Revelation is an intriguing book of the Bible. The last book of the Bible has occupied minds quite a bit, in the past, but also today. From crystallized end-time scenarios to a kind of fairy tale book; from events recorded in detail to a global overview of what happened then (read: in the 1e century of our era happened. Opinions and various interpretations tripped over each other. It is not for nothing that Revelation is generally considered a difficult book to read and understand.
It is necessary to establish some "reading rules. A special book requires a special way of reading. Just as you read a cookbook differently from a novel. And you read your car's instruction book differently from a comic book. Reading a particular book differently has everything to do with the difference in a book's genre. Generally, three types of genre are found in Revelation: epistolary form, prophecy and apocalyptic.
Letter form
The epistolary form speaks for itself. There is a salutation and addressees already in the first chapter (1:4-5) and of course in all seven epistles (2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7 and 14). Whether a cut should be made between 3:22 and 4:1 such that chapters 4 to 22 do not belong to epistolary form remains to be seen. The return of prophecy, the emphasis on hearing this book and the greeting in 22:18-21 point to a unity (see also 1:3) and are a natural conclusion for the epistle form.
Prophecy
The book of Revelation itself speaks of it as prophecy (1:3, 22:7, 10, 18-19). Prophecy is definitely not a Christian version of divination. As if prophets and prophetesses can predict the future. Prophecy "interpreteth the present and beholdeth the future. By this I mean that God, through the prophet, denounces present practices and at the same time paints a picture of the future. This means that the prophet "weighs" culture, society and individuals through the eyes of God. This often results in a call to repentance: a return to God. At the same time, God, through the prophet, lets it be known that things will not remain that way forever. God is a God of hope and restoration. This is reflected in the 'beholding of the future': in broad outlines the prophet sketches a picture of the (often distant) future as God will work it out.
God is a God of hope and restoration
Apocalyptic
The latter term comes from the Greek and means "to reveal. The method of writing was very common among Jews and Christians before and after the beginning of our era. Consider, for example, the Bible books of Ezekiel and Daniel. Apocalyptic literature describes a cosmic dualism: two warring forces in our universe. One force bad (Satan, demons), the other force good (God, angels). Both forces are embodied on earth in the struggle between good and evil, and people are "forced" to choose sides. This struggle is vividly described with numerous images that appeal greatly to the feelings and imagination of the listener/reader. The book of Revelation is not written to conceal, but to reveal. The purpose is not to speculate about the future, but to gain theological insight. You could say Revelation gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the world stage.
➡️ This article is part of the article Core and Structure of the Seven Letters in Revelation 2-3 by Marco Wittenberg. Want to read the entire article and discover more about learning traditions, literary structure and the core of the seven letters? Then order the 2017 magazine with this article here. Already available from €4.95.
