The book of Revelation
The book of Revelation
No book of the New Testament bears a clearer or stronger testimony to Christ’s victory than the Christian apocalypse which we know as ‘the book of Revelation’ or ‘the Revelation to John’. More than half the occurrences of the ‘victory’ word group (nikaō, to overcome and nikē, victory) are to be found in this book. H. B. Swete wrote that from beginning to end it is a Sursum corda, because it summons its readers to lift up their drooping hearts, to take courage and to endure to the end. Michael Green has suggested that the liberation song ‘We shall overcome’ might have been written as ‘the signature tune of the New Testament’;48 its triumphant strains are certainly heard throughout the book of Revelation.
In the ancient world it was assumed that every victory on the field of battle was won by gods rather than mere mortals: ‘a god alone conquers, is unconquered and unconquerable’.49 Hence the popularity of the goddess Nikē, who was often depicted on monuments, and in whose honour the graceful little temple near the entrance to the Parthenon was built. I have sometimes wondered if it was in conscious contrast to Nikē that in the Revelation Jesus is called ho Nikōn, ‘the Overcomer’, and that his title is passed on to Christian overcomers too.50
Written almost certainly during the reign of the Emperor Domitian (AD 81–96), its background is the growth both of the persecution of the church (now systematic rather than spasmodic) and of the practice of emperor worship, the refusal of which by Christians often sparked off fresh outbreaks of persecution. What the book of Revelation does, in keeping with its apocalyptic genre, is to lift the curtain which hides the unseen world of spiritual reality and to show us what is going on behind the scenes. The conflict between the church and the world is seen to be but an expression on the public stage of the invisible contest between Christ and Satan, the Lamb and the dragon. This age-long battle is set forth in a series of dramatic visions which have been variously interpreted as depicting the historical development at that time (the ‘praeterist’ school), through the succeeding centuries (the ‘historicist’) or as a prelude to the End (the ‘futurist’). None of these is altogether satisfactory, however. The visions cannot portray successive events in a continuous sequence, since the final judgment and victory are dramatized several times. It seems more probable, therefore, that the scenes overlap; that the whole history of the world between Christ’s first coming (the victory won) and second (the victory conceded) is several times recapitulated in vision; and that the emphasis is on the conflict between the Lamb and the dragon which has already had a number of historical manifestations, and will have more before the End.
The book opens with references to Jesus Christ as ‘the firstborn from the dead’, ‘the ruler of the kings of the earth’ (1:5), ‘the First and the Last’ and ‘the Living One’ (1:17–18), and with a magnificent vision of him to justify these titles as the risen, ascended, glorified and reigning Lord. Next come the letters to the seven churches of the Roman province of Asia, each of which concludes with an appropriate promise to ‘him who overcomes’. From Christ patrolling his churches on earth the focus then changes to Christ sharing God’s throne in heaven. For four chapters (4 – 7) the throne is central, and everything is described in relation to it. Jesus Christ is portrayed as both Lion and Lamb (a combination of images which may indicate that his power is due to his self-sacrifice). He is seen ‘standing in the centre of the throne’. The reason why he alone is worthy to open the sealed scroll (the book of history and destiny) is that he ‘has triumphed’ (5:5). And the nature of his triumph is that he was slain and by his blood has purchased for God people from every nation (5:9). We are intended to understand that the grim events which follow the breaking of the seals and the blowing of the trumpets (war, famine, plague, martyrdom, earthquake and ecological disasters) are nevertheless under the control of the Lamb, who is already reigning and whose perfect kingdom will soon be consummated (11:15–18).
My concern, however, is to reach the vision of chapter 12, which in some ways seems to be the centre of the book. John saw a pregnant woman, who had the sun as her garment, the moon as her foot-stool and twelve stars as her crown, and who was about to give birth to a Son whose destiny was to ‘rule all the nations’ (v. 5). He is evidently the Messiah, and she the Old Testament church out of whom the Messiah came. An enormous and grotesque red dragon, identified in verse 9 as ‘that ancient serpent called the devil or Satan’, stood in front of the woman, ready to ‘devour her child the moment it was born’. But the child was ‘snatched up to God and to his throne’, and the woman fled to a desert place prepared for her by God (vv. 5–6).
War in heaven followed, in which ‘the dragon and his angels’ were defeated. As the Christ had been snatched from earth to heaven, the dragon was now hurled from heaven to earth. The victory must surely refer to the cross, since it was ‘by the blood of the Lamb’ (v. 11) that Christ’s people overcame the dragon. No other weapon could be adequate, for the dragon is ‘filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short’ (v. 12).
This, then, is the situation. The devil has been defeated and dethroned. Far from this bringing his activities to an end, however, the rage he feels in the knowledge of his approaching doom leads him to redouble them. Victory over him has been won, but painful conflict with him continues. And in this conflict he relies on three allies who now appear (in John’s vision) in the guise of two ugly monsters and a lewd and gaudy prostitute. It becomes evident that all three are symbols of the Roman empire, although in three different aspects, namely Rome the persecutor, Rome the deceiver and Rome the seducer.
The first monster, which John sees arising out of the sea, has seven heads and ten horns just like the dragon, and the dragon delegates to him his power, throne and sovereignty, so that he has a world-wide following. There is no need to go into the detail of interpretation (e.g. which heads and horns represent which emperors). What is of first importance is that the monster utters proud blasphemies against God (13:5), is given ‘power to make war against the saints’ and even (temporarily) ‘to conquer them’ (v. 7), and is worshipped by all but the Lamb’s followers (v. 8). This is the absolute power of the Roman state. But the prophecy’s fulfilment was not completed in the Roman empire. In every violent state, which opposes Christ, oppresses the church and demands the unquestioning homage of citizens, the horrible ‘beast from the sea’ raises again its ugly heads and aggressive horns.
The second monster arises ‘out of the earth’ (v. 11). He is evidently the first monster’s henchman, since he exercises his authority and promotes his worship, and performs miraculous signs in order to do so. If it is the characteristic of the first beast to persecute, it is the characteristic of the second to deceive (v. 14). People are forced to worship the image of the first beast (an obvious reference to emperor worship) and to wear the mark of the beast, without which they will be unable to take part in business. This second beast is later called ‘the false prophet’ (19:20). Although in that generation he symbolized the promoters of emperor worship, in our day he stands for all false religion and ideology, which deflects worship to any object other than ‘the living and true God’.
The dragon’s third ally is not introduced for another few chapters, during which the Lamb’s final victory is several times confidently forecast and celebrated.51 This ally is called ‘the great prostitute’ (17:1). Once again without doubt she represents Rome, for she is referred to as ‘Babylon the Great’ (14:8 and 17:5), ‘the great city that rules over the kings of the earth’ (17:18), and a city which is situated on ‘seven hills’ (v. 9). But this time what is symbolized is the moral corruption of Rome. She sits on a scarlet beast (one of the kings on whom her authority rests), is adorned with purple and scarlet, gold, jewels and pearls, and holds in her hand a golden cup ‘filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries’ (v. 4). Such is her seductive power that the inhabitants of the earth are said to be ‘intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries’ (v. 2). Whether these adulteries are sexual immorality or spiritual idolatry, they were not her only offence. We read later of her ‘excessive luxuries’ (18:3) which resulted from her international commerce including a trade in slaves (vv. 11–13), unspecified ‘sins’ and ‘crimes’ (v. 5), and her boastful arrogance (v. 7). Her kings will make war against the Lamb, ‘but the Lamb will overcome them’, because he is ‘Lord of lords and King of kings’ (17:14). And in chapters 18 and 19 the fall of ‘Babylon the Great’ is not only described in graphic detail, but also vindicated as inevitable and just. Jesus the Victor is glimpsed on a white horse, as ‘with justice he judges and makes war’ (19:11–16). Then in the last three chapters are described the final destruction of Satan and death, the new heaven and new earth, and the New Jerusalem, in which there will be no tears, death, pain or night, as God establishes his perfect rule.
The devil has not changed his strategy. Although the Roman empire has long since passed away, other persecuting, deceiving and corrupting structures have arisen in its place. In some Hindu and Muslim countries today, in defiance of the United Nations’ Declaration of Human Rights, to propagate the gospel and to profess conversion are offences punishable by imprisonment and even death. In most Marxist countries severe restrictions are placed on the teaching of the young and on all religious activities outside specially registered buildings. Wherever a non-Christian culture predominates, opportunities for higher education and prospects for promotion tend to be limited, and the full rights of citizenship denied. As for the ‘beast from the earth’ or ‘false prophet’, he is active through other religions, new cults and secular ideologies. Michael Green supplies in two chapters of his I Believe in Satan’s Downfall well-documented information about both ‘the fascination of the occult’ and ‘counterfeit religion’. I agree with him that these are still two of ‘the strongest weapons in Satan’s armoury’ (p.194). As for the ‘great prostitute’, the assault on traditional (i.e. biblical) Christian morality has now penetrated the defences of the church itself. On the sanctity of human life (e.g. in relation to abortion and experimentation on embryos) the church tends to be equivocal. There is no united witness against the immorality of indiscriminate weapons. Divorce is increasingly tolerated, even among Christian leaders. Sexual life-styles other than strict heterosexual monogamy are increasingly condoned. And we continue to enjoy in the West a level of affluence which is insensitive to the plight of the destitute millions.
The message of the book of Revelation is that Jesus Christ has defeated Satan and will one day destroy him altogether. It is in the light of these certainties that we are to confront his continuing malicious activity, whether physical (through persecution), intellectual (through deception) or moral (through corruption). How, then, can we enter into Christ’s victory and prevail over the devil’s power? How can we be numbered among the ‘overcomers’? How can we hope to throw the enemy back, not only in our own lives but in the world he has usurped?
First, we are told to resist the devil. ‘Resist him, standing firm in the faith.’ Again, ‘Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.’52 We are not to be afraid of him. Much of his show of power is bluff, since he was overthrown at the cross, and we need the courage to call his bluff. Clad in the full armour of God, we can take our stand against him (Eph. 6:10–17). We are not to flee from him, but on the contrary to resist him so that he flees from us. Our own feeble voice, however, is not sufficiently authoritative to dismiss him. We cannot say in our own name, as Jesus could, ‘Begone, Satan’. But we can do it in the name of Jesus. We have to claim the victory of the cross. ‘In the name of Jesus Christ, of Christus Victor, who defeated you at the cross, begone, Satan.’ It works. He knows his conqueror. He flees before him.
Secondly, we are told to proclaim Jesus Christ. The preaching of the cross is still the power of God. It is by proclaiming Christ crucified and risen that we shall turn people ‘from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God’ (Acts 26:18), and so the kingdom of Satan will retreat before the advancing kingdom of God. No other message has the same inherent force. No other name is defended and honoured by the Holy Spirit in the same way.
Both in our own lives, then, and in the church’s mission it is only the cross of Christ, by which Satan has been defeated, which can prevail against him. It is still true today that ‘they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death’ (Rev. 12:11). Uncompromising witness to Christ is essential. So is the willingness, if necessary, to lay down our lives for his sake. But indispensable to both is the content of our faith and message, namely the objective, decisive victory of the Lamb over all the powers of darkness, which he won when he shed his blood on the cross.