Page 143 - New Testament Survey Student Textbook

the future yet with implications for the present time. These visions unfold as three sets of seven—seals,
trumpets, and bowls. Each time a seal is broken, a trumpet is sounded, or a bowl is poured out, John
witnesses a new scene of apocalyptic imagery. After the seventh bowl unleashes cataclysmic
destruction, John has visions depicting the fall of “Babylon,” the defeat of Satan, and the renewal of
heaven and earth (17:1–22:5). In the closing scene, Jesus assures John that He is coming soon, a promise
that confirms the urgency of John’s message (22:6–21). 189
Outline
• Prologue and vision of Christ (1:1–20)
• Messages to the seven churches (2:1–3:22)
• Vision of heaven and the seven seals (4:1–8:5)
• The seven trumpets (8:6–11:19)
• The powers of evil attack the Church (12:1–14:20)
• The seven bowls (15:1–16:21)
• The fall of Babylon (17:1–19:10)
• The final victory and the new Jerusalem (19:11–22:5)
• Epilogue (22:6–21)

Themes

Revelation conveys the reality of evil using images that can be disconcerting and even terrifying, but that
is not the book’s ultimate message. Jesus wants His Church to know that, despite opposition and
persecution in the present, His purposes will prevail in the end. God reigns on the throne of the
universe, and the slain Lamb, Jesus, has triumphed through His sacrificial death and resurrection (5:6, 9).
No matter how much the forces of evil might appear to be victorious, their defeat is a foregone
conclusion. 190

John’s visions in Revelation deliver the same message of hope today that they gave to his original
audience. Jesus has already prevailed, and He will one day come in power to fully vindicate His people
and dwell with them in the renewed heaven and earth. Assured of this truth, believers can have hope.
All of God’s people have a part to play in the cosmic battle between light and darkness; we are not to sit
on the sidelines and wait for the end of history. Jesus Himself calls us to be conquerors with Him (2:7;
17:14; 21:7). 191

What could be the interpretive approach for understanding Revelation?

There are four main interpretive options for understanding Revelation. Reading Carson and Moor’s
Introduction to the New Testament, 719-721, a summary below shows the interpretive options for
understanding Revelation.

1. Preterist approach: The visions of John grow out of, and describe events in John’s own day. The
symbols in the visions all refer to people, countries, and events in the world of that day.
2. Historic approach: Popular in the Middle Ages and reformation. In the Revelation, they found a
sketch of history from the time of Christ to their own day. In this view, the beast in Revelation is
the pop.

189 Barry, J. D., et al.
190 Ibid
191 Ibid

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