Shalom Aleichem...
Reflections is a weekly Christian Teaching Ministry. Each week we will talk about the Bible and lessons we can put to use in our daily life. We will try to, on a weekly basis, provide to you stories, thoughts, and just easy ways to live your life on a straight path.
THIS WEEK'S TEACHING....August 16, 2021
So what and who made up the early church leaders? We look this week at the various positions of the early church.....EVANGELISTS, PREACHERS AND MINISTERS/SERVANTS/DEACONS
We go now to the third of the primary texts where Paul lists functions of members in the church.
Eph 4:11-13 (ESV) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, (12) to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, (13) until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ....
Having already discussed apostles, prophets, and teachers in the church of the New Testament as being listed in 1 Cor 12 and Rom 12, we now move to two functions that are not mentioned in those passages – evangelists and pastors. We will consider evangelists first and then, in the next part, pastors.
EVANGELISTS, PREACHERS: The Greek words most frequently associated with this function are:
kerusso, which means to herald, announce, or publish
euaggeliste, meaning bringer of good news
There are some other forms of the word euaggeliste: m euaggelizo, means to bring good news
euaggelion, is the good news itself - the word means “gospel”
Parallel texts of the Gospels of Luke and Mark reveal a synonymous relationship between euaggelizo and kerusso, which means "to herald, announce, or proclaim," the only difference being that kerusso is specifically public, and euaggelizo may be, but is not necessarily public.
Eu, Latinized to Ev (because of the absence of U in the Latin alphabet), means “good.” “Angel” means messenger.
From this bit of etymology, we deduce that an evangelist is a “good messenger,” or “bringer of good message.”
The Euaggeliste, or evangelist, then, is a herald, or announcer, of the gospel.
Acts 8:2-4 tells us that following the stoning of Stephen, the church at Jerusalem was scattered throughout Judea and Samaria (except the apostles), and those who were scattered went about “preaching” the word. The word Luke used there is euaggelizo. They were (euaggelizo-ing), telling good news.
In the late 14th century the idea was prevalent that the “evangelist” was a preacher who was itinerant—a circuit riding preacher; and a “preacher” worked in a local church. There is no biblical basis for the distinction.
Neither the words used nor New Testament history demands that for one to be a bearer of the gospel, he must be itinerant, though in the first century some were because of the requirements for performing the function at the time. Being heralds, or announcers of good news, their work often took them to where the news had not been heard.
Only two New Testament evangelists are so designated by name:
• Philip, one of the only two New Testament evangelists so designated in the original language, appears to have remained in Caesarea for years (Acts 8:40, 21:8), after his engagement with the Ethiopian treasurer on the Gaza road.
• Similarly, it was in connection with an extended assignment in Ephesus that Paul’s instructions to Timothy, the other person called an evangelist in the New Testament (KJV), included that he "do the work of an evangelist;" that is, a messenger of good news – the gospel (2 Timothy 4:5).
Preacher: I find no information that enables me to make a biblical distinction between a preacher and an evangelist. Indeed, the same word that is translated "evangelist" is often translated as "preach," or one of its forms.
However, evangelists are distinguishable from prophets and teachers, as they appear separately in Paul's list in Eph. 4:11.
We do not see the word “preachers” in any of the lists of functions given in Rom. 12:6-8, 2 Cor. 12:28-30, and Eph 4:11. The need for the function to produce belief in Jesus is addressed directly by Paul in Romans 10:14. He asks, "How shall they believe in him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?"
Paul says they will not hear without a preacher (kerusso, herald of divine truth), and how will they preach if they are not sent. But he follows “Indeed they have [heard], for "Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world."
Mark 15:20 shows the apostles to be kerussos, sent first by Jesus into all the world with the good news, the gospel, to make disciples of all nations. Paul wrote to the Romans that it had already happened, or was happening even as he wrote. The apostles, then were functioning as preachers, “bearers of the good news” – kerussos and euaggelistes.
To understand the function of preaching, let us consider persons in the Bible who were called preachers.
• Peter called Noah "a preacher of righteousness." (2 Peter 2:5)
• Solomon called himself "the preacher" (Eccl. 1:1 and throughout the book).
• Jonah was directed (Jonah 3:2) "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you."
• John the Baptist "came preaching in the wilderness of Judea" (Matt. 3:1).
• Jesus said he himself came to preach the gospel (Luke 4:18).
• Jesus gave the disciples authority to cast out demons and heal all kinds of sickness, and sent them out saying, "And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" (Matt. 10:7)
• Paul wrote "...I was appointed a preacher and an apostle." (1 Tim. 2:7)
• Elders who work hard at preaching (and teaching) are to be “honored” accordingly (1 Tim. 5:17).
With the possible (but by no means certain) exception of elders, each person's preaching in this list was to people who were hearing a message they had not previously received through other means. This idea is consistent with Paul's question in Romans 10:14, "how shall they hear without a preacher?"
Alexander Campbell had a very literal interpretation of these words. He pointed out in the April, 1862, issue of Millennial Harbinger that preaching is directed to the unconverted:
“There was teaching, there was singing, there was praying, there was exhortation in the Christian church, but preaching in the church or to the church is not once mentioned in the Christian scriptures! Paul once, in his first letter to the church in Corinth, said he would declare to the Corinthians that gospel which he had preached to them, which also they had received and wherein they stood. We preach, or report, or proclaim news. But who teaches news? Who exhorts news? We preach the gospel to unbelievers, to aliens, but never to Christians, or those who have received it.”
History has idiomized the expression “good news” to mean a good fact, or doctrine, whether it is news or not. But the meaning of the words evangelist and preacher conveyed in the first century environment is news in the literal sense - information the hearer was hearing for the first time. If the same person heard it a second time, it was no longer news.
Preaching was collateral with other functions, both in the Old Testament and the New.
• Solomon was king over Israel and a preacher.
• Noah was the ark builder and a preacher.
• John was the forerunner, baptizer and preacher.
• Paul was a preacher, apostle and teacher, and he worked in various other capacities, including foretelling future events.
• The twelve were apostles, teachers, healers and exorcists, and some--or more likely all of them--were preachers.
• Elders are overseers who work hard at preaching and teaching are to be "honored" accordingly.
• Philip, one of the seven chosen to minister to the Hellenistic widows (Acts 6:5), "preached Jesus" to the Ethiopian treasurer (Acts 8:35), and afterward "preached" all along the way to Caesarea (vs. 40). Years later, still in Caesarea, he was called "Philip the evangelist." (Acts 21:8)
• Timothy’s duties included preaching
Preach (kerusso) the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 2 Tim 4:2
As seen in Acts 8:35 and other examples, preaching is not necessarily a public activity performed from a pulpit (of which there were none in the early church). An instance is seen in Acts 20:7-9, where Paul was gathered with Christians on the first day of the week at Troas. Paul "preached" until midnight, and because of the lateness of the hour, Eutychus went to sleep and fell from an upper story window. This is the only place the Greek dialegomai is translated "preach," and that in the KJV only.
Dialegomai occurs thirteen times in the New Testament, and means to discuss by way of dispute or exhortation. In all other locations, it is translated “dispute,” “reason,” or (once) “speak.” Ergo, Paul was simply conducting a protracted discussion, reasoning with the Christians at Troas when they came together on the first day of the week to break bread. The KJV says “Paul preached unto them...” However, other translations say he “spoke with them.” The New Revised Version says “Paul was holding a discussion with them.” This was a group of disciples who had already received the “good news” of the gospel, and therefore it did not have to be announced to them as news.
A difference between the first century and now: To the original readers of these New Testament texts, the function was clearly understood by the meanings of their words, that is, the function of the evangelist/preacher was to announce the good news to people to whom the news was previously unheard. Today the function of a preacher/evangelist is generally thought of as a function for re-teaching Christians from infancy to full maturity, and to deliver inspiring messages in order to retain present members and attract new ones.
Certainly, before the New Testament had been written and compiled, men addressed the first century Christian assemblies with revelations, teaching, and various messages that had not been previously heard, but that activity is not the equivalent of New Testament preaching, for those assemblies mostly consisted of people who had already heard and responded to the good news of the gospel. Today, some preaching to the unconverted is occurring--especially in mission fields--but addressing Christian assemblies is not the primary setting for preaching--breaking news--in the New Testament.
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DEACONS, SERVANTS, MINISTERS:
We will consider first the meaning of the words, and then then examine how the function came to be recognized although deacons are not listed in 1 Cor 12, Rom 12, or Eph 4, our key passages in this series.
The word “deacon” is a transliteration of the Greek word diakonos, which means servant, minister, or deacon.
Three words from the same root are used 89 times, appearing in 22 of the 27 books of the New Testament.
diakonos – a servant
diakonia – a service, or ministry performed
diakoneo – to serve
Few would think of the word deacon in any context other than the church, but the original Greek word had no such slant to its meaning. Neither did the word by itself suggest male gender, just as the English word "servant" does not. Deaconess, where found in English translations, is derived from the same genderless Greek word as deacon, and is rendered deaconess where the translators concluded from the context that the word referred to a woman.
Diakonos appears 29 times in the NT. Allowing for slight variations in modern English versions of the bible, it is:
• 19 times translated “servant”
• 7 times it is translated “minister”
• 3 times it is translated “deacon” check this
• (2 other references to “deacons” are from the word deakoneo, “to serve as deacons”)
You can easily see from this count that by a wide margin, the word deacon describes a servant – a person who serves, regardless of the formal position or the service performed.
Several uses of the word diakonos and its forms are illustrative of its meaning:
• At the marriage in Cana, the servants drew water and bore the wine to the chief butler (John 2:5,9).
• Jesus said the greatest in the kingdom of heaven is the servant of all (Matt. 20:26, 23:11; Mark 9:35, 10:43).
• Those who follow Jesus are his servants; Jesus said “where I am, there my servant will be also.” (John 12:26).
• Christ was a servant to the circumcision (Rom. 15:8).
• Civil governing authorities are “God’s servant” for your good. (Rom 13:4)
• Phoebe—a sister--was a servant of the church at Cenchrea (Rom. 16:1).
• Paul, Timothy, and Silas, or Silvanus (2 Cor. 1:19) were servants of a new covenant (2 Cor. 3:6).
*Advance to third diakonos slide.
• Apollos and Paul were servants through whom you (Corinthians) believed (1 Cor 3:5).
• Epaphras was a faithful servant (Col. 1:7).
• Paul called Timothy a good servant of Christ (1 Tim 4:6).
*Advance to fourth diakonos slide.
• Satan’s “servants” were diakonos (2 Cor 11:15).
*Advance to fifth diakonos slide.
• Paul was a minister of the gospel (Eph. 3:6-7, Col. 1:23).
• Paul also called himself a minister of the church (Col. 1:25).
• Tychicus was called a faithful servant (Col 4:7), or in Eph 6:21, a faithful minister.
Diakonos as deacons.
• Paul addressed his letter to the Philippian church “to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons” (Phil 1:1).
• Paul described for Timothy the kind of men who were to serve as deacons (1 Tim 3:8-10).
All of these references are from the Greek root word diakonos, meaning servant, deacon, and sometimes minister (though not necessarily “minister” in the way it is usually used today).
Although the word diakonos, like the English word “servant,” is not gender-specific, these references definitely included women, not just men.
The list given above includes Phoebe, one woman of the New Testament who was a servant of the church.
It did not matter what particular service they performed that fits the use of word diakonos, and no evidence is present that they held an "office," in any other sense than performing the service itself being an “office.”
These references make it plain that in bible language, a diakonos - whether translated as deacon, servant, or minister - is one who serves, regardless of the service performed. To be a Christian is to be a diakonos - a minister, servant, or in the literal meaning of the word, a deacon.
Today there is a complicating factor in the modern usage of the word “deacon,” which is practically always used to describe some officially recognized function. The qualifications for a deacon in 1 Tim 3:8-12 describe a male, and point to a capacity recognized in a specific way.
To be appointed for that work, men were required to meet the stated qualifications.
So there is an officially recognized functionary in the church called a deacon, to which any number and kind of duties may be ascribed. However, those men appointed were not called by a different name than were other male and female Christian servants. It is the same with many words in our language; the same word can have different meanings, and when we use them we make our meaning clear by the context.
Examples:
• Foot is a part of a person’s body (or an animal’s, or a part of a structure), the lower part of a bed, or a distance of 12 inches.
• Yard is a lawn, a place to buy lumber, or a distance of 36 inches.
• Matter is substance (wood, stone, air, vapor, water), or the subject of an inquiry or discussion.
• Love can describe anything from the way we feel about food or activities we enjoy, to casual affection, the way we feel about our children and grandchildren, to the way we feel about our spouse, or the way God felt about the world (John 3:16).
We sort the meanings out quite conveniently as we speak. When we use a word that has multiple meanings, we generally know which meaning is intended (although occasionally misunderstandings occur).
Based on the foregoing, if there is a single function in the church of the New Testament that I believe has veered off-course beyond usual bounds of latitude, it is that of the evangelist/preacher, who is confusingly called the church’s “minister.”
In my experience, a preacher is generally the only functionary the church pays to work full-time (I see no problem with financially supporting evangelists/preachers to do their work). When some churches pay a second or third salary, it is often for another preacher, called a “youth minister” or “outreach minister,” with a slightly different emphasis than the “pulpit minister” - often viewed as the central functionary in the local church - or for a secretary to perform services for the preacher(s), or for the congregation at large. Part of the problem I see with this is that a single individual (or two or three) has come to be considered the designated “minister” of the local church, whereas every Christian is to be a minister (the original word is diakonos, which literally means “servant”), which is the essence of the Christian walk.
In many years of being closely involved with churches, I have only known of one compensated minister--who happened to also be an elder (a function to be addressed in the next part of this series)--whose work was principally among the elderly, poor, and distressed members. Thus, within churches with which I am acquainted, the practice has evolved to the point of compensating only preachers, and conglomerating to him (or them) the work of evangelists, prophets, teachers, preachers, and ministers. For various reasons, much shepherding of the flock also ends up being done by preachers. This is in stark contrast to the situation in the New Testament in which the work of preachers in the New Testament is directed principally to the unsaved.
I am convinced we cannot, as some suppose, fully examine the work of a New Testament evangelist or preacher by merely looking at the instructions of Paul to Timothy and Titus. Some take the instructions of Paul to these two attaches' as preachers' Magna Charta. Preaching (public or private) as defined earlier in this part was a function many members performed in the first century--conceivably every member. But, apart from preaching, Timothy and Titus received highly specialized assignments to perform in new frontiers, which not all preachers or other members received. Their assignments reflected the relatively undeveloped condition of the churches to which Paul assigned them, and the fact that the assignments were made and performed in the apostolic period when Christianity was burgeoning.
Our idea has been that each church should have a resident preacher to be successful, and that the preacher should do the things Timothy and Titus were instructed to do in fledgling churches which had much to do with setting up and organizing the functions--as well as preaching. But let us contemplate whether the age and maturity of a church has a bearing on the kind of service needed to make and keep it healthy. When a church has been in existence for twenty years or more, should it operate like the Antioch and Jerusalem churches, which sent evangelists out to new frontiers?
Or is an appropriate guiding example--for mature churches--the fledgling Ephesus church where Timothy was left, or the Crete frontier, where Titus was instructed to remain? In circumstances similar to those at Ephesus and Crete, perhaps even without direct apostolic appointment, the instructions to these men might be a reasonably good fit for a new church's need. But if Timothy or Titus decided to apply the same instructions regarding setting things in order, ordain elders, etc., in some established church such as the one at Antioch from which Paul and others were initially sent, might not their attempts discombobulate the church? When my children were infants, I washed their faces and hands as they needed it, but when they matured, that ministry was useless. If I should try to serve them in that way now, they would be amused or annoyed.
Then why should we isolate Timothy and Titus and distinguish them others who preached, and ascribe their entire set of instructions to preachers in all situations, as if all parts of their work were incidental items under the heading of “preaching?” Why not similarly assign all instructions given to the apostles to today’s preachers? The instructions to elders? Deacons? Noah? Jonah? These and others were instructed to do various things and also to preach, just as Timothy and Titus were. Someone might answer, "But Noah and the others were in different circumstances." That is exactly my point. Do the circumstances of all preachers or evangelists today sufficiently resemble those of Timothy and Titus, that they should assume, as their charter, Paul's entire instructions to those two personal envoys? Some suggest that all preachers are to exercise rule over presbyters and thus function as a check and balance system in local church government; i.e., to prevent tyranny or apostasy by unchecked elders. Let's take that proposition to the New Testament to see if it can be verified.
Consider the way a matter was handled that had caused difficulty in Antioch. Men from Judea were teaching that circumcision was essential to salvation. "The brethren" at Antioch determined that Paul and Barnabas should go "to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning the issue." (Acts 15:2) In Jerusalem, "the apostles and elders came together to look into this issue." (Acts 15:6) Note that (1) the apostles did not dispose of the matter independently of the elders, (in fact, other references show that some apostles were elders) and (2) that no Timothy-like or Titus-like person was there to exercise authority, or to check and balance the outcome?
A logical conclusion is that Timothy, and perhaps Titus, though the functions they performed included preaching, were given authority and instructions pertaining to internal matters, not because they were preachers, but because they were hand-picked apostolic aides, and the local converts at the time did not have the maturity to perform it. In the instance just mentioned involving Antioch and Jerusalem, the apostles and elders dealt with the matter. If there was someone in either Antioch or Jerusalem with responsibilities such as those Timothy and Titus had in Ephesus and Crete, his role was not evident in the matter of circumcision dealt with in coordination by the churches in Antioch and Jerusalem.
I suggest that today's established churches should more nearly resemble those at Antioch and Jerusalem, and that the Paul's instructions to Timothy and Titus must be viewed in consideration of the fields into which he sent them, and the authority given them by Paul to work in those fields. This is not to say that there were no preachers within established churches–simply that the instructions to Paul’s aides “on the frontier” did not pertain to every preacher in every church, then or now.
At another time, Titus also operated in a special capacity to the churches in Macedonia and at Corinth (2 Cor 8:1-6, 16-23). His function at Corinth was to complete what he had begun in Macedonia; i.e., that they in Corinth would abound in the "support of the saints" (vs. 4). While performing this work, Titus likely preached as well. There were brethren who assisted Titus in this assignment. One is mentioned in vs. 18-19 as having been "appointed by the churches." Another, Paul says, "we have sent with them," (vs. 22). Notice carefully verse 23, in which Paul says of Titus, "He is my partner and fellow-worker among you," whereas he says of the brethren, "they are messengers of the churches." That distinction shows that Paul saw Titus, as his partner, in a capacity distinctly different from that of "the others," who were the churches' appointees. This reinforces my view that Titus was in a particular relationship with Paul which every preacher in every church does not have.
Most of the New Testament was written during a time when the apostles' colossal task was to tell the world the good news of Jesus. As indicated earlier, I doubt that the task today is identical to that in the first few decades of the church’s existence because the global environment is different. It may be that the task is altered somewhat by the condition that most people around us--at least in the United States--have heard of Jesus and--to some degree--comprehend the tenets of Christianity, though not all have been fully introduced to the relevancy and blessings of the gospel message.
There is a function in today’s church approximating that of New Testament preachers. It is telling the story of Jesus' saving work of redemption to receptive hearers who have not previously been able or willing to comprehend its meaning, hoping that it will strike a spark that will ignite a response, and ultimately lead to the salvation of those who are receptive to the message. This function is not to be wasted on any who obdurately ignore or reject the gospel. But sometimes hearts that once were stony ground become fertile, allowing the gospel to sink in.
DID YOU EVER WONDER???
How to Thank God for Your Sorrows and Problems
Problems can make us think God is far away or punishing us, but there good reason to thank God for your sorrows and problems.
Keeps us from Sin
The Psalmist asked, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word” (Psalm 119:9), and of course, that Word is the very Word of God, the Bible, but includes the Word Himself, Jesus Christ (John 1:1-2). What I’ve discovered from experience is that my problems can show me we’re I’m sinning, and if I’m convicted by reading the Word of God, it is actually guarding my way so I won’t sin. See how that works? If we’re in the Word of God, we won’t sin as much, and if sin as much, we won’t have as many sorrows and problems in our life. The Bible says sin brings death (Rom 6:23), but it also creates problems in this life. When troubles start piling up, and they do for all believers, God may be trying to show us a place in our life we need to examine. Afflictions or sorrows do a lot of good things for us, even though it doesn’t feel like it. This explains why the Psalmist wrote, “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes” (Psalm 119:71).
Strengthens our Faith
God’s love is evident in sending us into the storms of life. They might be “course corrections” because we’re headed for a waterfall. When the disciples panicked in the storm, Jesus slept in the stern. Now did they really believe God was going to let them drown after calling them and also let Jesus sink in the storm? God didn’t take them out of that storm, even though Jesus was in the boat, but Jesus was with them in that storm. We know at least of two circumstances where Jesus sent the disciples off in a boat, knowing full well that they were heading into a fierce storm. He was teaching them to trust Him and strengthen their faith.
Peter walked on water for a time, but only when He took his eyes off of Jesus and onto the wind and the waves did he begin to sink. His faith needed strengthening and that’s what these events did. They made them trust Jesus more than before, and in doing so, they trusted His plans for them. They were learning about how they can trust the sovereignty of God. If you’ve been through some pretty bad scraps in life and came out alive, I venture to say that your faith is probably stronger because of it. That’s because a faith that’s not been tested is a faith that can’t be trusted.
Make us Prayer Warriors
No one (including me) seems to pray as much when things are going smoothly. It seems when things are going good, we tend for forget God and forget to pray to God. It was just like ancient Israel who took God for granted. I know I’m guilty of this, but when troubles come, suddenly we become “prayer warriors.” And that’s what God wants in the first place. It’s like this. God wants us to humble ourselves, but if we won’t humble ourselves, He’ll do it for us, and you can guess which way is more painful. Troubles can drive us to our knees and compel us to spend much more time in prayer than we did before, and that’s always a good thing my friend. The outcome is, we’re spending more time with God. We’re likely more into His Word too, and we’re seeking His fellowship more than usual, so let your troubles drive you to God and let Him solve the problems you can’t. That’s how He receives glory, and that matters to God (Psalm 115:1; Isaiah 42:8), and it should matter to us (1 Cor 4:7).
Make us Rely on God
When we’ve done all we can do, now we can see all that only God can do. I used to think, “What am I going to do?” but now think, “God, I’ve done all I can. I can’t wait to see what You’re going to do.” That’s living out Romans 8:28, where we can truly say in faith that “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good.” If you live your life knowing that even evil things can work for the good (Gen 50:20; John 3:16), then you’ll see your problems from a different perspective. It’ll take the edge off of things, and besides, you and I know that this is not our home. We’ve got an infinitely better place to go to, and there’s no need to get worked up over things that will not pass through the fire.
ConclusionDid you notice that in most of this article I said “we,” “us,” or “our?” I did this intentionally because I’ve been through the sausage grinder a few times and came out all the better for it. I admit it didn’t feel good at the time, but after a length of time, I saw it was best for me. Of course God knew all along what I had to learn the hard way, but I thank God that His loving discipline came (Psalm 94:12; Prov 3:12; Heb 12:4-11), or I would have went astray. It is just as the Psalmist said, for I am no better than he, nor he any better than me. I’ve thrown myself under the bus quite often, but I tell the congregation, “Come on…be honest…there’s lots of room under the bus for you too.” I am in just as much need of God’s grace as anyone, but thank God He extends it to me (and to you too, right?). We are to thank God for all things (1 Thess 5:18) because all things are for our ultimate best, whether we see that or not. I pray you have been brought to repentance and faith in Christ (Mark 1:15), for if not, your troubles are only beginning (Rev 20:12-15), and all things work out for the worst for those who do not love God.
BOOKS OF THE BIBLE...A TEACHING
We continue our trip through the Bible this week with....What Will I Find in the Book of Revelation?
This book is one of the most challenging in the Bible because of the type of literature it is. The title of the book can be literally translated: “The Apocalypse to John.” The apostle John is the human author (1:1, 4, 9). But the first verse adds that it is also the “apocalypse of Jesus Christ.” The Greek word apocalypse means “revealing” or “uncovering.” So the content of this book was revealed by Jesus Christ and recorded by the apostle John (1:1–3).
This book, then, falls into the category of apocalyptic literature. That places it within a body of Jewish literature that was written between about 200 bc and ad 100, a period of time when the Jews were suffering occupation and persecution at the hands of Gentiles. Because of these hard times, the Jews were wondering about the great promises in the Old Testament prophets regarding the coming of the Messiah and the glories of the Jewish kingdom. The fulfillment of these promises seemed very remote and the Jews were discouraged. This body of literature was produced to remind the Jews that although times were tough, God’s promises would be fulfilled.
These are the characteristics of apocalyptic literature: (1) the ending of the present age, which is characterized by evil; that is, the culmination of the age-old war between good and evil, God and Satan; (2) the resurrection and final judgment of all people; (3) the transformation of the universe with the effects of sin being removed; (4) the ushering in of a new age—the messianic kingdom; (5) this taking place through a cataclysmic intervention of God into human history and the physical realm; and (6) usually communicated through visions, symbolism, and imagery, often of a rather bizarre nature, as in a bad dream.
A few Old Testament prophetic books, such as the latter half of Daniel and parts of Ezekiel and Zechariah, were written before the period of apocalyptic literature, but some of its characteristics were anticipated in them. As a matter of fact, the book of Revelation cannot be understood apart from this Old Testament background, especially the book of Daniel.
Many of the characteristics of apocalyptic literature are also seen in the book of Revelation, but there are also a few differences between Revelation and other such literature. Apocalyptic literature falsely (pseudonymously) named great Old Testament characters as the authors, such as Moses, Enoch, or Ezra. However, John accurately identifies himself as the author of Revelation. Apocalyptic literature was normally pessimistic about the present and optimistic about the future. While Revelation is realistic about the challenges for the people of God in the present, it is optimistic about both the present and the future due to the successful work of Jesus Christ at his first coming.
The purpose of the book of Revelation is stated in the first verse: “to show his servants what must soon take place.” This was intended to encourage Christians, especially in times of persecution and hardship. John personally understood this, since he was persecuted by the Roman emperor Domitian. In fact, he wrote this book while in exile on the island of Patmos (1:9). Knowing what God has promised for the future helps God’s people live rightly in the present, especially during challenging times.
Revelation 1:19 may tip us off to the structure of the book: “Write, therefore, [1] what you have seen, [2] what is now and [3] what will take place later.” After the introduction (1:1–8), the first main section (1:9–20) is “what you see,” namely, an amazing vision of the resurrected, glorified Jesus Christ. The second section is “what is now” in the present (2:1–3:22). Here we have letters from Jesus Christ to seven churches in Asia Minor, John’s original audience (1:4). These were churches in and around the area of Ephesus that John knew well, since, according to tradition, he oversaw these churches at the end of his life. The Christians who made up these churches were dealing with persecution, temptation, false teaching, and more. They represented what Christians of all times struggle with, thus the need for encouragement (and warning!). The third section is “what must take place after this” in the future (4:1–22:5). This is the bulk of the book that records John’s visions of what is to come. The book ends with a grand conclusion (22:6–21).
The main section of the book (4:1–22:5) can be broken down a bit further. Chapters 4 and 5 record what John saw as he was swept up in a vision into heaven. He saw God on the throne being worshiped by angelic beings, and the Lamb, Jesus Christ, was given a scroll with seven (a symbolic number) seals, which he alone was worthy to open (5:9).
Revelation 6:1–8:1 reveals what happens after each seal is broken: There is some form of divine judgment against sin. These judgments are followed by another set of seven divine judgments, described as the blowing of trumpets (8:2–11:19). In chapters 12:1–14:20, we witness a symbolic vision of the war between God, his angels, and his people on the one hand, and the enemies of God on the other—a red dragon, who is Satan, and his allies, a beast coming out of the sea, and another beast coming out of the earth. A final set of seven divine judgments described as plagues are recorded in 15:1–16:21. The divine destruction of Babylon (perhaps symbolic of the oppressive rule of Rome at that time) is noted in 17:1–18:24. The scene then switches to heaven (19:10), where there is great rejoicing over this just judgment of God. But the final and greatest judgment follows: 19:11–20:10 describe the return of Jesus Christ, his victory over all his enemies, and his reign on the earth for a thousand years. God’s final judgment of sin, the great white throne, is explained in 20:11–15. Finally, eternity—“a new heaven and a new earth” and “the new Jerusalem”—is described in 21:1–22:5.
This book is indeed a challenge to understand because of all the symbols and imagery. However, despite the difficulties in interpreting the details of the book, the main theme is crystal clear: God will be victorious over all that opposes him (sin, sinners, Satan) through Jesus Christ, and the righteous will share in that great victory and enjoy God in his presence for all eternity. In the meantime, the great present hope of believers is our Lord’s emphatic promise: “Look, I am coming soon! (22:7, 12, 20). Therefore, the present longing of Christians is “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (22:20).
Revelation records how God will finally put right what went wrong soon after creation through sin. Note the connections between the book of Genesis and the book of Revelation. Here are a few interesting examples: Genesis 1:1: “heavens and the earth” and Revelation 21:1: “a new heaven and a new earth”; the sun and the moon for light (Genesis 1:14–19) and God and his Son for light (Revelation 21:23); the arrival of sin (Genesis 3:1–6) and the removal of sin (Revelation 21:8); banishment from the tree of life (Genesis 3:22) and access to the tree of life (Revelation 22:2). The story is complete.
HAVE A SAFE AND BLESSED WEEK:)
Ho'omaikaʻi ka Pua iā kākou