Apocalypse of John Introductory vision

A cordial greeting for all the spectators.

With this talk we begin a new series dedicated to the Book of Revelation, the Apocalypse of John, the last book of the New Testament. A fascinating but difficult book. Difficult because it writes in a different literary genre as we are used to today.

The book that John wrote, towards the end of the first century after Christ, belongs to a literary genre that nowadays is called ‘apocalyptic, and that is precisely what the title gives to the last book of the New Testament.

The first word of this book is precisely 'apocalypse'. The first difficulty is that this word in our modern languages, especially in the mouth of reporters, the word ‘apocalypse’ is used to refer to catastrophes, disastrous events.

Actually, the Greek word Ἀποκάλυψις = ‘apocalypsis’ means 'revelation' as the book is known in English. It is made up of two words: ‘apó’ which is a preposition indicating elimination, exclusion and ‘calipto’, a verb that means to hide, to cover something. So, if one removes what covers it, one ‘re-veils’ = removes the veil to show what is hidden there. ‘Apocalypse’ means ‘revelation’.

And the text continues: "revelation of Jesus Christ." What does this book show? In general, many will answer this question saying: "the end of the world." Let us say right from the start that the book of Revelation does not speak of the end of the world. It is titled: "Apocalypse of Jesus Christ", that is, the revelation of Jesus, who is the Christ.

Therefore, like all the other books of the New Testament, this book speaks also of Jesus Christ. It reveals who is Jesus the Messiah. Above all, it reveals what is his role in leading the world. John starts from the contemplation of the Risen Christ, that is, of the Christ after Easter, after the mystery of death and resurrection. And from his ascension to heaven, sitting at the right hand of the Father, and reigning. Saint Paul had already written to the Corinthians: "Christ must reign until he puts all his enemies under his feet" (1 Cor 15:25).

The book of Revelation shows the history of salvation from the beginning, from Adam, even from the fall of the angels, to count all stages of God's mercy intervening in human history to save us. The decisive event that has reversed the situation is the death and resurrection of Jesus. Now is when the kingdom has arrived. The Risen One ascended to heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father; and in his kingdom, there will be no end. The Lord took possession of his kingdom. He inaugurated the kingdom and is reigning, although things in the world continue to go wrong.

Christians in the first communities, especially those who lived around Saint John, in the vicinity of Ephesus, the capital of the province of Asia—and that today is Turkey, on the west coast of Turkey—Christians in that environment were in serious difficulties and perhaps someone may have wondered how it is possible to affirm that Christ reigns, that He is the ruler, if instead it is the emperor of Rome who rules? And there are many other forces that oppress us: the laws of the economy, the market ... and we are in a situation of great discomfort, of oppression.

The book of Revelation was born as a work of comfort and encouragement and is naturally directed to a believing community that is going through tough tests. This is typical of the apocalyptic genre. He who writes a revelation wants to show what is going on beyond the veil. Therefore, we are not abandoned; the world is not at the mercy of dark forces; even if evil seems to be prevalent; the kingdom belongs to the Lord and to his Christ. Therefore, John reveals the lordship of Christ to comfort his Christians in difficulty and to encourage them to be consistent in the witness of their Christian faith.

Christians had different kinds of difficulties:

First, confronting the Romans because the empire began to ask obedience and adoration to the emperor as divinity. And they had even more serious problems with the Greek: their philosophical and magical mindset very widespread in the atmosphere of Ephesus.

They also had problems with the Jews who were very strong in that region in the 80’s. The Jews had strong controversies against those whom they considered Christian heretics.

They also had difficulty within the community because divisions had been created with different opinions and some Christians were of one mind-set and others had a different one. And the groups were facing each other.

In this difficult situation, the Book of Revelation, the Apocalypse of Jesus Christ according to John is born. The first verses of this work are a presentation title. And then the work is presented like a letter from John to the seven Churches that are in Asia. When "Asia" is mentioned, it refers to the Roman province called thus; today we use the term Asia to indicate a huge continent. In John's time, it was a small region where there were seven cities to which John directs the messages. These were not the only cities that had Christian communities, but numbers in the Book of Revelation do not have a quantitative meaning but qualitative meaning.

And when John writes 'seven', it means the whole. Writing to the seven Churches, means that John writes to all the churches, symbolized by these seven concrete ones. "Grace to you and peace" ... it seems like a Pauline beginning; it seems to be the beginning of a letter. The desired peace and grace come from three sources, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. "From him who is and who was and who is to come”.

God presents himself with these three temporal nuances: in the past, in the present and in the imminent future. It does not say that ‘it will be’ but that ‘comes’, that it ‘is coming.’

Second source: "from the seven spirits before his throne.” It is the Holy Spirit imagined in seven flames, in seven forms. In the liturgy, we call the Spirit: ‘septiform’ (seven forms) and we talk about the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit to indicate the totality of the Spirit and of the grace that emanates from Him.

Third source: "From Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth." Three important titles are awarded to Christ. He is the faithful witness, and, better to say trustworthy, guarantor and credible; He is the one who guarantees the revelation of God and the resurrection of the faithful. He is the firstborn of the dead; the first of the dead who have been begotten to new life; He is the first of the resurrected, He is the guarantor precisely because he is the first to have gone through that situation, and became the prince and ruler of the kings of the earth. For this reason, He can guarantee the faithful ‘grace and peace.’

Then follows a kind of liturgical acclamation:

“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father, to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.”

The book of Revelation opens as a liturgical gathering. And indeed, the Apocalypse, the book of Revelation, is a liturgy. It was born in the liturgy as a reflection on the ‘ancient scriptures,’ and a contemporary meditation on the power that the Risen Christ exercises in history. Therefore, the Christian community gathered for the liturgical celebration feels and lives the presence of the Risen Christ who acts here and now with force.

In verse 9 the author John narrates the initial setting. A manifestation of the Risen Christ who gave him the commission to write. It narrates a kind of prophetic vocation.

"I, John, your brother, who share with you the distress, the kingdom, and the endurance we have in Jesus."

John says: ‘Like you, I too am in a difficult situation, and like you I am responsible for the situation in the world. And just like you, I try hard to resist. The Apocalypse is a work of resistance; a religious manifesto that invites the faithful to resistance.

"I found myself on the island called Patmos because I proclaimed God’s word and gave testimony to Jesus.”

John was exiled on a rocky islet near the shores of Ephesus. He was incommunicado with the community because he was considered a dangerous person. And while he is in this exile, outside the social environment, he has a strong experience. "I was caught up in spirit on the Lord’s day," says Scripture. There are translations that say ‘in ecstasy’ but I don't like this at all. There is no talk of rapture or ecstasy. There is talk of a becoming in the Spirit, of a deepening in the condition of a prophet who, letting himself be guided by the Spirit, deeply understands the meaning of life and history.

It was on the Lord's day, a Sunday. It is the day of the Resurrection, the day of Easter. Precisely in the liturgical context of the first day of the week. "I heard behind me a voice as loud as a trumpet... Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me.” He turns and as he does he sees a character “one like a son of man.”

It is important to note this symbolic account of hearing something and he turned—turning around—and seeing face to face. It represents the passage from the Old to the New Testament. Previously, he heard a voice from behind ... only one voice; then, having turned, that is, having converted, John could see face to face the Risen Christ, described with all the elements taken from the ancient prophets, especially from Daniel and Ezekiel.

If you have a Bible at hand, you will be able to see the marginal references that refer to the Old Testament. And if you have a little patience and go find those texts you will see that the description of this celestial character is made with pre-existing literal references; a kind of collage, a mosaic with elements that already existed. What John is saying is that the glorious character of the Son of Man, whom the prophets have talked about, is the same one that he has seen.

And it is the Risen Christ.

“One like a son of man, wearing an ankle-length robe, with a gold sash around his chest. The hair of his head was as white as white wool or as snow.”

Have you ever imagined Christ with white hair? Why does he present Him that way? Because in the book of Daniel it is mentioned that the Eternal Father is represented with white hair. It is a title of honor, of respect, of antiquity. It is a symbolic element that characterizes divinity. Therefore, to present Jesus with the characteristics of the Eternal Father means, with the symbolic language of the Apocalypse, to attribute to the Son of Man a divine quality. This play on words is important because it communicates a theological message.

"His eyes were like a fiery flame. His feet were like polished brass refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing water. In his right hand he held seven stars. A sharp two-edged sword came out of his mouth, and his face shone like the sun at its brightest. When I caught sight of him, I fell down at his feet as though dead.”

Creature's reaction to the appearance of the divine is one of extreme weakness. "He touched me with his right hand and said, ‘Do not be afraid’”. This is the initial symbol. The Risen Christ presents himself to the community in the person of the prophet who guides that community, puts his hand on that man, fallen as though dead and says: Do not be afraid! “I am the first and the last, the one who lives. Once I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever. I hold the keys to death and the netherworld.”

This is the clearest element that characterizes the Lord Jesus: ‘I was dead, but I am alive.’ In this way, he presents the figure of the dead and risen Christ. Currently in the reigning position of the one who has the keys. The keys to the world of the dead. He is the boss. He is the one who can open it. He is the one who wants to open it and says to John and, through John, to the community and also to us: ‘Do not be afraid ... in the universe I am the one who commands ... keep in mind my situation of weakness and death, but also keep in mind that I have overcome death and I rule the universe; I have the power over death.’

Therefore, "write down, therefore, what you have seen" and send it to the seven Churches. Vision is the starting point of mission. Having made the strong experience of the Risen Christ, John must communicate his experience to others. ‘Because you have seen me, write to the seven Churches’.

And what follows is the symbolic description that John offers of the kingdom of Christ in the history of the world. And continuing with the direct speech, the Risen Christ manifests himself to John and dictates seven messages to seven Christian communities that lived in the Ephesus area. They are the seven letters that occupy chapters two and three of the book of Revelation.

But we will talk about this in the next conversation. Until next time.