English - 23. Apocalyptic and Resistance

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Prof: The word
"apocalypse"

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is the Greek word
apocalypsis that is

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translated as
"revelation"

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because that's exactly what it
means, "an

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uncovering."

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You will often hear the
Revelation of John also referred

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to as The Apocalypse because
that's also its title.

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Now one point,
please don't call it "The

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Revelations."

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I don't know why people think
that "Revelations"

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is the name of the book.

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It's not, and it's the
"Revelation of John,"

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that's the title.

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The word just means "the
uncovering,"

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it refers nowadays in the
modern world to an entire genre

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of literature of the ancient
world,

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most of which is Jewish,
but there are some maybe Greek

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apocalypse,
things that people would call a

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Greek apocalypse or apocalyptic
type literature in some Latin

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texts or in Egyptian or in other
near eastern situations.

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Most of what we call
apocalypses comes from either an

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ancient Jewish or ancient
Christian milieu.

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This kind of literature has
several characteristics the

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scholars have pointed out,
and I'll go over this very

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briefly.

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They tend to be pseudonymous,
and they are set deep in the

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past like we saw in the book of
Daniel.

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In fact, Daniel is where we get
a lot of our generic notions of

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what an apocalypse is.

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The two apocalyptic,
most apocalyptic books in the

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Bible are Daniel and Revelation.

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There's kind of an apocalyptic
world view that I'll talk about

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also.

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When we talk about apocalypse
we're talking about first that

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genre of literature.

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They're usually pseudonymous,
they're ascribed to some

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ancient hero,
so we have apocalypses that are

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titled after Enoch,
said to be by Enoch,

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who lived way,
way, way back just after Adam.

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We have apocalypses attributed
to various other Old Testament

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characters,
so that the idea,

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as we saw with Daniel,
is it's written at one time but

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the author claims to be writing
centuries before.

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Like we saw in the case of
Daniel, they usually tell you

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what's going to happen in the
future.

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Of course it's actually in the
past for the writer,

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all up until a certain point,
and then the end of the current

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society or the end of the world
as we know it.

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It's not normally the end of
the world entirely.

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Usually it is a destruction and
then a resettling or recreation

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of a physical world.

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It's just called in the Kingdom
of God or something like that.

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They usually have a
chronological span of time.

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They have all kinds of images,
angels, demons,

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sometimes beasts,
sometimes monstrous kinds of

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beasts as you've seen also in
Revelation and in Daniel.

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They're usually constructed as
some kind of narrative.

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The author will say something
like,

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I was in a dream and I saw this
and then this angel grabbed me

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and took me to this part of
heaven and to took me to the

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third heaven,
or the fifth heaven,

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or the 12th heaven,
and then I went down to the

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deep and saw the dead.

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Think Dante's Inferno
and the way that Dante is led

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around into the different parts
of the cosmos.

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And they have a cosmology.

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They usually have a storied
structure to the universe with

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several different layers of
heavens and often several

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different layers of underneath,
the different hells or Hades.

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That's the genre of an
apocalypse.

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There's also the world view of
apocalypticism we'll call it.

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Why we use this term is because
Paul,

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as far as we know it,
never wrote an apocalypse,

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and yet his letters show strong
influence of apocalypticism,

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that is an apocalyptic world
view.

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You have, for example,
three different kinds of

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dualisms.

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You've already seen in the
Gospel of John and other texts

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how there's a dualism between
good and evil,

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there are the good guys and the
bad guys,

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there is God and there is
Satan, so there's an ethical

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kind of dualism.

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There's also a spatial dualism.

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There's a dualism of up there
and down here,

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and so you have things that go
on on the earth are simply

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shadows of what's going on
actually in the heavens.

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It's like every country,
according to Daniel,

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has its own prince,
by that he means some kind of

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angelic being.

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The Prince of Persia refers in
Daniel to some huge angelic

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super human being who actually
rules Persia.

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The Prince of Judah,
the angel of Judah tends to be

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Michael or some other angel that
you've probably heard of,

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like Raphael.

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Each of the nations has its own
angel so you can imagine sort of

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that Russia has its angel,
and so then America has its

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angel, and if Russia and America
were to go to war this would be

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actually simply an earthly
shadow type reflection of the

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true reality which would be
going on as the angel of Russia

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was battling the angel of
America in heaven.

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So everything that goes on in
our cosmos is simply a mirror

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image of these battles that are
going on the heavens.

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So that's another dualism of
space.

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Then there's of course a
dualism of time.

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We've talked a lot about how
for Daniel, remember there is a

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dualism of before time and the
after time.

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There's a time that Daniel's
writing,

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which is up to this,
and then what will happen is

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some big cataclysm will happen,
and then, according to Daniel,

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the Son of Man will come down,
battle against the bad evil

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forces,
overthrow Antiochus the IV

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Epiphanes,
and set up the Kingdom of God.

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You have the same kind of
structure of the time before and

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the time after in the New
Testament except it's squirrely,

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right?

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Because according,
say, to Paul,

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this is what's happened:
you have the now time which is

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still going on,
and then you have the future

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time which has already started
impinging on the present.

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The thing that marks the
beginning of the end time has

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been the cross and the
resurrection of Jesus.

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Jesus was raised--what do you
have when people are raised?

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The end of the world.

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The dead are supposed to be
raised according to Jewish

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mythology,
and this is something that

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doesn't happen all the time,
and mainly it happens at the

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end of time.

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The early Christians were Jews
expecting an apocalyptic Kingdom

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of God to happen,
and Jesus probably taught this

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sort of thing himself as an
apocalyptic prophet.

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But when Jesus was killed then
the whole thing seemed to go

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awry because the Messiah is not
supposed to be killed.

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The followers of Jesus,
though, very quickly believed

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that they had seen him after he
died, so they believed they had

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seen the resurrected Jesus.

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We're not going to talk about
what they actually saw or what

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happened.

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From a historical point of view
all we can say is that they

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believed they saw him raised
from the dead.

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And that meant they thought,
oh the end time must have

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already started because he has
been raised.

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In other words,
remember how Paul talks about

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Jesus as the "first fruits
of those who sleep."

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That just means that Jesus is
just the first apple on the tree

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in his resurrection,
and all the rest will be raised

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when the final end comes.

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But for the early Christians
they believed the end had

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already to in some sense started
with the resurrection of Jesus,

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so that's this end.

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But then they also know the
full end hasn't come because we

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don't see the Kingdom of God
around us.

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Those damn Romans are still in
charge.

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The bad evil American
government is still running

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things in the world,
so this must not be the Kingdom

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of God.

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It may be the kingdom of Obama
but it's not yet the Kingdom of

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God.

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The Christians expected Jesus
to come back down,

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to come from heaven.

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This was called the
parousia.

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We've already seen it in
several texts.

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In I Thessalonians,
for example,

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Paul talks about Jesus will
come and then we'll fly up in

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the air and meet him.

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That's the parousia,
which is a Greek term that just

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means "presence"
or "coming,"

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and we'll refer to the time
when a king or the emperor would

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come to visit a city,
and all the people in the city,

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the important people would come
out of the city,

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out of the gates,
to meet the king and give him

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gifts and the king would give
them gifts,

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and they would all accompany
the king back into the city.

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That's called a parousia.

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It's a purely sort of political
civic kind of term.

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This is what early Christians
use to call the coming back of

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Jesus in his parousia.

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Christians lived,
according to Paul's theology,

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right in this middle time of an
overlap of the before and the

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after,
but that's still the before and

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after that you see of
apocalyticism.

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It's still there.

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All these different dualisms
are one of the characteristics,

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and you can see these sorts of
things even in texts that aren't

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themselves apocalypses,
but they show influences from

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this kind of world view and this
kind of narrative view of

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history and the cosmology.

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Often apocalypses seem to have
served as a form of cultural

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resistance.

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They make the most sense often
if you see them as being popular

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among people who either are
oppressed by some more powerful

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entity or at least believed that
they are oppressed.

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They fear themselves to be
oppressed.

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For example,
it's a perfectly natural world

537515 8:58 - 9:04

view--
you can understand how the

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world view is,
if you believe you're an

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oppressed minority and you can't
really fight against the more

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powerful entity.

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There's no way these early
little Christians groups or even

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the nation of Israel could rebel
against the Roman Empire and

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win.

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The idea is that,
well, we will resist them and

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eventually God will intervene in
history with his angels and his

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army and the divine armies will
come,

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and we will fight alongside
them to overthrow the Greeks.

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The earliest apocalypses,
Daniel was talking about the

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Greeks and Syrians,
the Greco-Syrian Empire.

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So the Greeks were the first
oppressive power that people

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thought they could overthrow
this way.

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Then of course the Romans
became the more oppressive power

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later,
so in Jesus' time and Paul's

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time it's the Romans who are the
enemy that will be overthrown.

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But that will all happen.

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It's not always true that the
people who believe in these

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kinds of apocalyptic ideas are
themselves in fact an oppressed

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minority.

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After all, Ronald Reagan was
the President of the United

600292 10:00 - 10:06

States, and he still believed
this stuff.

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He still believed that God was
going to come any day,

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he thought it was going to
happen right then,

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any day now,
and God was going to have a big

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battle.

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Israel would be involved in it
and all the different nations of

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the earth, and then God would
set up the Kingdom of God in

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Jerusalem.

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Reagan talked about this on the
phone with different Israeli

621009 10:21 - 10:27

politicians and leaders.

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How does this make sense for
Ronald Reagan,

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the most powerful man in the
world, to have this apocalyptic

629365 10:29 - 10:35

world view?

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Well Reagan spent a lot of his
life feeling like he was on the

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out and feeling like he was not
one of the liberal establishment

638254 10:38 - 10:44

of the east coast and this sort
of thing.

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It doesn't necessarily mean
that people who hold these views

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are themselves discriminated
against minorities or oppressed

647065 10:47 - 10:53

minorities,
but it usually means that they

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perceive themselves that way,
because, otherwise,

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if you really do have power you
just make the world like you

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want it to be.

655428 10:55 - 11:01

You overthrow somebody or you
wage a battle,

657916 10:58 - 11:04

and wage war,
and you fix the problem

659998 11:00 - 11:06

yourself.

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It's when you don't have the
power politically or militarily

665076 11:05 - 11:11

to fix the problem that this
kind of world view becomes very

669403 11:09 - 11:15

persuasive to you,
very believable, plausible.

674000 11:14 - 11:20

That's what the Book of
Revelation is.

676519 11:17 - 11:23

In fact, we use the title of
Revelation,

679070 11:19 - 11:25

the Apocalypse,
as the term for the whole genre

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and for the whole world,
and it comes basically from

686846 11:27 - 11:33

this book because it's the most
famous apocalypse of all,

690907 11:31 - 11:37

naturally.

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The weird thing about
Revelation, though,

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is that it's not pseudonymous.

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We don't--the book says it's
just written by a guy named

699807 11:40 - 11:46

John.

700230 11:40 - 11:46

It's not the same John who was
the brother of Zebedee,

704149 11:44 - 11:50

it's not the same John--if
there was a John who wrote the

706744 11:47 - 11:53

Gospel of John and the letters
of John,

708690 11:49 - 11:55

which we don't really know who
wrote them,

710210 11:50 - 11:56

but whoever wrote Revelation is
not the same person who wrote

712878 11:53 - 11:59

any of that literature.

713990 11:54 - 12:00

The style is too different,
the theology is too different.

716558 11:57 - 12:03

It's just clearly not the same
person.

718269 11:58 - 12:04

He doesn't claim to be any
famous John, he just claims to

722549 12:03 - 12:09

be John, and so we call him
often John the Seer or John the

726984 12:07 - 12:13

prophet or something like that.

729658 12:10 - 12:16

He doesn't seem to hide who he
is, and, interestingly enough,

733668 12:14 - 12:20

he doesn't place the
composition of his book

736542 12:17 - 12:23

centuries in the past.

738278 12:18 - 12:24

He actually places it in his
own time.

740850 12:21 - 12:27

This is also tells you where he
thought he was.

743750 12:24 - 12:30

He really believed that he was
right there and that the end had

747605 12:28 - 12:34

already begun in a sense with
Jesus.

749970 12:30 - 12:36

He doesn't feel the need to
pass back into the past and

754775 12:35 - 12:41

prophesy again.

756288 12:36 - 12:42

He sees himself as a prophetic
figure like Daniel,

758782 12:39 - 12:45

but a prophetic figure not for
the future, he doesn't believe

761835 12:42 - 12:48

there's going to be any more
future.

763870 12:44 - 12:50

He believes that Jesus is
coming back right now,

766200 12:46 - 12:52

so he just places himself right
at the beginning.

768730 12:49 - 12:55

It's also a little bit unlike
some apocalypses because you

771746 12:52 - 12:58

have these seven letters in the
beginning of the book that are

774975 12:55 - 13:01

addressed to seven different
churches in Asia Minor.

777940 12:58 - 13:04

One of the interesting things
about all of Revelation is its

782019 13:02 - 13:08

structure.

782850 13:03 - 13:09

I talked about Hebrews last
week and I gave you an outline

786970 13:07 - 13:13

to the letter to the Hebrews to
show you that it was a very

791162 13:11 - 13:17

elaborately structured sermon.

793620 13:14 - 13:20

Hebrews was very well written.

796090 13:16 - 13:22

It's some of the best Greek in
the New Testament.

798269 13:18 - 13:24

Revelation is interestingly
structured, and I'll show you

801605 13:22 - 13:28

why I say that,
but actually it's not very well

804345 13:24 - 13:30

written.

805058 13:25 - 13:31

The Greek is almost illiterate,
and scholars have wondered

808052 13:28 - 13:34

about this, is it just because
the writer of this didn't have a

811308 13:31 - 13:37

very good education?

812570 13:33 - 13:39

Or some people have even
suggested maybe he's

815631 13:36 - 13:42

intentionally writing in kind of
a weird way as sort of almost a

820017 13:40 - 13:46

form of protest against people
in power.

823080 13:43 - 13:49

There are different theories
about this, but it's not very

825667 13:46 - 13:52

good Greek, and it's not very
well written.

827710 13:48 - 13:54

But it does have a fairly
intricate and interesting

831182 13:51 - 13:57

structure, and I call this a
structure of cycles,

834517 13:55 - 14:01

the spiral.

835558 13:56 - 14:02

I've titled your outline
"a spiral outline of

838195 13:58 - 14:04

Revelation"
because the story--

840240 14:00 - 14:06

a lot of people have read
Revelation--

841840 14:02 - 14:08

well, let me also back up and
explain what's different this

845054 14:05 - 14:11

week from what we did last week.

846940 14:07 - 14:13

Last week, if you recall,
I spent a lot of time talking

849735 14:10 - 14:16

about Hebrews and medieval
interpretation because I was

852529 14:13 - 14:19

trying to illustrate how the
historical,

854860 14:15 - 14:21

critical interpretation of
these texts that I'm teaching

857013 14:17 - 14:23

you in the semester is not the
only way to do it.

859009 14:19 - 14:25

There are other kinds of
allegorical, theological,

861528 14:22 - 14:28

literary ways to read these
texts, and those are perfectly

864456 14:24 - 14:30

fine.

864918 14:25 - 14:31

Now, though,
I'm completely reverting back

867245 14:27 - 14:33

to the historical critical way
of reading this text.

870308 14:30 - 14:36

Partly because the way that so
many people in popular culture

873918 14:34 - 14:40

read Revelation,
especially very conservative

876562 14:37 - 14:43

Christians, is to read it about
our time.

879269 14:39 - 14:45

It's been read over and over
again to be about English wars

883385 14:43 - 14:49

or World War I or World War II,
or most recently in The Late

887212 14:47 - 14:53

Great Planet Earth and these
kinds of things,

889538 14:50 - 14:56

it's about the Soviet Union
versus the United States of

892371 14:52 - 14:58

America,
and everything that it talks

894265 14:54 - 15:00

about is referring to what's
going to happen in our

896618 14:57 - 15:03

lifetimes.

897230 14:57 - 15:03

So the weird animals,
the locust type things that

899615 15:00 - 15:06

have the heads of men and fly
through the air,

902048 15:02 - 15:08

there are all kinds of modern
Christians that say,

903610 15:04 - 15:10

oh those are helicopters.

904580 15:05 - 15:11

The author didn't know what a
helicopter looked like in the

907394 15:07 - 15:13

ancient world so he just
described kind of what he saw,

910210 15:10 - 15:16

but we know now those are
helicopters,

911870 15:12 - 15:18

so he's actually describing a
big war that's going to break

914576 15:15 - 15:21

out around Israel and in Israel
when the whole world's going to

917471 15:17 - 15:23

come to this big cataclysmic
nuclear war,

919620 15:20 - 15:26

and it's all talked about right
here in Revelation.

921928 15:22 - 15:28

Well, obviously I'm not going
to do that.

923899 15:24 - 15:30

What I'm going to show you is
how historians read this text

926721 15:27 - 15:33

precisely by putting it back in
its ancient context.

929350 15:29 - 15:35

One of the things is,
if you notice,

931590 15:32 - 15:38

the Book Revelation doesn't
give one strict timeline.

935110 15:35 - 15:41

In fact it seems to have cycles
of setting up some kind of weird

940554 15:41 - 15:47

crisis,
having all these terrible

943115 15:43 - 15:49

things happen,
and then have something that

946166 15:46 - 15:52

looks like a quasi resolution
and then starting the cycle

950097 15:50 - 15:56

again.

950730 15:51 - 15:57

It ends up being a big
cataclysmic crash at the end of

955980 15:56 - 16:02

the book,
so this is why I call this a

958659 15:59 - 16:05

spiral of cycles that are going
on in the Book of Revelation.

961960 16:02 - 16:08

First though look at just
chapters 6-8,

966860 16:07 - 16:13

and I'm going to walk you
through this very rapidly

970258 16:10 - 16:16

because you can see something of
the structure of this book right

974607 16:15 - 16:21

here.

975220 16:15 - 16:21

Now this is after you've had
the letters in the beginning of

982162 16:22 - 16:28

Revelation,
then you've had the throne room

984998 16:25 - 16:31

scene with God,
which we're going to talk about

986572 16:27 - 16:33

in a minute,
and all the songs that

988042 16:28 - 16:34

everybody's saying.

989000 16:29 - 16:35

Let's just walk through first
structure here.

992039 16:32 - 16:38

996100 16:36 - 16:42

Then I saw the Lamb open one of
the seven seals,

999620 16:40 - 16:46

and I heard one of the four
living creatures call out with a

1002304 16:42 - 16:48

voice of thunder,
"Come!"

1003990 16:44 - 16:50

I looked and there was a white
horse.

1006158 16:46 - 16:52

Its rider had a bow,
a crown was given to him,

1008530 16:49 - 16:55

and he came out conquering and
to conquer.

1010850 16:51 - 16:57

This is conquering,
and warfare is this first

1014226 16:54 - 17:00

horse.

1014840 16:55 - 17:01

"When he opened the second
seal," --where is he going

1017759 16:58 - 17:04

with the seals?

1018558 16:59 - 17:05

-- Picture this now:
we've talked about how books

1021380 17:01 - 17:07

were composed in the ancient
world, and we talked about

1024554 17:05 - 17:11

scrolls.

1025259 17:05 - 17:11

Things were in scrolls not in
books like this with all the

1027778 17:08 - 17:14

different pages all sewn
together.

1029367 17:09 - 17:15

What he's imagining seeing is
there's this huge scroll in the

1033615 17:14 - 17:20

sky that this angel is holding
and doing different things.

1037858 17:18 - 17:24

When you want to finish a
letter or a book you roll up the

1041496 17:21 - 17:27

scroll, and then you put a wax
seal at the end of the roll and

1045387 17:25 - 17:31

that seals the book.

1046920 17:27 - 17:33

So anybody who wants to read
that letter or that book the

1050711 17:31 - 17:37

first time has to break that wax
seal.

1053420 17:33 - 17:39

The seals that he's talking
about are the wax seals on the

1055923 17:36 - 17:42

scroll.

1056318 17:36 - 17:42

You imagine that you've got
this scroll that has one seal

1059132 17:39 - 17:45

and you can break that seal and
you can unroll the scroll a

1062046 17:42 - 17:48

little bit,
but then you get another seal,

1064348 17:44 - 17:50

so you undo that seal and you
can unroll it a little bit more,

1067548 17:48 - 17:54

so he's gradually unrolling
this scroll that's going to have

1070948 17:51 - 17:57

all these things pop out of it.

1072848 17:53 - 17:59

There's this big huge scroll
that has horses and riders

1075432 17:55 - 18:01

jumping out of it and flying
through the air.

1077680 17:58 - 18:04

He opened the second seal.

1079769 18:00 - 18:06

I heard the second living
creature call out,

1081163 18:01 - 18:07

"Come!"

1081778 18:02 - 18:08

And out came another horse
bright red.

1084088 18:04 - 18:10

Its writer was permitted to
take peace from the earth so

1086413 18:06 - 18:12

that the people would slaughter
one another and he was given a

1088992 18:09 - 18:15

great sword.

1089670 18:10 - 18:16

So the first seal releases this
horse that looks like Empire,

1092847 18:13 - 18:19

the conquering of the
conqueror;

1094650 18:15 - 18:21

the second is just general
warfare.

1096470 18:16 - 18:22

When he opened the third seal,
I heard the third living

1098970 18:19 - 18:25

creature call out,
"Come!"

1100730 18:21 - 18:27

I looked and there was a black
horse.

1102210 18:22 - 18:28

Its rider had a pair of scales
in his hand,

1104410 18:24 - 18:30

and I heard what seemed to be a
voice in the midst of the four

1106779 18:27 - 18:33

living creatures saying,
"A quart of wheat for a

1109307 18:29 - 18:35

day's pay and three quarts of
barley for a day's pay,

1112210 18:32 - 18:38

but do not damage the olive oil
and the wine."

1115250 18:35 - 18:41

The third seal is what?

1117920 18:38 - 18:44

Famine and poverty.

1121420 18:41 - 18:47

When he opened the fourth seal
I heard the voice of the fourth

1124101 18:44 - 18:50

living creature call out,
"Come!"

1126078 18:46 - 18:52

And I looked and there was a
pale green horse.

1128380 18:48 - 18:54

Its rider's name was Death,
and Hades followed with him.

1131680 18:52 - 18:58

They were given authority over
a fourth of the earth to kill

1134569 18:55 - 19:01

with the sword,
famine, and pestilence,

1136431 18:56 - 19:02

and by the wild animals of the
earth.

1138440 18:58 - 19:04

So death is the fourth seal.

1141509 19:02 - 19:08

"When I opened the fifth
seal I saw under the

1144396 19:04 - 19:10

altar"--notice we're not
talking about horsemen anymore.

1148108 19:08 - 19:14

You had four horsemen
representing four different

1150670 19:11 - 19:17

things.

1151150 19:11 - 19:17

The fifth seal has something
like a digression,

1153817 19:14 - 19:20

the fifth seal is not another
horse like you expect.

1156950 19:17 - 19:23

In other words,
you're given to expect that

1158355 19:18 - 19:24

you're going to see another
horse that's going to be some

1160230 19:20 - 19:26

other catastrophe,
but you don't get that,

1162203 19:22 - 19:28

you have a digression.

1163410 19:23 - 19:29

Under the altar,
the souls of those who had been

1165608 19:26 - 19:32

slaughtered for the word of God
and for the testimony they had

1168464 19:28 - 19:34

given,
they cried out with a loud

1170107 19:30 - 19:36

voice, "Sovereign Lord,
holy and true,

1172016 19:32 - 19:38

how long will it be before you
judge and avenge our blood on

1174573 19:35 - 19:41

the inhabitants of the
earth?"

1176220 19:36 - 19:42

They were each given a white
robe and told to rest a little

1178787 19:39 - 19:45

longer until the number would be
complete,

1180779 19:41 - 19:47

both of their fellow slaves [it
says "slaves"

1182761 19:43 - 19:49

actually in the Greek,
not "servants"]

1184876 19:45 - 19:51

and of their brothers.

1185980 19:46 - 19:52

It doesn't say sisters.

1187828 19:48 - 19:54

There's almost no women in this
text at all.

1191180 19:51 - 19:57

It's all men,
virgin men who have never been

1193788 19:54 - 20:00

polluted by touching women.

1195548 19:56 - 20:02

It's not exactly a pro-woman
book.

1197630 19:58 - 20:04

You might not get that idea if
you have an English translation

1200109 20:00 - 20:06

that keeps putting sisters in
here, but there are no sisters

1202508 20:03 - 20:09

in this book.

1203200 20:03 - 20:09

There's the whore of Babylon,
there's the mother bride,

1208500 20:08 - 20:14

and then there are
men."...

1211838 20:12 - 20:18

your slaves,
you fellow brothers,

1213385 20:13 - 20:19

who are soon to be killed as
they themselves have been

1215948 20:16 - 20:22

killed."

1216769 20:17 - 20:23

What's the fifth seal?

1218269 20:18 - 20:24

Well it gives him a vision of
the altar of God,

1220685 20:21 - 20:27

in the temple of God in heaven,
and there's this big altar.

1223890 20:24 - 20:30

And under the altar are the
souls of all the followers of

1226769 20:27 - 20:33

Jesus who have been martyred up
to this time,

1229240 20:29 - 20:35

and the souls of those people
who will be martyred.

1231509 20:32 - 20:38

They're not punished,
they're saying how long,

1234450 20:34 - 20:40

how long, and he says,
oh keep your pants on,

1237190 20:37 - 20:43

here's a white robe,
just sit there and be nice

1239779 20:40 - 20:46

under the altar,
we're going to take care of it

1241940 20:42 - 20:48

all very,
very soon.

1243288 20:43 - 20:49

The fifth seal is actually a
digression that tells you,

1247415 20:47 - 20:53

the audience,
that if you suffer in this

1250394 20:50 - 20:56

present time it will be taken
care of by God.

1254140 20:54 - 21:00

You have these four building up
of terrible things,

1256806 20:57 - 21:03

and the fifth is a digression
that gives you comfort.

1259740 21:00 - 21:06

But now we're going to get back.

1261078 21:01 - 21:07

He opened the sixth seal,
I looked and I heard a great

1264093 21:04 - 21:10

earthquake,
the sun became black as

1266026 21:06 - 21:12

sackcloth, the full moon became
like blood,

1268250 21:08 - 21:14

the stars of the sky fell to
the earth as a fig tree drops

1270739 21:11 - 21:17

its winter fruit when shaken by
a gale.

1272528 21:13 - 21:19

The sky vanished like a scroll
rolling itself up.

1275420 21:15 - 21:21

Remember I talked about how the
sky in ancient cosmology isn't

1278753 21:19 - 21:25

just air,
it's actually a firm thing,

1280821 21:21 - 21:27

it's like a big piece of
leather or something like that

1283647 21:24 - 21:30

sits up there,
and there's water on the other

1286191 21:26 - 21:32

side of it in most ancient
cosmologies,

1288380 21:28 - 21:34

or something on the other side
of it.

1289660 21:30 - 21:36

When he talks about seeing the
sky rolled up like a scroll he

1292800 21:33 - 21:39

means that quite literally.

1294318 21:34 - 21:40

The sky goes jrrrjrrjrrrrjrrr
and rolls up,

1296982 21:37 - 21:43

and you can see heaven above
it.

1299140 21:39 - 21:45

So the sky vanishes like a
scroll.

1302210 21:42 - 21:48

Every mountain and island moved
from its place.

1304358 21:44 - 21:50

Then the kings of the earth,
and the magnates and the

1306365 21:46 - 21:52

generals,
and the rich and the powerful,

1307915 21:48 - 21:54

and everyone,
slave and free,

1309103 21:49 - 21:55

hid in the caves,
and among the rocks of the

1310949 21:51 - 21:57

mountains,
calling to the mountains and

1312467 21:52 - 21:58

rocks,
"Fall on us and hide us

1313702 21:54 - 22:00

from the face of the one seated
on the throne,

1315369 21:55 - 22:01

and from the wrath of the Lamb!

1316769 21:57 - 22:03

For the great day of their
wrath has come,

1318094 21:58 - 22:04

and who is able to stand?"

1319160 21:59 - 22:05

The sixth seal is all hell
breaks loose.

1322470 22:02 - 22:08

The cosmos is coming down on
top of itself.

1324470 22:04 - 22:10

He's created an increasing
level of anxiety and catastrophe

1329593 22:10 - 22:16

with this, but that fifth seal
there's kind of a digression.

1335068 22:15 - 22:21

"After this I saw four
angels..."

1336808 22:17 - 22:23

Now you think,
oh man, if the sixth seal is

1339353 22:19 - 22:25

like that you know one more seal
is coming up.

1342259 22:22 - 22:28

What's the seventh seal going
to be?

1344799 22:25 - 22:31

Man, I'm eager to hear this!

1346380 22:26 - 22:32

Remember all this was read out
loud in the ancient world so

1350176 22:30 - 22:36

you're hearing all this.

1351880 22:32 - 22:38

"I saw four angles
standing at the four corners of

1353358 22:33 - 22:39

the earth, hurrying back the
four winds of the earth."

1355029 22:35 - 22:41

Now you get a bunch of other
stuff, "I saw another angel

1357980 22:38 - 22:44

ascend, and I heard the number
of those were sealed."

1360930 22:41 - 22:47

Now you have all the followers
of Jesus are numbered into

1364605 22:45 - 22:51

different tribes of 12,000 a
piece, and each of those tribes

1368478 22:48 - 22:54

is sealed themselves.

1370118 22:50 - 22:56

Isn't that interesting,
you have another use of the

1372861 22:53 - 22:59

term seal but now this is a seal
that's put on the faces of all

1376260 22:56 - 23:02

the people who are the true
followers,

1378618 22:59 - 23:05

who are the true Israel,
twelve tribes like the twelve

1381542 23:02 - 23:08

tribe--
the lost ten tribes and the

1383452 23:03 - 23:09

other two tribes of Israel.

1384920 23:05 - 23:11

There's the reconstituting of
Israel now, and they're sealed,

1388988 23:09 - 23:15

and the seal is a good thing.

1391088 23:11 - 23:17

It means you won't be harmed if
you have this on you.

1393829 23:14 - 23:20

That goes on all of chapter 7.

1396088 23:16 - 23:22

You're thinking where is the
seventh seal?

1399298 23:19 - 23:25

We had six, I know there's
another one coming,

1402990 23:23 - 23:29

where is it?

1404140 23:24 - 23:30

You have to wait all the way
through chapter 7 wanting the

1407609 23:28 - 23:34

seventh seal but you're not
getting it yet.

1410348 23:30 - 23:36

In other words,
he's just stringing you along.

1412970 23:33 - 23:39

But he's stringing you along in
a way that's kind of good

1416375 23:36 - 23:42

because he's reassuring you.

1418200 23:38 - 23:44

You know the seventh seal is
coming,

1420048 23:40 - 23:46

and you're just--you're pretty
sure it's going to be really,

1422108 23:42 - 23:48

really, really,
really bad because the sixth

1424355 23:44 - 23:50

seal was.

1424930 23:45 - 23:51

But before you get to the
seventh seal you have this

1427898 23:48 - 23:54

sealing of you,
if you're a faithful follower

1430868 23:51 - 23:57

of Jesus, with the reassurance
of a seal.

1433490 23:53 - 23:59

And then you have some songs,
we're going to talk about some

1435952 23:56 - 24:02

songs, but everybody comes in
and it's like a Broadway play.

1438538 23:59 - 24:05

You have something happen,
and then the chorus all runs on

1441134 24:01 - 24:07

stage and they do a little song,
blessed be the lamb,

1443544 24:04 - 24:10

and the blah,
blah,

1444400 24:04 - 24:10

blah, halleluiah,
halleluiah, and then they run

1446454 24:06 - 24:12

off and you have more action.

1447838 24:08 - 24:14

That's the way the story is
structured, for interesting

1450928 24:11 - 24:17

reasons.

1451500 24:12 - 24:18

We get to the end of chapter 7,
we're finally to this chapter,

1454243 24:14 - 24:20

so you get to Chapter 8--of
course they're not numbered in

1456808 24:17 - 24:23

the ancient world.

1457798 24:18 - 24:24

But "When the Lamb opened
the seventh seal,"

1461415 24:21 - 24:27

you ready for this?

1462848 24:23 - 24:29

"there was silence in
heaven for a half an hour."

1467460 24:27 - 24:33

That's the seventh seal.

1469009 24:29 - 24:35

What's going on?

1471160 24:31 - 24:37

The text builds up tension,
and you hear this read out

1478084 24:38 - 24:44

loud,
and it keeps building up this

1480788 24:41 - 24:47

tension,
but then the seventh seal is

1483438 24:43 - 24:49

such a anticlimax:
silence in heaven for a half an

1487076 24:47 - 24:53

hour.

1487670 24:48 - 24:54

Then it doesn't explain
anything about that,

1490746 24:51 - 24:57

it just starts over.

1492318 24:52 - 24:58

And then you have another cycle
a little bit later.

1494578 24:55 - 25:01

"Another angel of the
golden censor came and stood by

1497269 24:57 - 25:03

the altar."

1498118 24:58 - 25:04

In other words,
what's you've got is something

1500455 25:00 - 25:06

like this.

1501078 25:01 - 25:07

You have these four
scrolls--the four seals which

1505076 25:05 - 25:11

are terrible,
terrible, terrible awful

1508146 25:08 - 25:14

things, and then you have the
fifth which is a digression,

1512490 25:12 - 25:18

and it's actually a good thing,
it's the telling of the souls

1515217 25:15 - 25:21

who have been martyred,
don't worry,

1516982 25:17 - 25:23

you'll be saved,
here's a white robe,

1518880 25:19 - 25:25

relax.

1519798 25:20 - 25:26

Then you have the sixth seal
which is another worse thing

1524038 25:24 - 25:30

than all of these,
it's really,

1526068 25:26 - 25:32

really bad and its goes on
longer,

1527390 25:27 - 25:33

and then you have this long
digression again,

1530509 25:31 - 25:37

this is like the fifth seal,
it's a sealing of the followers

1535459 25:35 - 25:41

of Jesus with salvation.

1537640 25:38 - 25:44

Then after that digression then
you have this seventh seal which

1541582 25:42 - 25:48

is really kind of anticlimactic.

1543710 25:44 - 25:50

But it's not bad because,
you know, silence in heaven for

1547299 25:47 - 25:53

a half an hour.

1548390 25:48 - 25:54

Look at your spiral outline now
because this kind of structure

1553384 25:53 - 25:59

of having a cycle of
catastrophes that are

1556740 25:57 - 26:03

interrupted every once in a
while by some kind of digression

1561570 26:02 - 26:08

that then ends with something
good,

1565009 26:05 - 26:11

that's the way the whole book
is structured in three different

1568878 26:09 - 26:15

cycles.

1569450 26:09 - 26:15

For example,
I said in the fourth chapter of

1571521 26:12 - 26:18

Revelation you have the big
heavenly throne room scene.

1574269 26:14 - 26:20

Revelation 5,
you have the introduction of

1576396 26:16 - 26:22

the scroll with seven seals and
the lamb,

1578680 26:19 - 26:25

and then you have the first
cycle of seven,

1581630 26:22 - 26:28

and that's what I just walked
you through just now.

1584028 26:24 - 26:30

Then right after 8:1,
the silence in heaven,

1587608 26:28 - 26:34

it starts again with a second
cycle,

1589670 26:30 - 26:36

and you have in 8:2
introduction of seven angels

1592146 26:32 - 26:38

with seven trumpets,
and then again you have the

1594440 26:34 - 26:40

first, second,
third, and fourth trumpet which

1596671 26:37 - 26:43

announce these kind of
catastrophes.

1598568 26:39 - 26:45

And then you have an interlude
where this eagle comes through

1601773 26:42 - 26:48

and announces woes on everybody.

1603588 26:44 - 26:50

And then you have the fifth
trumpet in 9:1-12,

1606940 26:47 - 26:53

and the sixth trumpet in 9:13,
and then you have chapter 10

1611170 26:51 - 26:57

which has another interlude
which is about the scroll of

1615181 26:55 - 27:01

prophecy.

1616130 26:56 - 27:02

Chapter 11, you have the talk
about the temple,

1618691 26:59 - 27:05

and he has to measure the
temple.

1620640 27:01 - 27:07

And then in 11:14 you have the
end of the second woe.

1625788 27:06 - 27:12

And finally in 11:15 you have
the seventh trumpet.

1629680 27:10 - 27:16

And what does the seventh
trumpet introduce?

1631328 27:11 - 27:17

Praise in heaven,
sort of like that half hour of

1634595 27:15 - 27:21

silence.

1635288 27:15 - 27:21

Then you have a long interlude,
which is chapters 12,

1637808 27:18 - 27:24

13, and 14 which is about
battles between the woman who's

1641413 27:21 - 27:27

the mother of church or the
mother of the Savior,

1644759 27:25 - 27:31

and the dragon.

1645750 27:26 - 27:32

Chapter 13 is about the dragon
and the beast.

1647868 27:28 - 27:34

Chapter 14 is about the lamb,
the horned lamb which

1651720 27:32 - 27:38

represents Jesus who's a horned
lamb who is wounded.

1655880 27:36 - 27:42

And then you have starting in
15:1, you have a third cycle of

1660085 27:40 - 27:46

seven angels and seven plagues
or bowls.

1663029 27:43 - 27:49

Then you have the great
conclusion, which is the very

1666103 27:46 - 27:52

end, the destruction of Rome in
chapters 17-19.

1669000 27:49 - 27:55

The final battle which is
19:11-21,

1672368 27:52 - 27:58

the imprisonment and eventual
destruction of enemies which is

1675868 27:56 - 28:02

Chapter 20 and the establishment
of the new Jerusalem in chapters

1679603 28:00 - 28:06

21 and 22.

1680420 28:00 - 28:06

What does this structure tell
us?

1682318 28:02 - 28:08

Because the structures in these
different cycles,

1686066 28:06 - 28:12

it builds up crisis and then it
gives you something,

1690046 28:10 - 28:16

a relief at the end.

1691920 28:12 - 28:18

There's a famous New Testament
scholar who teaches at the

1695405 28:15 - 28:21

Divinity School,
this time it's not me,

1697625 28:18 - 28:24

who teaches in the Divinity
School,

1699369 28:19 - 28:25

Adela Yarbro Collins.

1701048 28:21 - 28:27

Many years ago when I was still
a student I read this book she

1704413 28:24 - 28:30

had wrote called,
Crisis and Catharsis.

1707058 28:27 - 28:33

It's a wonderful book about
Revelation.

1709640 28:30 - 28:36

And her thesis was,
the very purpose of the Book of

1713027 28:33 - 28:39

Revelation is to build up a
sense of crisis in early

1716480 28:36 - 28:42

followers of Jesus.

1718038 28:38 - 28:44

If you're too comfortable with
your world, you don't know that

1721433 28:41 - 28:47

things are really a lot worse
than what you think they are.

1724828 28:45 - 28:51

If it's addressed to Christians
who are, if they're comfortable,

1728239 28:48 - 28:54

it wants to make them
uncomfortable with Roman

1731051 28:51 - 28:57

rule.

1731538 28:52 - 28:58

If they're uncomfortable with
Roman rule, and feel depressed

1735848 28:56 - 29:02

and oppressed,
then eventually the book will

1738989 28:59 - 29:05

lead them to feeling comfort.

1741400 29:01 - 29:07

So crisis is created by the
book in order to let you

1745288 29:05 - 29:11

experience a catharsis of the
salvation.

1748490 29:08 - 29:14

The looping structure of the
book tries to work that out

1753145 29:13 - 29:19

psychologically in its hearers.

1755940 29:16 - 29:22

You can see how it's going to
do this.

1760538 29:21 - 29:27

And, remember,
it's meant to be performed.

1764609 29:25 - 29:31

You're hearing it read out loud.

1768269 29:28 - 29:34

It's a long book,
but you sit there,

1770269 29:30 - 29:36

and you imagine a bunch of
Christians in Asia Minor in some

1772496 29:32 - 29:38

church,
say, in Ephesus,

1773734 29:34 - 29:40

and they're meeting is dark,
they're meeting in some house

1776590 29:37 - 29:43

somewhere,
in somebody's dining room,

1778577 29:39 - 29:45

and somebody has sent around
this document and asked it to be

1781968 29:42 - 29:48

read.

1782420 29:42 - 29:48

You're all sitting around with
just some candles going and

1784373 29:44 - 29:50

somebody's reading this book,
and it's got all these strange

1787068 29:47 - 29:53

things going on,
strange creatures,

1789125 29:49 - 29:55

and a lot of these songs and
things that people are singing,

1792900 29:53 - 29:59

and angels are singing,
and beasts are singing,

1795089 29:55 - 30:01

and elders are singing.

1796509 29:57 - 30:03

It's sort of like in the fourth
chapter, look at the fourth

1800038 30:00 - 30:06

chapter of Revelation.

1801500 30:02 - 30:08

This is where we're in the
throne room of God.

1803349 30:03 - 30:09

1811680 30:12 - 30:18

After this I looked,
and there in heaven,

1813390 30:13 - 30:19

a door stood open and the first
voice,

1815028 30:15 - 30:21

which I had heard speaking to
me like a trumpet said,

1817078 30:17 - 30:23

"Come up here and I will
show you what must take place

1818948 30:19 - 30:25

after this."

1819558 30:20 - 30:26

At once I was in the spirit,
and there in heaven stood a

1822051 30:22 - 30:28

throne with one seated on the
throne.

1823818 30:24 - 30:30

And the one seated there looks
like jasper and carnelian,

1826194 30:26 - 30:32

and around the throne is a
rainbow that looks like an

1828401 30:28 - 30:34

emerald.

1828910 30:29 - 30:35

And around the throne are
twenty-four thrones,

1830450 30:30 - 30:36

and seated on the thrones are
twenty-four elders dressed in

1832588 30:33 - 30:39

white robes with golden crowns
on their heads.

1834358 30:34 - 30:40

Coming from the throne were
flashes of lightning,

1835759 30:36 - 30:42

rumblings, and peals of
thunder, and in front of the

1837852 30:38 - 30:44

throne were seven flaming
torches with the seven spirits

1840107 30:40 - 30:46

of God.

1840558 30:41 - 30:47

You have all this going on and
then the four living creatures,

1844308 30:44 - 30:50

these monstrous combination
kind of monster creatures are

1846471 30:46 - 30:52

standing around the throne and
they starting singing

1848442 30:48 - 30:54

"holy,
holy, holy is the Lord God

1850436 30:50 - 30:56

Almighty,
who was, and who is,

1852040 30:52 - 30:58

and who is to come."

1853368 30:53 - 30:59

Then you see the twenty-four
elders, and they're singing

1855482 30:55 - 31:01

another song.

1856058 30:56 - 31:02

The whole thing is meant to be
seen in your mind,

1859550 31:00 - 31:06

not just read silently.

1861368 31:01 - 31:07

We're going to do a little
experiment here to show how that

1865104 31:05 - 31:11

might happen.

1866068 31:06 - 31:12

We're going to break up into
thirds.

1869150 31:09 - 31:15

You get to be the four living
creatures.

1874038 31:14 - 31:20

Then we're going to split the
rest of the class right here,

1876880 31:17 - 31:23

you all get to be--I think it's
the elders I can't remember,

1879660 31:20 - 31:26

and then you'll be another
group.

1882009 31:22 - 31:28

These are the quotations.

1884460 31:24 - 31:30

I want you to say this with me
very soft at first,

1887922 31:28 - 31:34

all right?

1888769 31:29 - 31:35

Don't rush, don't get faster.

1891980 31:32 - 31:38

I'm a musician you know,
I'm going to make you stick

1895384 31:35 - 31:41

with the tempo I set.

1896920 31:37 - 31:43

"Holy, holy,
holy is the Lord God Almighty,

1910288 31:50 - 31:56

who was, and who is,
and who is to come."

1923089 32:03 - 32:09

Say it!

1926220 32:06 - 32:12

"Worthy is the lamb that
was slain."

1934289 32:14 - 32:20

Don't rush.

1935390 32:15 - 32:21

"Worthy is the lamb that
was slain."

1944098 32:24 - 32:30

"Glory,
honor, power to thee,

1946952 32:27 - 32:33

oh Lord, most high.

1948769 32:29 - 32:35

Glory, honor,
power to thee oh Lord most

1957663 32:38 - 32:44

high."

1960630 32:41 - 32:47

Now get a little bit louder.

1965509 32:46 - 32:52

There's smoke in the throne
room.

1969509 32:50 - 32:56

There are beasts flapping their
wings.

1979269 32:59 - 33:05

Now close your eyes and get
louder.

2013519 33:34 - 33:40

Shout it!

2031420 33:51 - 33:57

Stop!

2033839 33:54 - 34:00

You feel something?

2038078 33:58 - 34:04

You're supposed to feel
something.

2040538 34:01 - 34:07

You're supposed to kind of feel
weird.

2043778 34:04 - 34:10

You're supposed to feel
uncomfortable just a little bit,

2048199 34:08 - 34:14

you're supposed to feel a
little tingle,

2050730 34:11 - 34:17

because reading Revelation as
if it's a blueprint for Jesus

2055405 34:15 - 34:21

coming back and what's going to
happen with the Republicans and

2060402 34:20 - 34:26

the Democrats kind of misses the
point.

2063869 34:24 - 34:30

Because what it really is
doing, it's trying to pull you

2067306 34:27 - 34:33

into a world,
a very performative world.

2069929 34:30 - 34:36

That's the thing--it really is
like a stage show except the

2072974 34:33 - 34:39

stage is the whole cosmos and
all kind of weird things that

2076018 34:36 - 34:42

are happening all around.

2077539 34:38 - 34:44

Part of what's going on here,
to use Professor Collins's

2081878 34:42 - 34:48

phrase, is it introduces this
sense of a crisis in the cosmos.

2086929 34:47 - 34:53

It doesn't do that because it
wants you to,

2089518 34:50 - 34:56

in the end, simply live in that
crisis.

2092050 34:52 - 34:58

It's because the author
believes God's going to take

2096279 34:56 - 35:02

care of the crisis eventually
but not necessarily today.

2101090 35:01 - 35:07

The book, having this book
performed in your church for

2105206 35:05 - 35:11

you,
read out loud in the middle of

2107653 35:08 - 35:14

the night,
deals with your sense of

2110461 35:10 - 35:16

persecution if you have one.

2112929 35:13 - 35:19

But what if you don't have a
sense of persecution?

2117380 35:17 - 35:23

What if you're actually fairly
comfortable with Rome?

2122239 35:22 - 35:28

What if you're fairly well off?

2125579 35:26 - 35:32

You've got a good business,
the Pax Romana,

2128969 35:29 - 35:35

the Roman peace,
actually allows you to travel.

2132360 35:32 - 35:38

You can get on a ship and not
have to worry about pirates,

2136782 35:37 - 35:43

unlike today [student
laughter], or unlike it was a

2140661 35:41 - 35:47

hundred years before this.

2142989 35:43 - 35:49

Pompey was the general who
cleaned the pirates out of the

2147273 35:47 - 35:53

Mediterranean in the first
century BCE.

2150409 35:50 - 35:56

So if you're a businessman,
and you're fairly well off,

2153701 35:54 - 36:00

you might think that the Roman
peace is a pretty good thing.

2157480 35:57 - 36:03

Sure a few people's heads got
to get cracked every once in a

2161264 36:01 - 36:07

while, to keep the peace,
that's just the way it is.

2164730 36:05 - 36:11

The Book of Revelation seems to
have a dual purpose.

2167760 36:08 - 36:14

It's like that old saying about
what good preaching is,

2171170 36:11 - 36:17

good preaching is supposed to
comfort the afflicted and

2174581 36:15 - 36:21

afflict the comfortable.

2176349 36:16 - 36:22

That's kind of what the Book of
Revelation seems to try to do.

2180380 36:20 - 36:26

Because notice,
what is the view of Rome that

2183452 36:23 - 36:29

you get here?

2184500 36:24 - 36:30

Look in Revelation 18 and 19.

2187219 36:27 - 36:33

2191170 36:31 - 36:37

If all you had was the letters
of Paul,

2193710 36:34 - 36:40

what might you think about
Rome, what might you think about

2196800 36:37 - 36:43

the government,
what might you think about the

2199029 36:39 - 36:45

emperor?

2199409 36:39 - 36:45

If you all you had were certain
other books such as the Pastoral

2205574 36:46 - 36:52

Epistles what would you think
the--about their politics?

2211250 36:51 - 36:57

There's no way you could find
this author saying something

2214385 36:54 - 37:00

like "honor the
emperor,"

2216257 36:56 - 37:02

which is precisely what you get
in some other early Christian

2219559 37:00 - 37:06

letters.

2220329 37:00 - 37:06

After this I saw another angel
coming down from heaven having

2222943 37:03 - 37:09

great authority and the earth
was made bright with his

2225253 37:05 - 37:11

splendor.

2225820 37:06 - 37:12

He called out with a might
voice, "Fallen,

2228016 37:08 - 37:14

fallen is Babylon the Great!

2229449 37:09 - 37:15

It has become a dwelling place
of demons, a haunt of every foul

2232594 37:13 - 37:19

spirit, a haunt of every foul
bird, a haunt of every foul and

2235637 37:16 - 37:22

hateful beast.

2236550 37:17 - 37:23

For all the nations have drunk
of the wine of the wrath of her

2240152 37:20 - 37:26

fornication,
and the kings of the earth have

2242405 37:22 - 37:28

committed fornication with her,
and the merchants,

2244516 37:25 - 37:31

and the earth have grown rich
from the power of her

2246344 37:26 - 37:32

luxury."

2246929 37:27 - 37:33

This is clearly Rome.

2248469 37:28 - 37:34

Babylon is the code name for
Rome here.

2252030 37:32 - 37:38

We know it is because in
17:9,18 he talks about this city

2257394 37:37 - 37:43

being on seven hills,
referring to the famous Seven

2262184 37:42 - 37:48

Hills of Rome.

2263909 37:44 - 37:50

Of course in 13:18 ...

2273110 37:53 - 37:59

so that no one can buy or sell
who does not have the mark of

2276885 37:57 - 38:03

the beast, the name of the beast
or the number of its name.

2280789 38:01 - 38:07

This calls for wisdom,
let anyone with understanding

2283356 38:03 - 38:09

calculate the number of the
beast, for it is the number of a

2286326 38:06 - 38:12

person.

2286880 38:07 - 38:13

Its number is 666.

2290429 38:10 - 38:16

What is 666?

2292960 38:13 - 38:19

Well, back in the 1980s some of
us leftists said Ronald Wilson

2297179 38:17 - 38:23

Reagan, or you can come up with
all kinds of other things.

2301329 38:21 - 38:27

Scholars think that if you take
the word "Nero,"

2306148 38:26 - 38:32

the name of the Emperor and you
spell it "Neron,"

2311050 38:31 - 38:37

with a final N like you would,
in the Hebrew letters,

2316349 38:36 - 38:42

it comes out to be 666,
adding up those three letters.

2320280 38:40 - 38:46

Now you'll notice there's also
a footnote that says other

2324496 38:44 - 38:50

ancient authorities say 616,
so some scribe comes along and

2328893 38:49 - 38:55

sees 666 and said,
oh no that can't be right,

2332373 38:52 - 38:58

it must be 616.

2333670 38:54 - 39:00

It's actually--that makes a lot
sense if this is supposed to

2336556 38:57 - 39:03

refer to Nero because if you
spelled Nero's name slightly

2339297 38:59 - 39:05

differently,
in a way that was still

2340923 39:01 - 39:07

possible to spell it for the
ancient world,

2342480 39:02 - 39:08

it comes out to be 616 rather
than 666,

2346230 39:06 - 39:12

which leads a lot of us
scholars just to think the

2348768 39:09 - 39:15

writer is probably referring to
Nero in some way.

2351409 39:11 - 39:17

Nero is a beast,
and Nero is the whore,

2354382 39:14 - 39:20

Rome is the whore that's had
sex with every rich man and

2358684 39:19 - 39:25

every king throughout the whole
world.

2361969 39:22 - 39:28

This is not a very positive
view of Rome,

2364815 39:25 - 39:31

and Rome of course is
completely destroyed at the end.

2368800 39:29 - 39:35

The part of Nero is when we
don't when this text was

2372119 39:32 - 39:38

written.

2372768 39:33 - 39:39

Some people actually believe
that Revelation was written in

2376237 39:36 - 39:42

the 60s when Nero was himself
the emperor.

2378869 39:39 - 39:45

More tend to believe that it's
written toward the end of the

2382670 39:43 - 39:49

century, when Nero had already
been dead.

2385440 39:45 - 39:51

This refers to a great myth
from the ancient world called

2388967 39:49 - 39:55

Nero redivivus.

2390480 39:50 - 39:56

2396309 39:56 - 40:02

The myth was that Nero was such
a terrible,

2398460 39:58 - 40:04

terrible, terrible bad man that
even though he had been

2401844 40:02 - 40:08

assassinated he was going to
rise from the dead someday.

2405480 40:05 - 40:11

Or some people believed he
wasn't ever dead,

2407789 40:08 - 40:14

he escaped and he was off
living with Parthians,

2410440 40:10 - 40:16

who were these people who lived
on the very eastern corner of

2413614 40:14 - 40:20

the Roman Empire.

2414619 40:15 - 40:21

The idea was Nero was still
alive somewhere and he was going

2418634 40:19 - 40:25

to raise an army of Parthians,
and he was going to come back

2422588 40:23 - 40:29

and he was going to wage war and
take over the Roman Empire

2426009 40:26 - 40:32

again.

2426539 40:27 - 40:33

Or he was going to rise from
the dead and raise an army and

2429753 40:30 - 40:36

take over the empire again.

2431360 40:31 - 40:37

This was especially chilling
for followers of Jesus because

2435146 40:35 - 40:41

Nero was well known,
at the end of the century,

2438231 40:38 - 40:44

for being the first emperor to
have persecuted the followers of

2442005 40:42 - 40:48

Jesus in Rome.

2443039 40:43 - 40:49

The famous story is that
Nero--there was a big fire in

2446385 40:46 - 40:52

Rome,
and Nero was blamed for the

2448375 40:48 - 40:54

fire because he was clearing a
bunch of apartment buildings of

2451730 40:52 - 40:58

lower income people out of a
certain area of Rome,

2454699 40:55 - 41:01

it's right by the Coliseum,
to build his huge big palace.

2457949 40:58 - 41:04

In fact now,
if you go to Rome,

2459724 41:00 - 41:06

they've opened up the Golden
House, they call it,

2462565 41:03 - 41:09

and this was the palace that
Nero built.

2465170 41:05 - 41:11

It's beautiful,
you have to go under the ground

2467132 41:07 - 41:13

to get into it and see it and
everything because it's all

2469519 41:10 - 41:16

covered by the ground.

2470630 41:11 - 41:17

If you go to Rome,
get tickets and go to Nero's

2473219 41:13 - 41:19

palace because it's only in the
last several years that it's

2476541 41:17 - 41:23

been reopened for the public.

2478400 41:18 - 41:24

The idea was,
Nero had actually burned a

2480911 41:21 - 41:27

bunch of tenements in order to
make room for his palace,

2484710 41:25 - 41:31

but because this was so
unpopular he blamed it on the

2487213 41:27 - 41:33

Christians.

2487840 41:28 - 41:34

He said, the Christians set the
fire,

2489860 41:30 - 41:36

the Christians are those really
bad people,

2491440 41:31 - 41:37

and the story goes that he had
big barbeques in his palace

2495311 41:35 - 41:41

grounds and he put the bodies of
Christians covered with tar on

2499523 41:40 - 41:46

stakes and crucified them,
and put them on stakes,

2503188 41:43 - 41:49

and lit them and their burning
bodies provided the torchlight

2507257 41:47 - 41:53

for his party.

2508409 41:48 - 41:54

This is the story that was
circulated about Nero by later

2511853 41:52 - 41:58

Christians and by other people
too.

2514130 41:54 - 42:00

For followers of Jesus,
Nero was this terrible figure,

2517465 41:57 - 42:03

who they thought he might even
rise again from the dead and do

2521304 42:01 - 42:07

battle against us.

2522690 42:03 - 42:09

What does all this make sense
of?

2524760 42:05 - 42:11

The writer is giving this big
myth,

2528768 42:09 - 42:15

obviously the whore is killed,
Babylon is killed,

2532989 42:13 - 42:19

Rome is destroyed,
all the wealthy people are

2535706 42:16 - 42:22

destroyed,
all the kings of the earth are

2538432 42:18 - 42:24

destroyed by the angels and by
Jesus coming down.

2541639 42:22 - 42:28

And then the setting up of the
new Jerusalem that's gold and

2545260 42:25 - 42:31

beautiful,
and there's no night or day

2547717 42:28 - 42:34

there because God is its light
and everybody lives happily ever

2551527 42:32 - 42:38

after.

2552079 42:32 - 42:38

What is the kind of situation
that this speaks too?

2556090 42:36 - 42:42

We're going to go back to the
beginning of Revelation now.

2558710 42:39 - 42:45

Look at chapter 2.

2559869 42:40 - 42:46

2566079 42:46 - 42:52

These are in the letters.

2569219 42:49 - 42:55

We know it was written by a guy
named John.

2573170 42:53 - 42:59

He says he was imprisoned on
the isle of Patmos in the

2576050 42:56 - 43:02

Mediterranean when he wrote
this, and then he circulates it

2579202 42:59 - 43:05

around.

2579800 43:00 - 43:06

He starts off with these seven
letters to seven churches.

2583280 43:03 - 43:09

"To the angel of the
church in Ephesus."

2585500 43:06 - 43:12

Ephesus, we've seen Ephesus
haven't we?

2590980 43:11 - 43:17

One of pseudo-Paul's letters
may have been addressed to

2595864 43:16 - 43:22

Ephesus.

2596768 43:17 - 43:23

Paul apparently did found a
church in Ephesus,

2599523 43:20 - 43:26

and it was one of his bigger
churches it seems like.

2602829 43:23 - 43:29

He spent years there.

2604110 43:24 - 43:30

These are the words of him who
holds the seven stars in his

2607411 43:27 - 43:33

right hand, who walks among the
seven golden lamp stands.

2610768 43:31 - 43:37

I know your works,
your toil, and your patient

2612679 43:33 - 43:39

endurance.

2613190 43:33 - 43:39

I know that you cannot tolerate
evil doers, you have tested

2615675 43:36 - 43:42

those who claim to be apostles
but are not, and have found them

2618333 43:38 - 43:44

to be false.

2619018 43:39 - 43:45

[There are false apostles
running around.],

2621320 43:41 - 43:47

I also know that you are
enduring patiently and bearing

2624077 43:44 - 43:50

up for the sake of my name,
and that you have not grown

2626831 43:47 - 43:53

weary.

2627150 43:47 - 43:53

But I have this against you ....

2629599 43:50 - 43:56

See some of the letters are
mainly letters of praise to the

2632858 43:53 - 43:59

churches and some of them are
scolding letters,

2635670 43:56 - 44:02

so it's interesting to see what
does he scold people for,

2638460 43:58 - 44:04

and what does he praise them
for?

2640518 44:01 - 44:07

Remember, then,
from what you have fallen,

2643635 44:04 - 44:10

repent.

2644320 44:04 - 44:10

[This is a backslid church he
thinks.]

2647038 44:07 - 44:13

Do the works you did at first.

2649389 44:09 - 44:15

If not, I will come to you and
remove your lamp stand from its

2651737 44:12 - 44:18

place unless you repent.

2652739 44:13 - 44:19

Yet this is to your credit,
you hate the works of the

2655327 44:15 - 44:21

Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

2656969 44:17 - 44:23

[Well, we don't really know
anything about the Nicolaitans,

2658760 44:19 - 44:25

so that doesn't tell us much.]
Let anyone who has an ear,

2662090 44:22 - 44:28

listen to what the spirit is
saying to the churches.

2663750 44:24 - 44:30

To everyone who conquers I will
give permission to eat from the

2666804 44:27 - 44:33

tree of life that is in the
paradise of God.

2669070 44:29 - 44:35

Then he goes onto another
church.

2671349 44:31 - 44:37

So there are false apostles,
but then look at 2:9:

2676268 44:36 - 44:42

I know your affliction and your
poverty, even though you are

2680014 44:40 - 44:46

rich.

2680460 44:40 - 44:46

I know the slander on the part
of those who say that they are

2683431 44:43 - 44:49

Jews but are not,
but are a synagogue of Satan.

2685860 44:46 - 44:52

There is this poverty,
he's praising poverty.

2688949 44:49 - 44:55

He talks about people who -say
they're Jews but they're not.

2691960 44:52 - 44:58

2:13: "I know where you
are living."

2694489 44:54 - 45:00

This is to Pergamum which
happened to be a huge site of

2697429 44:57 - 45:03

the imperial cult,
the cult to the emperor.

2699880 45:00 - 45:06

In fact you can go there now,
I'm going to be there in June,

2702099 45:02 - 45:08

aren't you jealous?

2702889 45:03 - 45:09

You can go to the top of this
mountain,

2704699 45:05 - 45:11

the Acropolis in Pergamum,
and the Austrian archeologists

2709327 45:09 - 45:15

are rebuilding all these temples
to Trajan and Hadrian on the top

2714614 45:15 - 45:21

of this hill.

2716018 45:16 - 45:22

Of course Trajan and Hadrian
are after he wrote this,

2718467 45:18 - 45:24

but there was still a big
emperor cult there.

2720679 45:21 - 45:27

I know where you are living,
where Satan's throne is.

2724000 45:24 - 45:30

[well maybe that's a reference
to the emperor cult itself.]

2727778 45:28 - 45:34

You are holding fast to my
name,

2730059 45:30 - 45:36

you did not deny your faith in
me even in the days of Antipas

2732338 45:32 - 45:38

my witness,
I have some things against you,

2734364 45:34 - 45:40

you have some ....

2735280 45:35 - 45:41

Well, I'm running out of time
but let me tell you what

2738302 45:38 - 45:44

basically he really doesn't
like.

2740300 45:40 - 45:46

He doesn't like a woman named,
he calls Jezebel,

2742992 45:43 - 45:49

who is one of the prophets in
one the churches.

2745800 45:46 - 45:52

He doesn't like rich people.

2748389 45:48 - 45:54

He says stuff about idolatry
which makes it sound like he

2751199 45:51 - 45:57

doesn't like people who are
eating meat sacrificed to idols.

2754309 45:54 - 46:00

We don't think there were any
of these churches that were

2757085 45:57 - 46:03

actually practicing pagan
idolatry.

2758920 45:59 - 46:05

What's probably going on is,
he knows that there are some

2761646 46:02 - 46:08

Christians who eat meat
sacrificed to idols,

2763739 46:04 - 46:10

and he calls that idolatry.

2765250 46:05 - 46:11

Now let's think about it,
which churches are in this area

2769313 46:09 - 46:15

of western Asia Minor that have
women as leaders in them,

2773670 46:14 - 46:20

they've been told by their
apostle that it's okay to eat

2776824 46:17 - 46:23

meat sacrificed to idols,
and some of them are not that

2780539 46:21 - 46:27

poor,
like there seem to be people in

2782358 46:22 - 46:28

Corinth who seem to be fairly
well off.

2784050 46:24 - 46:30

Maybe this guy,
and this is just a theory,

2786579 46:27 - 46:33

but I think it's fun to think
about,

2788260 46:28 - 46:34

maybe he's actually writing to
Paul's churches precisely

2791588 46:32 - 46:38

because he thinks they're too
comfortable with Roman rule,

2795280 46:35 - 46:41

and he wants to make them
uncomfortable with Roman rule in

2799322 46:39 - 46:45

order to turn them against Rome
and to convert him to his own

2803577 46:44 - 46:50

vision about this anti-Roman
version of the Gospel.

2807480 46:47 - 46:53

And that's why he constructs
the letter to say,

2809510 46:50 - 46:56

as I said, if you're troubled,
if you feel like you're

2812313 46:52 - 46:58

oppressed you're supposed to be
comforted by this text.

2815329 46:55 - 47:01

But if you're too comfortable
with the Pax Romana

2818898 46:59 - 47:05

you're supposed to be mad
uncomfortable by the text and

2822402 47:02 - 47:08

get on the right side.

2824090 47:04 - 47:10

On Wednesday we'll talk about
some texts that may have been

2827862 47:08 - 47:14

more comfortable with Roman
rule.

2830139 47:10 - 47:16

English subtitles

← 23. Apocalyptic and Resistance

English subtitles

← 23. Apocalyptic and Resistance

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