Revelation

 The Revelation of John

Title: The title of the book has its own interesting story. Most of the older books has something like The Revelation of St. John the Theologian. The last years there is a tendency to abrogate and adjust the title into either The Revelation TO John or simply Revelation. In reality, it is the revelation of Jesus Christ (1:1) for transmission to His servants. The first level of transmission was completed by the angelic intervention to St. John.        

Date of writing: As of right now there are three main theories on the date of writing: around 300 AD, 96-98AD, and 64-65AD [or 68AD]. The first one is based on the idea that it was not an apostolic writing but was written based on the celestial events being presented symbolically to the Roman Imperial Community. The second view was held by many godly people – Martin Franzmann being one of them and the editorial board of TLSB (p. 2195 – 95AD). It is based on the notion that John should be old (cp. 2 and 3 John) and the life of the Church was mostly disturbed by Romans. The last [the correct one :)] is based on the understanding that the great tribulation is not a persecution of Roman on Christian, but a persecution Christian Jews endured by non-Messianic Jewish community during The Jewish War (66 – 70AD).   

Structure: (for a possible structure see the insert on Leviticus).

a. ch. 1, Introduction in the Revelation

 b. ch. 2 – 3, 7 Churches 

  c. ch. 4 – 5, Ascension of Jesus

   d. ch. 6 – 8:5, 7 Seals

   d’. ch. 8:6 – 12, 7 Trumpets

  c’. ch. 13 – 15, Ascension of the Church

 b’. ch. 16 – 17, 7 Bowls

a’. ch. 18 – 22, Conclusion of the ministry

Main themes: Most often Revelation is taken as a scary and depressing book full of tragic or traumatic description. For sure, there are pages and pages of martyrdom stories. At the same time, Revelation is the book of hope and comfort. As usual, one needs to read it to the End. The Church – represented by the seven churches – is enduring the troublesome time of great tribulation. To a point everything looks bad, devastating, and even ruined. Yet, at the very end the wave of repentances begins (ch. 18) which leads to the everlasting marriage feast of the Lamb.      

Main Characters: Jesus, John, representatives of the 7 churches, 24 elders, 4 living creatures, beast of the sea, beast of land etc.

Reflection in other parts of the Bible: To fully comprehend the content of Revelation the listener/reader need to have a deep understanding of the previous 65 books of the Bible. Apart from seeing Jesus as the King of kings and the LORD of lords, one needs to see the mese of creation (1:17 – Gen. 2:21); sacrificial system with its ministers, calendar, and sacred spaces; role of angels; symbolism of land and sea etc.    

Lutheran teaching: The Book of Concord uses 12:9 – Satan, ancient serpent – as a description of rebellion against the ministry of the Word of God [SA III, VIII:5; LC III:65; 111].

The usage of Sunday as the Day of the Lord – worship day – is based on Rev. 1:10 [AC XXVIII:60].

Lutheran hymnody:

LSB 676 – Behold a Host, Arrayed in White.

LSB 395 – O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright

Relevancy of the Book: Reading the Book of Revelation has many benefits for a believer. First, we always need to remember that the Judgement will begin from the Church – Jesus addresses 7 churches and only after that His judgement goes into the world. Second, this judgement/evaluation process is eminent. Regardless of our level of symbolic readings into the meaning of the Book, He is coming, He is coming for sure. Third, however troublesome, scary, and dangerous the great tribulation looks like, the faithful ones will be delivered. Sometimes they will be delivered from troubles, sometimes God will stay with the believers through persecutions and will greet us at the entrance to the Marriage Feast of the Lamb.   

Memory verses: 1:17b-18: When I saw him, I fell at His feet as though dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying, “fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forever more, and I have the keys of Death and Hades”. 

Overview of the Bible: Song of Songs

 

Song of Songs  

Title: Son of Songs or Son of Solomon (1:1)

Date of writing: times of Solomon (around 1000 BC)

Structure: Dorsey, p. 200

a. 1:2 – 2:7, opening words of mutual love and desire

  b. 2:8-17, young man’s invitation to the young woman

    c. 3:1-5, young woman’s nighttime search

      d. 3:6 – 5:1, their wedding day

    c’. 5:2 – 7:10, young woman’s nighttime search 

  b’. 7:11 – 8:4, young woman’s invitation to the young man

a’. 8:5-14, closing words of mutual love and desire

Main themes: Usually, when people think about the Song of Songs, they think of it as a love song. Love – in a biblical sense – is a very important part of the book. Yet, I believe that the main theme is unity. Throughout the whole “performance” He and She are trying nothing else but be together. This togetherness also touches on some other themes – emotions of people, beauty of sexual relations within the married couple, partnership or headship of family dynamics, etc.   

Also, a good thematical starting point is the title – “song”. The book shows that the Gospel message can be presented as a beautiful and enigmatic “opera”, where visual and textual imagery reflect the theme(s) of the production. 

An important level that should not be neglected is eschatological yearning and consummation: already and not ye (1:2-4; 8:13-14).   

Main Characters: He, She, Choir, Robbers. Is “He” Solomon? Who is Shulamite?  

Reflection in other parts of the Bible:

Song of Songs is picking up the theme of marriage started by God’s ordinance during 6^th day of creation (Gen. 1:16-30; 2:18-24).

Song of Songs continue the chain of songs delivered by the prominent women in the Bible. Miriam picks up the song of Moses after the Red Sea crossing (Ex. 15). Deborah sings a song commemorating the victory of God over Canaanites (Judg. 5). Hannah sings a song glorifying God after the birth of Samuel (1 Sam. 2). 

Lutheran teaching:

On one hand The Book of Concord does not have any references to the Son of Songs. On the other, we build our teaching of chastity and purity of pre-marital relationship and marriage on the ideas and images of the Song, as St. Paul does it in his letters to Ephesians (chapter 5).

Also, a great theologian of Lutheran Orthodoxy Johann Gerhard (15-82-1637) in his volume of systematic theology derives a few images of the Church as a Bride of Christ [Christi sponsa] based on the Song of Songs. To name a few (Mitchell, p. 528-530):  

1. “A lily among thorns” (2:2) means that Church is beautiful, and should be separated from the sinful world, but is vulnerable to persecution.

2. the Church is a “dove” (2:14; 5:2; 6:9) and has “the eyes of dove” (1:15; 4:1; 5:12) – Gerhard explains is a sincerity of spirit (Mt. 10:10) and to the appearance of the Spirit in the form of a dove (Mt. 3:16).

3. “Awesome as an army with banners” (6:4,10) – Gerhard uses it to express the idea of the Church militant – the One constantly fighting with satan. Also, regardless of the outward appearance as a disordered crowd, she is an organized by the orders from above.    

Lutheran hymnody:

LSB 525 – “Crown Him with many crowns”

LSB 644 – “The Church’s one foundation”  

Relevancy of the Book:

Seeing images of YHWH and Israel and Christ and the Church in the relationship of Him and Her in the Book, modern reader can have a blessing from the passionate words of the Gospel with which God reaches out to us. The blossoming vineyard of the outreach should spread its branches covering the whole earth with the protective shade of His love, being defendant from foxes of the outer world.      

Memory verses:

8:7: Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised.