The last book of the New Testament is the Book of Revelation and, consequently, the final book of the Christian Bible. Its name derives from the apokalypsis, the first word in the Koine Greek text, and means disclosure. The only apocalyptic book in the New Testament canon is the Book of Revelation, which holds a key position in Christian eschatology. Three people were interviewed better to reveal their interpretation of the Book of Revelation and asked to reflect on their understanding of the meaning of this text, which will be discussed in this paper.
The author of the Book of Revelation identifies himself in the poem as John, yet there is still disagreement among interviewees as to who he is. For example, the first interviewee shared that he perceives John as Justin Martyr. At the same time, the third one states that he is Clement of Alexandria and the author of the Muratorian fragment. However, all three agree that there is no evidence that would allow one to identify the author’s true identity, and therefore, the only thing that can be known about the author is that he was a Christian prophet.
All three interviewees aimed to comprehend the Book of Revelation from the perspective of Jewish and Christian apocalyptic literature from the first century. One interviewee shared that the most valuable part of the text for him is that the poem is addressed to seven ancient communities in Asia Minor. According to the text, those communities are to take statements such as “the time is near” seriously. Moreover, John’s unveiling of modern Greco-Roman society as beastly, demonic, and subject to divine judgment shows that this text is seen as a warning not to follow it. All three interviewees shared that they view this book as a warning as to what would happen if the communities did not follow God’s words.
The second interviewee presented an exciting interpretation of this book. According to her, the Book of Revelation differs significantly from the other books in the New Testament, and it “fascinates me.” There are no edifying or moral sermons, concepts, or things similar to traditional religious writings. All of it is visions, and that is why it has captivated musicians, poets, and painters alike for so long. Therefore, this interviewee shared the difference between the Book of Revelation and other texts in the New Testament that captivate the attention of the reader.
According to the second interviewee, the author of the Book of Revelation was probably a refugee whose home in Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Romans as retaliation for a Jewish uprising against the Roman Empire. She claims that until we recognize that this work is war literature, we will not be able to interpret it correctly. It is a product of that war and of those who have been destroyed by it. The explosion of Mount Vesuvius, which buried and destroyed the city of Pompeii, is said to have had an influence on other imagery in the text, including the blazing red creatures with seven heads, dragons, monsters, and cosmic eruptions, according to the expert. Thus, if viewed from the perspective of war literature, the images of evil in the Book of Revelation can be tied to humanity’s crimes against one another and their consequences of them.
The third interviewee was especially fascinated with sharing the historical details that helped him interpret this book. According to him, the majority of people believe that John wrote about the year 90 in the first century, which would be 60 years after Jesus’ death, and Vesuvius’ eruption took place in the year 79. Thus, the Book of Revelation contains many depictions of events that were relatively recent for John, such as the conflict in Jerusalem, Mount Vesuvius’ explosion, and the reign of the Roman Emperors. These descriptions are sometimes shown in spectacular imagery. He shared that it appears that John responded by declaring that Jesus is coming, and he is going to demolish all of this in response to that event. John firmly believed that the fall of Jerusalem marked the start of the time period Jesus had foretold as the end of the world. Thus, this interviewee looked at this book as a natural consequence of the previous events which marked the end of the world.
Before this class, I did not have a particular position on the interpretation of the Book of Revelation. However, upon completing this assignment, I learned that the correct understanding of this text is that this book contains facts that God wants to disclose to humanity, not withhold from us. The most accurate Biblical depiction of the events of the tribulation can be found in the Book of Revelation, which deals with their particulars. Those who remain on earth after the rapture will endure great suffering throughout the tribulation due to their unfaith.
This book excellently addresses the idea of enduring suffering that each person faces throughout their life. Interestingly, the interviewees had a uniform position on how the Book of Revelation addresses the issue of evil and suffering. I agree with their position that the Bible describes people and their suffering. Since the fall in Genesis 3, when humans first developed a problem with sin, verse after verse has documented this issue. The Book of Revelation offers a definitive solution to this issue, a hope that Jesus will permanently heal the wounds caused by sin.