are tolerant of such Scriptural revelations of rugged judgment.
But, the strongest revelation of ruggedness in this book is that of the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself. The primary revelation of Christ in the book is that of the Lamb, occurring at least 31 times. Yet, it may be a surprise for many to find that the Lord Jesus Christ is revealed in the book of Revelation as a rugged Lamb. In Revelation 6:1 it is the Lamb Who begins the process of opening the seals of judgment. He opens each one. At the end of that same chapter, in verses sixteen and seventeen, it is interesting to see the kings and the great men of the earth crying out to the mountains and the rocks to fall on them, and hide them from the wrath of the Lamb. This is clearly no ordinary Lamb.
Taken together, the emphases upon ruggedness in the book of Revelation suggest that if its message is taken seriously by twentieth century saints, there will be an inner core of ruggedness within them, equipping them to face whatever trials may come in the days leading up to the coming of the Lord.
[1] Dr. Ralph W. Neighbor, Jr., Cover the Bible (Unknown: Touch Outreach Ministries, 1991), 423. [2] From Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by Thomas Nelson, 1897. The present edition is on a CD produced for use on computers. It is a part of what is called the Sage Digital Library, copyright 1996 by Sage Software, Albany, Oregon. [3] Martin H. Franzmann, The Word of the Lord Grows (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1961), 271.