The Gospel in Revelation

Notes for those who wish to study the Revelation more thoroughly.

Who Wrote The Book of Revelation?

Almost all of the early Christian writers of the first centuries believed its author was the same John who wrote the Gospel, "the disciple whom Jesus loved." Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria (third century after Christ) was the first to question this. His main reason was that the language and grammar of Revelation differ from that of John's Gospel. The Gospel is written in perfect Greek grammar, whereas Revelation uses unusual and even incorrect grammar. Further, some words that appear in both are spelled differently.

While it is true that the literary styles of John's Gospel and the Revelation differ, this does not mean that the "beloved apostle" could not be the author of both books:

(a) The Gospel which bears John's name could have been written with the help of others after the Revelation. He wrote the Gospel when he was old. Probably he dictated it. We read at the end what appears to be a notation added by his secretary and friends: "This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true" (John 21:24). Such a secretary would be expected to put John's dictation into correct, idiomatic Greek. John himself being an unlearned fisherman (Mark 1:19, 20), we would hardly expect him to write his Gospel in such impeccable Greek if he were writing on his own.

(b) The author of Revelation tells us that when he had the visions he describes he was exiled to the island of Patmos (Revelation 1:9). Quite likely John would not have a secretary when transcribing his visions, and would be writing on his own. We need not wonder that his literary style would be different. This could even account for the fact that he spells "Jerusalem" differently!

(c) Early Christian writers confirm that the Gospel and the Revelation were written under different conditions, and even intimate that the Gospel of John was written by dictation.

(d) There are similarities in the Gospel and the Revelation that point to a common author: the frequent expressions "water of life," "living water," "let him that is athirst come," and "if any man thirst, let him come" (compare Revelation 22:17 and John 7:37). The Greek word for "appearance" or "face" (opsis) appears only in John's Gospel and in the Revelation, as also the expression, "keep My saying." Both the Gospel and the Revelation speak of Christ as "the Lamb," but no other New Testament book does, except when quoting the Old Testament.

(e) The author of Revelation introduces himself simply as "John." Not a word as to which John. The John of New Testament times was the apostle. Everybody knew who he was.

(f) The early Christians saw in Revelation the fulfilment of Jesus' promise that He would "come" to comfort them, and "manifest" Himself to them (John 14:18, 21). When He promised that the Holy Spirit would "show you things to come" (John 16:13), it was natural for the early Christians to see in Revelation the fulfilment of that promise, for John said that he "was in the Spirit on the Lord's day" and saw this vision of heaven and "things which must shortly take place" (Revelation 1:10, 1). And who would be better fitted to receive and pass on the news of the vision than the "disciple whom Jesus loved," the closest to Him of the Twelve?

What Is the Correct Method Of Interpreting the Revelation?

All interpretations of Revelation follow one of three basic methods:

1. Preterist;
2. Futurist;
3. Historicist.

The practical impact of the Preterist method is to relegate the Revelation to the attic. If it concerns only events that took place nearly two thousand years ago, why should we study it today? The special "blessing" pronounced on the one who reads and hears the book is rendered meaningless, for it would have no special significance for us.

Incidentally, the Preterist method of interpretation was espoused by the Jesuit Alcazar from 1569 on as an attempt to counter the thrust of the Protestant Reformation. Many Protestants of today who accept this view are unaware that they are following the lead of the Roman Catholic Church in an attempt to evade identifying the beast as the papacy.

(2) The Futurist method is almost the exact opposite—it relates the prophecy to the distant future at the end of time. Some Futurists of every generation "find" applications of the prophecy that fit their notorious contemporaries such as Hitler or Stalin, or whoever happens to be the current villain. Sensationalists seize on these new and ingenious interpretations, but the excitement soon dies away until another novel application comes on the scene. Naturally, these wild guesses turn many sensible people away from serious study of the Revelation. Again, the special blessing pronounced on those who study the book is nullified.

The Futurist interpretation is largely the brain child of the Jesuit scholars Francisco Ribera and Cardinal Bellarmine, who saw that Alcazar's Preterism was too unbelievable to be a serious answer to Protestant prophetic interpretation. Their purpose was to deflect the Antichrist prophecies from the Papacy. Most Evangelical Protestant interpreters of Revelation today follow Cardinal Bellarmine's and Ribera's views, unaware of their Roman Catholic origin.

(3) The historicist method of interpretation sees "the Revelation of Jesus Christ" continuously in history from the time of John down to the end of the world. It sees Christ revealing Himself through the Holy Spirit in the great historical movements of time which have a bearing on preparing a people to meet Christ at His second coming. It recognizes in history the outworking of the great conflict between Christ and Satan.

Thus the Revelation had meaning and encouragement for the early Christians of John's day, and helped them understand the great struggle yet to come before the Second Advent. It appealed to followers of Christ in every generation through history, and has particular import for those living in the time of the end. It fixes the identity of the Antichrist with pinpoint accuracy and illuminates the otherwise mysterious confusion that pervades the modern Christian scene.

Revelation is to the New Testament what Daniel is to the Old. Much of what was sealed in Daniel is unsealed in Revelation. Revelation contains about 500 quotations or allusions to Old Testament books. It builds on Daniel by starting with Daniel's fourth world empire, Rome, which was contemporary with John. Thus it complements and confirms our understanding of Daniel.

The historicist method of interpretation was the one held by the Protestant Reformers. In fact, it was Luther's recognition of the Papacy as the Antichrist that provided the impetus for his break with Rome, and the establishment of Protestantism. Faithful scholars all through the ages have held to the historicist interpretation, while both Preterism and Futurism are relatively new inventions.

Bible scholars in the past have held to the historicist interpretation. Large numbers saw the 1260 days as literal years reaching to about 1800. As early as 1639 Thomas Goodwin recognized France as the "tenth part" of the "city" which should suffer a revolution. In 1755, Thomas Prentice declared the Lisbon earthquake of that year to be the opening of the sixth seal (Revelation 6:12). Many in past centuries also saw the Muslim empire in Revelation 9. The prophetic positions taken in this book are in harmony with those of the finest scholars over many centuries. Their truthfulness can be attested by common sense investigation. This book follows the historicist understanding of the prophecy.

Did John Copy Parts of the Revelation From Other Books?

Scholars have found similarity in some of the ideas in Revelation and statements in the pseudepigraphical ("falsely entitled") Book of Enoch that was in circulation as early as 150 years before John wrote. Similarities include references to a multitude that could not be numbered, a star that fell from heaven, the first heaven departing and a new heaven appearing, horses walking in the blood of sinners up to body level, and names blotted from the book of life.

But this does not mean that John was dependent on the so-called Book of Enoch. The content of John's visions is original with him; only certain phrases and expressions in describing what he saw are similar to the book of Enoch. If the latter was in wide circulation in John's day (as it may have been), it would only be natural for John to employ certain well-known phrases or concepts already familiar. He also used phrases and allusions common to readers of the Old Testament—as many as 500.

For a Bible writer to borrow or quote from other writers does not compromise the integrity of his divine inspiration.

Revelation 1:1, 2

Seven statements in Revelation are superficially assumed to say that Christ would come in the lifetime of John. But when we read them in context and take them for what they say, we can see that the Lord was not misleading His people:

Revelation 1:1: "Things which must shortly take place." When Revelation is understood according to the historicist interpretation, this statement comes in focus as saying that events foretold therein would "shortly" or immediately begin unfolding throughout history, such as the seven churches, the seven seals, etc.

Revelation 1:3: "The time is near." In other words, the time for these events is now, and continues until the end (compare verse 19, where the Lord instructs John to write about subsequent events "which will take place after this").

Revelation 3:11; 22:6, 7,12, 20: "Behold, I am coming quickly," etc. Four such statements come in the conclusion of the book, chapter 22. Any reader in early centuries who grasped the historical oversweep of the prophecies in chapters 1-18 would understand that the Lord's coming would be near when the events there foretold had already taken place historically. The prophecies of Daniel are the key to unlock those of Revelation, and early Christians already understood that the events foretold in Daniel would take centuries to fulfill. Thus the coming of Christ could not take place until the events foretold there had run their course, such as the supremacy of the little horn for 1260 years, etc. The apostle Paul clearly saw this, for he told the church of his day that the Lord would not return in their lifetime (2 Thessalonians 2:1-8).

The nearness of the Lord's coming began to be generally recognized, even widely so, in the early part of the nineteenth century, the "time of the end" pinpointed by Daniel (see Daniel 11:3, 5; 12:4).

Since then it is correct to see the Lord's coming as always "near" in that it is imminent. It is God's purpose that He come soon, and the Lord wants to come. But God's love requires that the message of the gospel first go to all the world, and only "then the end will come" (Matthew 24,14).

Revelation 1:10

Well after the time of the apostles, some of the church "fathers" referred to Sunday as the Lord's day. And today many Christian people asume that Sunday is the Lord's day. But as the old farmer said, calling a lamb's tail a leg doesn't make it one. The Bible never speaks of the first day as "the Lord's day."

Since the Bible consistently designates the Sabbath as the Lord's day and Christ Himself emphasized the same (see Isaiah 58:13, 14; Matthew 12:8), the apostles would not have dared to refer to any other day of the week as the Lord's day.

The Futurist method of interpretation assumes the Lord's day to mean the future day of judgment. But this is contrary to the context. What John saw in vision in chapter 1 was not events of the far-distant future from his day, but Christ's current exalted position as High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary—before the final day of judgment (see verses 12-18).

When the New Testament speaks of the day of judgment as "the day of the Lord," it uses the term hemera tou kuriou or hemera kuriou; but John here uses the term kuriake hemera. (Compare 1 Corinthians 5:5; 2 Corinthians 1:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 1:10.) This means that "the Lord's day" cannot here be understood as the day of judgment.

Revelation 2, 3

Revelation 3:5

Further, Christ's seven promises "to him who overcomes" show that a superficial "once-saved-always-saved" assumption is spiritual arrogance. It is a misunderstanding of Scripture to say that when a sinner initially professes faith in Christ that he has already come into judgment in the sense of a final acquittal. In a purely legal sense this is true; and it is true so far as God's desire and intent are concerned; but if a believer turns from his faith and resists the ministry of the Holy Spirit in overcoming, he frustrates the grace of Christ and chooses that his name be blotted from the book of life.

This passage reveals a heavenly investigation of every man's character to determine if he has in fact continued to believe toward the goal of overcoming. The present tense of the verb in John 3:16 also emphasizes this continuity: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever keeps on believing in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

Revelation 3:14

But Revelation clearly defines the meaning here as the one who creates. Christ is introduced as the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the ending (1:8). In the Gospel John speaks of Christ as "in the beginning with God," the Word who "was God," in whom "was life, and the life was the light of men." "All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made" (John 1:1-10). John could not contradict himself by declaring that Christ Himself was "made."

Paul says of Him, "By Him all things were created, ... and for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist" (Colossians 1:16, 17).

Therefore the only way that arche can be understood in harmony with Scripture is in the active sense. Christ is the "beginning of the creation of God" as the Creator Himself, the initiator of the whole creation.

Revelation 3:16

The original wording is mello se emesai, "I am about to vomit you out," or "I am sick with nausea." The word mello has the meaning of "intention, to be about to do something," "indicating a design" (W. E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, pp. 15, 48, 266). The word conveys the idea of conditionality, intention not yet necessarily actualized. The same word in John 4:47 means that the sick boy was "at the point of death," but he definitely did not die. So the meaning in our passage is that Christ is "at the point" of vomiting (see NIV), but this final act is conditional on Laodicea's rejecting His call to "repent." No way can Laodicea's doom be considered as hopeless.

Neither does Christ counsel individual Christians in Laodicea to move to some other church. His counsel is to "repent" within Laodicea. Although principles expressed in all the seven messages apply to the last church, Philadelphia does not exist side by side with Laodicea any more than Thyatira or Ephesus does, unless the entire consecutive sequence of the seven churches is meaningless.

Israel of old were often in a terribly backslidden condition, but the Lord never called on His people to move from Israel to some other land. His call by His prophets was always to "repent." Israel of old and the church of today are a body; and if one's body is sick, the solution for any individual member such as a sore ringer is not to cut itself off from the body, but to cooperate in promoting the healing of the entire body. Individual members of Laodicea can help only if they do as Daniel did long ago (in his chapter 9)—confess the sins of the body as their own, and thus promote repentance until it permeates the body of the church.

Philadelphia is one of seven stages in the development of the church as it grows up into Christ in preparation for His second coming. The final stage will be Laodicea's repentance and overcoming, preparing a people to stand as the bride of the Lamb. Christ's message to Laodicea is a part of gospel "good news," if she will repent. Only Christ's enemy would try to distort the message into bad news of final condemnation.

Revelation 6, 7

Since the early centuries, the majority of scholars have understood the seals to extend from the church of the apostles to the time of the second coming of Christ. Those include Tertullian and Victorinus in the 3rd century, Andreas of Caesarea in the 7th, the Venerable Bede in the 8th, Bruno of Segni in the 12th, Joachim in the 13th, the Lollards in the 15th, and of course many of the Reformers in the 16th. In seeking to oppose the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Futurists placed them all in the far future, while their colleague Ribera relegated them to the past, before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

But again we see that both Futurism and Preterism are relatively new inventions, both "private interpretations" not upheld by careful scholars through the ages. The seals do not make sense in a Preterist interpretation, and Futurist attempts are guesswork, but they fit perfectly in a historicist identification.

Revelation 8 and 9—The Trumpets

From the 8th century on we find that thoughtful Bible scholars understood the 5th trumpet to refer to the Saracens. As early as 1587 John Foxe understood the "five months" as 150 literal years, followed by the 391 years of Revelation 9:15. Luther saw the Turks in the 5th and 6th trumpets. Thomas Goodwin, president of Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1654 saw the 6th trumpet as beginning in 1453- Bible students representing many denominations laid the foundation for the position taken in this book. It is reasonable to see the Revelation as including a relevant exposition of the rise and progress of Islam. God foresaw world attention focused on the Middle East.

A large number of scholars for centuries have seen in Revelation 9:15 "the hour, and day, and month, and year" to be "linear"—that is, a prophetic day for a year representing 391 years. Some in recent times suggest that the phrase should be understood as "punctiliar"—that is, a definite point of time, the precise hour of the day of the month of the year. But this is not what the Greek says. This would be an unnatural and awkward expression, an idiom nowhere else used in Scripture. This is symbolic language as the trumpets are symbolic.

The Greek syntax points to a "linear" understanding. The article ten appears only once, to cover the entire phrase, "the hour and day and month and year." If the intent was a point of time, the article would have been used repeatedly with each word.

If this unusual time phrase is punctiliar, no one has ever come up with a fulfilment that seems appropriate. On the other hand, to understand the phrase as linear fits in as a "remarkable fulfilment of prophecy."

A host of Bible expositors prepared the way for Josiah Litch in 1838 to predict on the basis of this prophecy the fall of the Ottoman Empire some time in 1840. In July of that year he went a step further and proclaimed the "hour" to be 15 days of literal time. Thus he fixed on August 11, 1840 as the date for the fall of the Ottoman Empire. The actual event that occurred on August 11 of that year was widely recognized as a fulfillment of this prophecy. It was a significant step in a series of events that progressively destroyed Ottoman independence, undoing in a reverse order the events that led to its rise to glory 391 years earlier.

Revelation 11:3-13

English and Scottish scholars predicted the French Revolution on the basis of this prophecy, decades before the event occurred. When the Revolution itself came, there was a wide chorus of scholars who proclaimed the fulfilment of the prophecy. The bulk of the scholars were unanimous in recognizing the general features as we have presented them in this book.

Revelation 12:17

Some modern translations of this verse render "the testimony of Jesus Christ" as "the truth revealed by Jesus" (GNB), or "their testimony to Jesus" (NEB), or "bearing testimony to Jesus" (RSV). The Greek genitive case allows this phrase as (a) the testimony or witness that Christians give to Christ; or (b) the testimony or witness that comes from Jesus to His people. The context must decide which. According to the context, the King James and New King James translations are correct—"the testimony of Jesus," that is, from Him to His people.

The reason is that Revelation elsewhere settles the matter. An angel defines the phrase for John as "the spirit of prophecy" (ch. 19:10); which is what the Greek says. (The RSV agrees with the KJV.) The angel tells John not to worship him, because "I am your fellowservant, and of your brethren the prophets." In other words, he says that "the testimony of Jesus" is the work of prophets, or the spirit of prophecy.

Nothing in the Bible gives a hint that the divine gift of prophecy should cease with the inspired writers of the New Testament. It is to be active in the church "till we all come to the unity of the faith ... to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:8-11). The church that awaits the coming of Christ is to "come short in no gift . . . that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 1:4-8).

Of course, we may expect Satan to send false prophets to confuse and deceive; but this does not mean that God will not send true prophets. We are to test them, prove them, and so reject the false and accept the true (1 John 4:1; Matthew 24:11, 24; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21). God has a right to select whom He will to exercise the gift of prophecy, either men or women (see 2 Samuel 7:2; 1 Chronicles 29:29; Acts 11:27, 28; 21:10; Judges 4:4; 2; 2 Chronicles 34:22; Act 21:9).

According to Revelation 12:17, therefore, we are to expect to see the gift of prophecy among the people of God in the time of the end.

The word "remnant" in this verse means "those which are left over" or that "which remains," loipoi in the original. Another word translated "remnant' occurs in Romans 11:5, leimma. The two words are related to each other and are virtual synonyms. The New Testament idea of "the remnant" is an extension of the oft-repeated Old Testament idea of a "remnant" who survive terrible Satanic opposition from without and corroding apostasy from within. Jacob's family preserved in Egypt are a remnant (Genesis 45:7); the 7000 in Israel loyal in Elijah's time are a remnant (1 Kings 18:22); Sennacherib conquered all of Judah except Jerusalem, the remnant (2 Kings 19:4); a remnant would return from captivity (Isaiah 11:11-13). After many centuries, only a remnant would receive the Messiah (Isaiah 4:2, 3; Jeremiah 23:3-6; Micah 4:7; Zephaniah 3:1; 3:13).

This is the idea expressed in Revelation 12:17. As in ancient Israel, the great apostasy of the ages would engulf the masses who profess to be Christian, and only a remnant would remain loyal. Our passage distinguishes them by several criteria: they suffer the wrath of the dragon; they preserve the pure faith of the apostolic church (the woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet), for they are her "seed" or spiritual descendants who keep the commandments of God—a remarkable distinction suggesting that the mass of Christ's professed followers do not; and they have the direct communication of Jesus Christ through the living testimony of the gift of prophecy.

Such a unique and "different" people are identified in Revelation 14:12 as "the saints."

Revelation 13

For over a thousand years, the view set forth in this book that the first beast of Revelation 13 is the papacy has been held by many Bible students. By the 13th century, the chorus of voices proclaiming the beast to be the papacy was so widespread that Pope Innocent III tried to parry the thrust of this view by labelling the beast as Islam. Wycliffe, Huss, and the majority of the Reformers boldly proclaimed the beast to be the papacy. This was the general Protestant view. The details of the prophecy fit no other power.

Identifying the second beast depends on identifying the first. Thomas Goodwin in the 17th century was probably the first to declare it to be a Protestant image of the papacy. As time went on and the phenomenal growth of the United States became the marvel of the 19th century, many scholars came to recognize it as the fulfilment of the second half of this chapter. As we continue in the wild armaments race, the excessive materialism, the crime, terrorism and violence of the closing years of our 20th century, America's projected character of speaking "as a dragon" appears ever more apt.

As far back as the time of Tertullian (2nd century), 666 has been understood as the numerical identification of Antichrist. Even in the early centuries, Bible students made applications to titles that represented the apostasy in one form or another. In 1612, Andreas Helwig published a book entitled Antichristus Romanos (Roman Antichrist) in which he said that the pope's title Vicarius Filii Dei was the basis of computing 666. It is common knowledge that the basis of the pope's claim to authority is that he is "vicar" of the Son of God. The exact wording of this title is found in the long-venerated "Donation of Constantine."

The all-too-common tendency to select the names of notorious contemporary tyrants for identifying 666 is wrong, because the text in Revelation specifies that the number pertains only to the beast. Many thousands of people have names that could be totalled up to 666, but this is irrelevant. The name must be in a language which employs letters as numbers, such as Latin. Thus it is futile to count the numerical values of letters in English names or those of other modern languages. The number 666 is only one of many precise points that identify the beast power. Again, a name such as the Greek word Lateinos is irrelevant, because it is not "the number of a man," that is, a specific man. Neither could any one individual's personal name be the one intended, because the beast is a power that exists through successive generations as supreme for 1260 years.

Revelation 14:11

The expression in the original is eis aionas aionon, literally "multiplied ages," and in scripture always denotes finality. When the expression is associated with God or Christ, it means immortality, for God alone is immortal. When the expression is associated with mortal beings, it means up to the end of their lives, finality, their complete end.

Revelation often quotes from the Old Testament. The figure of smoke is quoted from Isaiah 34:10 where the doom of Edom is described as "the smoke thereof shall go up for ever." However, everyone knows that Edom has not kept on burning literally ever since. The expression denotes utter destruction, and the verses that follow speak of desolation, and wild animals inhabiting Edom.

The Bible must not be made to contradict itself. 'The wicked shall perish,. .. shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away" (Psalm 37:20).

Sodom and Gomorrah suffered "the vengeance of eternal fire," yet they are not still burning literally (Jude 7). The fire was eternal in its finality. The cities were totally destroyed, forever. "All the proud, yes, all who do wickedly, will be stubble. And the day which is coming will burn them up, says the Lord" (Malachi 4:1).

Consistent Bible teaching is that fallen man is mortal, subject to death; and that immortality is only "in Christ." How could anyone, God included, be happy in eternity knowing that untold millions of people were suffering torture infinitely worse than anything the Nazis inflicted on their victims, and forever and ever with no hope of a solution or end to it? "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). "The wages of sin is death," even "the second death" (Romans 6:23; Revelation 2:11; 20:14).

Revelation 14:15-18

Of course, the time when this fruit will ripen is known to the Father—He alone knows the "day and hour" of Jesus coming (see Mark 13:32). But this foreknowledge of the Father does not mean His predestination, or that we have no responsibility in the matter as believers in Christ. Peter says it is possible for those who believe to hasten the coming of Jesus: "Look eagerly for the coming of the Day of God, and work to hasten it on" (2 Peter 3:12, NEB).

After the "harvest of the earth" (those who believe in Christ) is reaped, comes the second harvest, the treading of the "great winepress of the wrath of God," the punishment of those who have chosen rebellion against His government. Their wickedness has developed side by side with the pure faith of those who believe, so that the two harvests ripen simultaneously.

Revelation 16:12-16

While I favor the view set forth in the comments on this passage in this book, I believe we would be unwise to ridicule the other view held by so many in the past. This passage is obviously unfulfilled prophecy, for the seven plagues have not yet been poured out. We must not be dogmatic or arrogant in understanding unfulfilled prophecy.

If we let the Book of Revelation explain itself, it appears that the Euphrates is indeed a symbol of Islam, for it is presented thus in chapter 9:14. Surprisingly to many people, the oil crisis in our time has catapulted Islam into unprecedented world influence. Adherents of that religion see themselves involved in a new jihad for world domination, eager to see Islam vindicated as the true way of life for everyone. At the time of the capture of American hostages in Iran in 1979, the militant university students in Tehran said "that Islam represented the only possible answer to the West" (Mohamed Heikal, Nairobi Standard, August 16, 1981). A writer in the Sacramento Bee for May 9, 1989 says: "Having suffered moral degeneration, the West is now craving truth. Islam is another name for the truth." After centuries of missionary endeavor, we must admit that the faith of Christ has made very little headway among the Islamic millions.

Again if we permit Revelation to explain itself, it would seem that "the kings of the east" are related to the angel "from the east" of Revelation 7:1 who brings with him the seal of God. According to Revelation 9:4, Islam has always had an innate sense of respect for the seal of God (understood in its deeper sense as a sign of His approval of a true godly character). What has aroused modern Islam to a jihad heat of indignation against Christianity is not the truth of Christianity but its perversion by Babylon, so that "Christian" ethics appear to them as more immoral and ungodly than even paganism. Hence Islam feels its destiny to save the world from the corruption of apostate Christianity. It claimed this also as its initial motivation.

Could this passage in Revelation presage a final breakthrough of genuine, uncorrupted, Christlike godliness to penetrate to the heart of Islam? The Greek tenses of Revelation 16:12, 13 could be understood as delineating events that lead up to the final event of gathering the nations to Armageddon (verse 14). The "unclean spirits like frog's" have obviously been at work before the pouring out of the sixth vial; likewise, the drying up of the Euphrates and the coming of the "kings from the sunrising" could here be viewed by the prophet as preparatory to the final act of gathering at "the place called ... Armageddon."

If this gospel of the kingdom is to be proclaimed "in all the world for a witness to all nations" (Matthew 24:14), it must penetrate even to the hundreds of millions of modern Islam. Perhaps the harvest of the earth will yet include a generous reaping from those ranks who respond to the message of the seal of the living God. There may be many individuals in Islam who are weary of the violence and fanaticism that characterize so much of its modern militancy. They would be ready to welcome a revival of pure, apostolic faith. The process of the ripening of the grain for the harvest includes a retrospective view of history that at last brings the truth into focus. Perhaps the fanatical powers that now resist the free proclamation of the gospel in Islamic areas may in the Lord's providence be "dried up" so that those who wish may receive the news of the seal of God preparatory to the Lord's coming.

Revelation 17:7-18

In the meantime let us stand on the solid basic principles that will keep us from getting lost in mazes of speculation:

1. the Bible must be allowed to interpret itself;
2. no scripture is of any private interpretation—that is, speculation or guesswork is out (2 Peter 1:20);
3. the main purpose of the prophetic revelation—the focus on the war against Christ—must be kept in mind;
4. we must not forget the time when this passage was written: the angel is talking to John, and the past, present, and future must be related to his time;
5. the expressions "short space" and "one hour" may be indefinite time periods having the meaning of "a while."

The revival of the papacy in modern times is that part of the picture which is sharply focused in current events. And the movement of Protestantism to unite with her is also clearly evident. On Pope John Paul II's visits to America he has been welcomed by many Protestant leaders and praised as "the moral leader of the world." When he visited Kenya in 1980, local Protestant leaders hailed him as "our Pope, too." For the first time since Henry VIII, a Roman Catholic officiated in St. Paul's Cathedral in London at the wedding of the Prince of Wales. The General Synod of the Church of England has asked Anglicans to pray with Roman Catholics for the "advance [of] the movement of our two churches toward visible unity." Rome views the goal as that of a "single church" and "organic unity" of all Protestants under herself. The stage is being set for the time when "they that dwell on the earth shall wonder" at the woman who rides upon the beast.

Revelation 20

(1) God's promises to restore the glory and power of ancient literal Israel were conditional: "If you will obey, men you shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people" (see Exodus 19:5 Deuteronomy 7, 8, 27-30; Jeremiah 18:6-10).

(2) Ancient Israel repeatedly failed to meet the appointed conditions, and rejected her Messiah, the Son of God (see Matthew 21:43; 23:38; 27:25; John 19:15).

(3) Those who believe in Christ have become the true Israel (see Galatians 3:16, 26-29; Romans 2:29; Acts 2:16-21; 13:47; 15:13-17).

(4) The apostle Paul made it clear that true children of Abraham have always been those who had faith, not merely his unbelieving genetic descendants (see Romans 4; Galatians 3:7-9). The many references to Israel in the Revelation confirm that God's purposes will be fulfilled in a world-wide family of believers in Christ from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people (see Revelation 7:1-17; 14:6, 7).

(5) The second coming of Christ comes before the thousand years, because it is portrayed in Revelation 19:11-21 as preceding the events of chapter 20.

(6) Those who have rejected the grace of God perish at the second coming, so that the earth is depopulated (the righteous having been taken away to heaven with Christ). See Revelation 19:18-21; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; 2:8, 9; Jeremiah 25:31-33.

(7) The first resurrection occurs at the second coming of Christ and includes all who have believed in Him truly (see John 5:28, 29; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:18-23, 51-54).

In harmony with these and many other Scriptures, Revelation 20 fits into the picture perfectly as describing what will take place on earth during the thousand years after the second coming of Christ.

Revelation 21, 22

Yes, for all the promises of the Bible find their final focus in these descriptions of the new earth. There is no hint in Revelation that these things are merely symbolic or figurative.

The only reason that anyone could give for doubting that the good news of the future is this good is the age-old sin of unbelief which has been such a curse for so many thousands of years. These two chapters have been an immense comfort and encouragement to countless millions since John wrote them. If anything in the Bible is reliable, these things are: "And he said unto me, these words are faithful and true" (ch. 22:6).

This is our opportunity to exercise perfect faith and confidence in God's love. All this and more is the happy future for those whose heart sympathy is with the plan of salvation effected in Christ, and who have committed their all to Him as He gave all for them.