What Happens in the Book of Revelation?
What happens in the Book of Revelation should not be a mystery; after all, God placed the book in the Bible to reveal what happened in Judea. The Greek title is the Apocalypse, which means to remove the covering. So why is the book confusing? Is this because too many teachers added information or created a false storyline to hide things or confuse the masses?
A Summary of Revelation
I want to give a simple summary of Revelation so people can understand this book. John wrote this book in about 90 AD, 20 years after the destruction of Jerusalem. During the First Jewish War, the Temple’s destruction resulted in the loss of over 1,000,000 Jewish lives, including High Priests, Essenes, Sadducees, and many Pharisees. John, a disciple of Jesus, lived in Asia Minor (modern Turkey) at the time because of persecution. The destruction of Jerusalem saddened him, and he asked God why.
The Book of Revelation contains the answer to John’s question, “How could God, the supreme God of the universe, allow His Temple and the High Priesthood to be destroyed?” I will give but a short answer in this blog. If you want a longer explanation with many references, it is in my new book, “John’s Apocalypse: A Jewish Idea.
The First scenes in Revelation
The Book of Revelation opens when John sees one like the Son of Man walking near the Menorah in the Holy Place of the Temple. The Menorah is a symbol of Judaism, and the burning light signifies that God is alive. In the first chapter of Revelation, John assures his readers that even though the Temple is gone and Jerusalem is destroyed, God is still alive.
The second and third chapters of Revelation carry a double meaning (John often does this). surface reading suggests the reason is to explain to members of the churches how to live for God (what to do and what not to do) It gives rewards for believers who live Godly lives. The hidden meaning (explained in my book) shares John’s sorrow because every former festival in which he could find joy only brought reminders of the Temple’s destruction. John formerly celebrated these feasts in Jerusalem, which was in ruins.
A Trip to Heaven
God seeks to comfort John, and brings him on a trip to Heaven. Moses and others visited the throne room in Heaven. God was indeed alive. The promised messiah, the Lamb of God, was found to be worthy and became the Savior. God gives a small scroll to the Lamb that will be read later in the book. John experiences the angels and all of heaven singing praise to God and the Lamb.
The third part of the Book
Revelation chapter 6 opens with the Lamb removing seven seals from the scroll, which had maintained secrecy. The seven seals act as a preamble that you must understand before the scroll is unrolled. The seven seals reveal portions of God’s Covenant with Israel that must be kept, along with the consequences of failure.
When the seventh seal is opened, seven trumpets emerge to remind Israel that Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed once before (Tisha B’Av) because the kings, priests and people failed to keep their promises to God.
The fourth part of the Book
An angel appears in Revelation 10 who holds the scroll and stands with one foot on the land and another on the sea. The Angel reminds John’s readers of God’s protection when wars raged across the Middle-East. until an emperor pitched “his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain.” A small band of Jewish warriors, who did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death, saved Israel, preventing the Temple’s destruction.. At first life was “as sweet as honey,” until the leadership soured. And the Angel let John experience the contents of the scroll.
Two witnesses, John the Baptist and Jesus, appear in Revelation 11 with a message calling the kings, priests and people failed to keep their promises to return to God. But the leaders of Israel martyr the messengers. When the messengers arise from the dead and ascend to heaven the seventh trumpet announces, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.”
The fifth portion, a mirror of the forth
Revelation 12 shows a woman standing on the moon with twelve stars in her crown. God protects her and her offspring from the Devil’s anger and his attempt to drown Israel, Jesus and the Church. Then, as the Dragon stands by the sea a Beast arises, a line of Kings tied to the dragon that turns the Temple into a religious sounding board promoting political purposes.
The sixth portion, a mirror of the third
Revelation chapter 14 opens as the 144,000 sealed with the mark of God, singing, as they did in Revelation 7, along with the angels, the multitude, and all of heaven. In this chapter the angels sound a warning for those who worship the Beast and are marked with his seal. One like the Son of Man then appears in the clouds with a sickle to start the harvest. Jerusalem and the Temple are destroyed (a repeat of Tisha B’Av) because the kings, priests and people failed to keep promises made to God. Babylon (Jerusalem) falls.
The seventh section, A Visit to the Harlot
One angels brings John to experience an earthly scene of adoration. John sees the Great Harlot with her blasphemous names take her seat in the Serpent’s lap (her throne) surrounded by kings, merchants, and sailors. A lament is spoken, and then a dirge is sung.
The Conclusion of Revelation
The Apocalypse closes with cleansing and joy. A voice invites John to a wedding and attempts to worship the messenger (a second time, the first is in 1:17), the First and the Last, the Living One who was dead(11:7) , and now lives! He holds the keys of death and Hades.
John sees this Son of Man riding on a white horse with a blood stained robe and leading a great army. He throws the serpent and the Beasts into the lake of fire. He sees God judge the dead, then a new heavens and earth appear. John sees New Jerusalem coming from heaven, and all that he thought was lost (in portion one) is more than restored.
What happens in the Book of Revelation should not be a mystery. The Apocalypse is the story of victory. The book of Revelation contains themes of loss and redemption, explaining why things happen and how we should therefore live.
If you want to learn more, read the book “John’s Apocalypse: A Jewish Idea.” The book explains everything in more detail.