In Reading Revelation Responsibly, Michael Gorman rightly warns that interpreting the book of Revelation is a “serious and sacred responsibility” which should not be entered into lightly. The book of Revelation contains references to the past, present, and the future. On this all interpreters are in agreement. The crucial question is one of emphasis and the relationship between these three temporal aspects of the text. The very nature of Revelation as apocalyptic literature calls for hermeneutical humility and self-criticism. In this vein, Gorman observes that the challenge “is to hear Revelation addressed to us without manipulating its content to our own ends.”[1]
I would suggest that a primary purpose of this book is to inspire its readers to hope, faithfulness, perseverance, and worship in the face of adversity, persecution, and evil in the world. The dominant title for Jesus that John uses throughout Revelation is “the Lamb,” an image which occurs no fewer than 29 times. Most of these references occur in worship passages.[2] At the end of Revelation, John uses the picture of the “wedding supper of the Lamb” (19:7-10) to communicate both Christ’s vicarious sacrifice on the cross and his ultimate judgment and victory over sin, evil, and death. The final triumph of the Lamb is the basis for the Christian’s hope, which looks forward to the day when we will worship the “Lord God Almighty and the Lamb” (21:27) in a new heaven and new earth (Rev 21:1). John is urging his readers—and us—to be followers of the Lamb. As Gorman states,
Revelation is (primarily) good news about Christ—the Lamb of God—who shares God’s throne and who is the key to the past, present, and future—and therefore also about uncompromising faithfulness leading to undying hope, even in the midst of unrelenting evil and oppressive empire.[3]
In this essay, I want to suggest, further, that one of John’s primary concerns is the temptation of idolatry—including political idolatry. This is also a danger facing the church today. In developing this argument my focus will be on chapters 12-19 of Revelation. But, first, we must look briefly at the letters to the seven churches in the first three chapters which indicate the structural unity and purpose of Revelation as a whole.
The Letters to the Seven Churches and the Unity of Revelation
Following a dramatic vision of the resurrected Christ (1:12-16)—his head and hair white like snow, his eyes like blazing fire, his feet like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice like the sound of rushing waters—John delivers his message to the seven churches (1:19-3:22).These letters are often treated separately from the material body (the Apocalyptic visions) of Revelation. But it is better to see them as closely connected. “The symbolic visions of chapters 4-21,” says G. K. Beale, “are parabolic portrayals of the more abstract, propositionally expressed exhortations, warnings and promises of the letters, so that the latter interpret the former and vice versa.”[4]
The use of the number seven (which is symbolic of completeness) in the reference to both the churches and lampstands strongly suggests that John intends these letters to be a final exhortation to all churches in every time and place.[5] The repeated use of the phrases “to him who overcomes” and “he who has an ear, let him hear” in each of these letters indicates that their primary purpose is to exhort believers to persevere, overcome compromise, and be faithful to the end. Revelation concludes with the same promise that those who overcome and persevere will inherit eternal life with Christ (22:7, 9, 11, and 14).[6]
Many people assume that Revelation gives us prophecy in the sense that it predicts in rather explicit detail “the way the present world will end.” But this misconstrues the point of the book. While a foretelling of future events is an important aspect of Revelation, the purpose of these predictions is not to give a blueprint of the “last days,” so that we can match current events to specific visions in Revelation.[7] The symbolic language of Revelation is not the language of the newspaper but the language of poetry. It is “literal non-literalism.”[8] It is meant to give hope and comfort. But it also contains a warning to those who may be tempted to participate in or accommodate themselves to the very evil for which the oppressive system and its perpetrators will be judged. [9]
The War: Dragon, Beast, Babylon, and the Lamb (12-19)
The last half of Revelation (chaps 12-22) traces the final defeat of Satan, who in the cosmic battle with God and the Lamb is cast down from heaven to earth, and from earth to the abyss. In the course of this conflict between good and evil, Satan (the Dragon) operates through other agents, including two beasts (the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet) and the harlot (Babylon); but God and the Lamb eventually triumph over the efforts of these “destroyers of the earth.”[10] This theme of the final defeat of Satan not only informs the structure and theological message of Revelation; it is also a completion of the grand narrative of the Bible that begins with creation and the entrance of evil into the world through Satan (the serpent of Genesis 3).[11]
Revelation 12 is a description of the cosmic battle that began in the garden between Satan and Eve (Gen 3:15)—a battle that was won decisively by Christ in his death and resurrection and resulted in Satan’s expulsion from heaven (12:1-6), but which nevertheless continues on this earth with Satan’s attacks on the church.[12] In the words of Gregory Stevenson, “Although it is a spiritual war, it is one that is waged within the very concrete structures of the social, religious, and political realities within which we live.”[13]
Revelation 13-20 describes this earthly conflict in graphic detail. Most commentators identify the first beast from the sea (13:1) as the Roman Empire (or imperial power) and the second beast from the earth (13:11) with those who promote the imperial cult. But these symbols have ongoing significance for the church; the evil activities of Satan through his surrogates occur throughout the church age. The second beast is a “counterfeit of the church and the Spirit who empowers and indwells it.” [14] The Bible warns of deceivers who infiltrate the church. Though they may appear to be “lamb-like,” they take their cue from the surrounding culture and ultimately oppose the reign of God and Christ.[15] The subversion of much of the church by the Nazi propaganda and civil religion under Adolf Hitler is an example of the constant dangers posed by such political, social, and religious deception.[16]
A great deal of ink and theological debate has been devoted to addressing a series of questions that emerge from a reading of chapters 15-19 of Revelation. What is the meaning of the seven bowls of God’s wrath (15:1-16:21)? Who or what is represented by Babylon the great harlot who rides upon a seven-headed Beast (17:3)? To what is John referring when he speaks about the Battle of Armageddon (16:6; 19:11-21)? Obviously, space does not permit an extended discussion of these questions. I would simply repeat the warning that efforts to identify current events with specific apocalyptic images based upon a literalistic reading of Revelation too often causes readers to miss the larger message of the book. Pronouncements regarding the “end of the world” based upon specific images in Revelation are theologically irresponsible for one simple reason: they presume to know the mind of God. As Gorman states:
[C]orrelating specific disasters with intentional divine wrath and judgment is tantamount to claiming an intimate knowledge of the mind of God, and that is an act of incredible hubris, if not idolatry. Human beings—apart from a very few specifically inspired biblical prophets and seers—have not been granted insider information about the ways of God in executing the reserved power of judgment.[17]
The images of death and destruction in Revelation portray the universality and finality of God’s ultimate eradication of evil rather than the means by which God brings about that eradication.[18]
In Revelation, Babylon, the great seductive and self-glorifying whore, is the personification of evil and idolatry in the world. “Babylon,” writes the noted biblical scholar Bruce Metzger, “is allegorical of the idolatry that any nation commits when it elevates material abundance, military prowess, technological sophistication, imperial grandeur, racial pride, and any other glorification of the creature over the Creator.”[19] Babylon makes war on the Lamb, and persecutes the saints (17:6, 14). But, in the end, it is the Lamb who overcomes; and it is “Babylon the Great” that will ultimately receive from God “the cup filled with wine of the fury of his wrath” (16:19). With the final destruction of this city, there is a voice from the throne saying, “It is done! (16:17). John is here giving an obvious play on words, as these are the very words uttered by Jesus on the cross when he cried out, “It is finished!” (Jn 19:30).
The fall of Babylon (18:1-8) prepares the way for the announcement of the Lord’s reign (19:1-6) and the wedding supper of the Lamb (19:7-10).[20] The very attire of the bride, who has made herself ready for the bridegroom (the Lamb), contrasts sharply with that of the harlot (Babylon). The prostitute’s wardrobe of purple and scarlet clothing along with glittering jewelry (17:4) represents her alluring charm and ability to entice and control people and nations; it also conveys the seductiveness of evil, immorality, wealth, and power. “Babylon represents those who have deserted God and replaced him with another lover.”[21] By contrast, the bride of the Lamb is draped in fine linen, bright and clean (19:8) to represent faithfulness and the righteous and just actions of the saints.
John’s intention in this passage is clearly to show the deep connection between the Last Supper and the wedding supper of the Lamb. Just as Jesus’ last meal with his disciples symbolizes the fullest extent of his love (Jn 13:1), so at the end of the world there is a glorious reunion of the Messiah and the “the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” (19:9). Christians who have this hope don’t, as Randy Alcorn says, fill their stomachs with stale leftovers and scraps fallen to the floor. They can smell the banquet that is prepared for them. They know what their mouths are watering for. They won’t let the distractions of this world spoil their appetite.[22]
The Political Implications of Revelation
The message of Revelation has some obvious political implications. The primary objects of Revelation’s prophetic critique are imperial idolatry (civil religion) and injustice (in the form of military, economic, political and religious oppression) which is manifested in the Roman Empire. For the readers who are impoverished and intimidated by Rome’s power, John’s message is one of hope and encouragement. But for those who prosper under the political regime, his visions are a summons to recognize the political, religious, and economic patterns that run counter to the claims of God.[23] Moreover, the imperial idolatry that John addresses is not limited to the Roman Empire. Revelation is a powerful critique of all idolatries, injustices, and misguided allegiances which are daily with us. As Craig Koester states, John’s visionary world “portrays the clash of powers in extraordinary form in order to evoke the kind of faith and resistance needed to follow the Lamb in ordinary life.”[24]
Those who regard themselves as Christians like to think that they are immune to the wiles of political hucksters and demagogues. But history teaches us how easily political ideology and civil religion centered on an authoritarian personality can drive the gospel rather than the other way around. Earlier, I alluded to the support of most German Christians for Hitler following the First World War. For a large percentage of German Protestants, the political life of the nation was entangled with their religious life. Love for the Fatherland and loyalty to its leaders were regarded as patriotic and Christian virtues. Nazi flags were prominently displayed in church sanctuaries along with the cross. Belief in Christianity was so closely intertwined with nationalism that it was difficult to say where the one began and the other ended.[25] Hitler enjoyed wide support among evangelicals for his opposition to homosexuality, abortion, liberalism, and Communism. Very few Christians, however, actively opposed his policies of anti-Semitism, eugenics, and euthanasia.[26]
In a very revealing and sobering study of Christians and the Holocaust David Gushee found that there was no difference between Christians (including evangelicals) and non-Christians in their willingness to come to the aid of Jews during the Holocaust. Regular church attendance was also not a factor. Those few Gentiles who risked their own lives to rescue the Jews were primarily motivated by a strong belief that all humans are precious and have a right to fair and equal treatment. Biblical teachings on love and compassion were important for these “righteous Gentiles” who resisted the Nazi policy of exter-mination. But for the most part, German Christians tended to dismiss the irreconcilability of the Christian ethic of love and Nazi policies because of Hitler’s early reassurances of support for religion and his benign intentions toward them. Concerning the overall failure of the German church to stand up to Hitler and his policy of racial genocide, Gushee writes:
we are reminded of how difficult it is for Christians to discern the political signs of the times, especially when those signs demand a resistance that might prove personally or institutionally costly. Christians appear to be just as susceptible to the charms of the charlatan-demagogue and just as lacking in courage as everyone else.[27]
In Fascism: A Warning, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright further describes Hitler’s rise to power. Hitler capitalized on the anger, resentment, and fears of the German people. Rather than appealing to abstract theories and objective arguments, he used extremist rhetoric to rile public sentiments against perceived threats, promised a new era of German ascendancy, and did not hesitate to tell what he later described as “colossal untruths.” Continues Albright: “He was delighted, not dismayed, by the outrage his speeches generated abroad . . . . [He] lied shamelessly about himself and about his enemies. He convinced millions of men and women that he cared about them deeply when, in fact, he would have willingly sacrificed them all. His murderous ambition, avowed racism, and utter immorality were given the thinnest mask, and yet millions of Germans, were drawn to [him] precisely because he seemed authentic.”[28] Hitler’s rise to the status of a ruthless dictator did not occur overnight. Rather, Fascism took hold incrementally, step-by-step in a way that was almost imperceptible to many Germans, including Christians, until it was too late. Albright perceptively asks: “Is the United States immune to this malady—or susceptible?”[29]
Early in Donald Trump’s presidency, a large electronic billboard on Interstate 170 in St. Louis County, Missouri caught the attention of drivers. It featured a picture of President Trump, with the Bible verse, “The Word became flesh . . .” (Jn 1:14). The top right of the billboard featured the cross superimposed on the American flag and the words: “Make the gospel great again”—an obvious play on Trump’s famous political slogan.[30] While this controversial ad was quickly removed, it illustrates how the gospel can be idolatrously identified with the nation and messianic figures. Let me be clear that my purpose, here, is not to draw invidious comparisons between the American church today and the German church under the Nazi regime, or between American politics and the rise of National Socialism. They are not the same. Moreover, the tendency to associate the gospel with a particular political ideology is not unique to Christians on the political Right. During his candidacy and then his presidency, Barack Obama was similarly (though perhaps less overtly) portrayed as a Christ-like figure. Rather, my point is that the tendency to deify human power and systems—whether in the form of Nazism, Communism, Socialism, imperialism, nationalism, racism, or any other ism—always exists, but is not always self-evident. Hitler and his Nazi party were successful in large part because the Nazis appealed to the people’s self-interest by promising national greatness and a better life.[31] Human nature in its sinfulness will always prefer self-serving ideologies, self-aggrandizement, and the accumulation of power for its own sake over the self-renunciation, self-sacrifice, and servanthood demanded by the gospel of Jesus Christ.[32]
In A Free People’s Suicide, Os Guinness wisely warns us of the temptation to national hubris and the false belief that a nation’s greatness and supremacy derives from its prowess and power. Such hubris always breeds insensitivities, particularly a blindness to the costs of human arrogance and dominance, both to ourselves and to others. [33] In the present culture war, Christians are also tempted to exchange freedom for security and control:
Free people are always free to defend their freedom strongly. What they are not free to do is pretend that any and all means of defending freedom are right because they are done in the name of freedom.[34]
We must therefore continually ask ourselves whether we are complicit in making moral evil seem good and if we are guilty of confusing our political loyalties with loyalty to God and the Lamb.
[1] Gorman, “What Has the Spirit Been Saying?,” 28. [2] Guthrie, “The Lamb in the Structure of the Book of Revelation,” 64. [3] Gorman, Reading Revelation Responsibly, 12. [4] Beale, John’s Use of the Old Testament in Revelation, 316. [5] Emerson, Christ and the New Creation, 144. [6] Ibid., 146-47. [7] Stevenson, A Slaughtered Lamb, 95. [8] Gorman, Reading Revelation Responsibly. 20. [9] Ibid., 24. [10] Koester, Revelation and the End of All Things, 116. [11] Emerson, Christ and the New Creation, 151. [12] Ibid., 156. [13] Stevenson, A Slaughtered Lamb, 186. [14] Beale, Revelation, 271, 280. [15] Ibid., 280. [16] See, for example, Lutzer, Hitler’s Cross. Lutzer observes that the land that gave us Luther and Bach also gave the world Hitler and Wagner. “The church that was called by God to stand against the evils of the Nazi regime came to embrace it. Swastikas, with the cross of Christ sometimes neatly woven in the center, adorned the churches. The broken cross of the political savior and the cross of the spiritual Savior would unite to lead Germany out of its abyss to the glorious heights of self-respect and unify the German-speaking areas of Europe. The Fatherland had been resurrected; the Germans could smile again.” While this picture of the “holy union” may startle us, Lutzer continues, “in Hitler’s day being a good Christian involved being a good German nationalist. God and country were practically one and the same. When the churchmen finally awoke from their spiritual and political slumbers, they discovered too late that they had been deceived” (128). We should not be so naïve as to think that today’s church is immune from similar deception. [17] Gorman, Reading Revelation Responsibly, 152. [18] Ibid. [19] Quoted in Ibid., 130. [20] In my view, these verses depict the union of Christ with his righteous people at the end of history, for which they glorify God. See Beale, Revelation, 402-8. This raises the difficult question of how to interpret chapter 20, specifically the reference to the thousand-year reign of Christ in 20:1-6. Space does not permit an extended discussion of the different views on these verses. Briefly, I would suggest that 16:14, 19:19, and 20:8 all refer to the same future battle with Satan, which results in his final defeat and judgment at the end of history. The millennium of 20:1-6 is therefore temporally prior to the events described in chapter 19. In these verses, the saints are pictured as ruling with Christ in his heavenly court prior to the last judgment and physical resurrection. Ibid., 423, 451. See also Bloesch, Essentials of Evangelical Theology, vol. 2, 189-204. [21] Alexander, From Eden to the New Jerusalem, 177-78. [22] Alcorn, Heaven, 472. [23] Gorman, Reading Revelation Responsibly, 33; See also Koester, “Revelation’s Visionary Challenge to Ordinary Empire,” 5. [24] Ibid., 18. [25] See Barnett, For the Soul of the People, 11; 309. [26] Baranovski, “The Confessing Church and Antisemitism,” 90-109. [27] Gushee, The Righteous Gentiles of the Holocaust, 132. [28] Albright, Fascism, 33-40. [29] Ibid. In How Democracies Die, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt identify four primary indicators of authoritarianism which threaten democracy: 1) rejection, in words and actions, of the democratic rules of the game; 2) denial of the legitimacy of opponents; 3) toleration or encouragement of violence; and 4) willingness to curtail the civil liberties of opponents, including the media (21-22). These authors point out that the erosion of democratic norms in America began in the 1980s and 1990s and accelerated in the 2000s. “Donald Trump may have accelerated this process, but he didn’t cause it.” Our present challenges are rooted in extreme partisan polarization (9). Historically, the Republican and Democratic parties have served as “gatekeepers” of democracy by keeping extremist figures out of the mainstream. Today, they argue, the Republican Party must find a way to win elections without appealing to white nationalism, or what Republican Arizona senator Jeff Flake calls the “sugar high of populism, nativism, and demagoguery” (223). [30] Smith, “Pro-Trump Billboard Quotes John 1:14,” 1-6. An evangelical group on Facebook calling itself “Make the Gospel Great Again” claimed credit for the ad, saying “This is one of our efforts, yes! We are nationwide, bringing the good news of God re-taking his country, and making it a stronger, more Christian place. . .” A similar billboard was erected on I-35 about 5 miles north of Waco, Texas. [31] See Brustein, The Logic of Evil, 177-84. [32] Crump, I Pledge Allegiance, 108. [33] Guinness, A Free People’s Suicide, 181-82. [34] Ibid., 191. While Guinness’s words are intended for all parties in the present cultural and political war between liberals and conservatives in America, they are of particular relevance for the church.