The Problem
The Book of Revelations in the Christian Bible is based on a series of visions seen by a person named John. Tradition tells us that the person who had these visions was among the first disciples of Jesus. Tradition also reports that the disciple that wrote the Gospel According to John and the three epistles from John is the disciple that wrote the Book of Revelations.The problem I have with the stories in the Book of Revelations is that there seems to be an inconsistency between the theology in these visions and the theology in the gospels. Specifically:
- Jesus seems to preach a gospel of love and yet Revelations tells us that over one third of all humanity will be killed by God as punishment for their sins.
- Satan appears at other locations in the Christian Bible and talks with God and with Jesus. In those conversations, Satan is an adversary, and yet Satan is treated with respect. In the Book of Revelations Satan is the enemy and Satan is destroyed.
I have never found those explanations satisfactory for two reasons.
- If God was restricted in his behavior in the earlier time, then there is something else that supersedes God. By definition, that is impossible and so we are left with a contradiction. God is omnipotent and yet restricted and limited.
- If, however, God has always had the power to destroy Satan but has withheld that power, then this implies that something will change. And, by definition, God is unchanging. So again we are left with a contradiction. God is unchanging and yet his behavior will change.
A Theory
I believe there is a solution to this problem. I believe that the Book of Revelations presents an incomplete report of the visions.In the previous chapter titled “On the Four Gospels” I explained that the Gospel According to John has few stage-six concepts when compared with the Gospel According to Luke. I believe the same limitation distorts the Book of Revelations. Consider the following:
| Stage | Characteristics | Revelations |
| 3 | People divide into groups. Our group is good and all other groups are evil. | People will be divided. Cities and nations will turn against each other. The good will be rewarded and the evil will be punished. |
| 4 | Groups can align to work towards common goals. The bond of a common goal is stronger than the divisiveness of cultural differences.
We act through roles. We define our self through the roles we play. | People from many lands will come to worship God. All the previous divisions into families, cities and nations will be forgotten as people choose whether or not to worship God.
Jesus, the prophets, the angels and others all have roles to fulfill. Their behaviors are limited by the roles they are required to fulfill. |
| 5 | We separate our self from the roles and groups that previously defined our identity. We seeks to act consistently and with integrity in all circumstances. | Each person is called to act with integrity. Individuals who are true disciples will be rewarded. The true followers will act with integrity even when they face persecution, torture and death. |
| 6 | None of us is any better than anyone else. We deceive ourselves if we think that our sins are less serious than those committed by someone else. Whatever role I have and whatever role you have can be switched tomorrow. The first will be last. The plank in my eye is larger than the splinter in your eye. | Those in power today will be surprised to find that those they persecuted will be the new rulers. |
Although the core theme in the Book of Revelation is a stage-six reversal, I do not find stage-six passages in this book. And thus, I propose a hypothesis. I believe that the Book of Revelations is a partial view of a bigger concept.
Rebuttal
The primary rebuttal to this hypothesis is the concept of inerrancy. That concept describes the Christian Bible as infallible and without error. I do not dispute that concept. Instead, I want to expand on it. Many Christians today have learned to integrate conflicting concepts into their personal beliefs. Personally, I believe the following:- I believe that the creation story in the Book of Genesis accurately describes events that happened within the time when people conveyed oral stories to future generations.
- I believe that Darwin describes a theory that fits the scientific evidence.
- I do not see a contradiction between those beliefs. I believe that as I explore each separately I learn more about how they fit together.
- I believe that the words written down by each of the people who wrote the books found in the Christian Bible accurately described exactly what that person knew.
- I believe in the scientific approach to Biblical study and accept the fact that editors work to select varying interpretations of numerous manuscripts to piece together the book we now call the Christian Bible.
- I do not see a contradiction between those beliefs. I believe that as I study the words and study the commentaries I learn more about what the author intended.
I believe this is the same approach that the Apostle Paul used when he fully embraced Jewish theology and the teachings of Jesus. I believe this is also the approach already adopted by most modern Christians. We accept contradictory thinking and know that the truth is larger than either limited view.
Implications
If the story told in the Book of Revelation is only part of the story, then the implication is that there is another part to this story.The concept called “Idealism” was first described by Plato. The core of that concept is that there is a perfect example for each object we encounter. When we look at an apple, for example, we compare what we see to the ideal of what we think an apple should look like. Fruit vendors charge a premium for the apples that look more idealistic.
If we adopt a similar approach to the Book of Revelations then there are visions that God gave John. John wrote down his understanding of those visions. Various editors have reworked John’s accounts to create what we now call the Book of Revelations. What we have today describes a stage-four concept in which groups come together for the common good, and yet some groups are good and some groups are evil.
In stage-five groups are no longer relevant. There is no denomination that is better because denominations are just groups of people. Groups might be judged in stage-three, but not in stage-five. When someone says “all Christians” or “all Blacks” or “all citizens” they express a stage-three concept. In stage-five you realize that each person is unique. There are people who wear the label of Christian while robbing banks. There are people who wear the label of “White” even though their ancestry is mixed. And in each community “all citizens” never agree and never act consistently. Stage-three groups are an arbitrary attempt to force people to be alike when they never have been and never will be.
The struggle between stage-three and stage-five concepts is clear in the earliest chapters in the Book of Revelations. Jesus calls upon each of seven churches to follow faithfully. Jesus threatens to punish several of those churches because of the behavior of certain people. The concept of punishing a group because of the behavior of an individual is a stage-three concept. The concept of calling upon individuals to be faithful followers is a stage-five concept.
In stage-six we realized that we all sin. We all fail to follow faithfully. We all are far from perfection. And thus, in stage-six we remember that we are not to judge others unless we are willing to accept the same judgment.
Relevance
The reason this hypothesis is important to me is because I see and hear too many people today using the Book of Revelations to justify their superiority. When any of us claims that we are among the chosen few while condemning others, we miss the point. Those types of interpretations are based on a few passages in the Book of Revelations. Those types of interpretations miss the core theme of that book – there will be a reversal. The core theme in the Book of Revelations aligns with the theology taught by Jesus – the first will be last and the last will be first.That is the theme found in the Sermon on the Mount. That is the theme of the parables told against the Pharisees. And that is the theme found in the Book of Revelations.
Where this gets twisted is when people who today have power use passages from the Book of Revelations to justify their positions. In doing that they miss the point – those with power will have it taken away.
The Book of Revelations also gets misapplied when people read this book and learn fear. Jesus did not preach terror. Jesus appealed to people to be faithful. We need to remember that the Jesus who appears in the Book of Revelations is the same Jesus that taught the Sermon on the Mount. He is consistent.
The warnings found in the Book of Revelations are not meant to terrorize the faithful – only to remind us to persist. The warnings found in the Book of Revelations are not a weapon that we can take into our possession and turn against our enemies. The key theme in the Book of Revelations is that of a reversal. Those who have the power will have it taken away. Those who have suffered will be comforted. If I use Revelations to justify judging someone else then I put myself into a position of power – and thus I judge myself.
And that is where we find the stage-six message in the Book of Revelations.