Revelation 4:9-11: Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: . . . . Continue Reading »
John pronounces a blessing on those who “keep” the things written in the book (Revelation 1:3). That certainly includes “doing what the book requires,” but Revelation is not mainly a set of orders but an unveiling of Jesus. Keeping thhe words of the book includes but is not . . . . Continue Reading »
Revelation (1:1) opens by describing the conduit by which the apocalypse of Jesus gets to His slaves. There are two processes, fractally related. First, God the Father gives apocalypse to Jesus, who in turn gives it to the slaves: Father - Son - slaves. Apocalypse, unveiling, is the Father’s . . . . Continue Reading »
Bruce Malina ( On the Genre and Message of Revelation: Star Visions and Sky Journeys ) interestingly places Revelation in the “genre” of astral prophecy. One of the consequences of this classification is to specify the social location of the prophecy. As Malina notes, “The role of . . . . Continue Reading »
A long title for a short post. The prophets sometimes portray the collapse of Jerusalem by saying that the “voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride will be heard no more” (Jeremiah 7:34; 25:10; 33:11; Revelation 18:23). ”I say there shall be no more . . . . Continue Reading »
Revelation 7 describes the sealing of the 144,000, and this number is broken up into 12,000 among 12 tribes. It is a repetitive passage, and the rhythm of tribes and numbers is reminiscent of the description of the offerings presented to the tabernacle by each tribe in Numbers 7. Both passages are . . . . Continue Reading »
Let’s say that angels ruled were associated with the great powers of the ancient oikoumene (the period between Nebuchadnezzar and Nero). This is (perhaps) what’s in view in Daniel 10:13, 20. Jesus establishes the new imperium , and in Revelation 2-3 sends out letters to the . . . . Continue Reading »
In John’s vision, Jesus has bronze feet, a golden girdle, a face shining like the sun and hair as white as wool and snow (Revelation 1:13-15). This seems to be a tabernacle image: The bronze altar, the gold of the holy place, and the shining glory of the cloud in the most holy place. Jesus is . . . . Continue Reading »
Gregory Beale notes frequent allusions to Isaiah 41-48 in the opening chapter of Revelation. “Alpha and Omega” rings on the “first and last” of Isaiah 41:4. John announces from the start that he’s prophesying about the fall of another Babylon, a third exodus. . . . . Continue Reading »
Revelation 1:4-8, the opening to John’s “apocalyptic” letter, is chiastically organized: A. From One who is, was, shall be B. From seven Spirits C. From Jesus Christ D. To Him who loved us and released by blood E. And made us kings and priests D’. To Him be glory and . . . . Continue Reading »
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