The Apocalypse of St. John – How to Understand It?

Apocalypse (from Greek ἀποκάλυψις apokalypsis ‘unveiling, removal of the veil, revelation’) – a description of a special kind of prophecy concerning what is to happen in the last days, delivered by God to a chosen prophet. The Apocalypse contains symbolic visions revealing God’s perspective on history in light of what is to come.

Revelation, as the last book of the New Testament, is a summary of the entire Bible and a prophetic message concerning the future of the world and of people who believe in and follow Jesus Christ. This message was written down by John, likely one of the disciples of Jesus known to us, although this is not explicitly stated in the Bible.

Note! We recommend reading the book of Revelation beforehand, or reading it alongside this short introduction, to better understand its message.

John’s Revelation begins and ends like a letter, and it was written to seven specific churches in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), which was a province of ancient Rome.

The number seven is very significant in the Bible and represents God’s fullness, the completion of a certain period of time — much like the seven days of the week. This number appears very often in this book, along with other symbols and numbers, yet the whole of John’s Revelation is not some secret code for exactly when and what will happen at the end of time. In this book, John uses symbols and stories that already appear earlier in other books of the Bible, in order to reference them and build a coherent whole. To interpret this book, we should be familiar with the whole Bible and the meaning of the stories used in it.

“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place, and he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last.” Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamum, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.” — Revelation 1:1-11

John’s Revelation addresses specific situations of seven churches — cities in Asia Minor. They were not chosen at random. In the New Testament we find at least 11 other cities mentioned in this region, yet God draws our attention only to these seven. It’s worth adding that this territory was a mission field for many believers: the apostles Paul and Peter, Priscilla and Aquila, Apollos, Timothy, Tychicus, Epaphras, and, toward the end of his life, John as well, who had previously been in Jerusalem. Before being exiled to the island of Patmos, John lived in the capital of this province — Ephesus, which had the largest port and greatest importance.

THE SEVEN CHURCHES 

Jesus compares the seven churches to seven lampstands among which he walks. This is a reference to a passage from Zechariah chapter 4. God shows us specific problems that churches have struggled with, and will struggle with, throughout the whole history of his absence. Some, through wealth and abundance, will fall into LAZINESS and INDIFFERENCE. In others, IMMORALITY will spread (they used the services of pagan temple prostitutes). In others still, believers will remain FAITHFUL to Jesus and will suffer persecution for it. Interestingly, only two of them (Smyrna and Philadelphia) — the ones that received praise — have endured to this day, and believers and churches can still be found in those cities. In these churches we should be able to find a reflection of where we currently stand. Are we in a good place?

• Ephesus (meaning: desired, loosening, relaxation) – a warning against being completely snuffed out. A church that abandoned its first love (Rev 2:4). A church stripped of love. It should keep a balance between deeds and love and relationship.
• Smyrna (meaning: myrrh, bitterness) – PRAISE with no reservations. A church suffering persecution (Rev 2:10). A persecuted, intimidated church.
• Pergamum (meaning: high citadel, wholly married) – a mixture of good and evil. A church that needs to repent (Rev 2:16). A church that is too tolerant. At risk of doctrinal compromise.
• Thyatira (meaning: continual sacrifice, fragrant tree) – a mixture of good and evil. A church that tolerated a false prophetess (Rev 2:20). A church heading toward moral compromise.
• Sardis (meaning: escaping one, renewal) – a mixture of good and evil. A church that fell asleep and lost its watchfulness (Rev 3:2-3). A sleeping (dead) church. Spiritual death. Rebuke.
• Philadelphia (meaning: brotherly love) – PRAISE with no reservations. A church that endured (Rev 3:10). A church of great opportunity.
• Laodicea (meaning: rule over the people, judgment of the people) – a warning against being completely snuffed out. Near Denizli – a lukewarm church (Rev 3:16). A self-satisfied, indifferent church. Rebuke.

Jesus says it will get worse, and that a greater tribulation is coming, which will force people to take a side — for God and faithfulness, or against.

Jesus calls us to faithfulness and promises us rewards that we will receive in the New Creation. John’s Revelation shows this throughout, and asks the question: will we endure and receive these rewards?

Faithfulness to Jesus = overcoming!

THE THRONE OF GOD AND THE LAMB

In this section we see an image of the one, exalted God, holding a sealed scroll in his hand. This is:

• A reminder of the message of the Old Testament prophets regarding the coming judgment of God, which is to take place on earth.
• It’s a message of the coming of the Kingdom of God in its full measure, which will be established on earth just as it is in HEAVEN.
• A message that only Jesus – the Messiah can open the scroll and bring the Kingdom of God to Earth.
• The image of the Slain Lamb, which symbolizes Jesus’s victorious work and the beginning of bringing this Kingdom to earth, and the answer to the Old Testament prophecies.
• An image showing that his death was a victory, not a defeat. God and the Lamb are praised as one God!
• The image of the Lamb, who has the POWER to carry everything through TO THE END!

THREE CYCLES / SETS OF SEVENS

This section shows how God’s Kingdom (as it is in Heaven) and judgment come to earth. 

Some believe that these are chronological events that either happened in the past, are happening now, or will happen in the future. However, it’s more likely that this section presents the same thing from three different aspects, three different pictures. These passages have the same beginning and the same end! God presents the same period of time — from the RESURRECTION to his second coming — from 3 different perspectives! All the plagues described here are preceded by the opening of the Lamb’s scroll, which I’ll write about a bit further on.

The Seven Seals

• 1-4: The first four seals describe the four horsemen of the apocalypse — announcing a time of War, Conquest, Famine, and Death. Read Zechariah 1 for comparison. This kind of situation happens on earth all the time, because of our human fall and corruption. It’s our fall and our separation from God that makes us fight one another, and through our bad decisions the whole earth suffers.

• 5: At the fifth seal, the slain martyrs raise their voice and cry out to God (the smoke from the altar) for justice. God says it will get worse still…

• 6: At the sixth seal, God’s answer to the cries and pleas of the righteous appears. This is a picture of the coming of the DAY OF THE LORD (Isaiah 2; Joel 2). The question that arises here is: WHO WILL REMAIN STANDING? John explains that these will be the sealed servants of God who endured and remained faithful. He hears the number 144,000, but he SEES with his own eyes the ARMY of the Lamb made up of people of every language and nation. The promise given to ABRAHAM — of a people like the sand of the sea — is fulfilled. The conclusion is that only those REDEEMED BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB from every nation will remain!

One of the messages of this passage is that we are not called to kill our enemies, but to suffer and to BEAR WITNESS, just as the LAMB — Jesus — did.

• 7: At the seventh seal, fire (the cry of the martyrs) is thrown down upon the earth to complete the DAY OF THE LORD and begin the JUDGMENT!

The Seven Trumpets

John’s Revelation once again tells the same story from the beginning, but in a different way, from a slightly different perspective:

• 1-5: The first five trumpets show a picture similar to the one with the seals. This time, however, the bad things appear as Egyptian-style plagues, coming upon the world as if in response to the pride of this world — much like in the case of Pharaoh.

• 6: The sixth trumpet releases 4 horsemen, similar to those who appeared at seals 1–4.

YET THE NATIONS DID NOT REPENT DESPITE THESE PLAGUES, just as in the example of Pharaoh! The conclusion is that plagues alone will not bring people to repentance! So at this point, the content of the Lamb’s open scroll appears, which is the solution to this problem! An ANGEL brings the scroll OPENED by the LAMB, and John is told to EAT it (just as Ezekiel himself did in the book of Ezekiel) and PROCLAIM its message to the nations! This means that only its message can help the nations repent!

The Open Scroll of the Lamb

1. In it we see a description of God’s tabernacle (without the courtyard), which reflects the image of the CHURCH and its martyrs, who are set apart for God. The courtyard of the tabernacle was a place meant for people from the world, so that the church could serve them. But here, only the image of God’s own people is shown. God protects and sets apart his people, who are victorious despite persecution. God gives us victory even over our own physical death. Jesus told us not to fear those who kill the body, since they cannot kill our soul or affect our salvation and our being with God for eternity.
2. Secondly, we see two witnesses sent to the nations. They are called the TWO LAMPSTANDS. Comparing this with the beginning of this book and the letters to the 7 churches, we could call them two symbolic types of CHURCHES. Believers and the church are meant to be a light to the world! Here the church is portrayed in the role of the PROPHETS ELIJAH and MOSES, proclaiming the message to the nations! Elijah is a picture of a prophet who fought against King Ahab and a false prophetess (corrupt authorities). Because of his prayer, there was no rain in Israel for 3.5 years — that is, 1,260 days. This is a very characteristic number in this book too, and it’s worth remembering. 3.5 years is half of 7, and it represents a time of tribulation and the activity of evil powers. A BEAST also APPEARS (cf. Daniel 7) which pictures the working of a spiritual FORCE OF DARKNESS. It kills these two witnesses, but God raises them again from the dead, and they are exalted in the sight of their persecutors! For 2,000 years the devil has tried to kill the church in many ways, yet each time it is raised up again by God! IN THE END, people repent and turn away from their sins! That’s the only way to save the world! The “Egyptian plagues” accomplish nothing — WHICH IS WHY God calls his CHURCH to proclaim the message of the “scroll,” that is, the message of the gospel, and to be a light to this world.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD will be revealed when the WORLD sees how the CHURCH imitates the LOVE OF THE LAMB, who does not kill his enemies, but dies for them! GOD’S MERCY and LOVE, not severity, will bring the nations to repentance. The church must proclaim God’s justice and mercy.

• 7: When the seventh trumpet sounds, the nations are seized with fear, because the Kingdom of God is coming to earth just as it is in Heaven. As with the 7 seals, this will be tied to judgment upon the nations.

BEASTS FIGHTING AGAINST GOD’S PEOPLE

COSMIC BATTLE

Now we have a description of two battles taking place — one in the spiritual realm, and the other in earthly reality. At this point, God helps us understand who the beast was that had earlier fought against God’s people. It explains what really lies behind the persecution of the church — what this age-old battle of the SERPENT against MANKIND actually is. The SERPENT is SATAN as the DRAGON, who attacks the WOMAN (the church), the Messiah, and her children. But the MESSIAH defeats the DRAGON through his death and resurrection, so the DRAGON is cast down to earth. This is exactly WHY the devil stirs up persecution against believers on earth — taking revenge on innocent people for his own defeat. BELIEVERS, however, overcome him by resisting him, even at the cost of their lives! By remaining faithful to God and showing love to their enemies, just as Jesus did when he was slain.

NEITHER ROME nor any other human is our true enemy — but DEMONIC POWERS and SATAN

“And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”

Revelation 12:11

THE EARTHLY BATTLE

Now God describes what this battle will look like from the physical, earthly side. The same picture of two beasts and the fight with the powers of darkness is described in Daniel chapters 7–12. These are the very TWO demonic BEASTS sent by the DRAGON, who exercise power through:

1. MILITARY FORCE — conquering through violence.
2. THE ECONOMIC MACHINE — exalted to the rank of God, forcing obedience to mammon as if it were God. Jesus said we should be obedient to God, not to mammon.

Both of these powers demand the full obedience of the NATIONS, symbolized by the number 666 on the forehead and right hand. The number 6 is simply the number of man. Man was created on the sixth day, so this number speaks of acting in a human way — without God.

The number 666 literally spelled out “Emperor Nero” and “Beast,” since letters had their own numeric value. This is also the so-called ANTI-SHEMA. In the Old Testament, the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-8) is a prayer of obedience to God, written specifically on the hand and forehead. It represented the DEVOTION of all THOUGHTS and DEEDS in obedience to the ONE true God. Here, however, God is pictorially showing that people think and are obedient to Nero and the beast instead of to him. Nero, though, was only one example of this pattern!

NATIONS become “BEASTS” when their power and economic might are exalted as false gods and demand total obedience (as with Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome…). Then a nation becomes a beast that cooperates with the forces of evil. The same thing will happen with other nations that follow this same path. This pattern doesn’t apply only to nations, but to any social group or individual person. Whenever we are not obedient to the true God, it’s as if we were marking ourselves on the hand and forehead as belonging to this world and its ruler.

THE NEW JERUSALEM

God also shows us a picture of the New Jerusalem — a city, a capital, that will gather all the nations together. It is to Jerusalem, to the Mount of Olives, that Jesus will return! Jerusalem is the opposite of Babylon. It proclaims good news and repentance to the nations so that they may worship the One True God! So that they may come out of the system of BABYLON, which will finally fall!

THE FINAL JUDGMENT

The final judgment is presented as two harvests:

1. The first, good harvest is the one in which Jesus gathers his people — the harvest of God’s people (the wheat), just as Jesus himself foretold in his parables.
2. The second harvest is the harvest of the vine, that is, of evil people. They are trampled in the winepress.

WILL THE CHURCH (in the context of the 7 churches) follow the beast, or follow the Lamb?

The Seven Bowls

John’s Revelation again tells the same story from the beginning, but from another perspective:

• 1-5: In the first five bowls, the Egyptian-style plagues are repeated once again — and, as we know, they accomplish nothing. In the Bible, the number 5 is often associated with God’s grace and mercy.

• 6: At the sixth bowl, the dragon and the beast gather the nations to wage WAR against God’s people at a place called ARMAGEDDON (in Israel).

This may mean an actual battle on the northern plain of Israel, or it may be a SYMBOL of the final reckoning with the evil of REBELLIOUS nations. In Ezekiel chapters 38–39, we encounter God’s battle with Gog. Gog was also a symbol of rebellious nations awaiting judgment. It’s a very similar picture.

• 7: The seventh bowl again brings God’s judgment.

THE COMING OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

THE FALL OF BABYLON

At the end, John’s Revelation writes about a Woman dressed like a queen, drunk with the blood of martyrs and innocent people, riding on the DRAGON. This is a symbol of REBELLIOUS NATIONS — of BABYLON and of the PROSTITUTE. The MILITARY and ECONOMIC power of these two beasts must fall. Cities like Rome or Babylon are only examples of such kingdoms, such nations. It’s about exalting one’s own military or economic might to the rank of God, and being driven by pride. This is a description of the state of humanity at every point in history. Babylons rise and fall in various forms. Jesus, however, WILL RETURN and replace BABYLON with his own KINGDOM, as is shown in the book of Daniel, where a stone cut from Heaven destroys the great statue symbolizing the great kingdoms of the earth!

THE FINAL BATTLE

Earlier, the DAY OF THE LORD was described as fire, an earthquake, or a harvest, and now it’s described twice as a BATTLE. As a result of it, the martyrs are exalted and evil is defeated!

The First Battle

Here we return to the sixth bowl, where the nations gathered together to oppose God. Jesus appears on a white horse, and he is to be victorious! His only weapon is the SWORD of his mouth. In the Bible, the sword is a symbol of the Word of God, which will judge the NATIONS (Isaiah 11:4; 49:2). Jesus spoke of how the Word of God would judge the nations.

This is not a picture of a bloody massacre, but of the PERSON OF JESUS. It was he who shed his own blood for his enemies, and he is COMING to announce JUDGMENT and to judge the nations according to the Word that was addressed to them! He will hold accountable all who refused to repent and to listen to his words. The fire that evil people kindled will be the place of their own destination.

THE 1,000-YEAR REIGN 

Here, the followers of Jesus who were earlier put to death by Babylon are brought back to life and, at the side of the Messiah, rule the world for 1,000 years. There are two main views of these events, holding that this is either:

• A literal chronology, that is: the Return of Jesus – the 1,000-year reign – the final judgment.
• A symbol (the 1,000 years) of Jesus’s present victory on the cross, with the two battles simply being a description of Jesus’s return from two different perspectives.

THE SECOND BATTLE

Here the DRAGON is described, leading the nations into the greatest rebellion in the world against GOD’S kingdom. But before God’s JUDGMENT, everyone faces eternal consequences for their defeat. The Demonic Spiritual Powers of Evil, and everyone associated with them, also end up in hell. They get exactly what they asked for — a life for themselves alone. All evil is judged. 

THE MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN AND EARTH

At the very end, John’s Revelation finally shows us the Bride, the wife of the Lamb, who symbolizes the Church. She symbolizes the NEW creation that comes to join God and his covenant, to be married, and to be together forever from then on. God comes to dwell with us forever and to make all things new. From then on, everything will be as it was at the beginning, in the GARDEN OF EDEN.

• A NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH, from Isaiah 65:17
• A NEW GARDEN OF EDEN, from Genesis 2; Ezekiel 47
• THE NEW JERUSALEM, from Isaiah 2; Zephaniah 3 — and all the nations living in harmony with God!

There is no longer a TEMPLE, because we now have a direct relationship with him. We will no longer need one.

Closing Word

Every human kingdom sooner or later becomes a “Babylon,” which must be resisted through the power of the slain Lamb. In the end, Jesus will return and renew everything, and he will judge the nations and the powers of darkness standing behind them. John’s Revelation shows us that good, in the form of God, will win and will defeat all evil once and for all!

John’s Revelation does not refer only to a short period at the end of time. That wouldn’t make sense. Why would Jesus care only about a small group of people during a short period — say, even 50 years — at the very end of time, while treating everyone else from the previous 2,000 years so lightly? That would be like saying that, in some sense, the people at the end of the world matter more than the billions of people who lived throughout the whole preceding 2,000 years. There will always be plenty of people who like nothing more than conspiracy theories, sensationalism, and “hidden” things. The message of the gospel is open and clear!

Does this mean that Jesus doesn’t speak about the end times at all? No! Many characteristic things will be fulfilled at the end of time and will serve as signs for us — such as the rebuilding of the temple and the placing of the abomination of desolation in it, although some claim this has already happened. Jesus says that the gospel will be preached throughout the whole world, and this too is already a fact — there is no place where it has not been preached. Jesus also says that he will descend on the Mount of Olives and pass through the currently sealed Golden Gate in Jerusalem… But what does that change? That is not the heart of the gospel. Should we only start caring about God the moment we see the end times arrive? That would be laughable :) Someone once asked one of the “saints,” a devout person who happened to be weeding his garden beds in front of his house, what he would do if Jesus came right now. He replied that he would keep weeding his garden beds! He was simply always ready, and lived with God every single day! We too must always be ready for Jesus’s coming. We cannot be asleep or lukewarm. This is the message of John’s Revelation: to always be ready, to be hot for him (not lukewarm like Laodicea), and to always maintain a relationship of love with him and his church (Philadelphia). To be salt and light, revealing the message of the gospel to this world despite obstacles and suffering (Smyrna).

These seven churches, chosen not by accident, should always serve as an example to us of what is right. For Europe, Poland, and Western countries, perhaps the church in Laodicea speaks more to us today. Yet at the very SAME time, for countries in the Far East and other regions, the church in Smyrna may speak more, because of the persecution they face. Let’s broaden our view of the church and see it in the context of the whole earth!

Always Ready

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you. Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

Matthew 25:1-13

The five foolish virgins were not the ones who had no lamps. They had lamps — the problem was that they had no reserve of oil for their lamps. Oil represents God’s presence — the Holy Spirit. They had relied on others their whole lives, but they themselves never had a relationship with him. They moved among Christians and people who DID have a relationship with God, but they themselves never possessed one in their own lives. We need to stay constantly connected to the source of the OIL — our God. Then we will always have him in abundance. That’s why Jesus said to the foolish virgins, “I do not know you.” They simply had no relationship with him. Build a strong, lasting relationship with God through Jesus Christ today, and simply remain in it. Always be ready!