The Chapel Light - April/May 2009

Let’s talk about a few more interpretive keys to the book of Revelation.  (You may want to have a Bible in front of you to follow this article.)  One of the first things that readers of Revelation observe is the prominence of groups of seven: seven seals on the scroll that are opened, seven trumpets that are blown, seven bowls of the final wrath of God that seven angels pour out.  These groups of seven comprise the bulk of the book.  Many interpreters spend a lot of time on the details of the individual items  but it seems to me more important to consider the seventh item in each group because that item is the culmination, the point to which the first six is leading.        The first set of sevens is the seals on the scroll.  The seventh seal we expect to bring us to a culmination; we expect to be able to read the message of the scroll.  Instead we get a half hour of silence during which seven angels with trumpets prepare to blow (8:1-6).  Contrary to our expectations, the seventh scroll leads not to a culmination, but instead introduces the seven trumpets.  The seven trumpets do, however, culminate in the kingdoms of the world becoming God’s kingdom – the time of the judging of the nations of the world, the rewarding of the faithful, and the commencement of the reign of God (11:15-19) – the end, the goal, as it were.  The first two sets of seven, then, are really one set, and they all lead us to the announcement of God’s rule over the nations of the world.     The third set of seven consists of seven bowls containing “the last plagues,” last because “in them the wrath of God is complete” (15:1).  These horrible plagues lead to an invasion of the Holy Land (sixth bowl – 16:12-16) and culminate with the fall of a great city named “Babylon” (whatever that is).     These culminations become the focal points of the book.  The scroll which no one could read introduces seven trumpets which point to the establishment of the reign of Christ.  The seven bowls point to the fall of Babylon (which is spelled out in greater detail in Revelation 17 and 18 – but we’ll save those chapters for another day).  The establishment of Christ’s kingdom and the fall of Babylon are the ends and therefore the chief concerns of the visions.     What are the connections between the seals, the trumpets, and the bowls?  I’ve already noted the connections between the seals and the trumpets; they are closely related, flowing into one another almost without pause.  But the bowls seem to be disconnected, part of an entirely new portion of the vision.  There seems to be a dividing line after the culmination of the seventh trumpet, the establishment of God’s rule.  A new series of visions is begun built around three “signs in heaven.”  The first sign is a pregnant woman in heaven giving birth to a son (12:1).  The second sign is a great red dragon in heaven that tries to eat the newborn son but fails to do so (12:3).  And the third sign in heaven (after a good deal of intervening action) is the pouring out of the seven final bowls of wrath (15:1).  But the “sign in heaven” theme indicates the connection of these three things, and therefore signals that the section is a connected whole.     These simple observations help us understand the basic structure of the book and the visions, and when you understand the structure, you can set up the beginnings of an outline.  Outlines help us group information properly, enabling us to see the forest so we don’t get lost in the trees.  The basic outline of the book based, on the observations noted above look like this: The Road to God’s Rule of the Nations of the World (4:1 – 11:19) The Road to the Destruction of Babylon              (12:1 – 16:21) When I interpret the book of Revelation, I work within this framework.  I try to see the message of 4:1-11:19 as a section, and then I try to see the message of 12:1-16:21 as a section.  There may be relationships between these two big sections, but you can’t really establish them until you understand each section on its own.  If you are really serious about understanding the book of Revelation, I’d suggest reading it in terms of these sections.  Read 4:1 – 11:19, and then put your Bible down.  The next day read 12:1 – 16:21.  Read, read, read – and acquaint yourself with the details and flow of each section.