Pastor Jerry Rockwell / Revelation

Pastor Jerry Rockwell

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST

“The Unveiling”

Revelation 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.

Introduction: One of my professors in seminary had this to say about the purpose of the Revelation. He said, “And finally, to live confidently knowing the ultimate victory that is ours in Christ as described by John in the apocalypse. In fact, that’s why the Book of Revelation was written, to give encouragement and endurance to suffering saints who were undergoing persecution, so we would live confidently knowing that ultimately the victory is ours.” At the time of writing, we saw that John had been persecuted and was in exile in Patmos for the word of God and his testimony of Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:9).

The first four words of this verse (Rev. 1:1) speaks more than the eye often discerns. We have looked at the word “revelation” (Ἀποκάλυψις) and that it means an “unveiling.” The Greek word is an interesting one. It is a compound word, which means it is formed by two or more words brought together. In the Greek the first three letters, apo (ἀπό) is a preposition and means “from” or “away from.” The second word “kalupto” (καλύπτω) means “a cover” or “to conceal.” When you take the two words together you have an “uncovering” or a “removing of the covering.” The word means to show or reveal something that before had been hidden or covered. Now, the question is what needs to be revealed? Jesus Christ has already revealed Himself when he came the first time. That is not what we want to explain with this lesson on Revelation 1:1. What is the “revelation” of Jesus Christ at this writing about? One writer says, “The key word of the title, “revelation” (ἀποκάλυψις), denotes an unveiling or disclosure of something hidden, [BDAG 112; T. Holtz, “ἀποκάλυψις,” EDNT 1:130–32] referring to either the action of revealing (Rom 8:19; 1 Cor 1:7; 1 Pet 1:7) or the content that is revealed, as here.” [Emphasis added.] Another writer, Leon Morris, says,

        “The very first word of this book, apokalypsis (translated the revelation), sets the stage. The word means the uncovering of something hidden, the making known of what we could not find out for ourselves. It makes plain that the book it introduces is not a book of human wisdom, nor for that matter a discussion of philosophical or theological problems. It is revelation. It is a setting forth of what God has made known. This revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which could mean either that the revelation was made by Jesus Christ or that it was made about him or that it belongs to him. In one way or another all three are true.”

What this writer contends is the meaning of the phrase “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” Look carefully at Revelation 1:1, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.” The progression of this verse is obvious. The verse says that “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him. . .”
Thus the source of the Revelation is with God the Father. The personal pronoun “him” is a reference to Jesus Christ. So, God gave the “revelation” of the events stated and described in the book of Revelation. That is what the meaning of the phrase “. . .to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass. . .” Then the next phrase, “. . .and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.” This phrase explains the word “servants” earlier in the verse, people. The progression of the revelation is like this: God the Father gave the revelation of things which must shortly come to pass to Jesus Christ. He in turn “sent and signified it by his angel.” This angel then gave it to John. The point to be made is that Jesus Christ is not necessarily the source of the revelation but the medium by which it is revealed. Not only is Jesus the means in which revelation is communicated, but    it is my conviction that He is the object of the revelation as well. Yet, what is it that needs to be revealed? What are we missing about Jesus Christ. After all, we have the four gospels which give a biographical explanation of His life, ministry, and purpose. There is evidently something left out that believers and the world need to know. That is what this study is about.

This concept is compatible with what is stated in Daniel 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. The things in the book of the Revelation are evidently some of the things sealed up until the end. The events of the Revelation are what was hidden as well as the revelation of the person of Jesus Christ that was not seen with the first time He was on the earth.

There is some things in the Old Testament that needs to be examined to learn one of the things that the believer may not have seen. It concerns some things related to the High Priest and his function in the life of Israel.

If you study the book of Exodus, you find that the High Priest was clothed in garments and ornaments that were to magnify the office of the High Priest. Moses was instructed to make for Aaron, the High Priest, garments “for glory and for beauty” (Exodus 28:2). These garments included a “breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle” (Exodus 28:4). These garments are described further in Exodus 28:5-10 “5 And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen. 6 And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work. 7 It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together. 8 And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. 9 And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel: 10 Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth.” The garments the High Priest wore could not be mistaken for what it represented. The High Priest was in charge of the priesthood of the sons of Aaron and had the responsibility of seeing that the sacrifices, offerings and other things pertaining to the purpose of the Tabernacle were carried out. The Tabernacle was the place where God met with man, and there was a “mediator” that went before God who represented the people and their need for worship and forgiveness. That person was the High Priest. The garments we looked at were to be worn by the High Priest always. When he was in the camp the High Priest was identifiable by the garments he wore.

There was one exception to this and that was on the “Day of Atonement” (Leviticus 16). On that day the High Priest would take off his garments “for glory and for beauty” and then put on “the holy linen coat and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garment’s” (Leviticus 16:4). Now do not miss what is taking place here.

Jesus, before the incarnation, was in glory and had on his “garments there of beauty and glory.” When He came to the earth he put on his linen garments, a type of holiness. Note: “And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints” (Rev. 19:8). The “fine linen” here is defined as “righteousness” and the believer has this because he/she is clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22). When Jesus was on the earth the first time he was in His righteousness. He came the first time to make atonement for sin for the entire world, every human being. At that time He was clothed in His righteousness. When he comes the second time he will be clothed differently as the first chapter of the Revelation demonstrates in Revelation 1:13-17. Note the description here who the Old Testament describes similar appearances of God the Father.

  1. His attire: Revelation 1:13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. Compare Daniel 10:5 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz:
  2. His appearance:
  1. Revelation 1:14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; The Old Testament comparison, Daniel 7:9 “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
  2. Revelation 1:15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. Another comparison: Daniel 10:6 “His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.”
  1. His attributes. When you compare these identifying things about Jesus Christ with those in the Old Testament which were attributed to God, you find that the goal of these instructions were to demonstrate that Jesus Christ is God. All the things mentioned, His hair, eyes, throne, the color of his garments (“white as snow”), throne, feet, voice, body, face, arms, and His voice. There is no reason to mistake who Jesus Christ was. Yet what about the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16? There were different garments for this one day in the life of the nation of Israel. Does it have any significance? The answer to this is a resounding YES! Now, an explanation.
  2. His atoning sacrifice. When the High Priest entered the Tabernacle (Temple in Solomon’s day) one the “day of atonement,” he had an objective. That was to secure for the nation of Israel forgiveness of sin for the coming year. That is stated in a passage looked at earlier which said in, Leviticus 16:4, “He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.” Did you ever consider the reason behind this activity and how it might teach us something about the “atoning sacrifice” Jesus made for all of mankind?

When Jesus Christ came to this earth the fist time, He came veiled in flesh and that flesh was perfect humanity, not contaminated by Adam since His father was God the Father. In a sense Jesus came clothed in “linen,” flesh which had no sin nor a sin nature. This made it possible for Him to make the sacrifice for sin. He walked among the people of the world without sin and demonstrated to the world that He was the son of God. Look at Hebrews 4:15, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” And Hebrews 9:28, “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”

The second time He comes he is going to be dressed in His garments of “glory and beauty.” Look with at the description of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ in this same book, the Revelation. Revelation 19:11-16, “11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. Jesus is going to come the second time to defeat the enemies of God and to establish His kingdom and rule the earth for 1,000 years.

 

THE BOOK OF REVELATION: AN INTRODUCTION

Introduction: There is an interesting usage of the word Greek word, ἀποκάλυψις, which means simply "uncovering, of the head; disclosing, of hidden springs; revelation, esp. of divine mysteries.” The word is found in Revelation 1:1 and is interpreted “revelation.” They have made it a “technical” word as although it is used in at least two ways. Here in Revelation 1:1 the word has the meaning of the “revelation” or the unveiling. It is used in 1 Corinthians 1:7 to refer to the “coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” It is the same in 1 Peter 1:7. There are two other places the word is used is 2 Thessalonians 1:7 where it to Jesus Christ being “revealed from heaven with his might angels.” In 1 Peter 1:13 the meaning is the same as in Revelation 1:1 which refers to the “. . .revelation of Jesus Christ.”

From this quick study of the word, we can understand that the word apocalypse means primarily the “revealing, unveiling, etc.” The “second coming of Jesus Christ” is a means of revealing Him so the word has the meaning of an unveiling, a revelation. This is what is taking place in the Revelation, a revelation, an unveiling of the things that will happen at the end.

The study of the “last things” is important since God gave us books in the Bible that deal with events and actions that have not yet occurred, they are still future. The prophets had a lot to say about what God thought of His people and the world and many of those things were still future. For instance, Isaiah made some statement in Isaiah 9 and 11 about what God was going to do and it was a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ although He is not named in those prophecies. Many of the things written about the nation of Israel were designed to draw them to God and spoke of God’s dislike of their behavior and pronounced judgment that in some cases was not to happen for a long time. There are some aspects about “last things” that should cause the believer to take notice as God tried to get Israel to do. For instance, it says in 1 John 3:2-3 (KJV) “2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” The second coming of Jesus Christ is still future, and it has an application to believers today. This makes an understand of the coming of Christ an important doctrine and will have the effect of causing the believer to alter their lifestyle considering that knowledge. In a sense the book of the Revelation is about the “revealing” of the Lord Jesus Christ. He has a major role in the book. Revelation 1 is about His person and a revelation that He is God. Revelation 2-3 he has some messages to the churches that were in existence in the first century speak to them personally in the message of John. In Revelation 5:1 He is the one who is “worthy” to open the seals that kept the contents of the book that was in the “right hand of him that sat on the throne” (cf. Revelation 5:5, 9). Thus, the book of the Revelation is about Jesus Christ as you study the verses that indicate the impact that Jesus Christ had on them. Note:

  • There is the “testimony of Jesus Christ” in Revelation 1:2
  • It says in Revelation 1:5 (KJV) And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
  • John’s describes his location and was exiled for the “. . .testimony of Jesus Christ.”
  • The woman in Revelation 12:17 as well as the “remnant of her seed” (the Jews) had the testimony of Jesus Christ.
  • Look at Revelation 14:12; 17:6; 19:10; 20:4; 22:16, 20, 21. Jesus is the focus of the Revelation

One writer makes the following statement about the study of “last things.” He says,

“The study of last things (those that are yet future from our viewpoint) includes the biblical teaching concerning the intermediate state, the resurrections, the Rapture of the church, the second advent of Christ, and the Millennium.” With these things in mind, it is incumbent on the believer to seek to understand the things that will occur in the future. Still, they have been misunderstood and misinterpreted in so many ways it is almost absurd to read what some have said about the things revealed in the Bible and even the Revelation. To understand this, it is incumbent of us to give you some terms that are designed to help understand how these differences of understanding of the Revelation come about.

  1. POSTMILLENNIUALISM. This view of last things has the understanding that the “kingdom of God” is now being preached and the Gospel being proclaimed to the extent that the entire world will eventually be made Christians and that will initiate the return of Christ at the end of lengthy period of righteousness and peace called the Millennium. At the end of this period there will be a “general” resurrection and judgment with the “introduction of heaven and hell in their fullness.” One of the flaws of this position is the belief that “human effort” will bring in the perfect peace. This is possible since they believe that Satan is bound in the present age of the church. One wag said, if Satan is bound with a chain (Rev. 20:1-2) then it must be a very long chain because he is really causing havoc in our world.
  2. A-MILLENNIALISM. This is the view that there will be no Millennium. The “A” in front of the word “millennium” is what is called a “privative” alpha (first letter in the Greek alphabet) and it negates the word it follows.  This position is that good and evil will function together with both being developed with God’s kingdom and Satan’s kingdom functioning at the same time. At the end of the world there will be a general resurrection and judgment of all people.
  3. PREMILLENNIALISM. This position is that a there will be a 1,000-year reign of Christ called the Millennium which will be established at the second advent of Jesus Christ concluding the Tribulation where Christ will defeat Satan, the False Prophet and the Antichrist. He will establish His reign and rule on the “throne of David” (Luke 1:32) in Jerusalem for the thousand-year period. Satan will be bound for this period and at the end of the 1,000 years will be released in a final rebellion and be defeated by Jesus Christ and cast into the “lake of fire” (Rev. 20:10). After this there will be a “new heaven and new earth” (Rev. 21:1).

The prefix “pre” before the word “millennium” is an important doctrinal position. The Bible teaches that Jesus will take the church, His bride, out of this world (2 Cor. 11:2; Rev. 21:9; 19:9), to be joined together at the Rapture of the Church (1 Cor. 15:51-54; 1 Thess. 4:13-18) which will occur “before” the Millennium (thus the “pre” designation). This position holds to the biblical teaching that the church will not go through the Tribulation (Rom. 5:9; 1 Thess. 1:10). This paper holds to this position and believes this is the accurate teaching of the Bible on the “end times.”

Rightly Dividing the Book of Revelation

There are several ways of looking at the book of Revelation. Most will consider Revelation 1:19 as a statement of the outline of the book. It says, “Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter.” This points out three sections that are discernable in the Revelation. John is instructed to write:

  1. “. . .the things that thou hast seen. . .” Revelation 1.
  2. “. . .the things which are. . .” Revelation 2-3.
  3. “. . .the things which will be hereafter.” Revelation 4-22.

This outline is easy to make not of. The tings which John saw are recorded in Revelation 1 which was a vision of the risen Christ and a description that goes beyond him being the “son of God” but being “God in the flesh.”

This outline can be explored further as we examine the content of the book of the Revelation. The three sections present very clear pictures of things that God wants the believer to know about the contents of the Revelation.

  1. Revelation 1:1-20, “. . . things that which thou hast seen.” This chapter presents the message of Jesus Christ to John and the instructions “. . .what thou seest, write in a book. . .” The section, vss. 10-20 is a presentation of the things John saw at the first and it was the Lord Jesus Christ that he saw. The description in vss. 12-16 is a graphic description of the Lord Jesus Christ in His glory.
  2. Revelation 2-3, “. . .the things which are.” Note that the verb “are” is in the present tense. That indicates that John was to write about the “churches” which were in existence at the time of his writing. These are the seven churches of the Revelation, Ephesus (Rev. 2:1-7), Smyrna (Rev. 2:8-11), Pergamos (Rev. 2:12-17), Thyatira (Rev. 2:18-29), Sardis (Rev. 3:1-6), Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7-13), and Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22). This gives the reader an idea what was going on in the churches at that time, yet there is another aspect that most conservative scholars point out, and that is that these seven churches are prophetic in a sense and tell the characteristics of the different stages of the church in history. This will be explored and explained later.
  3. Revelation 4-22, “. . .the things which will be hereafter.” These chapters are all prophetic and gives a view of what God is going to do after the church age. The reason this is stated, is because the church is not mentioned anywhere in the rest of the Revelation after Revelation 3. The reader will be taken from the church age to the establishment of eternity which is initiated in Revelation 22.

Other Divisions in the Revelation

Another way of looking at the book of Revelation is to note the two times that “heaven is opened.” There are two incidents of this:

  1. Revelation 4:1 (KJV) After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. This event comes immediately after the seven churches are addressed which are representative of the church age. The Tribulation is initiated in Revelation 4 with chapters 4 and 5 showing events that take place in heaven as it relates to the Tribulation. Revelation 4:1 shows the Apostle John being “called up” into heaven. This is a picture of the Rapture of the church in line with 1 Corinthians 15:51-54 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. This is another demonstration that the church will not go through the Tribulation besides the promises to the church that they will not experience the “wrath of God” as in Romans 5:9 and 1 Thessalonians 1:10.
  2. Revelation 19:11 (KJV) And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. This event is at the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is when He returns to the earth physically to defeat the enemies of God and establish His earthly kingdom. Note that He does not come immediately to the Mount of Olives as pointed out in Zechariah 14:4. That is the first time His feet touch the earth. Prior to this he is riding His “white horse” through the air leading the Jews who have been converted (Zechariah 12:8-11).

Some Interpretations of the Book of the Revelation

There are several approaches to the Revelation. Dr. Walvoord calls them “. . .interpretive principles.” This is how certain theologians interpret the book of Revelation and apply it to the current situation. They are:

  1. Allegorical (nonliteral) approach. This approach has its beginning with the “Alexandrian” school of theology and approaches the book of Revelation as allegorical. This method sees everything as symbolical and applies the events of the Revelation applying to the first through the fourth or fifth centuries and tend to base it upon the time of the “in the first century AD (the destruction of Jerusalem) or the fourth or fifth century AD at the “Christianization of the Roman Empire” by Constantine.
  2. Preterist Approach. This view of the Revelation sees it “as setting forth principles of divine dealings with man, without presenting specific events.” The Preterist view ignores the future aspect of the book.
  3. Historical Approach. The Historical approach sees the Revelation as a “symbolic” account of the entire church age. They, in general, combine the historical approach with other interpretations to develop a “devotional or spiritual teaching” from the Revelation.
  4. Futuristic Approach. This view is primarily found among the more conservative teachers who hold to the Premillennial approach to the scripture. They see the section of Revelation 4-22 as depicting events that are future to the present period of the church age and follows the Rapture of the church. This is the view of the present writer.

The Author and Date of the Revelation

The debate of the authorship of the book of Revelation is debated by those who have differing views of how the book is interpreted. Historically it has been attributed to the Apostle John. His name is first found in the book at chapter 1, verse 1. His name is also found in Revelation 1:4, 9; 21:2; 22:8. There has been little objection to John’s authorship through the centuries. The only objection to John as the author came from “Erasmus, Luther, and Zwingli” who challenged the book because of its teaching of the 1,000-year reign of Christ on the earth.

The date of the Revelation is also generally accepted by most as being 95 or 96 a.d. Revelation 1:9 mentions the “isle of Patmos” as being the place where John received the things recorded in the Revelation. Tradition says that John was there because of the Domitian, the Roman Caesar who exiled him there. John indicates he was there “. . .for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Most scholars believe John died in 96 a.d. and was the last disciple to die.

The Number Seven in the Revelation

There is an interesting characteristic of the book of the Revelation and that is the presence of the number “seven.” It is found 54 times in the book and that is in only 31 verses. Note some of the “sevens:”

  1. Seven Churches, Rev 1:4, 11; 2:1-3:22.
  2. Seven Candlesticks representing the Seven Churches, Rev. 1:12-13, 20.
  3. Seven Stars representing the seven angels of the seven churches, Rev. 1:16, 20.
  4. Seven Spirits of God, Rev. 1:4; 3:1; 4:5; 5:6 (cf. Isa. 12:2).
  5. Seven Seals of the book, Rev. 6:1-8:5.
  6. Seven horns and seven eyes, Rev. 5:6.
  7. Seven Angels, Rev. 8:2, 6; 15:1, 6, 8; 16:1; 17:1; 21:9.
  8. Seven thunders, Rev. 10:3, 4.
  9. Seven lamps of fire, Rev. 4:5.
  10. 10.Seven heads and seven crowns, Rev. 12:3; 13:1; 17:3, 7, 9.
  11. 11.Seven last plagues, Rev. 15:1, 6, 8, 21:9.
  12. 12.Seven golden vials of the wrath of God, Rev. 15:7; 16:1; 17:l; 21:9.
  13. 13.Seven Kings, Rev. 17:10.
  14. 14.Seven mountains, Rev. 17:9.
  15. 15.Seven kings, Rev. 17:10.
  16. 16.Seven beasts, Rev. 17:11.

The number seven is prominent in the Bible. It is found 463 times in the entire Bible. It has been taught that the number seven emphasizes perfection, completeness, fulness and plentitude. This meaning is appropriate to emphasize these characteristics in the Revelation.

Genesis and Revelation Compared

One writer has pointed out how the first book of the Bible, Genesis, and the last book of the Bible, Revelation demonstrates the beginning (Genesis) of certain truths, and the ending (Revelation) of certain truths. For instance:

“Genesis—The commencement of Heaven and earth (1:1);

Revelation—The consummation of Heaven and earth (21:1).

Genesis—The entrance of sin and the curse (3:1–19);

Revelation—The end of sin and the curse (21:27; 22:3).

Genesis—The dawn of Satan and his activities (3:1–7);

Revelation—The doom of Satan and his activities (20:10).

Genesis—The tree of life is relinquished (2:9; 3:24);

Revelation—The tree of life is regained (22:2).

Genesis—Death makes its entrance (2:17; 5:5);

Revelation—Death makes its exit (21:4).

Genesis—Sorrow begins (3:16);

Revelation—Sorrow is banished (21:4)”.

ADDENDUM

Early Christians Who Saw the Revelation as Prophecy of the Future

Here are two early witnesses (2nd Century) of the Pre-millennial interpretation of the events of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Thus the claim that this view is recent (19th Century) is dispelled.

Justin Martyr

“Justin Martyr (ca. 100–165) was one of the early Christian writers who thought that John’s vision of the thousand-year kingdom pointed to a future reign of the saints on earth. An articulate and philosophically-minded convert to Christianity, Justin came to Rome from the eastern part of the empire. In one of his writings, he tried to show how the promises that God made through the prophets of the Old Testament are fulfilled through Christ. His argument is that Christians do not reject the older Jewish tradition but recognize how God accomplishes his purposes in Christ and the church.

Justin assumed that the prophetic visions concerning the transformation of the earth into a peaceful paradise would be realized in the millennial kingdom mentioned in Revelation. He quoted Isa. 65:17–25, which spoke of a time when life expectancy would be increased and people would “build houses and inhabit them,” they would “plant vineyards and eat their fruit,” able to enjoy the work of their hands without fear of loss. In that day the “wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox” (Isa. 65:20–25). Only after these promises concerning an earthly paradise were fulfilled would the last judgment take place and the faithful enter into life everlasting (Dialogue with Trypho 80–81). Many later interpreters followed Justin’s lead, even though the passage from Isaiah actually refers to the new heaven and new earth, something that John identifies with the New Jerusalem in Rev. 21:1–5, not with the millennial kingdom of Rev. 20:4–6.”

Irenaeus

“Irenaeus (ca. 130–200) was another Christian writer who read Revelation futuristically. Born in the eastern part of the Roman Empire, Irenaeus spent much of his career in Lyons in southern France, where he became the bishop of a Christian community that had suffered persecution. Like a number of other writers, Irenaeus thought that world history would last for six thousand years, followed by a seventh span of a thousand years that would be a period of rest for the world. His reasoning was that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day (Gen. 1:1–2:4). If one day could symbolize a thousand years (Ps. 90:4), then history would last for six thousand years, and the millennial reign of the saints (Rev. 20:4–6) would be the final period of blessedness for the world (Against Heresies 5.28.3).

Irenaeus’s insistence that there would be a future millennial kingdom on earth was connected to his belief in the justice of God. Since Christians lost their lives within the created order for the sake of their faith, it would be within the created order that God would give them life again. Out of divine abundance and mercy, God would restore the creation to a condition of perfection, making it subject to the righteous before the last judgment (Against Heresies 5.32.1). The millennial kingdom was also a way to affirm the goodness of creation. In contrast to Gnostic teachers, who thought that the material world was inherently evil and irredeemable, Irenaeus envisioned a future for the creation, a time when it would be lavishly transformed into a place of blessing: “the days will come in which vines will grow, each having ten thousand branches, and in each branch ten thousand twigs, and in each twig ten thousand shoots, and in each shoot ten thousand clusters, and on every cluster ten thousand grapes … and when any one of the saints shall lay hold of a cluster, another cluster will cry out, ‘I am a better cluster, take me; bless the Lord through me’ ” (Against Heresies 5.33.3).”