Page 167 - Biblical Backgrounds

“I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of
weeping and the cry of distress.”

As you can see, without the Old Testament, the meaning of these passages can be understood in
general, but the richness of the culture and history of Israel seeking her Messiah would be missing. The
symbolism of Babylon of old being crushed as evidence that God will crush the Babylon of the Jewish
world in John’s time, and the ultimate Babylon of the antichrist, would be missed. The proof of future
victory over Great Babylon was the victory of God over the last Babylon and the one present (Rome)
during the writing of the letters. There is never a problem in scripture with a prophecy having multiple
fulfillments. The smaller one showcases the truth of its ultimate fulfillment. Isaiah refers to a woman in
the courtroom and says this child shall be called God with us and will be a sign. Matthew then picks up
that language and applies it to Christ, stating that ultimately the prophecy is fulfilled in Christ, God with
us. The prophecy was literally fulfilled as it was stated and then ultimately fulfilled by Christ. Revelation
then takes it a step further, saying that God will physically dwell among His people in the future kingdom
and eternal state. Looking for quotations and citations of the OT will significantly enhance your
understanding of aspects of Revelation. As Ranko Stefanskovic says in his commentary on Revelation,

“The prophecies of Revelation are especially built on the greatest and key events from sacred
history: the creation, the flood, the exodus, God’s covenant with David, and the exile to
Babylon. These events are intended to build the reader's faith because God’s acts of salvation in
the future will be very much like God’s acts of salvation in the past.” 212

Possible Old Testament thematic echoes in Revelation:

It is also possible that there are what I will refer to as thematic echoes. Similar terminology is used by
others, such as Beale and Paulien. 213 An “echo” is a conceptual reference that is not a quote, citation, or
allusion to a specific word. An example of a potential echo would be the temple motif in current
thought. In this motif, the temple structure is seen throughout Scripture. There is an outer court, an
inner court, and the Holy of Holies where God dwells. In the Garden of Eden, there is the outside world,
the garden itself, and then the center of the garden, where God dwelt, which is seen as a foreshadowing
of the heavenly temple. Then an earthly temple is built that resembles the heavenly temple. In this
temple, God dwells with His people. There is an outer court, an inner court, and a Holy of Holies where
God dwells. In Revelation, this terminology is offered as a continuing theme. The New Jerusalem is a city
with an outside area. The nations can come to God and worship in the city. There is also a Holy of Holies
where God dwells in the city. Interestingly, the Holy of Holies is a cube in Exodus 38:9-20, the new
temple in Ezekiel 41:13 is a cube, and the New Jerusalem is described as a cube in Romans 21:16. This is
a very minimalistic depiction of this proposed echo. Far more has been written about it by erudite
scholars.

Another example may be the use of the plagues as echoes to a theme. De Wall notes that Beale affirms
the possible existence of underlying echoes. An example given is the plagues. They were not designed to
bring the Egyptians to repentance. Rather, they were disciplined by God. The trumpet judgments are

212 Ranko Stefanovic, Revelation of Jesus Christ: Commentary on the Book of Revelation (Berrien Springs: Andrews
University Press, 2002), 19.
213 de Waal, K. (2013). Principles and criteria for the use of the Old Testament in the book of Revelation. Journal of
Asia Adventist Seminary, 16(1), 69-85.
https://research.avondale.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1130&context=theo_papers

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