Chapter 2
Important Principles to Keep in Mind When Reading Apocalyptic
Know the Historical Setting
All the books of the Bible were written by their authors to an original audience. But since their messages continue to have relevance for the people of God through the ages up to the present day, it’s easy to think that since Daniel and Revelation speak about the future they were written only for the future. But that would be a mistake. Both Daniel and John wrote about the future, yes, but in a way that spoke to the needs of their original audiences. And they spoke in a language and with images that those people were familiar with in a way that we are not. So what was going on at the time Daniel and John received their visions?
The stories about Daniel and the visions that he received came from the very end of the seventh century and then extend into the sixth century BC. Daniel was exiled to Babylon in the third year of King Jehoiakim of Judah (around 605 BC) and he received his final vision in the third year of the Persian king Cyrus (around 536 BC). They were tumultuous years for God’s people. In 586 BC for instance, the Babylonians defeated Jerusalem, destroyed the temple, and exiled the leading citizens of the city. This exile lasted until 539 BC, but even after that the people were still living under the rule of a foreign nation—Persia. The book was written sometime after these events, but still at a time when they were living in a culture that was threatening to their faith.
The book of Revelation was also written during a turbulent time for the people of God—most likely during the reign of the emperor Domitian near the end of the first century AD. Christians were increasingly viewed with suspicion and hostility by the Roman authorities as well as the general population. That suspicion was fueled in part by Christians’ unwillingness to participate in the revived and growing cult of emperor worship. Persecution against Christians was on the rise, sparking complacency and compromise among the more faint–hearted. The book contains both praise for those who stay faithful even to the point of death and criticism for those prone to compromise. Understanding that tension is essential for interpreting the events and symbols of the Revelation.
Recognize the Symbolic Nature of Apocalyptic Literature
Apocalyptic literature like Daniel and Revelation uses symbols to communicate its spiritual message and its understanding of both the present and the future. In Daniel for instance, a ram fighting with a goat represents the conflict between Persia and Greece (Daniel 8). Horns represent political power. In Revelation, we read of an angel who swings a sickle and gathers the harvest—a figurative depiction of the gathering of God’s faithful people (14:14–16)—followed by a second angel who swings his sickle to gather grapes and puts them in a winepress out of which flows blood—a symbolic depiction of the judgment of the wicked (Revelation 14:17–20).
The use of numbers is almost always symbolic in apocalyptic literature. Notice how many times the number seven or a multiple of seven occurs in Daniel and Revelation. In response to his prayer for the end of seventy years of exile, an angel tells Daniel about seventy “sevens” that “are decreed for your people and your holy city” (9:24). In Revelation, there are letters written to seven churches (chapters 2–3), seven seals on a scroll (6:1–8:5), seven trumpets (8:6–11:19), and seven bowls of God’s wrath (15:1–16:21), and more. Seven is a number that communicates completion or perfection.
We should take special note of the use of symbolic time indications, such as the expression “time, times, and half a time” found in many places (Daniel 7:25; 12:7; Revelation 12:14). If the “time, times, and half a time” are meant to be three and a half years, further allusions show up elsewhere in apocalyptic texts. These include references to 1,290 or 1,335 days (Daniel 12:11–12) or forty–two months (Revelation 13:5). Some interpreters think these time references refer to a set period that will occur in the last days, generally identified with the first half of a seven year period of intense persecution known as “the tribulation.” Others, however, take them more symbolically—that they do not refer to specific dates, but rather indicate that while it looks like evil is picking up steam (time, times), all of a sudden evil will come to an abrupt stop (half a time and then done). That is because even though it looks like evil dominates, God is in control and he will have the final victory.
The Old Testament and Ancient Near East Provide the “Code Book” for the Symbols of Daniel and Revelation
Readers today find Daniel and Revelation quite strange. In the previous section, we noted that apocalyptic literature uses a lot of symbolic language. In this section, we want to explain that those symbols, for the most part, were well–known to the original readers of these books.
Daniel 7 is a good example. The vision begins on the shore with the winds whipping up the waves. In the ancient Near East and in the Old Testament, the sea was a symbol of chaos and so were the monsters of the sea. The four beasts that emerge from the water in Daniel’s vision are particularly horrifying because they are hybrid—not pure—creatures. The first beast, for instance, was like a lion but had the wings of an eagle until they were ripped off, and it stood on two feet like a human being. Such mixtures were disgusting to Israelites. Later we will learn that these beasts represent human kingdoms (Daniel 7:17), the point being that these kingdoms are evil and sources of chaos in the world. And the fourth beast is notable because it has horns. Horns were also well–known symbols of power. Turning to the second part of the vision, we see “one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven” (7:13) While strange to us, the ancient audience would know that a cloud rider was a deity, since storm gods in particular rode clouds. The “one like the son of man” in Daniel, however, is not a storm god but rather the divine warrior himself going into battle.
Like Daniel, the book of Revelation draws from imagery that would have been familiar to its original readers, especially imagery found in the Old Testament. Indeed, there are more allusions to the Old Testament in Revelation than any other New Testament book (if you own a study Bible, just look at all the cross references in the notes). Those allusions provide our best clues as to the meaning of Revelation’s symbols. For example, when a beast emerges from the sea in Revelation 13, readers should recognize that image from Daniel 7. Since Daniel’s beasts represent kings or nations, the same is likely true in Revelation.
Remember that Daniel and Revelation are Speaking about the Future for a Present Purpose
The books of Daniel and Revelation do indeed look into the future, even as far as the end of time. But they do so for the benefit of those who live in their present. They speak of the struggles of their original audiences and look at the future in order to bring comfort and hope to those who may despair.
Daniel lived during the time of the Babylonian exile and the continuing Persian dominance of the people of God. And from there Daniel envisions even more struggles ahead at the hands of the Greeks and beyond.
Revelation too speaks to Christians toward the end of the first century AD about their troubles living in the Roman Empire. For example, in Revelation 17 an angel shows John a woman riding on the beast with seven heads and ten horns who has her identity written on her forehead: “BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” (17:5).
Of course, by the time of Revelation, Babylon was long gone. Here it represents Rome, the seven–hilled city (17:9). The Roman Empire marginalized and sometimes openly persecuted the church. The story of Revelation 17:1–19:10 is a symbolic account of the downfall of the worldly powers that threatened the church. That threat in Revelation wasn’t just present at the time of John’s writing, but also continues down to the present day and to the end of time.
Even today in the 21st century, we all live in a world that is hostile to our faith. So the message of Daniel and Revelation still speaks to us today. The Roman Empire is long gone, but Christians still struggle under evil and unjust conditions around the world. It often looks like evil is in control of the world and that suffering will continue forever.
But Daniel and Revelation speak to those fears by telling us that, while it does look like evil is winning, God is in control. And even more importantly we learn from these books that God will have the final victory.
Do These Books Talk about the Present, the Past, or the Future?
Most people rightly believe that Daniel and Revelation speak about the future. God reveals the future to these two prophets. And this observation is correct. As a matter of fact, both Daniel and Revelation not only look to the future within history, but also to the end of time. They both look forward to the day when God will come and will once–and–for–all defeat evil and save his people.
But, not only do they look at the future in order to comfort those suffering in the present, they also talk about the present situation in which the first readers lived. Both Daniel and Revelation describe the present and the past as times of hostility toward the faithful. In Daniel 2 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has a dream of a hybrid–metal statue. When Daniel interprets the significance of the king’s dream, he does look into the future, but he starts with the present. Nebuchadnezzar himself is the head of gold on the statue that will eventually be toppled by a rock not cut by human hands that represents God’s final kingdom.
Revelation also talks about the past and the present in the conflict between the dragon—who represents Satan (12:9)—and a woman, whom we come to realize represents the people of God. From the time of John, this figurative depiction of the conflict between Satan and the faithful looks back to the earthly ministry of Christ. When we first meet the woman, she is pregnant and under attack by the dragon. She gives birth to a child who “will rule over all the nations with an iron scepter,” a quote from Psalm 2 and an obvious reference to Jesus. The dragon fails since the child was snatched up to God. War then breaks out between Michael and other angels loyal to God and the dragon and its angels. The dragon loses and is thrown to earth. Rather than being completely defeated, the dragon continues the fight on the earth. The vision discusses both the original audience’s present and ours—a present characterized as a battle between the church and evil spiritual powers. This part of Revelation does not address the future end of the story, but many other visions do. Indeed the ultimate end of the struggle between the God and the dragon comes when the ancient serpent is thrown into the lake of burning sulfur (Revelation 20:7–10).
Daniel Anticipates and Revelation Speaks of the Person and Work of Christ
Daniel, of course, does not mention Jesus by name, but Jesus is anticipated by the Old Testament book. After all, Jesus was very clear that the entirety of Scripture (by which he meant the Old Testament) spoke of his coming (see Luke 24:13–49, especially vv. 25–27 and 45–49). As a clear example in the book of Daniel, we might consider Daniel’s first vision again (Daniel 7), where evil nations that persecute the people of God are likened to horrific beasts. In the second part of the vision, comes one “like a son of man” and he is riding a cloud (7:13). In the Old Testament, “son of man” always means a human being, but note that this one is “like” a human being. He is riding a cloud which only God does in the Old Testament. The amazing thing is that this figure rides into the presence of the Ancient of Days, who clearly represents Yahweh of Israel. No wonder this vision gave rise to the expectation that God would come to save his people from their oppressors. And no wonder that the New Testament saw that it was Jesus Christ who fulfilled this vision and who would save his people at the end of history (see Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:17; Revelation 1:7).
The book of Revelation similarly has Jesus as its central figure. The first line of the book points directly to him. The phrase “The Revelation from Jesus Christ…” could also mean “the Revelation about Jesus Christ…,” and many scholars think that’s on purpose. The Revelation certainly comes from Jesus. After all, the first line continues, “…which God gave him to show his servants.” Furthermore, it is only because Jesus the Lamb is worthy to open the seven seals that the revelation is even possible (Revelation 5:5, 9). But not only does the Revelation come from Jesus, it is also about him. No other book in the Bible has such powerful descriptive visions of Jesus and his work. The first vision is a symbolic description of the glorified son of man (1:12–20). Images from this description are then referred to again and again in the seven letters that follow (2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1). A second symbolic description of Christ appears in the throne room vision in chapter 4. Following a vision of God the Father portrayed as precious stones (4:3), Jesus is described as the Lion of Judah, the Root of David and the Lamb who was slain to purchase people from every tribe, language, people and nation (4:5, 9). A third symbolic vision of Christ comes at the climax of the book, when he appears as a rider on a white horse leading heaven’s armies to defeat the two beasts and the dragon (19:11– 20:3). No other book in the Bible has such powerful symbolic descriptions of the person and work of Christ.
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