John’s Apocalypse Part One: The Purpose of John’s Letter
HOW THINGS WORK - BOOK II SCIENCE & RELIGION – CONSIDERATION #154 (Special Edition)
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TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 17, 2024
“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”
– REVELATION 1:3
PREFACE
Welcome Everybody!
Comprehending the final book of the Bible requires three things: knowing and understanding that it is a book written for a specific purpose and a specific audience, that it is a book written in a specific metaphoric style of writing that can be interpreted, and that it completes the Biblical narrative started in the Garden of Eden. In John’s book, The Revelation of Jesus, often referred to as The Book of Revelations, the metaphors and mysteries of the Old Testament, the New Testament, and ancient history, are all resolved in an apocalyptic parable describing the final symbolic spiritual battle between good and evil.
“By the end of this three-part Special Edition Newsletter you should have a clearer understanding about what this is all about.”
Like any “inspired” rational revelation, the possible interpretations of John’s vision are virtually endless, and I am not trying to limit its possible interpretations. However, we will be considering the most common interpretation based on the preceding three factors. By the end of this three-part Special Edition Newsletter completing our consideration of the Biblical narrative, you should have a clearer understanding about what this strange account regarding the “end of days” is all about. At least from the “apocalyptic” perspective!
“…in the end, the end may not be as catastrophic and cataclysmic as it first appears.”
The Book of the Revelation of Jesus is where everything we have been considering regarding the Biblical narrative is resolved, if you have the Biblical and historical background to understand its metaphoric spiritual resolution. Which is why we have spent so much time getting here! And, in the end, the end may not be as catastrophic and cataclysmic as it first appears. Turns out, once properly understood, the Bible has a happy ending.
CONSIDERATION #154 – The Purpose of John’s Letter
The author of the Book of Revelations is generally considered to be one of two Johns previously mentioned in the New Testament; John the beloved disciple of Jesus, or another John known to be a Jewish Messianic prophet who was influential in the early Jerusalem Church. Whichever John, he clearly states in the opening prologue the kind of book he is writing, a revelation, or apocalypse.
“The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”
Revelation 1:1-3
John is writing a revelation about the prophecies of Jesus that he experienced in a divine vision; utilizing an “apocalyptic” style of writing used to symbolically explain Jewish prophecies and texts that would have been familiar to his readers at the time. This style of writing was used to recount and explain a prophet’s inspired symbolic dreams and visions giving God’s rational perspective on current empirical events; so that people could understand their specific place in history in terms of the final resolution of everything. Apocalyptic writing was a genre utilized specifically to communicate a more abstract consideration of empirical events through powerful symbolic metaphors that were understood by the readers of that time.
“…like Paul, they are based on a divine spiritual vision, not the earthly Jesus.”
Like Paul’s epistles, John’s book is really a letter written to support the struggling Christian churches at the time, and also like Paul, they are based on a divine spiritual vision, not the earthly Jesus. Again, like Paul, John focuses on a Spiritual Jesus while maintaining a Jewish connection to the original covenant between God and Abraham. In addition, both were concerned with the survival of the early Christian churches.
“The book of Revelation is not a secret code or puzzle to predict the end of the world. It’s a message to seven ancient churches who were facing persecution. It’s an indictment of earthly kingdoms that makes that point that every human kingdom eventually becomes Babylon and must be resisted. The book is filled with visions and images that point to Jesus’ return as the ultimate King, where he will restore his people and usher in the new creation… It uses visions and symbolic imagery to offer a glimpse of God's plan for a new creation… the strange visions of Revelation point to the fulfilment of God's promise to Abraham and his purpose for humanity.”
– What is the message of Revelation? (Bibleproject.com)
Jewish apocalypse is communicated through specific symbolic imagery, metaphors, and numbers. John uses Old Testament symbols and allusions that can be referenced by his readers to help clarify his meaning. John’s apocalypse connects Old and New Testament metaphors and allusions with common historic metaphors and allusions to communicate a common message to a specific audience; seven contemporary churches struggling to survive against severe oppression and persecution.
POSTSCRIPT
Prophecy is not meant to be a description of future events; it is meant to be a description of universal truth. One of the points of apocalyptic writing is to establish a specific pattern of truth. In this sense it is a representation of the past, the present, and the future simultaneously because the pattern is eternal; continuously repeating itself. Thus, the pattern of “Babylon” is one that pertains to all great civilizations. What is said about it applies universally to all other great civilizations past, present, and future. The eternal pattern is one of corruption; John’s metaphor of Babylon as a “whore” is a reference to Isaiah 1:21, “See how the faithful city has become a prostitute!”
Thus, prophecy can simultaneously reflect past, present, and future civilizations because they all eventually follow the same pattern of corruption. The city following this eternal pattern of corruption during John’s time was Rome.
“The ultimate result of unlimited empirical power is corruption regardless of any specific civilization or time period…”
In this sense John is talking not only about Babylon, but Rome, and potentially even the United States of America as well. The apocalyptical metaphor of Babylon serves as an archetype for all powerful empires. The ultimate result of unlimited empirical power is corruption regardless of any specific civilization past, present or future; until the end of days.
Next week we will utilize these apocalyptic metaphors and allusions to interpret John’s strange apocalyptic vision…
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“The critical difference between Artificial Intelligence and atomic weapons is that, despite advancements in nuclear technology, we still control atomic weapons; we will not be able to control Artificial Intelligence as it advances. In fact, it is likely we will give it complete authority over virtually everything we currently do control, including nuclear technology. It will become the dominant power in our empirical reality. Do we really understand what that means?
Book VI – The Rational Being
There Could Be No Artificial Intelligence Without Quantum Consciousness…
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“The ‘scientific method’ was no longer practical at the sub-atomic level of experience. Quantum mechanics represented a shift in focus from a consideration of the objective empirical world of physical reality, to a focus on the abstract rational world of pure mathematics and unlimited possibility.”
(Book V – Quantum Consciousness)
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