Historical Context of Revelations

The Book of Revelation is often regarded as one of the most unsettling books of the Bible because of its imagery and message, and the cryptic message it offers, complete with multiple interpretations. Some believe Revelation is a signal for the upcoming end of the world through a holy battle between good and evil. Others believe it is an allegory for the times in which it was written, a political manifesto. Both interpretations have historical context and supporters from many different branches and denominations of Christianity, and it becomes possible to understand these and other interpretations through a careful study of the book and some interesting key verses and historical facts about the book. The Book of Revelation has a specific historical context including an author, purpose, and audience, that must be understood in order to fully access the meaning of the text.

Revelation 20:1–10 is an interesting part of the Bible that speaks to the end of the battle of good over evil when Jesus and his host will vanquish Satan and his host. Specifically, this section of the book details Satan’s imprisonment before the final battle, the battle itself, as well as the aftermath and the fate of Satan, the beast, and the false prophet, all of whom are cast into a lake of fire to burn for eternity.

Little is known about the author of Revelation from the work alone, though he is commonly referred to as “John of Patmos” or “John in Exile” (Philips). Patmos is a Greek island away from the mainland, and it is possible that John was here in exile or in hiding for being a Christian. The date of the writing is often placed as either circa 68¬–70 AD or between 90–95 AD. Whether the John accredited with this book was literally the apostle John is unknown, though it was common for biblical writers to use their names of other apostles or writers to convey gravitas and weight to their words (Cross). Still, it is commonly attributed that this John was John the Apostle. Scholars do know a bit more about John the Apostle. He is credited by the Church Fathers as the writer of the Book of John, the Epistles of John, and the Book of revelation. He supposedly outlived the other disciples and was on the Greek island of Patmos where he supposedly received the visions and messages from God that contributed to the writing of Revelation.

At this time in history and in this part of the world, Rome was in full power, and John would have been living in a world dominated by a strong Roman empire ruled by Nero, notable for his persecution of Christians, with some historical writers claiming that Nero burned Christians as lamps or torches to light his palaces (Boak and Sinnigen 216). Nero was considered one of the worst Roman emperors in regard to his treatment of Christians. Emperor Domitian, who ruled the Roman Empire from 81 to 96 AD, was also a persecutor of Christians, and it is possible he could have influenced John as well. Clearly, the Roman Empire was no friend to the early Christians, and the apocalyptic tone and some of the violent language and imagery used in connection with Christ’s enemies in the Book of Revelation no doubt were influenced somewhat by John’s personal feelings at the injustice and brutality that his fellow Christians were subjected to.

The Book of Revelation is an anomaly in some ways compared to the other books of the Bible in its message to its audience, the Seven Churches of Asia: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. It is the only work to be apocalyptic, and it also has elements of epistolary and prophetic writing (New Oxford Annotated Bible). Charles Freeman asserts the Book of Revelation was difficult to accept, with western Christians being more “sympathetic” to its message than others (106). The book begins with a salutation to the Seven Churches of Asia. John spends two chapters of Revelation addressing each church, using a common epistolary style, addressing an angel of each church to tell what the church had done well and where it needed to be more diligent in its adherence to the will of God, as well as future instructions and preparations that the churches needed to make in preparation for the events that were about to unfold.

Life for the churches, in this case, the congregations of Christians, varied. The cities were located somewhat near one another (within 100 miles), around and inland from the Aegean Sea in Asia Minor (“Map of Revelation”). Most were all large cities by ancient standards, cosmopolitan and with a developed economy. Christianity was a competing religion in these cities, influenced by the cultures of traders and visitors and also by the influence of the Roman Empire. Pergamum, in particular, was heavily Greek and Roman influenced (“Seven Churches of Revelation”). John also no doubt had a larger audience in mind, namely all Christians who could eventually read this, and in that there is a message of (violent) hope through the prophecies. Life for all Christians during this time period was a mix of struggling to spread the influence of the religion and dealing with persecution from those who opposed it.

Because John is sometimes referred to as “John in Exile,” it can be assumed or inferred that he may have been in Patmos while fleeing from persecution or as a punishment of being Christian. His writing of the book of Revelation is because of a vision he received wherein God sent “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” (Revelation 1:1–2). The entire book, including the section of Revelation 20: 1–10, was inspired by the visions and revelations that John experienced and was likely influenced by the need to be in contact with the congregations in Asia Minor as well as the political state of uncertainty and brutality against Christians. Interpreters of this chapter and of this passage are split as to how they see this, whether it is with absolute inerrancy to accommodated revelation and the idea that Revelation is a political manifesto against Rome. The nature of the prophecy has yet to be fulfilled, so it cannot be stated one way or the other conclusively whether or not John had absolute inerrancy or not.

The passages for Revelation 20:1–10 narrate the events through symbols and images. In the vision, John recounts seeing an angel bind Satan for a period of time, during which people are resurrected. Afterward, Satan is released from bondage for a final war, after which he will be cast into a lake of fire with the beast and false prophet to burn in torment and agony for the rest of time (Revelation 20:1–1). Some of the most vibrant symbols include the “bottomless pit,” “dragon” and “ancient serpent,” the image and mark of the beast, armies “as numerous as the sands of the sea,” the “lake of fire and sulphur” (Revelation 20:1–10). Readers at the time would have been familiar with the concepts, though even in ancient times nobody has credibly reported seeing a dragon. The idea of a serpent as a manifestation of Satan and evil is prevalent throughout the Bible, starting in Genesis when the serpent appeared to Eve to tempt her away from God’s will (Genesis 3). Therefore the symbol of Satan as a serpent or dragon would be familiar to readers then as well as today. The image and mark of the beast do not have context outside of Revelation and do not appear elsewhere in the Bible. It is implied that the mark is physical, so readers might understand that symbol to be literally a mark that designates some people as worshipping the beast. The false prophet and the beast, like the mark of the beast, might not be obvious to readers today because of the length of time that has passed between the writing of Revelation and today. Evidence of beasts and monsters has not been proven, so this image can be difficult to accept literally or might be confusing to readers who expect absolute or full inerrancy. The story of a war that ends with punishment is familiar to readers, and the motifs and symbols are clearly understood in a modern interpretation. If taken as full inerrancy, it could be a frightening event, and John himself describes the conflict as being harsh and involving billions of people who are as plentiful as grains of sand.

The Book of Revelation is interesting or its message and for the events and the person who is credited with authoring the book. Written during a period of violence and turbulence for many Christians under the cruelty of Roman emperor Nero, the vision that John received revealed unto him the will of God in regard to the Seven Churches of Asia and the comfort of knowing that Jesus would eventually return to defeat the evil men and hordes controlled by Satan, enemies of Christ.

Works Cited

Boak, Arthur, and William Sinnigen. A History of Rome to A.D. 565. New York: Macmillan, 1965. Print.

Cross, F.L., ed. “Revelation, Book of.” The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.

Freeman, Charles. A New History of Early Christianity. London: Yale University Press, 2009.

“Map of Revelation.” Bible Maps. n.d. Web. 1 October 2013.

New Oxford Annotated Bible. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991.

Phillips, J.B. “Book 27–Book of Revelation.” People, Places, Customs, Concepts, Journeys—the New Testament With Integrated Notes and Maps. 1962. Web. 30 September 2013.

“Seven Churches of Revelation.” Travel the Bible. N.d. Web. 29 September 2013.