by Paul McQuien
I periodically read through the New Testament, but when I get to the Revelation of John, I usually balk. This great apocalyptic epistle is so complex and overwhelming that it tends to discourage readers, including myself, even though it contains a blessing for those who read it and “take it to heart” (1:3 NIV ).
Fortunately, I came across a reprinting of William Hendricksen’s 1940 classic commentary on the book, “More Than Conquerors” (1967 reprint), and re-read it from a more mature perspective. The following are some helpful insights I gained mostly from re-reading Hendricksen’s book.
First of all, no one has a monopoly on an absolutely correct interpretation of the Revelation, although there are three or four approaches to interpreting it. These include the “Preterist,” that John’s visions refer to past events; the “Historicist,” that the visions refer to actual events between John’s life and the end of time; the “Futurist,” that most of the visions refer to the future; and the “Idealist,” which interprets the visions as symbols of God’s triumph over evil. Hendrickson concluded that there is some validity in all of these interpretations, although he emphasized the symbolic view.
Next, the central theme of the entire epistle is the complete victory of Christ and his Church over every enemy, including the Dragon and the Two Beasts from the Sea (Chap. 12), the Great Prostitute (Chaps. 17-18), and Satan himself (Chap. 20). The problem is that we tend to accept this grand central theme without exploring further.
Another helpful point for me is the Old Testament’s prophetic background that reappears in Revelation. Hendrickson pointed out that Genesis 1-3 and Revelation contain six specific similarities, while emphasizing “paradise lost” in Genesis 3 vs. “paradise regained” in Revelation 21-22. Also important in this context are the visions of the celestial beings in Ezekiel 1 (the Cherubim?) and the symbolic beasts in Daniel 7-8.
The key words in the preceding sentence are “visions” and “symbolic.” While Genesis 1-3 and the following chapters are narrative in structure, the Revelation of John consists of symbolic visions. In other words, the events of Genesis and the other narrative books of both testaments took place historically, but the visions revealed to John symbolize eternal truths rather than literal events.
For example, the locusts that come out the abyss at the sound of the fifth trumpet in Revelation 9 are not literal locusts, as their grotesque human faces and long hair signify. Nor or they modern military helicopters, as some Futurists have tried to contend. Rather, they are symbols of punishment against the wicked. Likewise, the New Jerusalem with its precious stones and golden streets is not the literal dwelling place of the redeemed but a symbol of their eternal bliss in the presence of their Lord and Savior.
But the most helpful aspect of Hendricksen’s book to me was his emphasis on the number seven and other symbolic numbers, such as 6, 10, 12, 24, 144, and1000 throughout the Revelation. He pointed out that the number seven, representing completeness, appears 54 times in John’s epistle, beginning in Chapter 1 with the seven churches, the seven spirits, the seven lampstands, and the seven stars, but the most enlightening use of seven was Hendricksen’s division of the entire book into the following seven parallel, or cyclical, sections:
1. Christ in the midst of the lampstands (1:1-3: 22)
2. The vision of the heaven and the seven seals (4:1-7: 17)
3. The seven trumpets (8:1-11: 19)
4. The persecuting dragon (12:1-14: 20)
5. The seven bowls (15:1-16: 21)
6. The fall of Babylon (17:1-19: 21)
7. The “great consummation” (20:1-22: 21)
Each section of this seven-part division (with the exception of Part 1) begins in heaven and cyclically reveals in increasingly intense visions the spiritual warfare between heaven and hell, extending from the establishment of the church to Christ’s ultimate triumph as the Conqueror on the white horse, the casting of Satan into the abyss, and the description of the New Jerusalem.
Admittedly, I have only touched the “hem of the garment” here, but I recommend Hendricksen’s “More than Conquerors” (available on Amazon) for its well-reasoned analysis of John’s grand apocalyptic epistle.
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