The Revelation Of
It’s an election year, and I’ve already been sent a video link of a preacher outlining how the book of Revelation definitively demonstrates [insert political opponent’s name here] is the beast and/or the antichrist. Happens every four years like clockwork. Factions from both sides of the aisle present their cases to the masses, and both sides find reasons to believe their opponent is the devil’s minion or the devil incarnate. So naturally I’m spending my Wednesday evenings teaching a small group on Revelation, because I’m either a glutton for punishment, an optimist, naïve, overly confident in my teaching abilities, or some combination of all the above. My intention, however, is to set some things straight.
First, genre matters. This is apocalyptic literature and, as such, has rules. Rule 1: the text is written in a universally applicable manner so that you can find something familiar in the symbolism. The context of the book should ring true of the reader’s current context, and the truth should be applicable to the reader across generations. But I’m talking about big themes here more than specifics – bird’s eye level universality. Evil is persistent and prevalent, the people of God endure, there is hope on the horizon, God is victorious, etc.
As such, the text is intentionally written with vague specificity so that any reader can attach themselves to these themes, which is wonderful and dangerous. Wonderful because the book can speak life and hope to desperately hurting and oppressed people, and dangerous because you can easily use the text to demonize those who you disagree with or simply don’t like. Every generation, and also every election cycle, people use this book to conveniently condemn those who vote, look, act, speak, and think differently. What was intended to bring hope can quickly and easily become fuel for ordained xenophobia. That’s the truly terrifying part about Revelation, much more so than a lake of fire.
The key to preventing this manipulation of the text is to remember one simple tidbit: who/what is revealed in the book of Revelation. The book does intend to reveal something, even if it has been mis-labeled. The text even begins plainly and directly with the words, “The revelation of.” And much to the chagrin of politics, it is not the revelation of the beast and/or the antichrist. Nor is it the revelation of divine roles real people are playing on a divine stage at the end of the world. Nor is it the revelation of the end of the world. Rather, it is the revelation of Jesus Christ. Perhaps I’m playing fast and loose with my genitives here, but my proposal is to read the opening words of Revelation not as an either/or but as a both/and; it is not either a subjective or objective genitive, but both a subjective and objective genitive. This is both the revelation from Jesus Christ and the revelation about Jesus Christ.
This interpretation properly places the focus on Jesus rather than the beast, on hope rather than fear, and on the victory of God rather than the defeat of evil. Perhaps this is all semantics, but I think it matters. If we study Revelation to have the antichrist’s identity revealed to us, then our focus is on the antichrist, who is frankly not the subject of the book. If we dissect Revelation for clues about when and how the world will end, then our focus is on us preparing for the worst rather than trusting God’s deliverance regardless of the specifics. If we read Revelation to identify and eradicate evil, then we will destroy one another rather than allow and accept God’s victory to work in our lives.
The book intends to reveal truth about Jesus in an attempt to provide Christians with focus and hope as we face the things to come and the evil that would try to steal our focus. What a devastating shame it would be to then hand our focus over to the devil and make him the main character of the story. This is the revelation of Jesus Christ – no more nor less. Please stop sharing who you think the antichrist is. Please do reveal who Jesus is.
