1. Interpreting Apocalyptic Texts
Paul Gibson Hardinsburg Baptist Church
Revelation Bible Study #1

2. Bible Study Rules No question is too dumb to ask
Please engage (you will get out of this class what you put into it)
Please do not expect me to know everything
Revelation (N.T. Wright Bible Study for Everyone Guide)

3. BIG QUESTIONS How will the world end?
What really is going on in the book of Revelation?
Who is the antichrist?

4. Making an effort to answer these questions first requires that we understand what is and how to interpret apocalyptic texts

5. What is an apocalyptic text?

6. http://www. puzzles-to-print. com/word-scrambles/fall-word-scramble

7. What is an Apocalyptic Text?
A group of writings that include divine revelation, usually through a heavenly intermediary, to some well-known figure, in which God promises to intervene in human history and overthrow evil empires and establish his kingdom.
See J. Daniel Hays and J. Scott Duvall. Grasping God's Word. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005, Their definition was taken from the NICNT by Robert Mounce and his words on The Book of Revelation (Grands Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 1.

8. What is an Apocalyptic Text?
An apocalyptic text consists of a revelation communicated by a non-earthly being to an earthly person with the purpose of God proclaiming his intervention in human history
P. Gibson, 2005

9. Apocalyptic Text
Imdb.com

10. What is an Apocalyptic Text?
An apocalyptic text consists of a revelation communicated by a non-earthly being to an earthly person with the purpose of God proclaiming his intervention in human history
P. Gibson, 2005

11. What’s in An Apocalyptic Text?

12. What’s in an Apocalyptic Text?
Daniel 7.2-3
Revelation 13.1
2 Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. 3 Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.
The dragon[a] stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.

13. Are these Creatures real or symbolic?

14. Authors Craig Keener and Grant Osborne believe that the author of Revelation used, “symbolism” and “many symbols from the world of fantasy or myth.”
See Craig Keener and The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove: InverVarsity Press, 1993, pg See also Grant Osborne and The Hermeneutical Spiral. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1991, pg 224.

15. What’s in An Apocalyptic Text?
Lots of symbols and symbolism

16. What do these symbols represent?

17. Two Views on Apocalyptic Symbols
Dispensationalist View
Preterist View
Robert Thomas, Masters Seminary
He believes that symbols, like the ones used in Daniel Seven and Revelation Thirteen, hint to a specific time where things “must happen” in a literal way.
Kenneth L. Gentry, Bahnsen Seminary
…symbols also point to exact actions. He differs with Thomas because he believes that the literal actions these symbols represent have already taken place.
Pate, C. Marvin, ed. Four Views on the Book of Revelation. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998.

18. Problems with the Two Previous Views
Dispensationalist
Preterist
How can a person know what exact literal action each symbol represents?
How are we to know when and where they are to happen?
How can a reader know with assurance that the events in Revelation represent a specific past event?

19. The Use of ancient symbols

20. William Blake, “Death on a Pale Horse.”
Why Use Symbols?
William Blake, “Death on a Pale Horse.”

21. Understanding the Original Audience
It is estimated that the book of Daniel was written between 600 B.C. and 500 B.C. While the exact date of Daniel’s authorship is debated, the general time frame is expected to be around Israel’s captivity in Babylon.
See John Walton, Victor Matthews, and Mark Chavalas. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament (Downers Grove: InverVarsity Press, 2000) and their insight on Daniel.

22. Understanding the Original Audience
Regarding Revelation, we know that it was written by the Apostle John on the isle of Patmos around A.D. 90.
Christians were, at the time, facing serious persecution from the Roman government.
Keener, 759 and Kenneth Barker, and John Kohlenberger III. The Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary: Volume 2: New Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994, 1128.

23. Understanding the Original Audience
One of the reasons that Daniel and John used symbols was because their audiences had familiarity with the symbols.
A second reason Daniel and John used symbols was to be purposely cryptic or secretive about their messages (think word scramble)

24. http://www. puzzles-to-print. com/word-scrambles/fall-word-scramble

25. Ancient Symbolism
Daniel’s use of the words “great sea” or “out of the sea” was also connected to Babylonian literature where the churning of the sea often represented the stirring up of cosmic powers.
IVP Bible Background Commentary: OT, 740 and Beasley-Murray’s, “Interpretation of Daniel.”

26. Ancient Symbolism
Regarding Revelation, many of John’s symbols are traced back to the book of Daniel and other Old Testament books.
Which means, that we cannot understand the book of Revelation unless we understand Daniel
See G.K. Beale’s "The Influence of Daniel Upon the Structure and Theology of John's Apocalypse." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 27.4 (1984):

27. Why Use symbols?

28. Why Use Symbols? Revelation Daniel
John was writing to the seven churches in Asia Minor because they were suffering persecution and possibly heresy within the church.
Revelation 2.4; 2.10
Daniel was writing to an audience in captivity in a strange land.
Daniel 1.1
The NIV Bible Commentary: NT, 1125; The IVP Background Bible Commentary: NT, ; and William Hendriksens’ More than Conquerors. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1967.
Elwell, Walter, and Philip Comfort, ed. Tyndale Bible Dictionary. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2001, 353.

29. Why Use Symbols?
The symbols used by these men gave their audiences hope in the midst of these tumultuous times because they represented a Godly truth.

30. Why Use Symbols? Revelation 13 & 14 Daniel 7 Beasts coming to power
The Lamb standing on Mount Zion has the power to judge and bring justice to the beasts
The mythical beasts here represent the persecution by Satan and the Lamb represents Jesus Christ.
Four beasts rising out of the sea
Ancient of Days
The symbolism used in Daniel Seven represents to the Jewish people, in the middle of exile, that their Yahweh is in control and will one day crush the powers that persecute God’s people.
IVP Bible Background Commentary: NT, and NIV Bible Commentary: NT, See John 1:2, 1:36, 1 Peter 1:19, Revelation 5:6-8.

31. What does all this mean For us?

32. What Does All This Mean For Us?
Apocalyptic symbols possibly do point to literal events that will take place in history
Apocalyptic texts are more beneficial to us when we focus on their theological truths
Focus on finding the theological truths before looking for literal applications

33. As We Start Our Study on Revelation…
Ask, “What is the theological truth behind this passage?”
“What was God trying to communicate to his original audience?”
“What is God trying to communicate to me through this passage?”

34. Final Thought
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2.15