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John Sent to Patmos, by Pol de Limburg, in Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, 15th century
Background
Revelation was written around the end of the first century, during a time of severe persecution of Christians under the Emperor Domitian. It is an example of “apocalyptic literature,” works depicting the end times, of which many examples exist from various religious traditions. Revelation is one of the most challenging books in the New Testament because of its use of a symbolic language of images, numbers, and colors, some of which is derived from the Old Testament prophecies of Daniel, Ezekiel, and Zechariah. To read Revelation literally is to misunderstand it completely. Read on a symbolic level, however, it has much to teach us about reliance on God in the face of great difficulties and offers a glimpse of heaven and total union with God.
Structure
Revelation recounts a series of mystical visions experienced by John (a different person from John, the son of Zebedee, to whom the fourth Gospel and the Letters are attributed) while in exile on Patmos, an island in the Aegean which the Romans
used as a penal colony. The first vision is of Christ, who sends seven messages to seven churches. These messages are almost like letters to different Christian communities. The second major vision is of heavenly worship, in which Jesus appears again, this time as the slain Lamb. This vision gives way to a vivid series of scenes of the end times, as the earth and its inhabitants are destroyed and finally brought to judgment. The book ends with the destruction of “Babylon,” which stands for Rome, and a final vision of the reunion of all God’s faithful in heaven. The book ends with prayer for the second coming of the Lord.
Themes
The prevailing theme of the book is encouragement to endure in the face of persecution. For a community suffering for its faith, even to death, it offers a glimpse of heaven. The martyrs are not portrayed as victims, but as triumphant victors, worshiping around God’s throne with angels and apostles. At the same time, Revelation relentlessly shows the grim fate of those who persecute God’s holy ones.