How to Read the Revelation
(Editorial - May 2002)
In the communication section (“Varied Views of Prophecy”), an appeal has again been received that we tolerate other than the “traditional view” in regard to interpretations of prophecy.
Our previous comments on this matter urged that we should leave room for discussion on some issues such as the identity of the Gogian invader of Ezekiel 38, the role of the Arabs and Islam in the latter days, etc. This month’s letter raises a different issue, however: Does the “Harlot” in the Revelation refer to the system of false Christianity or does it refer to something else?
A
religious matter
Our discussions regarding Gog, Tarshish and the Arabs deal primarily with
nations and their political and military movements. The debates center on
whether or not the Arabs will defeat Israel, or whether Gog invades the land
before or after Christ’s enthronement, or whether Britain can be identified
as Tarshish. While opinions may differ, the discussions never involve
fundamentals of the faith.
The harlot in the Revelation, however, persecutes the believers as she is “drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus…And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth” (Rev. 17:6; 18:24). Further “the harlot” is a scriptural symbol of false religion which must be avoided at all costs: “Thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods…they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses;” “They have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery…” (Jer. 5:7; Ezk. 23:37). “Thou sufferest that woman Jezebel…to teach and to seduce my servants…I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation…” (Rev. 2:20-22). Here is a symbol we must rightly identify that we might firmly resist the harlot’s appeal and not capitulate to her pressure.
It is our firm conviction the harlot symbol has been rightly identified as the system of apostacy which has plagued believers since the first century.
Revelation and Daniel
There is no doubting the difficulty in precisely understanding all the
symbols in the Revelation. We are greatly helped, however, by noting the
book’s striking similarity to the prophecy of Daniel. In fact, the book of
Daniel is quoted or directly alluded to more than 65 times in the
Revelation. The only other book so frequently cited is Ezekiel, which is
four times the length of Daniel.
Two examples of similarities in the books will suffice: The opening vision of Christ (Rev. 1:13-16) is almost identical to the divine messenger described in Daniel (10:5-7), and the beast of Revelation 13:1-2 is a composite of those in Daniel 7:4-7.
The reason for the book of Daniel is not difficult to discern. The voice of the prophets was to be stilled in Israel for more than 400 years. During this long period of silence, the Jewish people could well sink into despair that God had deserted them and would not keep His promise of the Deliverer. With the prophecies in Daniel, however, they could see the word of God being fulfilled as the prophesied historical events came to pass. God was still working out His plan; the Deliverer would surely come.
Yet, no doubt, those living early in the period of silence were as puzzled by some of Daniel’s prophecies as we are by some in the Revelation. Just imagine trying to figure out Daniel 11 before the events occurred. With the history of the period in one hand, we can see exactly what Daniel is about. And those living through the events would find the interpretation playing out before their eyes.
Now it strikes us as wholly unreasonable to think that God would provide such a reassuring prophecy during the Jewish period of silence and not do the same for those under the New Covenant who endure an even longer period of silence. Once those possessing holy spirit gifts faded from the scene, the ecclesia faced centuries of silence as it awaited the Lord. It’s clear even in New Testament times that no such waiting period was anticipated, and even we find ourselves being disappointed that the Lord didn’t come in 1948 or 2000. Thus the giving of the Revelation. To reassure the ecclesia down through the centuries that God’s plan was still working its way through to its conclusion, prophecies were given that could be understood as the historical events occurred. God is still working out His plan; the Deliverer will surely come!
As with Daniel so with the Revelation, many of the prophecies can’t be understood until they are fulfilled. But those living during the events can tell well enough what the prophecies are about. In fact, in a case like Revelation 12, those living during the age of Constantine would hear the words of verse 10 loudly proclaimed when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman empire. In our day, the details of that period are so lost in the mists of time that we struggle with the words far more than those who were close to the events.
Limited perspective
Recognizing the reasons for Daniel and the Revelation helps us understand
the scope of the events covered in the prophecies. The four world empires
in Daniel actually covered only a portion of the inhabited world. There
were, at that time, other great civilizations in India, China and elsewhere
which receive no mention. But the empires referenced in Daniel covered the
world of the Jewish people and also those nations having impact on the land
of Israel. There was clearly a focus on the land of promise.
In fact, a marked difference is seen with the fourth ‘world’ empire in that, while it dominated Israel, it did not extend to the east as did the three previous empires. It reached much further west, however, and included the lands to which Christianity was to primarily spread. The focus evidently shifted from the people of the Old Covenant to those of the New Covenant.
Given the background of Daniel, we can anticipate the scope of the prophecies in the Revelation. The prophecies do not encompass all the earth, but they do cover the world of the believers since the late first century. That is a reasonable focus for that is the community for whom the book is undoubtedly written.
The
harlot
Down through these centuries, there has been one prominent religious system
which has been the persecutor of God’s people. In like manner, the
believers were in danger of committing religious adultery with this system.
While some Jews persecuted the start-up ecclesias during Paul’s missionary journeys, over the past 19 centuries the Jewish people have been themselves the objects of one wave of persecution after another. There is no way they fit the terms of the harlot of Revelation. Further, the Jewish religion has been no threat to Christianity as it has struggled to survive in a persecuted people scattered around the world.
From the 7th through 11th centuries, Islam made advances in northern Africa, the Mid-east, Central Asia and southern Europe, impacting Christians in many areas and, as expected, the Islamic movement finds its place in the pages of the Revelation. In our time, believers in Muslim countries still face persecution. Yet the Islamic religion rarely appeals to Christians, and their role as a persecutor of the saints has been limited. Islam does not fit the harlot symbol.
The only system which has persistently persecuted believers over the centuries and with whom the believer is in danger of committing spiritual fornication is Christianity which has gone astray. It arose very early in the ecclesia’s history and quickly became a tormentor of those holding the true faith. Further, since it developed from the ecclesia and has always been “Christian,” the faithful have continually been seduced to believe differences in doctrine don’t really matter.
In our opinion, while we should tolerate discussion on some aspects of prophecy, we have every right to strongly defend our identity of the harlot. To fail to do so is to risk blurring the line and to jeopardize our hold on the one true saving gospel.
Don Styles
Varied Views on Prophecy
(Communication - May 2002)
Dear Bro. Don,
It has been my lot to experience first hand the strong reaction of the brotherhood when they see an alternate perspective on prophecy other than what is now commonly called “The traditional view.” I have used the continuous historical method of analyzing the last 130 years of events that developed after the days of Bro. John Thomas and have come to different conclusions as to the identity of the harlot in Revelation. For this I have been labeled “a false prophet,” “a terrible Bible student,” etc.
In my opinion, any logical and reasonable discussion does not exist except for a small number of brethren for whom I am extremely grateful. Personal growth has been stifled in favor of what can be “cut and pasted” from the opinions of our prominent brethren.
Glen Simpson, Hamilton, Ontario
We strongly suspect other issues must be involved here in addition to an alternative view of the interpretation of the prophetic scriptures. In reading our literature for over 50 years, we have always noted several views being presented. Even those who expound Revelation according to the “continuous historical” view will have varied ideas on the application of specific symbols, and various ideas of updating the exposition of Dr. Thomas who believed Christ would return in 1870. You may have noted that there have been quite substantial differences from “The traditional view” after the fall of the USSR.
We noted the views of Bro. Fred Pearce, at one time associate editor of the Christadelphian, were significantly different from those of other brethren, and his views were published in that magazine. In a Bible class we were recently leading, several views were expressed regarding Ezekiel 38-39 and all were treated with courtesy.
If, however, someone expounds the Revelation so as to neutralize its condemnation of the apostate system, we can understand why one might deservedly meet very ardent opposition. The apostate system is Christianity’s equivalent to the false prophets in Israel. It is our firm opinion that we jeopardize our stand for the true gospel if we fail to clearly see God’s message of condemnation against the apostasy which has led millions away from Bible teaching. This issue is commented on further in the editorial.