The Book of Revelation is perhaps one of those books in the
Christian Bible which many would rather not touch with a ten-foot pole, as the
saying goes. However, many post-reformation denominations, or groups feel very
free in the interpretation of it. I won’t say who, but I am sure they know who
they are. The other day I was reading a portion of The Watchtower, a
publication distributed by the Jehovah's Witnesses. The article I was reading
was titled: The Four Horsemen Who Are They? Plainly and simply, one can
immediately spot that the article is based on interpretation of the Book of Revelation;
however, the interpretation seems to be bounced off of other books from the Scriptures for basis. Moreover, in this article one can read about Jesus being crowned King of
Heaven in the year 1914. This idea is based on
revelations 6:2, and bounced off of Hebrews 10:12, 13. This idea also comes from Jesus
implying the conditions on Earth for the beginning of his rule, and this
thought is bounced off of Mathew 24:3, 7, and Luke 21:10, 11. Since 1914 could be
viewed as the beginning of troubles on our planet, World War I is used as a foundational basis;
thus, the era of “the last days” began (2 Timothy 3:1-5). The Book
of Revelation used independently from the other books referenced would not
yield the same results, perhaps. In fact, my initial thought was, okay, this sounds a little out of context since the Bible doesn't have any actual
timelines with relevance to this subject matter; therefore, this interpretation seems a little far stretched. While continuing to read the same article, and the subject of the Four Horsemen and how they manifest, I start to wonder if maybe this perhaps isn't too
far-fetched after all, since I really can’t make an argument for or against. Still, as I said
before, many Christians would rather not touch the book with a ten-foot pole, when it comes to
understanding or interpreting it.
The reality is that the Book of Revelation barely made it
into the canon of our Christian Bible; I believe the Apocalypse of Peter probably
had a first choice, but somehow this book supposedly written by John, one of
the twelve disciples of Jesus, actually did make it. According to one of the
New Testament classes I took at Seminary there are, at least, four different
types of methods to interpret Revelation, and they are historicist, idealist, preterist, and futuristic. Of course, this article is based on my personal brief
thoughts, and I won’t go into details about the four foregoing; however, I do
encourage you to learn more about each, especially if you want to understand
more about the subject. I personally cannot tell you which interpretive method
is best, or if any are correct. But, I suppose if we're going to be Christians
that believe in the Bible, we have to deal with the fact that the book is part
of the canon. My personal take on the New Testament entirely is that we didn't
really get the full canon we use today until 367 AD, thanks to St. Athanasius
of Alexandria to a large extent. Basically, I am not a fundamentalist when it comes to the Scripture.
In closing, this is just my personal opinion, and my own
brief look at the subject. I do know one thing, and it is that the Book of Genesis (the first book) begins with the Tree of Life, and the Book of Revelation (the last book) ends with the Tree of Life, and this is something to ponder,
deeply! Moreover, regardless of whether those interpreting the book are being
radical or conservative, I cannot prove whether they are right nor wrong, can
you? One last quick note: one of my favorite texts from the Book of Revelation is found in chapter 3; verse 20 which read as follows:
“Behold, I stand at the door and
knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and
eat with him, and he with me (RSV Bible).”
Hope you enjoyed reading, blessings!
References:
RSV Bible
The Watchtower
Posts
