:: In.a.Mirror.Dimly ::

Yesterday I suggested that the book of Revelation is a Christian version of Jewish apocalyptic literature. This kind of literature is written during times of persecution as a means of encouraging the faithful to persevere.

Apocalyptic literature tells a spiritualized version of current events and also speaks of a future when God will intervene and bring justice. Given what we know of Revelation, I think such a reading is quite fitting.

However, we also have a lot of books (such as the Left Behind series), radio shows, and Bible teachers who say that Revelation gives us a blow-by-blow prediction of what will happen in the future. Can such a perspective be correct? Or is this the end of the end as we know it?

I’d like to look at Revelation in two very broad senses as I compare the apocalyptic view to the popular Left Behind view.

Revelation as Prophecy

Prophecy in the Bible tends more toward discerning the will of God and calling people to repentance. When people called Jesus a prophet (eg. John 4), it was because of his knowledge of God and God-given insight, not necessarily because he could predict the future. In fact, Jesus didn’t know how the world would end exactly.

Though the prophetic books do sometimes predict future events or warn of possible consequences for sinful behavior, they are primarily concerned with calling God’s people to repentance. There are predictions that accompany their warnings, but the emphasis is not on granting secret, insider knowledge. The goal is repentance.

In light of the general trend in scripture, a reading of Revelation that leads us to repentance and Godly living is much more consistent and likely than a coded message about the future that we need to figure out. We profit little by arguing over when the millennium will take place because it’s far more important to remember that Jesus is Lord today and that Revelation promises he will be Lord of all in a more complete sense one day. Reading Revelation as apocalyptic literature makes the latter interpretation far more likely.

Revelation and the Gospel

I look at the Gospel as God’s invasion into our world. Think of Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia where Aslan is thawing the long winter and bringing new life and Spring. Aslan didn’t come to torch Narnia. I think the same holds true to God and the biblical story.

The cross and Resurrection are the turning points of salvation history, and Jesus sent his followers out to make disciples. However, if we take the whole scope of Jesus’ ministry into view, we can see that he didn’t just come to save souls before God blows up the earth. There is something much more complex going on that I don’t have time to fully flesh out here.

In brief, God is bringing his Kingdom in both physical and spiritual ways. There is a judgment to come, but we should be slow to claim knowledge of what it will look like. Keep in mind that the key enemies of Jesus were the religious leaders and scholars. The Gospels tell stories that should give academics, seminary students, and pastors nightmares. Many of those who knew the scriptures best missed God.

When we turn to Revelation, we need to make sure our interpretations aren’t interfering with the larger call of the Gospel to go into the world, to join the present coming of the Kingdom. The Gospel isn’t about how to get us out of the world or how to separate us from the world, but how God’s Kingdom can shape the church in such a way that it brings the Kingdom INTO the world. Reading Revelation as apocalyptic literature fits better into the calling and work of God’s people as developed throughout scripture.

A New Beginning for the End

Therefore, in the broadest of terms, Left Behind theology doesn’t do justice to the Gospel and to the biblical picture of prophecy. While I believe it has bits and pieces correct, the overall scheme raises some problems for this view as an interpretation of Revelation, even if it’s still a fun read for those into books about the apocalypse.

Tomorrow I’ll wrap up this series with some specific ways that reading Revelation as Jewish apocalyptic literature unfolds a relevant message for us today.