Framework:
interpretation
Section 5B - the Parousia and thereafter
Overview
From John’s point of view by this point in the story, he has written down the letters to the seven congregations and visited heaven (1:1-6:1), seen the impact of the opening seals (6:2-8:1) and the seven trumpets (8:2-11:19) and seen the genesis of evil (12:1-13:18). He has seen the Lamb (Christ) appear on Mt Zion with the 144,000 ‘redeemed’ and the Three Angels (14:1-11); this is part 1 of the Parousia (his appearance or ‘coming’, in Revelation), which is traditionally the climax of the eschaton (or ‘last days’ or ‘end times’). In the interpretation in this study, chapter 14 outlines events in the final part of Revelation’s story on the biblical earth from the time of the fifth trumpet onwards on the physical-spiritual earth. When John sees the preparation and emptying of the seven bowls full of the wrath of God (Framework 3), this is the start of the Day of God’s Wrath.
What John sees as a continuous stream of visionary events, the Macrostructure Model (Figures 1-5) illustrates as an underlying chronologically linear Creation-New Order pattern that includes four steps back in relative time in the vision’s story (at 4:2, 12:1, 12:13 and 15:1; see Towards … 4b). In the vision, John is on different visionary vantage points and a literary spiral follows the path of his eyes as he sees events unfold across the cosmos (16:12 to 21:9). The comments in this Interpretation are based upon new insights gleaned from the proposed macrostructure, particularly the previous Construction (5A).
In this section, are parts 2 and 3 of the Parousia i.e. Christ comes with the clouds and the earth is harvested and he comes as the Rider and the Great Battle ends the Day of God’s Wrath. In the final ‘last days’, there is the Millennium, the Final War, the Final Judgement and the Bride of the Lamb (the New Jerusalem) descends to the New Earth in the New Order. The interpretation in this study is pre-millennial but it is possible to use other interpretations with the proposed macrostructure, for example a-millennial or idealistic if preferred, but this may require a revision of the cosmic space definitions suggested in this study (see Framework 1) and it may remove the chronological element in the proposed model. Finally, this study considers the Parousia in more detail and it proposes that the nature of John’s visionary experience is possibly a waking vision.
Figures in this chapter follow the Macrostructure Model, so their numbers do not restart in each sections. For example: the first is Figure 1 (Framework 1); the next is Figure 2 (Framework 2) etc. In each figure, the x axis is a location in John’s literary cosmos and the y axis is relative time. The dashed arrows show the narrative path and when John describes an event that happened in the story’s relative past, the narrative arrows point up the page instead of down into the future. Table 1 illustrates the connections between Lk. 17 and Lk. 21/ Mt. 24/ Mk. 13 and the proposed macrostructure of Revelation and Table 2 illustrates the Parousia in Revelation
5B) The harvests, Rider and the New Order (14:12-20, 19:7-22:21; time-parallels 12-18)
5B) Section interpretation
There are seven time-parallels in this section (12-18) and useful information may be gleaned by interpreting events in one cosmic space through the lens of its companion texts, and by considering how the preceding and following verses may relate to one another. For example: if the preparation of the bride of the Lamb in heaven indicates a time of endurance for the faithful on earth (time-parallel 12), then the distribution of the invitations to the wedding supper of the Lamb (19:9-10) corresponds to the appearance of One-like-a-son-of-man (Christ) on a cloud (part 2 of the Parousia) and the Grain Harvest (14:14-16, time-parallel 13). When the Rider appears, evil forces re-group and the Grape Harvest is gathered (time-parallel 14). The Rider’s appearance is part 3 of the Parousia. The Rider crushes the grapes in the wine-press (14:20/ 19:15) and this represents the Great Battle (time-parallel 15). There is a fourth appearance of Christ, when he comes as the Bridegroom of the Bride (the New Jerusalem) but this is after the Old Order is replaced by the New Heaven and New Earth (21:1-6) and this is not part of the Parousia as described by John and the Gospels. Scripture indicates that the Messiah/ Christ will only come again once, so the different descriptions reflect the roles of Christ and they are different perceptions of his coming again. The interpretation in this study is pre-millennial because Christ the Lamb/ One-like-a-son-of-man appears on Mt Zion (14:1-20) and the Rider appears (19:11-16) before the Millennium begins (20:1-6; see Figure 5). It is possible to use other interpretations with the proposed macrostructure, for example a-millennial or idealistic if preferred, but this may require a revision of the cosmic space definitions suggested in this study (see Framework 1) and it may remove the chronological element in the proposed model. Such investigations, using the proposed macrostructure, could add different dimensions to Revelation’s story.
After the Great Battle, satan’s two main beasts are captured and thrown into the lake of fire (19:20-21, time-parallel 15). The Millennium, Final War and Final Judgement follow (time-parallels 16-18). The vision closes with the New Order and the Bride descends to the New Earth as the New Jerusalem, which will be the dwelling place of God, the Lamb and the faithful. The letter closes with confirmation of the vision’s credentials as a revelation from Jesus Christ, and an epilogue (22:6-21).
5B.a) The Parousia and the Gospels
The Parousia was foretold in the Gospels and Acts as the successor to Jesus’ ascension:
‘As they (the apostles) were watching, he (Jesus) was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up towards heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up towards heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven’ (Acts 1:9-11).
Table 1 - Revelation and Gospel comparison
The Gospels record how, after tribulations and when it seems like the cosmos is being shaken apart, the Son-of-man will appear suddenly and unexpectedly in the cloud(s), with power and great glory.[1] Matthew adds: a trumpet will sound when the Son-of-man comes with his angels to gather his ‘elect’, and he will sit on his throne and the nations will be judged.[2] Take heed, watch! (Lk. 21:34-36). Believers must be aware, ‘this generation’ (Lk. 17:25) will witnesses these events (Lk. 21:29-33, Mt.24:32-36, Mk. 13:28-32) so be watchful and prepared because Christ will appear at an unknown hour (Mt. 24:36, Mk.13:32). This study compares Revelation with the Gospels, particularly Lk. 17, Lk. 21, Mt. 24-25 and Mk. 13, because these are series of anticipated chronologically linear events described by Jesus. There are no counterparts in John’s Gospel but there will be persecution (16:2), Jesus will come again (Jn. 21:22-23) and there will be final judgement (Jn. 5:22-30, Jn. 12:48).
In the interpretation in this study, the Gospel verses are words of prophecy for ‘this generation’ (Lk. 17:25) that was alive when Jesus was on earth and ‘this generation’ who will witness the Parousia. There is further Gospel/ Revelation comparison in Towards …6.
[1] Cosmic upheaval (Lk. 21:25-26, Mt. 24:29, Mk. 13:24-25) then Christ appears in the clouds (Lk. 21:27-28, Mt. 24:30, Mk. 13:26), like at the ascension (Acts 1:9-11, Lk. 24:50-51).
[2] Trumpet: Mt.24:31; ‘the elect’: Mt. 24:31, see also Mk. 13:27; judgement: Mt. 25:31-46.
5B.b) The Parousia and Revelation
The chain of events in the eschaton on earth is illustrated in the proposed macrostructure (Table 2): the trumpets give warnings of impending judgement (time-parallels 2-7); the bowl torments represent part of the Day of God’s Wrath and the outpouring of God’s judgement; the bowls are underway when Christ the Lamb appears on Mt Zion (time-parallel 8); evil war preparations begin (time-parallel 9); and Babylon falls (time-parallel 10); humanity must endure Babylon’s ruin and remain faithful (time-parallels 11-12) until One-like-a-son-of-man appears on a cloud and the grain is harvested (time-parallel 13); and the Rider (Christ) appears from heaven, to defeat the evil armies and crush the Grape Harvest (time-parallels 14-15).
Table 2- The Parousia
The three ways Christ’s Parousia is described in Revelation reflect the different roles of Christ, as humanity’s saviour, king and defender. Scripture indicates that the Messiah/ Christ will only come again once so these are different perceptions of a single event that has three parts. In each case, evil armies gather at his appearance, as illustrated in Table 2. The seventh trumpet has sounded, the heavenly sanctuary is open and the bowls full of last plagues and the wrath of God empty onto the earth (time-parallel 7, Framework 3), ready for:
1. Christ’s appearance as the slain Lamb on Mt Zion with the 144,000 ‘redeemed’ (14:1-5; time-parallel 8). Evil armies (the Roman army) gathered around Jesus when he was crucified and evil armies will gather at Armageddon (16:12-13; time-parallel 9) when the Lamb appears. Three Angels follow the Lamb (14:6-11) (time-parallels 9-11; Framework 4). They announce the Gospel and imminent judgement, the fall of Babylon (hedonistic society) and judgement on the beasts’ followers, as heaven celebrates Babylon’s fall (19:1-4) and preparations for the wedding of the Lamb begin (19:5-6). The faithful (the Bride of the Lamb) must endure the ongoing hardships (14:12-13) as they are prepared for the wedding (19:7-8) (time-parallel 12).
The sequence of events in the Gospels is summarised in Mt.24:29-44 and the Three Angels’ messages indicate that what happens will be seen by everybody alive at the time (14:6-11). Mt. 24:30 indicates that there will be ‘the sign of the Son of Man (that) will appear in heaven (then …) they will see “the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven” with power and great glory.’ This suggests the Lamb appearing on Mt Zion is that sign (see Towards … 6c).
2. Christ appears like a king, as ‘one like the Son of Man seated on a white cloud, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand’ and the Grain Harvest is collected (14:14-16), this corresponds to the distribution of invitations to the wedding of the Lamb (14:14-16, 19:9-10; time-parallel 13). This study suggests this harvest consists of those who accept the invitation, perhaps through repentance, but its impact on the physical-spiritual earth is uncertain (see 5B.c). In his prologue to Revelation, John anticipated Christ coming with the clouds (1:7), as promised in Acts 1:9-11, and this is fulfilled in 14:14. The harvests are a strong Gospel motif [1] and it is this appearance of Christ that is described in detail in the Gospels (see Towards … 6c and 5B.c).[2]
3. Christ appears from heaven as the Rider on a white horse (with a crown, and a sharp sword coming out of his mouth) and with the ‘armies of heaven’ (19:11-16), ready for the Great Battle against satan’s forces (19:17-21; time-parallels 14-15). As the Warrior at the beginning of John’s visionary journey (1:10-20) and as the Rider, Christ is our defender or protector throughout history (as witnessed by Daniel, Dan. 10:1-11:1; see 5B.g). The winepress/ battle motif and expectations of a final battle[3] are well established in the Hebrew Bible as eschatological symbols.[4] The evil re-grouping (19:17-19) after Babylon falls (16:17-21) supports the proposal in Framework 4B.a that Christ (the Lamb and the Rider), not Babylon, is focus of the evil armies on both occasions. The evil gatherings and the Gospels are discussed in more detail in Towards … 6 and 5B.c.
The time-scale of events – both the Gospels and Revelation indicate events, once begun, move swiftly. When Christ comes as the slain Lamb on Mt Zion (14:1-5), perhaps while the fifth bowl empties, people are still suffering from the pains and sores from the first four bowls (16:9-11; time-parallel 8b; Framework 4). During the seventh bowl, the second angel announces the fall of Babylon (14:8) and Babylon falls by earthquake and storm in an hour (16:14-21, 18:1-3; time-parallel 10) and she is ruined by plagues, famine and fire in a single day (18:8), i.e. a very short time (18:4-24; time-parallel 11). When Christ comes in the clouds (14:14-15), this will be unexpected, world-wide and it will happen very quickly (Lk. 17:24, Mt. 24:27) – ‘this generation’ will witnesses these events (Lk. 21:29-33, Mt. 24:32-36, Mk. 13:28-32). The interpretation in this study suggests this is a prophecy for two groups: those who were alive when Jesus was on earth (they experienced the fall of Jerusalem, unless they fled as soon as the armies gathered; Lk. 21:20-21, Mt. 24:15-16, Mk. 13:14) and those who witness the Parousia (they will experience the fall of Babylon, unless they leave/ reject her as soon as the armies gather; 18:4). John has Christ beside him, or he hears Christ’s voice from heaven, who warns John that he (Christ) will be coming unexpectedly – so be prepared (16:15). See Framework 4B.d for further discussion of the rapid time-scales in the eschaton.
[1] Harvest parables: Mt. 13:1-43, Mk. 4:1-34, Lk. 8:4-18, Jn. 4:35-38.
[2] This study follows the traditional view that the One-like-a-son-of-man in 14:14 and Dan. 7:13-14 is the Messiah, and not an angel (which is ‘still occasionally defended’, Collins, 2016: 129). Daniel witnesses the Messiah come to the heavenly throne and this may foreshadow the Ascension which, in turn, foreshadows the Parousia.
[3] For example, Zech. 14:1-5: ‘See, a day is coming for the Lord (…) For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle,(…destruction, exile …) Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations (…) On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives (… earthquake …). Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.’
[4] For example, Is. 63:1-6, Lam.1:15; harvest and wine-press: Joel 3:13.
5B.c) Christ and the gathering evil armies
In Revelation and the Gospels, evil armies gather around Jesus – when he was on the cross and when he comes again. Luke warned that armies will besiege Jerusalem after the crucifixion and they will take captives, so flee! (Lk. 21:20-24). Matthew and Mark add: the tribulation will be shortened (Mt. 24:22, Mk. 13:20) but do not pause to look for the Son of Man because these things will happen before he appears (Mt. 24:23-27, Mk. 13:21-23) and where the body (πτῶμα) is, there the eagles or vultures (ἀετοι) will be gathered together (Mt. 24:28). Matthew’s word for ‘body’ indicates it could be dead (a corpse) and this metaphor may allude to ἀετοὶ as eagles (armies) gathering around the crucified Christ (every Roman Legion had an Eagle Standard, D’Amato, 2018: 9) (see Framework 2Cb). Luke used the same phrase, but with an important modification (‘where the body (σῶμα) is, there the eagles or vultures (ἀετοι) will be gathered together’, Lk. 17:37) but the body could be living so the metaphor may allude to ἀετοι as eagles (armies) gathering when the living Christ is revealed at the Parousia) In Revelation, the ‘body’ in Lk. 17:37 may refer to three occasions: the Lamb appears on Mt Zion (14:1-5; time-parallel 8), then the eagles/ evil armies gather at Armageddon (16:12-13; time-parallel 9); and One-like-a-son-of-man appears on a cloud (14:14; time-parallel 13) and the Rider appears from heaven (19:11-14; time-parallel 14), then eagles/ evil armies re-gather (19:17-19; time-parallel 14) and they are defeated in the Great Battle (19:20-21, time-parallel 15).
5B.d) One-like-a-son-of-man and the Grain Harvest
The proposed macrostructure indicates that the appearance of One-like-a-son-of-man on a cloud and the Grain Harvest (14:14-16) correspond to the distribution of the invitations to the wedding supper of the Lamb (19:9-10) (time-parallel 13). In the Gospels, just after the ‘coming of the Son of Man’ (Mt. 24:29-30, Mk. 13:24-26, Lk. 21:25-28, Lk. 17:30), the ‘elect’ are gathered (Mt. 24:31, Mk. 13:27) and this study proposes that this corresponds to the Grain Harvest/ invitation distribution. Those who receive the invitation will be blessed (19:9) – but who is invited and does this mean that individuals are free to accept or decline? In Towards … 6f it is suggested that the Gospel parable of the Great Supper (Mt. 22:1-14, Lk. 14:15-24) is relevant here and it indicates that everyone has access to the wedding invitation that is offered by God, but the invitation must be accepted and Revelation indicates that acceptance corresponds to repentance and endurance.
The gathering of the Grain Harvest before the Grape Harvest may represent the mercy of God towards the faithful, because the generation who experiences the traumas of the trumpets and bowls, including the fall of Babylon and the ruin of society, will be spared the subsequent bloodbath of the Grape Harvest crushing. This promise is made in the letter to the congregation in Philadelphia:
‘Because you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. I am coming soon; hold fast to what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. If you conquer, I will make you a pillar in the temple of my God; you will never go out of it. I will write on you the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem that comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.’ (3:10-12)
5B.e) The Rapture?
In some popular Christian circles there is an expectation that the faithful will be taken up into heaven (the Rapture) in the ‘last days’ (i.e. in the eschaton), leaving un-believers to face trials and tribulations. The basis for this expectation is Gospel references to the gathering of ‘his elect’ when everyone will see ‘the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven’ (Mt. 24:29-31, and Mk. 13:26-27) and to ‘one will be taken and one will be left’ at an ‘unexpected time’ (Mt. 24:40-44, and Lk. 17:34-36) on the day Christ is revealed. There is no reference to the term ‘rapture’ in Scripture, but it is such an iconic Christian concept that it is discussed even by those who discount the idea. Grant Osborne gives (and discounts) possible suggestions for the Rapture, such as John entering the throne-room (4:1-2), the ascension of the Two Witnesses as representative of the Church (11:11-12) or the preparation of the bride (19:7-9).[1] This study suggests that John’s ascension is personal to him (Framework 1), and it agrees with Richard Bauckham that the Two Witnesses are something like two prophets (not the Church), and the preparation of the Bride is a process associated with repentance and endurance of the faithful, rather than their removal from all trials (so Bauckham, 1993b: 274-276).
In the proposed macrostructure, there is a similarity between the interpretation of the Grain Harvest (as participation in the wedding supper of the Lamb by those who accept the invitation) and the concept of the Rapture. In Revelation, the gathering of the faithful in the Grain Harvest best fulfils the Gospel warnings, confirmed by the 144,000 ‘redeemed’ appearing as ‘first fruits’ (of the harvest) with the Lamb on Mt Zion (14:1-5; so Bauckham, 1993b: 291-293). However, to call the Grain Harvest ‘the rapture’ is misleading because the successive traumas experienced or witnessed by the faithful before the harvests (the trumpets and bowls) contradicts the Rapture’s implied expectation that the faithful will escape all tribulation by being ‘gathered’ first.
Contrary to some supporters’ concept of the Rapture, the ‘left behind’ will not be ignorant of the reason for the disappearances [2] because both the Gospels (Mt. 24:29-30, Mk. 13:24-26, Lk. 21:25-28, Lk. 17:30) and Revelation (14:1-14) are clear that Christ has already appeared as the Lamb on Mt Zion and One-like-a-son-of-man before the faithful are gathered.
[1] Osborne, 2002: 243 note 4.1a; 431-432, 669 note 1.
[2] The ‘left behind’ series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins (Tyndale House Publishers, from 1995) are novels based upon what could happen if the rapture occurs. In the first book of the series, the wider population is ignorant of the reason for the sudden disappearances of millions of people. The ‘anti-christ’ is a character in these books but the term is not used in Revelation.
5B.f) The Grape Harvest - gathering
Those people who do not participate in the Grain Harvest will experience the Grape Harvest (14:14-20). Richard Bauckham suggests that each harvest is ‘a valid aspect of the truth (…) the choice presented to the nations by the three messages of the angels’ (Bauckham, 1993b: 309; Framework 4). This is consistent with the earlier interpretation (in 5B.c) that those who experience the Grape Harvest have refused the wedding supper invitation by refusing to repent. This links the Grain Harvest with the faithful and the Grape Harvest with sinners (so Bauckham, 1993: 290-296; Osborne, 2002: 549), rather than equating both harvests with judgement (Aune, 1998: 849). In other words, the first harvest (grain) is positive and the second one (grape) is negative – but this study suggests that the mercy of God extends until the last possible moment in the harvests.
The Grape Harvest has two parts: gathering of the grapes by an angel (14:17-19) and crushing (14:20) by the Rider (Christ, 19:15) (so Bauckham, 1993b: 293). Richard Bauckham suggests that the gathering of the grapes equates the gathering of the evil armies. This study suggests that the ‘grape’ gathering also corresponds the gathering of those who repent at the last possible minute (see Towards … 6). This two-fold gathering of people is suggested by separate references in Matthew to ‘elect gathering’ (Mt. 24:31, also Mk. 13:27) and ‘one taken’ (Mt. 24:40-41, also Lk. 17:34-36; see Table 1). In Matthew and Mark, the ‘elect gathering’ (Mt. 24:31, Mk. 13:27) immediately follows the ‘coming of the Son of Man’ (Mt. 24:29-30, Mk. 13:24-26, also Lk. 21:25-28) and this corresponds to the Grain Harvest in Revelation (see Table 2). The ‘taking’ follows condemnation of hedonism, like in the days of Noah and Lot, in Matthew and Luke (Mt. 24:37-39, Lk. 17:26-33). The ‘taking’ suggests that the mercy of God extends to the last possible moment towards those who respond positively to the Gospel (14:6-7), even when armies are at the door – before the grapes are crushed in the wine-press.
This study and previous authors equate the crushing of the grapes with the Great Battle – but this study suggests the gathering of the evil armies is not the first gathering (16:12-14 is suggested by Bauckham), it is the re-grouping (19:17-19) which is part of the Grape Harvest gathering. The literary and historical arguments supporting Bauckham’s claim applies to both battle gatherings because, in the proposed macrostructure, only the fall of Babylon separates them. Grant Osborne describes the connection between 16:13-16 and 19:19-21 as the participants in the Day of God’s Wrath ‘now in effect on opposite hills, awaiting the call to battle’ (Osborne, 2002: 688). The Great Battle (19:20-21; time-parallel 15) may to be a delayed battle at Armageddon because of the direct connection between 16:12-16 and 19:17-21 on the physical-spiritual earth (see Framework 4) – but it is a world-wide battle.
5B.g) Crushing of the Grape Harvest and the blood on the Rider's gown
When the Rider appears, he ‘is clothed in a robe dipped in blood’ (19:13). Several explanations have been put forward by scholars as to why there is blood on Christ’s gown before the Great Battle. One option is that the blood may be a reference to the blood of the Lamb, but this is unlikely because the blood is external (it is on the robe).[1] The blood may be that of the martyrs under the altar who are given white robes (6:9-11, fifth seal) or victims of the ‘great tribulation’ who are dressed in white (7:9-17, sixth seal) but their blood cannot be transferred onto Christ’s robe because the blood of the Lamb washes the robes clean (7:14). It would also be a temporal paradox in the proposed model for such martyrdom in the post-Cross era (see Framework 2) to represent victory in eschatological battles. The blood on the Rider’s gown could be a reference to the Grape Harvest (14:17-20) which is trodden by the Rider (19:15), but that suggests the Rider has already crushed the grapes before he appears from heaven, i.e. before the battle. Grant Osborne discounts the blood as being that of Christ’s enemies (because it is present before the battle) but he also accepts it because of ‘the circularity of the imagery (…); chronology is ignored for the sake of rhetorical effect’ (Osborne, 2002: 682).
This study proposes an alternative option: the blood is a reference to Christ the warrior’s past battles with his enemies, not to the coming battle. The blood is evidence of the ongoing war between satan and humanity (12:13, 12:17), as described by Daniel (when he was visited by One-like-a-son-of-man who fought with Michael (Dan.10:13) against the evil angelic princes of the region (Dan. 10:1-11:1)) and by the presence of the Warrior (Christ) at the beginning of John’s visionary journey (1:10-20). In the eschaton in Revelation, the Rider leads the armies of heaven (19:14), probably with Michael who led the heavenly armies against the dragon/ satan (12:7, see Framework 1). John anticipates seeing Christ appear as universal king coming with the clouds (1:5-7) and he, like Daniel, describes the future Messiah-Christ the king (associated with clouds but not the sword, 14:1-20) and both John and Daniel were perhaps visited by Christ the warrior (without clouds) (see Framework 1B.a). Just as the impact of the Cross transcends earthly spacetime (Framework 1), the blood on his gown before the Great Battle supports the proposal that Christ the Rider is humanity’s spiritual protector throughout history, as witnessed by Daniel. The different images and roles of Christ are considered in Framework 1B.h.
[1] Possible explanations for the blood on the gown are described by Osborne (Osborne, 2002: 682-683, 693).
5B.h) The ending of the Day of God’s Wrath (the Great Battle)
The Day of God’s Wrath was anticipated when the sixth seal opened (6:12-17), but this study proposes that the seal may represent the fall of Jerusalem in A.D.70 (Framework 2B.c). The twenty four elders in heaven anticipate the Day when the seventh trumpet sounds and the heavenly sanctuary opens (11:15-19, 15:2-5; time-parallels 6 and 7, Framework 3) and this heralds the emptying of the bowls full of the wrath of God (from 16:2; time-parallel 8a, Framework 3). When the Lamb appears on Mt Zion (14:1; time-parallel 8b, Framework 4B.c), creatures in below-the-earth rise up to gather the kings for battle at Armageddon, anticipating the ‘great day of God the Almighty’ (16:13-14). In the proposed macrostructure, the Day of God’s Wrath begins when the seven bowls full of the last plagues and wrath of God are emptied (from 16:2; time-parallels 8 to 15 in Figures 4 and 5). Time-parallel 15 in Figure 5 endorses a common observation that the crushing of the grapes in the harvest (14:20) corresponds to the Great Battle (19:15-16, 19:20-21). The battle is a blood-bath and, in this study, it is the climax of the Day of God’s Wrath.
The Day is a time of judgement on society and the tool of God’s punishment for sin has been invasion by foreign armies in the past (as in Is. 5:26-30; see Framework 4B.c). The invasion may pre-figure (as in Isaiah’s time) or be the gathering of the kings from the East at Armageddon in Revelation (16:12-16). The kings’ battle is interrupted by the destruction of corrupt society (Babylon’s fall, time-parallel 10), and her subsequent ruin by the abyss beast (time-parallel 11; Framework 4D). Evil forces re-group when the Rider (Christ) appears (19:11-19; time-parallel 14), and the evil armies are crushed in the Great Battle (19:20-21; time-parallel 15); this is the culmination of the Day of God’s Wrath. The Day ends when Christ the Rider has victory over the evil armies and satan’s two beasts are captured and condemned to the fiery lake in the abyss for ever (19:20); satan is bound by a chain and thrown into the abyss for 1000 years (20:1-3). After the battle, the nation (Israel) continues; in Isaiah, a tenth of the people were/ will be preserved (Is. 6:13) and in Revelation the whole earth experiences the thousand years without satan in the Millennium (time-parallel 16).
5B.i) The final ‘last days’: Millennium, Final War, Final Judgement
After the Day of God’s Wrath (time-parallels 8 to 15), the structure is a linear progression of the Millennium, Final War, Final Judgement, New Order and the epilogue (from 20:1 onwards).
The Millennium and the First Death: after the defeat of the evil armies in the Great Battle, the earth is free of satan and its beasts for 1000 years. The souls of the beheaded martyrs in heaven, who had not worshipped the beast or received its mark, will be raised to life again and they will reign with Christ for the 1000 years; this is the First Resurrection (20:4-5). The rest of the dead will have experienced the First Death (physical death) and they will be experience the Second Resurrection after the Millennium, if they remained faithful (20:4-6). It is uncertain how/ if anyone survives the battle itself (because 19:21 indicates there are no survivors), but it seems likely that the descendents of the remaining non-combatants will live in the kingdom of Christ on earth for a thousand years. This is reminiscent of the rescue of Noah and his family from the flood (Gen. 6:1-9:19): the corrupted neighbours die and the faithful family replenish the earth after the flood.
In the earlier Construction, it is suggested that time-parallel 16 supports comments made by Augustine of Hippo (A.D. 354-430) that the two millennia (20:1-3/ 20:4-6) are counterparts of each other (City of God, XX.7),[1] and the earth will experience 1000 years of satan-free existence. This is in accordance with comments made by Justin Martyr[2] and Papias, but not by Eusebius Pamphilius,[3] concerning their hopes of a physical resurrection and the thousand years reign of Christ on earth. Early Christian writers’ expectations of the imminent (for them) appearance of Christ have not been supported by the passing of the intervening years on the material earth. However, the proposed macrostructure supports their interpretations that the earthly Millennium will be something like a physical manifestation, i.e. it will occur on the physical-spiritual earth in the proposed model.
The Final War: the Millennium ends when satan is released from the abyss and heavenly fire (not a battle) destroys those who are deceived by satan’s ploys and join its army (20:7-9). There is debate about how many battles John describes (Jauhiainen, 2003a: 555-556) but the text and proposed macrostructure indicate there are three gatherings for battle (16:12-16, 19:17-19, 20:8; time-parallels 9, 14, 17), one battle (19:20-21; time-parallel 15) and one abortive battle (20:9; time-parallel 17). Literary allusions, for example Ezekiel’s prophecy concerning Gog (Ezek. 38-39), may underlie both 19:17-18 and 20:8-9, but the proposed macrostructure supports Marko Jauhiainen’s observation that the gatherings and battles are separate events in the chronologically linear structure of the vision (Jauhiainen, 2003a: 555-557). The linearity suggests the literary similarities between the passages may represent John’s interpretation of the cyclical nature of history, not the cyclical nature of Revelation’s structure.
The Final Judgement follows the First (physical) Death for everyone and every person is resurrected and judged according to the same criteria (evidence found in books, including the book of life, 20:12). There are two resurrections: the un-‘marked’ martyrs share in the First Resurrection and the Millennium, and the rest of the dead experience the Second Resurrection after the Millennium (20:4-6). The faithful of the Parousia-generation are separated from satan’s followers in the Grain Harvest (14:15-20) and, perhaps, in the gathering of the Grape Harvest if they repent (14:17-19, see 5B.e), but the only distinction between people (of every generation) at the Final Judgement is their works (20:12). The voice from the throne distinguishes between God’s people who will dwell with him (21:3-4) and the ‘vile’ (21:8). The outcome of the Final Judgement is either exoneration (2:11, 21:7) or the ‘second death’ for the vile, i.e. assignment to the fiery lake (21:8).[4]
Grant Osborne describes 14:14-15 (One-like-a-son-of-man appears, ready for the Grain Harvest) and 20:12-13 (Final Judgement) as ‘intertwined’ (Osborne, 2002: 721-722), which this study considers may be true for the meaning of the text but not true for its structure. In this spatio-temporal analysis, there is a linear path between the harvests (time-parallels 13 – 15) and the cosmos-wide Final Judgement (time-parallel 18) (Figure 5). In heaven’s throne-room, invites to the wedding of the Christ (as the Lamb and bridegroom) are distributed and accepted (Grain Harvest) or not accepted (Grape Harvest), and the Christ (as the Rider) appears, ready for battle; this is the immediate pre-cursor to the Final Judgement. In below-the-earth, satan’s two main beasts and followers are condemned to the lake-of-fire after the Great Battle (19:20) and satan is bound and thrown into the abyss (20:1-3). After one thousand years, satan is released, defeated by fire from heaven (20:9) and then imprisoned forever in the lake-of-fire at the Final Judgement (20:10).
On the physical-spiritual earth, the Millennium and Final War intervene between the harvests/ Great Battle and the Final Judgement. In the story of satan and the triumph of the Messiah on the biblical earth, satan deceives the nations after release from the abyss (the Millennium is not specifically mentioned in this space) and it besieges ‘the city God loves’, but fire from heaven devours the evil army (20:7-9). The harvests proceed onto the final evil gathering and Final Judgement in this space. In the proposed model, the Final Judgement and the Second Death are part of both of the earth time-lines. This indicates that they are part of the physical-spiritual world (and, by extension, the material world) and the biblical story. The Final Judgement is represented in every space in the proposed macrostructure, so it covers all of creation (time-parallel 18).
In the eschaton, the ‘marked’ (everybody who wants to buy or sell anything, 13:16-17), the celestial mother, the dragon and its beasts are characters on the biblical earth (Framework 3). So it is likely that the un-repentant corrupted ‘marked’ (who worship the image of the beast, 13:9) and the ‘vile’ (i.e. the corrupted humanity in that space throughout history, 21:8) are similar characters and not abstract concepts of corruption. This suggests the marked and the vile are everyone condemned by their own deeds at the Final Judgement. This favours a universal interpretation of judgement, but not one in which everybody avoids the fiery lake. The biblical story-line ends at the Final Judgement but there will be a new heaven and earth which, in the proposed macrostructure model, replaces the physical-spiritual earth and heaven’s throne-room. Whether below-the-earth ceases to exist or if it continues outside the New Order is not clarified in the proposed model (see Framework 3C.a). History and creation, as humanity understands them today, ends after the Final Judgement.
[1] Augustine of Hippo City of God, XX.7 Christian Classics Ethereal Library https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf102.pdf [Accessed 9 July 2024].
[2] According to Justin Martyr (c. A.D. 100-165): ‘there was a certain man with us, whose name was John, one of the apostles of Christ, who prophesied, by a revelation that was made to him, that those who believed in our Christ would dwell a thousand years in Jerusalem; and that thereafter the general, and, in short, the eternal resurrection and judgment of all men would likewise take place’ Justin Martyr Dialogue with Trypho, LXXXI, Christian Classics Ethereal Library http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.pdf [Accessed 9 July 2024].
[3] According to Eusebius Pamphilius (c. A.D 260-339/340; Bishop of Caesarea): ‘The same writer (Papias, c. A.D. 70 – mid-second century, Bishop of Hierapolis) gives also other accounts which he says came to him through unwritten tradition, certain strange parables and teachings of the Saviour, and some other more mythical things. To these belong his statement that there will be a period of some thousand years after the resurrection of the dead, and that the kingdom of Christ will be set up in material form on this very earth. I suppose he got these ideas through a misunderstanding of the apostolic accounts, not perceiving that the things said by them were spoken mystically in figures. For he appears to have been of very limited understanding, as one can see from his discourses. But it was due to him that so many of the Church Fathers after him adopted a like opinion, urging in their own support the antiquity of the man; as for instance Irenæus and anyone else that may have proclaimed similar views.’ Eusebius, III.39.11-13, Christian Classics Ethereal Library http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff /npnf201.toc.html [Accessed 8 March 2025].
[4] ‘Death and hades’ are also thrown into the lake, 20:14.
5B.j) The Bride of the Lamb (the New Jerusalem)
The bride of the Lamb is a magnificent city (the New Jerusalem, 21:2) and, while John is watching from a new vantage point in the wilderness (21:9, see Framework 4D.f), she comes down from heaven. The identity of the Bride is confirmed by her garments, which are the righteous deeds of the faithful (19:8). Almost two millennia of Christian tradition suggest the Bride is the Church (Osborne, 2002: 694, note 19:7) and the congregation in Philadelphia is told: ‘If you conquer, I will make you a pillar in the temple of my God; you will never go out of it (…,) the New Jerusalem’ (3:12). However, the names of the twelve tribes of Israel are written on the gates of New Jerusalem (21:12b) and the gates are open to all the faithful; this suggests that the New Jerusalem is representative of faithful Israel and the Church (so Osborne, 2002: 733, 750). The New Jerusalem is where God will live on the New Earth and it reflects its inhabitants (21:3, 22:14) as part of its composition (pillars, 3:12) and its adornment (deeds of the faithful, 19:8). This indicates that the Bride/ New Jerusalem represents all the faithful people of God, of every generation, and it is their future dwelling place with God.
In this study, it is proposed that the eschaton may begin for the whole earth when the censer is thrown to earth (8:5b) and the censer is like a purification process which culminates in the purity of the Bride (see Framework 2C.a). The congregation at Laodicea is warned in their letter of future suffering: ‘gold refined by the fire (…) I reprove and discipline those whom I love,’ (3:18-19) – which is a message for the faithful of all eras. Grant Osborne refers to ‘the purifying effect of suffering’ (Osborne, 2002: 209), which is part of the preparation/ cleansing process of the faithful. The faithful must endure the torments (including the fall of Babylon, 14:8), and their deeds will ‘follow them’ (14:12-13). Deeds will be the basis of individual judgement in the Final Judgement (20:12, 21:7). After Babylon falls, the proposed macrostructure illustrates how there are warnings of imminent judgement on the wicked (14:9-11). Those who witness or are affected by her fall, lament over it (18:4-24), but there is joy in heaven as the wedding preparations begin (19:5-6) (time-parallel 11), Framework 4). The faithful will suffer as they (the Bride) are prepared and heaven celebrates the imminent wedding of the Lamb (14:12-13/ 19:7-8; time-parallel 12, Figure 5).
5B.k) They are Done!
The final words from the heavenly throne: ‘They are done (Γέγοναν)! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.’ (21:6). 21:6 is a reminder of 16:17 (Γέγονεν, ‘it is done’) when Babylon falls (Framework 4). Some English translations repeat ‘It is done’ for both 16:17 and 21:6, for example: NRSVA and Today’s New International Version; but it seems more likely that there is a difference in meaning: ‘it (Babylon, the epitome of corruption) is now finished (…) they (satan, the beasts and works of the old order) are now over’.[1] The old heaven and earth pass away and the New Order begins (21:1).
Grant Osborne suggests the second (plural) reference indicates all the events of the Old Order are encompassed (Osborne, 2002:737-738) but Felise Tavo suggests these two words delineate the events of the seventh bowl and the bowl includes the destruction of Babylon’s builders (satan’s two beasts, i.e. including 19:11-20:15) (Tavo, 2005: 59). The proposed macrostructure supports Osborne’s interpretations because Babylon’s fall is a short, defined destruction (seventh bowl, time-parallel 10). It is unlikely that the seventh bowl includes the demise of the beasts’ in the Great Battle or the Final Judgement (time-parallels 15 and 18). Therefore, this study suggests Γέγονεν highlights the end of Babylon and the beginning of the end of the beasts’ dominance, and Γέγοναν highlights the end of the Old Order. In the New Order, Christ will be present on the throne (22:3) and he will be the Bridegroom of the New Jerusalem, which is the future dwelling place with God of all the faithful people of God, of every generation.
[1] In the Greek, both words are the perfect, active indicative of the verb γίνομαι meaning ‘to be’ Γέγονεν (16:17) is the third person singular and Γέγοναν, is the third person plural (21:6). https://biblecrawler.org/ [accessed 18 January 2025].
5B.l) Mt Zion, Mt Olives and the Parousia
Revelation highlights one aspect of the Parousia that may be significant. According to the Gospels, the Ascension (and thus the Parousia) occurred on Mt Olives and the Lamb appears on Mt Zion. The earthly location is not defined for the One-like-a-son-of-man or the Rider. Why are the mountains different?
There are over 100 references to Zion in the Hebrew Bible – praise or pleas for the salvation of Zion in the Psalms, and prophecies about the city’s desolation and future redemption. King David took the stronghold of the Jebusites, and it became the City of David (Zion) – which is now part of Jerusalem (2 Sam. 5:7, 1 Chron. 11:5). David’s son, King Soloman, brought the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord up from the City of David into the Temple that he had had built (1 Kings 8:1, 2 Chron. 5:2-6:2). Micah warns of internal and external threats against Zion but ‘many nations shall come and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.’ (Micah 4:2). Israel’s inhabitants were exiled to Babylon (597 B.C.) and Jerusalem was destroyed (587 B.C.); but prophecy assures Jerusalem/ Zion’s future triumph.
When Jesus enters Jerusalem, prophecy is fulfilled: ‘Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ (Mt. 21:5, see also John 12:15). Jerusalem was destroyed again in 70 A.D., by the Romans, who forbade the rebuilding of the Temple. Today, the Temple site is the site of the Dome of the Rock Muslim shrine and the al-Aqsa Mosque. Jerusalem is now a holy site in the three Abrahamic faiths. This suggests that the appearance of the slain Lamb on Mt Zion, with the 144,000 ‘redeemed’ and the ‘three angels’ (who proclaim the Gospel and give warnings of coming judgement, 14:1-11) demonstrate the universal power of Christ and the efficacy of the Cross (i.e. the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ). This appearance of Christ, as the sacrificial lamb, represents a call to repentance by the whole of humanity and the need for the faithful to endure the coming trials (14:12).
Mt Olives, on the other hand, is a ridge to the east of Zion, outside the city’s walls where Christ will come again (Acts 1:9-11). It also has a biblical role in the Parousia. The sanctity of Jerusalem does not protect the city from war: ‘See, a day is coming for the Lord (…) for I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle (…). Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations (…). On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives, (… and it) shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley (…). Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.’ (Zech. 14:1-5). Neither does sanctity protect Jerusalem from internal corruption. In Revelation, Jerusalem is condemned for following the ways of Babylon (see Framework 4D.h): ‘and their (the Two Witnesses’) dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that is prophetically called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.’ In Revelation, when Christ appears on a cloud on Mt Olives (as promised in Acts 1:9-11) this follows the announcements of the Three Angels and it is a time of God’s mercy (the Grain Harvest) and condemnation in the Grape Harvest/ Great Battle (perhaps for the un-repentant, 14:13-20; see 5B.d).
Revelation combines the prophetic significance of both Mt Zion and Mt Olives, and it reinforces the importance of Jerusalem as a focal point during the Parousia. What does this mean for the material world? What will the parousia-generation (those alive at the time) actually see? Events on the physical-spiritual earth give an indication of this, but Revelation is an apocalyptic (revelatory)-prophetic scenario and how one interprets its visionary events depends upon how Scripture is understood. The Gospels (see Towards … 6) and the Three Angels’ messages (14:6-11) indicate that what happens will be seen by everybody alive at the time. Mt. 24:30a indicates that ‘the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven’. Then, ‘they will see “the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven” with power and great glory’ (Mt.24:30b). This study proposes that, in Revelation, the ‘sign’ will be the Lamb’s presence on Mt Zion and then his ‘coming’ will be his appearance on the cloud (14:1-20). Christ’s appearance as the Rider (19:11-16) does not have a Gospel equivalent (perhaps because this will be after the Grain Harvest/ Gospel ‘gathering’). What this will mean on the material earth is open to interpretation.
5B.m) The 'why' of the Parousia
Which of Christ’s three appearances is THE Parousia? Ramsey Michaels suggests the ambiguity about the Parousia is more easily resolved from one’s own presuppositions than from Revelation’s text (Michaels, 1992: 142), but the proposed macrostructure introduces a solution to the ambiguity that aims to be objective (i.e. independent, reproducible) and consistent with Scripture – by considering the cosmic location of each appearance and its consequences. The anticipated sequence of events is illustrated in Table 1. This study suggests that the biblical earth reflects the biblical narrative (both the Hebrew Bible and the Gospels) and WHY things happen. The physical-spiritual earth reflects WHAT HAPPENS on the visionary physical earth and its spiritual dimensions. What will happen on the material earth is uncertain.
14:1-20 reflects the story of Christ’s parousia in the biblical narrative. The first appearance is by the slain Lamb on Mt Zion (14:1-5), then he claims his kingdom as One-like-a-son-of-man, seated on a cloud, and with a crown on his head (14:14-16) and the earth is harvested (14:17-20). John and other early Christians expected Jesus Christ’s ‘coming’ to be visible to everyone – as anticipated in 1:7, 3:11, the Gospels and Acts 1. In a vision, Daniel also saw One-like-a-son-of-man who comes with the clouds, approaches the enthroned Ancient One and is given a kingdom (Dan.7:13-14); this foreshadows the Ascension, and thus the Parousia (Acts 1:9-11).[1]
When the heavens’ open, Christ appears as the Rider (19:11-16) in his role as divine warrior and judge (Bauckham, 1993b: 294-295), ready for battle against satan (19:20-21). Daniel also interacted with a warrior, dressed in linen, who fights evil forces and responds to Daniel’s desire for understanding and humility by explaining the vision (Dan.10:4-12:13). The Rider is humanities’ spiritual protector throughout history – as witnessed by Daniel and by the blood on the Rider’s gown before the Great Battle (19:13; see 5B.e). The Rider ‘will tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty’ (19:15) and this links the crushing of the Grape Harvest with the Great Battle (time-parallel 15). The Parousia is not the end of history as we know it – a thousand years later there will be the Final War against satan (20:7-8; time-parallel 17) and there will be Final Judgement (21:7-8; time-parallel 18).
[1] This is the traditional view that the One-like-a-son-of-man in 14:14 and Dan. 7:13-14 is the Messiah, and not an angel (which is ‘still occasionally defended’, Collins, 2016: 129).
5B.n) What will happen during the Parousia on the physical-spiritual earth?
The relationship between the biblical earth and the physical-spiritual earth in Revelation links Scripture with a visionary version of earth. The physical-spiritual earth reflects WHAT HAPPENS to humanity and the cosmos. When the bowls full of the ‘last plagues’ (15:1) empty onto earth, the Day of God’s Wrath begins (16:2; illustrated by time-parallels 8-15 in Table 1). The Parousia is part of the Day and it will be a terrible time for the physical-spiritual earth: ‘the fifth angel poured his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness; people gnawed their tongues in agony, and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and sores, and they did not repent of their deeds’ (16:10-11) (during this time the slain Lamb appears on the biblical earth, 14:1-5; time-parallel 8). The River Euphrates will dry up, ready for ‘the kings from the East’ to travel westward, is implied, and demons will rise (16:12-13; time-parallel 9). Evil armies will gather at a place called Armageddon (16:14-16) and Babylon (corrupt society) will fall because of a severe storm and an earthquake (14:8, 16:17-21; time-parallel 10). Satan hates both the Lamb and Babylon (17:14-16) and her (Babylon’s) satellite cities are ruined by satan’s beasts (17:16; see Framework 4B.a).
The faithful are warned to leave Babylon, even at this late stage in its fall: ‘Then I heard another voice from heaven saying ‘Come out of her, my people, so that you do not take part in her sins, and so that you do not share in her plagues’ (18:4). There is great lament, but life goes on (18:9-19; time-parallel 11). The faithful must endure the torments (14:12-13) because they, as the bride of Christ, are being prepared for the wedding of the Lamb (19:7-8; time-parallel 12). The Gospels indicate that hedonistic earth will be unprepared for Christ’s appearance (see Table 2). It is the ending of the ‘times of the Gentiles’ (Lk. 21:24b) and false christs, prophets and signs have lead people astray (Lk. 17:22-23, Mt. 2423-26, Mk. 13:21-23). The Lamb appearing on Mt Zion is perhaps the ‘sign’ expected in Mt. 24:30a.
During the time when the physical-spiritual earth experiences the ruin of the land (18:4-24 continues from time-parallel 11, Table 2), Christ comes on the biblical earth as One-like-a-son-of-man, seated on a cloud, and the earth is harvested, 14:14-20); time-parallel 13). Then, Christ the Rider appears from heaven (19:11-16) and evil forces re-group (19:17-19). Forces on all sides are ready for the Great Battle (19:20-21; time-parallel 15), which is the climax of the Day of God’s Wrath (time-parallels 8-15).
The Great Battle may be a delayed battle at Armageddon (but it will be world-wide, see Framework 4D.g) because only the fall of Babylon intervenes between them. As mentioned earlier (5B.f), Grant Osborne describes the connection between 16:13-16 and 19:19-21 as the participants in the Day of God’s Wrath ‘now in effect on opposite hills, awaiting the call to battle’ (Osborne, 2002: 688). The Day will be a catastrophe for everyone, including those who have been faithful all along, because everybody will experience the impact of all seven bowls full of the wrath of God, and the fall of hedonistic society (Babylon) (16:2-21).
It may be possible, through the mercy of God, for an individual to avoid the Great Battle even as nations prepare for war and Babylon falls (16:12-21; time-parallels 9-12), if that person accepts the Lamb’s wedding invitation (perhaps through the repentance) when One-like-a-son-of-man appears and he gathers the Grain Harvest (14:14-16, 19:9-10; time-parallel 13, see 5B.d) – but how the biblical earth Grain Harvest will unfold on the physical-spiritual earth is unknown. It may also be possible, through the mercy of God, for an individual to avoid the Great Battle even as the evil troops re-group (19:17-19), if that person accepts the wedding invitation while the Grape Harvest is gathered (14:17-19; time-parallel 14). These possibilities are suggested by the separate gatherings of the ‘elect’ (Mt. 24:31, and Mk.13:27) and the ‘one taken’ (Mt. 24: 40-41, and Lk. 17: 34-36) in the Gospels (see Table 2 and Towards …6). John links the crushing of the Grape Harvest with the Great Battle (19:15) and this is followed by the thousand years of peace (20:4-6; time-parallel 16), the Final War (20:9; time-parallel 17) and the Final Judgement (20:13-15; time-parallel 18) on the physical-spiritual earth.
After his vision, when John prepared Revelation for distribution, after all the overwhelming visionary events that he had seen and heard, the one thing that he accentuated when he wrote his letter was expectation of Christ ‘coming with the clouds’ (1:7), which John anticipated with gladness (‘Come, Lord Jesus’, 22:20b). In the opening and closing of the letter, there is no anticipation of battles but the first person John sees in his vision is Christ as warrior (1:10-18). Daniel equates a similar visionary warrior as the spiritual defender of God’s people (Dan. 10:12). This suggests Revelation’s readers of every generation should also anticipate Christ ‘coming with the clouds’ and trust in Christ as our spiritual defender.
5B.o) Revelation: John and a waking vision
For Revelation, whether John envisioned, dreamt or imagined one or several separate visions or if he compiled ‘vision report(s)’[1] is the subject of debate. Using John’s own words, local traditions[2] and the proposed macrostructure, this study proposes that John experienced a waking vision.
In Revelation, John wrote that he was exiled ‘on the island called Patmos, because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus (1:9) and he experienced a ‘revelation (ἀποκάλυψις, apocalypse) of Jesus Christ (1:1). Local tradition tells that John lived with a servant (Prohorus)[3] in Patmos’ port of Skala but they walked about half way up a nearby hill (less than a mile) to a cave for some peace and quiet.[4] While they were at the cave, John wrote:
‘I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, ‘Write in a book what you see (… turning I saw) one like the Son of Man (…), saying ‘Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive for ever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades. Now write what you have seen, what is, and what is to take place after this.’ (1: 9-20)
These words indicate that John was praying when he heard the voice behind him and he was able to turn around, which implies he was standing. We are told that John’s experience was written down while it was happening, because he is told not to write down the message of the seven thunders (10:4). This indicates that either John or a scribe (Prohorus?), who may have been beside John during the vision, was recording John’s words – rather than the words being transcribed afterwards. This recording process would explain the abbreviated descriptions of the fall of Babylon (which is a major event, described in very few verses) and the simple, repetitive pattern of the text of the septets (seals, trumpets, bowls). A mosaic over a modern, lower entrance to the monastery that now encompasses the cave depicts this scenario – with John standing outside the cave and Prohorus sitting, writing inside.[5] This picture moves away from the traditions that John was lying on his bed in the cave when he had the revelation, and that Prohorus used a ledge in the cave as a resting place for his transcription of John’s words – or that John dreamt the events. It is possible that John knitted multiple visions together or that he designed the structure of Revelation and imagined the events, but this would contradict John’s own words.
The myriad Hebrew Bible allusions (over 400 has been suggested by others) in Revelation indicate John’s use of Scripture was intentional and ‘exegetical’ (Mach, 2015: 175), i.e. it is a skilled, analytical analysis of the biblical text. This suggests John was aware that he was witnessing biblical history unfolding in his vision. Revelation does not include John’s own explanations on what he was seeing and there are only a very few explanations given to John by characters in the vision. Literary enhancements, such as allusions and literary patterns, may have been added or embellished as John wrote, remembered, reflected and prepared his apocalyptic, prophetic letter for distribution. This, and the nature of the ‘not accurate’ Greek used in Revelation,[6] supports the idea of an educated man (John) using a scribe. Familiarity with the Hebrew Bible does not necessarily mean fluency in Greek, but Dionysius (c. A.D. 200-265), Bishop of Alexandria, expected an educated man to have good Greek. He used the poor Greek in Revelation to dismiss the Apostle John as its author – but the services of a scribe clouds this argument.
This study proposes that Revelation’s deep, controlling structure is a relatively simple, linear, two-drama structure and its chronology is consistent with the meta-narrative of the Scriptures. If John had re-ordered the visionary events, the time-parallels in the proposed model would be un-recognisable. It seems most likely that John experienced his vision as a single unit, perhaps like being enveloped in a tremendous, thunderous, sky-filling electric storm. During which time, events were recorded as his focus moved from one cosmic space to another, creating a surface literary spiral in the process that begins after the Lamb appears and when evil forces gather (16:12-21:9). John’s attention to detail, consistency in structure and references to several visionary vantage points suggests he experienced a waking vision in which he remained aware of his surroundings. This is comparable to the way that Hildegard of Bingen experienced her visions before describing them in art, text and music.[7] The complexity of the content within a relatively simple structure (as illustrated by the proposed macrostructure) and Revelation’s simple Greek endorses the proposal and that John described his waking vision to someone, while the vision was happening. However, the precise nature of John’s experience is less important, in this study, for Revelation’s macrostructure than its setting in the cosmos, consistent internal chronologies and how John chose to describe it. Afterwards, John added a very short prologue (1:1-9) and epilogue (22:20b-21). The proposed model is independent of John’s identity as Apostle, Elder or as an otherwise unknown prophet – his possible identity is a subject for further study.
[1] A ‘vision report’ incorporates multiple parts (visions or narratives) into a single account (Aune, 1997: lxxxii). See also Towards … 3.
[2] According to the Monastery of St John web-site in the official guide to Patmos, John was on Patmos for about eighteen months before returning with Prohorus to Ephesus, where John died. Local traditions telling of the circumstances of the vision are unsubstantiated by Revelation or other sources. https://www.patmos-island.com/en/MONASTERIES/APOCALYPSE.html [Accessed 27 February 2024].
[3] Prohoros or Prochoros is unknown from other sources and the tradition was not written down until several centuries after Revelation was written. Spelling of names is variable but a Procorus was one of the original seven deacons (Acts 6:5).
[4] The cave is about 21.7 ft long and 18ft wide.
[5] https://www.e-patmos.com/en/monument/holy-cave-of-the-apocalypse-11/ [Accessed 8 June 2024].
[6] Dionysius was probably the first extant church leader to comment on the Greek of Revelation, stating that ‘I do not deny that the other writer (John, and not the Apostle John) saw a revelation and received knowledge and prophecy. I perceive, however, that his dialect and language are not accurate Greek, but that he uses barbarous idioms, and, in some places, solecisms.’ (Dionysius in Eusebius VII.25.24-26).
[7] Anne H. King-Lenzmeier (2001) Hildegard of Bingen: An Integrated Vision. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, p. xvii.
5B) Summary and conclusions
The interpretation of the final part of Revelation focuses on the Parousia and how the descriptions match expectations in the Gospels (Table 1, 5B.a and b; see also Towards …6). Christ will come again in ways that reflect his roles in the different cosmic spaces. He will appear as the slain Lamb (our saviour) on Mt Zion with the Three Angels (14:1-11). This is the first part of the Parousia and it may be the ‘sign’ anticipated in Mt. 24:30a. It will be a very difficult time for everyone because armies have gathered, Babylon has fallen (14:8) and hedonistic society is ruined (time-parallels 9-11, Framework 4). The faithful must endure the hardships (14:12-13) because this is a time of preparation in anticipation of their role as the future Bride of the Lamb (the New Jerusalem, 19:7-8; time-parallel 12).
Everyone alive at the time will see One-like-a-son-of-man on a cloud (14:14, Christ), and the proposed macrostructure indicates that acceptance of the invitation to the wedding supper of the Lamb (19:9-10) results in participation in the Grain Harvest (14:15-16; time-parallel 13); this is the second part of the Parousia. This harvest may be the ‘gathering of the elect’ anticipated in Mt. 24:31 and Mk. 13:27. It will be a mercy because participants will be spared the trauma of the Great Battle/ Grape Harvest crushing (14:20; time-parallel 15); the letter to the congregation in Philadelphia makes such a promise (3:10). Evil armies gathered around the pre-crucifixion Jesus and they will gather when he returns (5B.c) to harvest the earth (5B.d and e). The gathering of the harvest grapes by an angel (14:17-19) may correspond to the ‘one taken’ anticipated in Mt. 24:40-41 and Lk. 17:34-36, and also the re-grouping of the evil armies (5B.f). In this interpretation, the harvests are not a time of judgement; they represent a personal choice given to an individual and prompted by the announcements of the Three Angels (14:6-11; Framework 4), i.e. to repent, or reject the Gospel.
When Christ appears as the warrior-king (the Rider), this is the third part of the Parousia (19:11-14; time-parallel 14) and he crushes the Grape Harvest in the Great Battle (19:15-16, 19:20-21; time-parallel 15). He is our defender and protector throughout history, as illustrated by the blood on his gown before the battle and Daniel’s testimony (5B.g). The battle completes the Day of God’s Wrath (5B.h). After the harvests, non-combatants of the Great Battle (because all combatants are killed, 19:21) and/ or their descendants will experience the final ‘last days’ of the Old Order (5B.i; time-parallels 16 – 18). The Millennium will represent 1000 years without satan on earth (satan is imprisoned in the abyss, 20:1-6; time-parallel 16). After 1000 years, satan is released and deceives the nations into gathering for the Final War (20:7-8), but fire from heaven ends all rebellion (20:9; time-parallel 17). Nations and individuals of every generation experience the consequences of their ‘works’ when the Final Judgement is underway (time-parallel 18). John’s message emphasises the need for repentance and endurance [1] and those ‘not found written in the book of life’ (the ‘vile’) will be expelled to the Lake-of-fire at the Final Judgement (20:15, 21:8).
The New Order begins when John sees the Bride of the Lamb, the New Jerusalem – a city whose pillars (3:12) and adornment (19:8) are the faithful people of God (21:1-5; 5B.j). Now, God’s plans are complete: ‘They are done!’ (21:6; 5B.k). Revelation ends with a description of humanity’s new home with God, the Lamb and the Spirit[2] (21:9-22:5) – and Jesus’ closing words in the vision and a short epilogue (22:6-21). In the proposed macrostructure, Revelation’s vision begins and ends on the physical-spiritual earth, which becomes the New Earth. This may indicate that John’s primary focus in Revelation is on humanity’s relationship with God, in the context of its present and future homes. This study ends with a few remaining questions: the relationship between Mt Zion and Mt Olives during the Parousia (5B.l); why will the Parousia happen? (5B.m) and what will occur during this time on the physical-spiritual earth? (5B.n) Finally, this study proposes that John experienced a waking vision that included four steps back in relative time (at 4:2, 12:1, 12:13 and 15:1), which would explain how the story within Revelation maintains its relatively simple structural integrity and its chronological consistency (5B.o).
In conclusion: John writes of the physical and spiritual terrors that have unfolded throughout history because of the presence of satan on earth (from 12:9), and how circumstances will get worse when the seven trumpets start sounding and satan’s abyss and earth beasts appear (in Framework 3). It is not comfortable reading, but there is hope. For the Parousia-generation (those alive when Christ appears again), there will be an opportunity to participate in the Grain Harvest (‘elect’ gathering) and perhaps in the Grape Harvest gathering (‘one taken’) and thus to avoid the climax of the Day of God’s Wrath (the Grape Harvest crushing/ Great Battle). Everybody has the opportunity to participate in the promised New Order, if they repent of their evil ‘works’. This supports the idea that Revelation strengthened John’s community, and subsequent communities, with the assurance of Christ’s coming again rather than with an emphasis on God’s plan for history – which in the proposed macrostructure is only a few verses (12:1-18; Framework 1).
There is only one Christ and the proposed macrostructure indicates earth will see something like Christ the slain Lamb (14:1-5) and the king on the cloud (14:14) before he (as the Rider) appears and defeats satan (19:11-21). In the interpretation in this study, Christ’s different roles (as sacrificial lamb, defender, king and warrior in the story of humanity’s redemption) reflect the cosmic spaces within which they occur. The earth as physical, spiritual and biblical may partly explain why there is ambiguity in Revelation about how Christ will return to earth – on a mountain top or a cloud (14:1-20) or as the Rider (19:11). The two locations (Mt Zion and the cloud over (the implied) Mt Olives) reflect different aspects of the Parousia and the Scriptures of two of the three Abrahamic faiths – expectations in Islam require further research in this study. The interpretation in this study is pre-millennial but there is no reason why other interpretations using the proposed macrostructure, for example a-millennial or idealistic, would not be valuable.
Exactly how or when the prophesised events will unfold on the material earth is unknown but the proposed macrostructure illustrates a possible relative time-line. When the messages of the seven thunders are heard during the sixth trumpet (10:3-4) more may be known about what is happening at the time. Revelation describes an apocalyptic (revelatory) scenario so how one interprets its visionary events depends upon how Scripture is understood. The Gospels warn how, after tribulations and when it seems like the cosmos is being shaken apart, the Son-of-man will appear suddenly and unexpectedly in the cloud(s), with power and great glory, and a trumpet will sound.[3] There will be temptations for hedonism, like a sudden snare (Lk. 21:34); take heed, watch! (Lk. 21:34-36). In Revelation, John warns his readers to ‘come out’ of Babylon (18:4), endure the hardships, repent and be prepared for Christ’s appearance, whenever it may happen (3:3, 16:15).
[1] Repent: in five messages to the congregations (2:1-3:22), refusal to repent (sixth trumpet, 9:20-21; fourth and fifth bowl, 16:9-11); last opportunity (seventh bowl, 18:4) and perhaps the harvests. Endure: in the seven messages to the congregations (2:1-3:22: and 13:10, 14:12-13).
[2] Revelation may contain two references to the Trinity: in the Old Order it is the One-seated-on-the-throne, the Lamb on the throne and the Spirit may be the green rainbow encircling the throne (4:3); in the New Order it is the One-seated-on-the-throne, the Lamb on the throne and Ian Paul suggests the Spirit may be the water flowing from the throne in the New Jerusalem (22:1-2; Paul, 2018: 362); see Framework 1B.h.
[3] Cosmic upheaval (Lk. 21:25-26, Mt. 24:29, Mk. 13:24-25) then Christ appears in the clouds (Lk. 21:27-28, Mt. 24:30, Mk. 13:26), like at the Ascension (Acts 1:9-11, Lk. 24:50-51). Trumpet: Mt.24:31.