Revelation: Brief Context

Revelation is the last known apocalyptic literature in the ancient world. The context of this work is crucial, for a number of reasons. When you are trying to relate to someone you are getting to know, you try and find out where they are coming from. It's all about gaining perspective, so that two people can relate. Understanding where Revelation comes from, what was going on at the time; helps us relate to it. This also helps us understand what God was saying to the churches at the time.

Who Wrote This?

John is named as the author of Revelation (Rev. 1:1, 1:4, 1:9, 22:8).

" . . . almost in my lifetime, at the end of Domitian's [81-96 AD/CE] reign" (Eusibius, History of The Church, 5, 8). - Irenaeus (130-202 AD/CE)

Which John?

There are four possibilities:

John the Apostle: This is the traditional view. However it is important to consider the tendency in church tradition to tie works to apostles. Furthermore, in 96 AD John would have been approximately one hundred years old. This author does not claim the ethos of John ("servant" 1:1). The Eastern Church denies that John the Apostle wrote this.

John the Elder:

Two Johns lived in Ephesus (From Dionysius and Eusebius). 2 and 3 John were written by John the Elder from Ephesus.

Pseudonymous Author: All known apocalypses are pseudonymous (i.e. 4 Ezra), however this author does not bear those characteristics.

John The Prophet: This is seen in Revelation 22:6, 9. There are visions in Revelation (1:1-2, 9-11). Revelation is seen as a prophecy (1:3, 22:18). This author would have been a wandering prophet who knew the seven churches. The Greek in Revelation is very different that that of John the Apostle.

Read Revelation 1:1 - 4a.

-------> How does your view of who wrote Revelation affect the way you approach it? What about for other books?

Where was this written?

Revelation was written on the island of Patmos (1:9), which is 15 miles west of Ephesus. John was probably imprisoned there by the Governor of Asia (Tertullian & Jerome). Victorinus wrote the first commentary on Revelation in 303. He stated that John was sent there to mine metal under Emperor Domitian.

Considering the "was" in 1:9, the tradition has been that John actually wrote the letter in Ephesus, after he was released from Patmos.

When did he write it?

There are a couple of interpretations on this as well:

Reign of Domitian: 81-96 AD/CE, this is taken from Ireneaus and how the book agrees with events going on at the time.

Reign of Nero: (54-68 AD/CE), based on the numerical number of the Hebrew letters used to spell Neron Caesar, which can be made to total 666, the number of the beast at Revelation 13:8. Also, the Temple in Jerusalem (if taken literally at Revelation 11) is mentioned, and it was not destroyed until 70 AD/CE. (Ezra Enterprises)

There are many reasons to believe that Revelation was written between 95-96 AD. External evidence, such as Irenaeus, Eusebius, and Victorinus confirm this. Furthermore, inside of Revelation, Rome is referred to as Babylon (17:7, 9, 18). This highlights the fact that at the writing of Revelation the audience was aware of the destruction of the Jewish temple in 70 AD.

Nero! In the time of Revelation, the evil of Nero is not a distant memory. A fitting comparison is how we see Hitler and the Nazi Party now. That was a little over sixty years ago. Nero committed suicide in 68 AD. So he had been gone less than twenty years, and the churches in Asia Minor still remembered.

There was a myth, called Nero Redivivus, which held that Nero had actually faked his suicide, and was living with the Parthians (The army that the Romans feared most at that time (kings from the East, Rev 16:12). It was a constant fear that Nero would come back to take revenge on Rome. This is the explanation behind the seven kings in Revelation 17:8-11. In verse 11, this is the eighth king who once was, and now is not.

There are many themes in Revelation that allude to, and were influenced by Nero. However, for this topic it is enough to say that the perspective of Revelation in regard to Nero, as well as the knowledge of the destruction of the temple, points to the time period of Domitian's reign.

Who did he write to?

As seen in Revelation 1:4, John is writing to seven literal churches in Asia Minor.

Most of these churches were established by Paul, on his third missionary journey (He embarks in Acts 18:23).

These churches were all close together, and were on a mail route. The letters to the churches are written in the order that they were to be delivered. This letter probably went to other churches as well.

Note: It is crucial to note that God never gives a revelation that is not in some way comprehensible to the audience. Every symbol in Revelation was understood by the 1^st century Christians residing in each church, and this often differs from the way we would interpret them now.

Lastly, WHY was he writing?

This concept is worthwhile to think about. Our culture is a lot different than the first century, in this case, how we communicate. In our culture if someone wants to write about God, they write it down, give themselves credit for it, and have it published.

However, in the New Testament, we see the greatest Christian Theology in the form of letters. Paul, for instance, writes to every one of his audiences with an intimate knowledge of what is going on there. Paul is not writing to display his prowess in rhetoric, or spiritual maturity. He was writing for the benefit of others. Furthermore, he did not just write in order to tell them truths about God, but typically the truths revealed served a purpose because of what the church in question was going through.

Revelation is a letter as well. It is God speaking to these Churches, with an intimate knowledge of what they are going through, and what they will go through. John wrote this letter with set purposes in mind.

Crisis with Gentiles:

For centuries following the resurrection of the Lord, Romans had a limited view of who Christians were, and what exactly went on when they got together. Just as in our present culture, when the majority has a limited view of a certain group, rumors and fabrications are liable to spread. There were rumors such as:

Incest among Christians - primarily because of holy kissing, and brotherly love (1 Pt 5:14, etc.)

Cannibalism - body and blood of Christ, child and loaf, etc.

Rebellion / anti-Roman - Refused to worship other Gods, and instead worshipped a condemned criminal.

Atheists - They avoided pagan / any other temples. Therefore, in the eyes of Romans, Christians were facing the wrath of the gods. When disasters struck they were often blamed.

Anti-Social - Romans saw them as hating the human race. True Christians did not accommodate to the world, in Rev 2-3 there are the Nicolaitans, teachings of Balaam, Jezebel, and emperor worship.

Conflict with Jews:

Smyrna - 2:9-10

Philadelphia - 3:7-9

Conflict over Wealth:

Laodicea - 3:14-22

Wealth of Rome - Chapter 18

Political Persecution:

This is the primary focus of Revelation. The Roman Emperors were seen as divine typically. Domitian demanded that people worship him as "Lord and God." There were temples to the Emperor in Ephesus, Smyrna, and Pergamum. In Asia Minor when interrogated Christians were giving the choice to worship the Emperor, or die as martyrs. Examples of persecution (1:9), include Ephesus (2:2-3), Pergamum (2:13), and Philadelphia (3:8-10).

Conclusions:

Understanding the time period that Revelation was written is very helpful in learning more about this work. Learning about the perspectives of the writer and the audience also helps us to relate with what their lives were like, and what Revelation meant to them.

John's primary message for this book is seen in Revelation 13:10. Christians are to remember who the true Lord is, and remain faithful to the point of death. John is preparing them for stormy times.

On the whole we are not persecuted and being killed in the U.S. for our faith. However, we deal with many issues of accommodation that the Church dealt with back then. Instead of struggling with pagan temples, and Emperor worship, there are other issues.

----->What do we deal with today that fits in this category?