Framework:
interpretation of
Section 1 - the blood of the Lamb
1) The shedding of the blood of the Lamb (5:5-7, 12:9-12, 12:17)
1B) Section interpretation
Revelation is an apocalyptic-prophetic letter (i.e. the prophecies reveal hidden mysteries) that begins with a prologue (1:1-9) and an introduction (1:10-3:22) and continues with two interlinked visionary dramas (4:1-11:19 and 12:1-22:20a). This Interpretation focuses on: the beginnings of the letter, creation and the cosmic spaces; the celestial mother and the birth of the Messiah; the two earths; the dragon and the first angelic battles; and the consequences of the Cross (i.e. Jesus Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension). The climax of this section is the appearance of the slain Lamb (Christ) in heaven’s throne-room. Background details of the study are given in Framework 1 and the methodology and macrostructure are found in Towards … 2 and 3.
Figure 1 - the Cross: time-parallel 1 (5:5-6:1, 12:9-12, 12:17-18)
1B.a) The beginning of the letter
Revelation is a letter to the servants of God that has a short prologue and an introduction that contains the main themes of the letter. John anticipates seeing One-like-a-son-of-man on a cloud and, in seven messages to the congregations in Asia Minor (present day Turkey), he refers to persecution, the New Jerusalem, white garments and crowns for the faithful, judgement and the ‘second death’, Jesus’ coming soon or quickly, the tree of life, and the need for repentance.[1] All these characters, events and themes are part of the story that John goes on to describe. The letter reminds the recipients of the hidden, real spiritual struggles and how victory over spiritual threats or compromise, comes from the heavenly throne (Beale, 1999: 38). The prologue (1:1-9) and closing words (22:20b-21) would most likely have been written after John had written the letter, so these may reflect what John himself considered to be its key feature: that Christ will come as universal king with the clouds (1:5-7) and he (John) closes the letter with a benediction and a plea for Jesus to come.
In this spatio-temporal analysis, it is particularly important to know the space and relative timing of events from the perspective of the narrator (John). When the vision began, John was on the island of Patmos, sometime at the end of the first century A.D.[2] He was ‘in the spirit on the Lord’s day’ (1:10) he heard a ‘loud voice like a trumpet’ and he turned around to see ‘one like a son of man’: a warrior (1:10-20). This suggests John was now standing on a visionary version of Patmos. It was physical, because John was still on something like Patmos, but it was also spiritual because John was in the presence of the ‘first and the last and the living one’ (Christ); the visionary space was a physical-spiritual version of earth. At 4:2, John is taken in the spirit to heaven’s throne-room, but at what point does he leave the throne-room? John may have left it when the first seal or last seal opened (6:1-8:1) or he could be waiting in the throne-room for half an hour during the silence of the seventh seal (8:1) and during the distribution of the trumpets and the censer preparation and emptying (8:2-6). Exactly when John returns to earth is ambiguous because he continues to see and hear events in the throne-room while he sees events on earth. John ‘looked, and behold’ the four horsemen of the seals appear on earth (6:2-8) and he saw ‘another angel ascending from the rising of the sun’ (east, 7:2) so it is proposed that John returns to earth at 6:2, and he sees the heavenly events from a distance 6:9-11, 7:9-8:5a, 8:6, Framework 2).
The setting of Revelation is a reminder of apocalyptic (revealed hidden mysteries) or past prophetic writings, particularly by Ezekiel (such as a vision of the throne-room and the splendour like a rainbow all around, and the scroll Ezekiel must eat, Ez. 1:1-3:15) and Daniel. Daniel also witnessed two types of son-of-man in his dreams and visions; he sees one coming with the clouds who approaches the Ancient of Days and is given a universal kingdom (Dan.7:13-14) and the other is a warrior, dressed in linen, who fights evil forces with the angelic prince Michael, and who explains a vision to Daniel (Dan. 10:5-12:13). 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). G.K. Beale describes their similarities as John’s ‘creative use’ of Dan.7 and Dan.10-12 based on each writer’s need and context and not ‘mechanical dependence’ or copying (Beale, 1998: 15, 81-93). However, inspiration from a common, divine source seems like a better explanation for the similarities – given the unified and comprehensive macrostructure of the story within Revelation (see Figure 1 and the Macrostructure Model).
[1] Repent: in five messages to the churches (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).
[2] If the vision occurred in A.D. 95-97, i.e. accepting as truth Irenaeus’ comment that Revelation was written towards the end of Domitian’s reign (Irenaeus, Against Heresies V.30.3) some of the first audiences may have experienced the fear of Nero’s cruelty and persecution (late A.D. 60’s), fled from the first Jewish-Roman war (A.D. 66-70), known the temple and Jerusalem had been destroyed (A.D. 70) and they were recovering from oppression under Domitian. If an earlier date is correct (A.D. 68-70; Hengel, 1989: 126-127), Nero’s persecutions would be a recent memory and Jerusalem was still standing, but under threat.
1B.b) The beginning of Creation and the cosmic spaces
When John moves in the spirit from earth to the throne-room (4:2), through an open door in heaven, he hears worship of God which may have begun at the time of Creation (4:8-11). A second reference to Creation is considered shortly (Framework 1B.c) – it may correspond to the birth of the celestial child in 12:5, who is snatched up to the throne.
John sees the throne with the one seated upon it and the emerald rainbow encircling the throne (4:3), a symbol which Ian Paul suggests is ‘impossible – rainbows do not look like emeralds!’ (Paul, 2018: 122). This study proposes that the rainbow is reminiscent of the aurora borealis, an ephemeral predominately green curtain in the sky; it looks like a celestial rainbow or a wind hovering in the sky. The aurora was probably unseen by John, but it would have been familiar to travellers from the far north. The rainbow is perhaps the enthroned Spirit/ mighty wind who was hovering over the waters at Creation (Gen.1:1-2). The rainbow was present as a sign of the covenant with Noah (Gen.9:8-17; for example: Smalley, 2005: 115; Paul, 2018: 122) and Ezekiel recognised the glory of the Lord, like a rainbow ‘in a cloud on a rainy day, such was the appearance of the splendour all round.’ (Ezek 1:28). The rainbow was more than an allusion to Creation, it is intrinsic to the image of the throne and its occupant, not to what surrounds the throne, contra those who suggest the ‘seven spirits’ (1:4, 3:1, 4:5, 5:6) represent the Spirit (for example: Bauckham, 1993a: 25, 164; Smalley, 2005: 33, 133; Resseguie, 2009: 119; Paul, 2018: 62; see Framework 1B.e).
4:3 reflects imperial iconography (Friesen, 2001: 123)[1] but it may also be a proto-trinitarian reference to the Father (the one seated), the Son (the slain Lamb) who shares the throne with the one seated and the Spirit (emerald-like rainbow). Trinitarian deductions in Revelation may be a function of historically-later theological hindsight, but the rainbow/ Spirit image is appropriate. Others suggest the rainbow may represent a halo (Mounce, 1997:120), or the glory of God (Smalley, 2005: 115), or the first of a series of concentric circles surrounding the throne (Aune, 1997: 286), or a filter (mercy) protecting John’s eyes from the brilliance of the one seated (Barclay, 2004a: 166). This study suggests these valid observations may relate to the appearance of jasper and ruby/ carnelian that most probably hides the form of the one seated on the throne from John, rather than to the role of the rainbow. The second time a rainbow is mentioned in Revelation is over the head of the ‘mighty angel’ with the little scroll (10:1-2) who heralds the sealed-up seven thunders and announces ‘no more delay’ (10:1-11). The angel has authority from the Father (as his messenger), he resembles Christ (for example: Smalley, 2005: 257-258; Paul, 2018: 187) and he is overshadowed by a regular rainbow, perhaps as a symbol of the Spirit. When satan/ dragon stands by the seashore, it is this angel’s stance he mimics (12:18).
A voice from heaven (from the throne or from the temple) controls what happens during John’s journey (9:13, 10:4-11:13, 12:5, 14:13, 16:1-17, 18:4, 19:5, 20:11, 21:3-8) and there is a separation between the throne-room (ongoing worship) and heaven’s environs or outer realms (the battle, 12:7). The role of Christ in the throne-room is as the slain Lamb, who is before/ on the throne (3:21, 5:6, 7:17). Lamb stands before the throne (5:6, NRSVA) or at its centre (New International Version). In 3:21 and 7:17 and the Lamb is on the throne. The throne in the New Jerusalem is the seat of God and the Lamb (22:3). This ‘before/ on’ ambiguity is deliberate because the Lamb is also seen on Mt Zion (14:1) before he is seen as One-like-a-son-of-man on a cloud (14:14). The influence of the occupants of the throne-room extends beyond heaven (onto earth), and is (probably) limitless. 14:14 may refer to an angel and not Jesus Christ (so Collins, 2016: 130), but this study follows a traditional view that it does refer to Christ. The contexts of other references to heaven outside the throne-room in Revelation indicate they may refer to the sky, but the overlap between the sky and heaven’s environs is uncertain. In Framework 1A.b and Figure 1, it is proposed that the signs in chapter 12 are events in heaven’s environs. Martin Kiddle describes them as ‘sky paintings’ (Kiddle, 1940: 219) and it is likely the boundary between heaven’s environs and the sky is transparent at this point. The sign of the seven bowl angels (15:1) is probably seen in the same space. How John may have witnesses the signs will be considered in more detail in Framework 3B).
What happens in heaven’s environs after the heavenly battle is unknown after 12:12, but the space will not cease to exist and another ‘great sign’ (of the seven bowl angels) is seen in heaven later (15:1, Framework 3). There is no reference to below-the-earth (sheol, the netherworld or underworld) in this section, but it is likely it was created when satan and the evil angels were expelled from heaven (12:9) – the angel called ‘Destruction’ or ‘Destroyer’ rises from the opening abyss (below-the-earth) with his armies when the fifth trumpet sounds (9:1-11, Framework 3). The nature of below-the-earth in Revelation is considered again in Framework 3C.a, when satan’s two main beasts appear.
[1] Centred on Rome, the Imperial family was incorporated into the Olympian pantheon (Friesen, 2001: 123-127) but Revelation opposed the dominant discourse (Friesen, 2001: 133, 152).
1B.c) The celestial mother and the birth of the Messiah
In 12:1-4, John sees two ‘signs’ in heaven: the celestial pregnant woman and the dragon. The identity of his mother is debated (usually Mary, Israel or the Church).[1] The woman’s child is almost certainly the Messiah – but he could be the Messiah of the Hebrew Bible, Jesus at Bethlehem or representative of the messianic community. The dragon is satan (the ancient serpent/ snake, 12:9, 20:2) and he wants to devour the child (12:4b). After the birth, the child is ‘snatched away’ to the throne (12:5) and the celestial mother finds safety in the wilderness for the first time (12:6). The birth initiates a war between Michael and his angels and the dragon and his angels, which only ends when the Messiah assumes his authority (12:10) (achieved through the shedding of his blood and his taking the scroll from the hand of the One-seated-on-the-throne and opening its seals, 4:5:6-7) and satan is thrown to earth. Satan pursues the mother as soon as he arrives on earth (12:13) but she is given eagle wings so she can fly to safety in a second place in the wilderness (12:14). The earthly presence of ‘that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world’ (12:9) and the pursuit of the mother as soon as the dragon is thrown to earth as a serpent or snake recalls[2] the corruption of the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:1-24).
Who is the celestial child? Satan is present for the birth of the child in the heavenly realms (12:5) before he (satan) is defeated by the heavenly armies and (unwillingly, 12:12) thrown out of heaven (at 12:9), The new-born child is taken to the throne before his mother flees to the wilderness on earth, where she is safe but without her child (12:6). This interpretation accommodates the phrase ‘snatched away’ or ‘caught up’ and taken to God and his throne (12:5) for the child’s transference from heaven’s environs to the throne-room after his birth. This avoids a temporal paradox because, if the child is taken from earth, it would mean that satan appears on earth for the birth (and the mother is never safe) before he is cast down from heaven after the battle (12:9). Therefore, 12:5 refers to the child’s birth in the heavenly realms and not to Jesus’ incarnation on earth (contra Boxall, 2002:119; Osborne, 2002: 463; Jauhiainen, 2003a: 553).
The proposed macrostructure indicates that the corresponding event to the birth of the celestial child in the outer parts of heaven and his transfer to the throne (12:5) is the celebration of creation in the throne-room (4:8-11; see Figure 1). The opening to the Gospel of John states that: ‘In the beginning was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.’ (Jn. 1:1-2) and Revelation states that the Messiah (Christ) is ‘the origin of God’s Creation’ (3:14) and he has held the book-of-life since creation (13:8, 17:8). This study proposes that the story in Revelation begins with Creation in heaven’s throne room (4:11), in the other heavenly realms (12:5) and on earth (12:6). This supports the conclusion that the celestial child is the Messiah.
Who is the celestial mother? As the mother of the Messiah in the heavenly realms, she is the archetype of Israel. The timing and location precludes her being Mary or the Church – but, in a sense, she is the precursor to both of them. After the birth of her child, she flees to a safe place prepared by God for her in the wilderness (12:6). When satan is thrown to earth with the evil angels (12:12), the mother is pursued but she is protected in a new place in the wilderness (12:14). The presence of satan (the snake, 12:9) recalls the corruption of the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:1-24). This suggests that the mother is Eve and she is the mother of all humanity. In due course, her role as the ideal Israel in heaven is reflected on earth and she is the mother of the revealed Messiah. Her earthly history reflects Israel’s history and 12:14 reflects the psalmists’ yearning for the wilderness as a place of safety (12:14; for example: Ps. 55). Satan tries to drown the mother in a torrent, but she is saved by the earth ‘swallowing’ the water (12:15-16). These events recall the rescue of Noah and his family from the flood (Gen. 8:1-19) and the crossing of the Red Sea (Ex.14:21-30) or the Jordan (Josh.3:12-4:18); in each case, the waters are contained and dry land is the place of rescue for God’s people. These brief allusions to Israel’s history (for example: Kiddle, 1940: 236-238; Beale with Campbell, 2015: 248-249) reinforce the suggestion that the celestial mother represents the mother of humanity (as Eve) and Israel, and her child is the Messiah (Jesus Messiah- Christ) as anticipated in the Hebrew Bible and described in the Gospels.
Satan’s pursuit and the mother’s escape (without her celestial child, 12:13-14) and her rescue from flood (12:15-16) better match Israel’s history, rather than Jesus’ physical birth and Mary or the history of the Church. Following the scenes on the mythic, pre-history earth (12:6, 12:1-16), 12:17 does include a description of the Church because satan ‘went off’ to wage war against the rest of the woman’s offspring, including the faithful and the followers of Jesus. 12:18 may indicate that an indefinite time passes whilst the dragon stands by the sea, perhaps waiting for the eschaton (‘last days’ or ‘end times’) to begin, or for his servants the beasts to appear (13:1; so Osborne, 2002: 524).
This study considers the mother to be the ideal Israel in heaven’s environs, then Eve in the Garden of Eden and then the mother of all humanity. In due course, she becomes Israel and her celestial child is the Messiah of the Hebrew Bible (who is also Jesus Christ).
There are alternatives to the above interpretation. Some authors (for example: Mounce, 1997: 233-234; Osborne, 2002: 462 and Beale with Campbell, 2015: 247-248) suggest these events recall Jesus’ birth at Bethlehem and the phrase ‘snatched away’ or ‘caught up’ and taken to God and his throne (12:5) represents Jesus’ ascension on earth. However, in that situation, there is no mention of the Crucifixion or the Resurrection – and the Ascension happens before the heavenly battle and satan’s expulsion to earth (12:7-9); but this cannot be correct because it is the authority of God’s Messiah-Christ and his blood (12:10-11) that defeats satan and the evil angels in the battle. In other words, this study suggests that Christ (the Lamb) does not die, resurrect and ascend before the heavenly battle against satan begins – the battle ends when the Lamb is killed, resurrected and he ascends. Neither does this study support another interpretation: that 12:1-6/12:7-17 are earthly and heavenly viewpoints of the same event (Osborne, 2002: 453). Only 12:6 occurs on earth, so 12:4b is not set in Bethlehem (contra Osborne, 2002: 462) and the text does not change from being the story of Israel to the story of Jesus’ life on earth at 12:4b. Neither does this study support the suggestion that the celestial mother is the Church because these events occur before the time of the Ascension in earth’s history (Osborne, 2002: 456; Smalley, 2005: 315). Greg Beale suggests the historical allusions are relevant for the celestial mother as the representative of the post-resurrection messianic community (Beale with Campbell, 2015: 248), but this study suggests these similarities are more likely to reflect the repetition of concepts and ideas.
[1] Aune, 1998: 680-682. Israel is ‘the people amongst whom Christ was born (… and) the Church and the true Israel are in one sense identical’; the mother bears ‘the Messiah and His servants’ (sic) (Kiddle, 1940: 223, 226; so Collins, 1976: 107; Osborne, 2002: 456-458; Smalley, 2005: 315); or, the mother may be the Church, and her child the messianic community (Resseguie, 2009: 171). Pagan myth or specific non-canonical text allusions are uncertain but the apocalyptic genre would have been familiar to early audiences (Bauckham, 1993b: xi, xvii).
[2] Perhaps a ‘commonplace association’ (Beale, 1998: 58).
1B.d) The Messianic War
Both heavenly time-lines in the proposed model indicate the vision story in Revelation begins with the creation of the physical, spiritual (and implied material) cosmos (4:11, 12:5) but events swiftly move onto the time of the Cross (5:5, 12:9), Richard Bauckham describes chapters 12-14 as the ‘messianic war’ from the Incarnation (12:5) and beasts’ warfare, to the Parousia (Christ’s appearance or his ‘coming’, in Revelation), and the Lamb’s triumph (12:1-14:20, Bauckham, 1993a: 94). This study proposes that 12:5 refers to Creation and the Messiah’s birth in the heavenly realms, not to the Incarnation, but the principle is the same despite our different interpretations of 12:5. In this study, the messianic war has a post-script in 21:7-8 – when the story reflects its universal beginning (12:6) and everyone faces the Final Judgement (see Framework 5). An implication of the spatio-temporal interpretation in this study is that the allegories in this section are allusions to events in the Hebrew Bible and it will be shown in future sections that the whole time-line in this earthly space reflects the biblical narrative.
1B.e) The beginning of the two earths
Every event in the vision is controlled from the heavenly throne and its influence is witnessed in every cosmic space, beginning with Creation. Creation is seen in heaven’s throne-room (as celebration) and in the outer heavenly realms (as the Messiah’s birth in the presence of the dragon). In this spatio-temporal analysis there must be two steps back in relative time in the story – at 4:2 (Framework 1A.a) and 12:1 (Framework 1A.b) and these initiate the two dramas (from 4:1 and from 12:1). Both dramas focus on the consequences of the Cross (time-parallel 1) – first in heaven’s throne-room or heaven’s environs and then both move onto earth. In Framework 1A, it is proposed that the earthly space described in John’s introduction (1:1-3:22) and the seal torments (from 6:2) must be different from the earth to which the celestial mother flees and the dragon is thrown. It would be a temporal violation for 6:2 to follow 12:18 in the proposed model, i.e. if the beginning of the vision on post-Cross Patmos (1:1-3:22) and the torments of the seals (6:2-8:1) happen before the celestial mother (12:6) and satan appear in an earlier era on earth (12:13) (see Framework 1A.d). The dramas complement one another, but the second does not recapitulate the first because they tell different stories, set at different times and in different spaces. This is illustrated in Figure 1.
Both dramas begin with John describing the main characters in each space: the one seated on the heavenly throne and the emerald rainbow (4:2-3) and the celestial pregnant woman and the dragon (12:1-4). Christ then appears in both spaces: as the slain Lamb (5:5-6) and the celestial child/ Messiah (12:5). The slain Lamb/ Messiah assumes his authority by taking the scroll from the right hand of the one seated on the throne (5:7) and the blood of the Lamb enables the faithful to triumph over satan after he (the dragon/ satan) is defeated in the heavenly battle (12:8-11). Events in chapters 12-13 tell the story as analogies of what is happening in parallel with events on the physical-spiritual earth (and, by implication, the material earth) (see Figure 1 and the Macrostructure Model Figures 1-3). This is the biblical story of the satan and humanity, and how the impact of the Messiah and control from the heavenly throne (Framework 1B.b) is evident throughout history. This is illustrated in the Macrostructure Model, Figures 1-5.
The celestial mother may have a presence on the material earth as the land of Israel in chapter 12, but tracing all the characters through the cosmic spaces suggests the images (celestial mother and child, dragon) represent immaterial concepts (faithful Israel, Eve, Messiah, satan). They are allegories within a biblical version of earth’s history and stories of satan actively influencing earthly activities and wars, especially after his beasts appear (13:1-18). The presence of both the celestial mother and satan on this biblical earth indicates that presence in the same space does not indicate common substance or intention.
When John experiences his vision, he enters a space that is still on Patmos and he turns around and sees the Warrior, who has a voice like a trumpet and a sharp, double-edged sword coming out of his mouth, who walks among seven golden lamp-stands (1:10-16). When the scroll is opened in heaven, earth experiences the torments of the first four seal openings (6:2-8). The description of the four seal horsemen themselves is more metaphorical than the accompanying, more tangible, conquest, war, famine and death. John entwines these images, suggesting the opening seals may be mixed physical-spiritual stories set on the visionary earth, with the horsemen representing the spiritual dimension. The torments affect the same dimension that John himself and the seven congregations (physical) and the Warrior, angels and the lamp-stands (spiritual) occupy (1:10-4:1) i.e. this is the visionary physical-spiritual earth. The presence of the physical descriptions makes it more recognisably earthbound than the earth of the mother and the dragon and this dual-earth pattern continues for the rest of the vision; but the genre of both dramas is apocalyptic, i.e. revealing hidden mysteries. The whole book is an apocalyptic-prophecy with a letter-form throughout (see Towards … 1A).
Both earths are places of engagement between the spiritual powers which inhabit them and it is association with satan that corrupts and signifies evil. This agrees with Lesslie Newbigin who describes the concept of an authority or power ‘behind’ a physical embodiment as a form of spatial metaphor that reflects something real (an unseen reality), like the idea of kingship behind the king (Newbigin, 1989: 202-203) or satan on earth ‘behind’ evil on earth.
The two earths and the other cosmic spaces are associated with multiple identities, synonyms or roles of the main characters. Christ was Jesus (the son of man on earth), he is the celestial child who was born in the heavenly realms and then taken up to the heavenly throne, he is the slain Lamb in the throne-room, he is the Warrior in the spiritual realms and John anticipates seeing him as Christ the King. He will be the Rider and bridegroom later in the narrative. In their visions or dreams, John and the prophet Daniel witnessed the future Christ the king and they were perhaps visited by Christ the warrior, who is humanity’s defender throughout history (as shown to Daniel). This study proposes that the Spirit is represented by the emerald rainbow encircling the heavenly throne, but the one seated on the throne has no name or synonym and he has the appearance of jasper and ruby/ carnelian (4:3; see Framework 1B.b). Other main characters have synonyms, for example the dragon is satan the ancient serpent/ snake (12:9) who appears on earth after his expulsion from heaven (12:13). Different identities and roles will be considered further later in this study (Framework 4).
The interpretation of the first drama supports the presence of the enthroned Spirit throughout the biblical narrative, as a Spirit or mighty wind of God (Gen. 1:1-2) and the emerald rainbow, (4:3; Framework 1B.b), and Christ as Warrior, defending humanity throughout history (for example Dan. 10:1-12:13). The earth in the first drama is a physical-spiritual space. The interpretation of the second drama supports the idea that humanity is part of the battle against satan in the messianic war (12:1-14:20; Framework 1B.d). The earth in the second drama reflects the biblical narrative (the Garden of Eden, flood etc.). Both dramas begin with Creation and both climax at the Cross in this section.
1B.f) Battles and angels
In 12:7-9 and 12:17, two types of battle with satan are described prior to the final battles. The first battle is associated with satan’s fall from heaven (12:7-9) and there is some ambiguity about whether this is an ongoing/ single/ repeated event (Lk. 10:18 and 12:7-9, see NIV Study Bible (1987) notes). It has a counterpart with Jesus’ comment: ‘I watched satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning’ (Lk. 10:18). Lk. 10:18 may reference minor defeats of satan, such as the casting out of demons by the seventy two disciples which had just occurred (Lk. 10:18, see NIV Study Bible (1987) note), but 12:7-9 and Lk. 10:18 imply satan fell once, not repeatedly. Alternatively, is this heavenly battle ongoing? There is no other activity recorded in heaven’s environs after the Cross (12:12) but the space will continue to exist because the ‘great sign’ of the seven bowl angels is seen in heaven later (15:1, Framework 3), so the heavenly battle may be happening now and forever, until the New Order begins (21:1). This option is unlikely because the dragon/ satan and his angels are defeated and thrown out of heaven when the Messiah assumes his authority at the Cross (12:7-11). A third interpretation, supported by this study, is that the battle ceases in the heavenly realms when the dragon/ satan is thrown out of heaven, so all spiritual battles continue on earth (physical-spiritual earth and its biblical counterpart). The proposed macrostructure model can be used to illustrate the different options but it only supports the single fall of satan argument.
The second type of battle is the ongoing war between satan and humanity (12:17). The war’s possible ‘combat myth’ background[1] is not as important for this study as its similarities to biblical texts such as Daniel and the Gospels (including Lk. 10:18). The dragon/ satan was thrown out of heaven to a mythic/ pre-history earth because of the Cross, but he was preceded onto earth by some stars when his tail swept a third of them out of heaven onto earth (12:4a); these were probably angels (1:20). This indicates that satan and angels have been present on earth, probably since its formation. The second type of battle has similarities with the angelic battle described in Dan.10:1-11:1 in which a man clothed in linen fought with prince Michael against the prince of Persia and, later, the prince of Greece. Persia was extensive but Greece itself was only a small region, so it was not the land which was inherently anti-God but the empire builders who followed their own paths. Rather than the princes being personifications of empires, Daniel’s evil princes are possibly associated with power-brokers who participate in spiritual battles generated from within societies; the princes may be spiritual powers/ entities that are opposed to God on a regional scale. This is consistent with the description in Revelation of Christ as the Warrior (1:12-20) and supreme heavenly commander (the Rider, 19:11-16), with Michael as one of the princes of the heavenly armies (12:7-9). Michael is one of the ‘chief princes’ (Dan. 10:13), the spiritual protector of Daniel’s people (Dan. 10:21, Dan. 12:1) and he is one of seven archangels of Jewish tradition (Paul, 2018: 170). In Revelation, Michael may be one of the seven spirits, which are blazing torches (4:5) before the throne (1:4) that are the eyes of Christ (5:6) and under his authority (Christ is the one ‘having’ the seven spirits, 3:1). Archangels like Michael and the seven spirits, range through space and time as Christ’s spiritual lieutenants. An alternative suggestion that the archangels are the seven trumpet angels (8:2, 8:6-11:15) (Paul, 2018: 170) seems unlikely because the archangels’ role is more akin to the facilitating role of the seven spirits (5:6) than to the warning role of the trumpet angels.
In terms of the proposed model, Lk. 10:18 may allude to the heavenly battle and satan’s fall (12:7-9) and Daniel’s battle (Dan. 10:1-11:1) may be part of ongoing spiritual battles over humanity’s allegiances on earth (associated with the Warrior/ Rider, and with 12:13-17).
[1] Collins suggests the ‘combat myth’ background to chapter 12 is a blend of multiple, particularly (but not exclusively) Semitic cultures that John deliberately references (Collins, 1976: 58-59).
1B.g) The consequences of the Cross
5:5-6:1, 12:9-12 and 12:17 anchor these parts of John’s vision to the time of the Cross (time-parallel 1, Figure 1), and 12:6 and 12:13-16 represents earth’s pre-history. The inclusion of 12:1-18 as the beginning of the history of satan’s interaction with humanity (and not only with the Church) is important because it introduces the celestial child (Christ-Messiah) at the very beginning of earth’s history and it sets the scene for the later, final defeat of satan. In the proposed model, pre-Cross history is a small fraction of the text and this supports the idea that Revelation comforted and 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 (for example: Fiorenza, 1998: 49-51; Jauhiainen, 2003b: 117). The immediate consequences of the Cross (causation, not association) are: Jesus assumes his authority as Messiah (5:7-14, 12:10); the triumph of the saints (5:10, 12:11); universal celebration (5:9-14, 12:12a) and war with satan (6:2-17, 12:b, 12:17). Figure 1 is a visual representation of these storylines:
In the throne-room – the slain Lamb (Christ) appears and he takes the scroll from the hand of the One-seated-on-the-throne and he opens the seals. If the scroll was unsealed at its time of fulfilment (see Smalley, 2005: 126-128), this indicates the seal openings represent the transfer of authority to Jesus Christ (Osborne, 2002: 257), and this is confirmed by 12:10;
In heaven’s environs – satan and his angels are defeated in battle and thrown out of heaven when Christ assumes his authority and there are warnings of woe on earth (12:7-12);
On the biblical earth – satan attacks the celestial mother (perhaps Eve and Israel, 12:13-16) as a direct consequence of satan’s expulsion from heaven to a mythic, pre-history earth. Later, there is war between satan and the celestial mother’s other children (the faithful and followers of Jesus, 12:17);
Below-the-earth – may have been created when satan was defeated in the heavenly battle (12:9).
On the physical-spiritual earth – the breaking seals are immediate consequences of the Cross and they release four horsemen, who bring conquest, war, famine and death (6:2-8). These visionary torments appear tangible and they were evident before the Cross and continue with us today. They may have intensified in the first century A.D. and were of particular significance to Revelation’s first audiences. The rider on the white horse (conquest, 6:2) may be a parody of Christ the Rider, who appears later (19:11-16), and the four horsemen may be an allusion to the Roman occupation of Judea and/ or to the feared Parthians (Fiorenza, 1991: 63; Mounce, 1997: 142-145, Jauhiainen, 2003a: 548; Smalley, 2005: 150-151). Depending upon when Revelation was first circulated in the second half of the first century A.D., some of its audiences may have recognised in Rome’s actions and the fall of Jerusalem (70 A.D.) the tribulations described in the vision, i.e. persecution (the martyrs of the fifth seal) and Jerusalem’s fall (sixth seal). The impact of the seals is considered in more detail in the next section (Framework 2).
1B) Summary
The interpretation of this section focuses on the beginning of Revelation, as a letter and as a visionary narrative. It considers the beginnings of the two dramas in the story (at the moment of creation) and why they contain two earths (biblical and physical-spiritual) and two heavenly dimensions (the throne-room and its environs). Below-the-earth may have been created when satan was defeated in the heavenly battle (12:9). Chronologically-speaking, the first characters are present at Creation in heaven’s environs, but they do not appear in Revelation’s story until 12:1: the celestial mother (who may be the archetypal Israel, and perhaps Eve and thus the mother of all humanity) and the birth of her child (the Messiah); the dragon (satan) and the first angelic battle. This is possibly because the story steps back in relative time in this section (at 4:2, 12:1 and 12:13). Richard Bauckham describes chapter 12 as the beginning of the ‘messianic war’ (Bauckham, 1993a: 94) and by the end of the chapter satan is defeated by ‘the blood of the Lamb’ (Christ, 12:11; as noted by John in 1:5 and by the heavenly host in 5:9), and there is war on earth (12:12, 12:17).
The new macrostructure illustrates the proposal made in this study that the cosmos-wide consequences of Jesus Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension, and the ongoing battle by satan against the Messiah and God’s faithful people permeates Revelation. The keystone in Revelation is the slain Lamb (Christ) appearing in the heavenly throne-room, taking the sealed scroll from the hand of the One-seated-on-the-throne and assuming authority (5:7-14). At this time, satan is defeated in the heavenly battle and thrown to a mythic or pre-history earth (12:9); in due course, satan is defeated by ‘the blood of the Lamb’ and the testimony of the faithful (12:10-12). These events are concurrent and they are part of time-parallel 1. When the scroll’s seals are broken, cycles of torments for the cosmos and its inhabitants begin because satan is at war on earth (12:12, 12:17). At the end of this section, the ‘four horsemen (of the Apocalypse)’ ravage the physical-spiritual earth (6:2-8) and the dragon (satan) stands by the sea shore on the biblical earth (12:18).
From this point onwards, the faithful are victorious – but there is war on earth. From this point onwards, the structure of Revelation is two inter-linked, chronologically linear dramas – until the end of the messianic war and the story relocates for the final time (15:1). John’s many allusions to the Hebrew Bible throughout the text indicate that we know what happened/ will happen to humanity (on the physical-spiritual earth in the first drama), but it is the second drama (the messianic war and the story of satan and humanity) that tells us why these things happen. Revelation explains why evil is present on earth, and how the faithful must repent, endure and overcome tribulations because the shedding of the blood of the Lamb has already defeated satan once, and will do so again in the future – permanently.
In conclusion, John begins his letter by warning God’s people to remain faithful and endure the present and coming torments, because Jesus Christ will come again (1:1-3:22). Chapters 4 and 5 tell of the celebrations that culminate with the slain Lamb (Christ) appearing on the throne, but chapter 6-11 describes the horrors on earth that followed (i.e. the seal and trumpet torments). John is given the reasons for why these horrors happen (chapters 12-13). The new macrostructure illustrates how these chapters relate to one another – through their references to the shedding of the blood of the Lamb (time-parallel 1). John reminds his readers that there is hope because they will be vindicated, so they must remain faithful, because one day the seventh trumpet will sound, the heavenly sanctuary will open (time-parallels 6-7) and Jesus Christ will come again (chapter 14, time-parallel 8).
Page updated 11 November 2024