Unveiled

John’s Apocalypse – otherwise known as the book of Revelation – is an arduous study for the contemporary reader. It is flooded with symbolism, numerology, and graphic caricatures wrapped in a prophecy of seemingly violent and unforgiving divine wrath. Much of the modern Church views it as a prediction of literal, future events that are intended to demonstrate God’s merciless punishment against an unbelieving and corrupt world, displaying such violence that the inevitable result is the eventual eradication of the planet. Evangelicals see the cosmic battle between God and Satan playing out in melodramatic fashion on the world stage as meteors fall to earth, beasts rise from pits, fully armored locusts wreak widespread devastation, and the sun’s rays fry men where they stand. Countless human beings around the globe are slaughtered, and though they witness such otherworldly catastrophes, they mindlessly continue to blaspheme the God of Israel, incurring further wrath and assuring their complete destruction. The Church believes that following this devastation is the fulfillment of a physical new heavens and earth as described in Revelation 21-22, a promise derived from the OT book of Isaiah. Since the average reader has been taught to read the book as a literal, chronological narrative of the time period leading up to that consummation, it is inevitable for people that are constantly seeking this future hope to look for signs that point to its onset. Consequently, every generation of Christians tends to apply Revelation to the daily news headlines, hoping to find clues and draw comparisons that might indicate the fulfillment of John’s vision coming to pass before their eyes. And though these Christians probably maintain an outwardly fearless approach as they ponder what might happen next, they cannot help but contemplate what they would do if the events described actually were to occur during their lifetime. Such an outlook can be exceptionally hazardous. As one scholar notes: “Revelation has served as a ‘language arsenal’ in a great many of the social, cultural, and political conflicts in Western history. Again and again, revelation has stirred some dangerous men and women to act out their own private apocalypses. Above all, the moral calculus of Revelation – the demonization of one’s enemies, the sanctification of revenge taking, and the notion that history must end in catastrophe – can be detected in some of the worst atrocities and excesses of every age, including our own.”