Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/biblefre/topics09/t09300

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09301
 INDEX to B. W. Johnson's "Introduction to Revelation"

    Introduction: A Book of Prophecy          9302
    The Author                                9303
    The Date                                  9304
    The Real Date                             9305
    Internal Testimony                        9306
    The Place                                 9307
    Systems of Interpretation                 9308
    Table of Symbols                          9309
    The Scope of Revelation                   9310
    Divisions                                 9311
    Index to Notes on Revelation              9651
09302
                   INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION
                        by B. W. Johnson

    When we open the Book of Revelation we discover, at once, a
 marked difference between it and any other portion of the NT. It
 is not history like the gospels and Acts, nor practical
 discussions and instructions like the epistles, but we at once
 seem to breathe the atmosphere of prophets like Ezekiel and
 Daniel. As Ezekiel and Daniel were permitted to behold visions
 which revealed certain great events of the future, in a series
 of symbolic images, so there passes before the eyes of John a
 series of wonderful visions of which he makes record, and has
 left that record to the church for interpretation. The book is a
 book of prophecy. "God gave to him to show unto his servants the
 things which should shortly come to pass."
 # Re 1:1
 In order to any clear understanding of the book we must never
 lose sight of its object, as stated in the opening sentence. Its
 object is to reveal the future. Nor is its aim to reveal some
 limited events of the future, but to show "the things" which
 must come to pass. In other words, its aim is to unfold the
 outlines of coming history as far as that history affects the
 fortunes of the church.

    There is, unfortunately, no portion of the NT concerning
 which there has been more disagreement, and which has been less
 understood. The plan of the People's Testament will not allow me
 to occupy much space with these discussions, and I will confine
 myself to certain points which cannot well be passed over
 without prejudice to the correct understanding of the text.
 Among these questions are those of the "Author," the "Date" when
 the work was written, the "Place" where it was written and the
 "Principles of Interpretation."

 from B. W. Johnson's \\The People's New Testament . . . with\\
 \\Explanatory Notes.\\ 1889. (p. 405)
09303
                           THE AUTHOR

    I have alluded in the introductions to John's epistles to the
 theory of certain rationalistic critics that these were written
 by a "Presbyter John," whom they assume to have lived in the
 times of John, the apostle. There is no real evidence that such
 a personage ever lived. That John should speak of himself as an
 elder is no more strange than that Peter should so describe
 himself, and the fragment from Papias, which speaks of John the
 elder, who was a disciple of Christ, is more satisfactorily
 explained by the hypothesis that he alludes to the apostle,
 especially in view of the facts that seven apostles are named in
 the same paragraph, and all are spoken of as "elders," and that
 Irenaeus says that Papias was a disciple of John, the apostle.
 Yet there has been an effort to show that this mythical John is
 the John named in the first verse of Revelation.

    Without discussing whether the "Presbyter John" had any
 separate existence, it is a sufficient answer to this hypothesis
 to state that there is no book of the NT to whose authorship the
 testimony of history is more definite. Only a few years passed
 after the death of John, the apostle, until it was quoted and
 ascribed to him by writers who either knew him in person or who
 derived their information from those who sat at his feet. Among
 those early witnesses is Papias, born about A.D. 70, a disciple
 of John himself ("a hearer" of John, according to Irenaeus) of
 whose writings only fragments have been preserved, but who is
 known to have quoted Revelation as the work of John. To him may
 be added Irenaeus, born between A.D. 115 and A.D. 125, who tells
 us that he was long a pupil of Polycarp, of whom he states that
 Polycarp had learned many things of the aged apostle at whose
 feet he had long sat. Of course, with such opportunities he
 could not be ignorant of what John had written, yet he declares
 explicitly that he is the author of the Apocalypse. Several
 more fathers of the second century are quoted as giving the same
 testimony, but it will suffice to add that it is named in the
 Canon Muratori, the first canon of the NT Scriptures, dated
 about A.D. 170, and all doubts concerning its genuineness seem
 to belong to later times. Nor is any fact of history better
 established than that John's last years were spent in that part
 of Asia with which the Book of Revelation is locally associated.

 from B. W. Johnson's \\The People's New Testament . . . with\\
 \\Explanatory Notes.\\ 1889. (pp. 405-406)
09304
                            THE DATE

    Only two dates for the composition are named, (1) that always
 assigned to it by the ancient church, near the end of the reign
 of the Emperor Domitian, which extended from A.D. 81 to A.D. 96,
 and (2) that which has been urged by certain modern critics, the
 latter part of the reign of Nero, about A.D. 65-68. The first
 date is supported by the historical testimony. It is urged in
 behalf of the second that there are internal evidences in its
 favour, but when these are examined they are found to resolve
 themselves into certain theories of interpretation and were it
 not for the necessity of these, this date would never have been
 proposed. Before stating the grounds for assigning the date to
 the latter part of the reign of Domitian, about A.D. 95, 96, I
 will briefly consider the reasons urged in favour of the date in
 the reign of Nero. It is held

    (1) that the work must have been written while the temple was
 still standing
 # Re 11:1
 and that
 # Re 11:2 20:9
 prove that the City of Jerusalem was still standing but in a
 state of siege. It seems strange to me that a Bible student
 could use this argument. Every NT student knows that both the
 temple and Jerusalem are used elsewhere as symbols of the
 church, and how much more likely that the terms would be used as
 symbols in a book which is largely composed of symbols from
 beginning to end!  It seems strange that in a vision composed of
 symbols any one should insist that John on Patmos, a thousand
 miles distant, literally saw the temple or Jerusalem. Besides,
 when John speaks of the city as "spiritually called Sodom and
 Egypt,"
 # Re 11:8
 he shows that he cannot mean the literal Jerusalem. A holy city
 is the symbol of the church; a wicked city of an apostate
 church; a city trodden down by the Gentiles of a church overcome
 by worldly influence. The language of
 # Re 20:9
 utterly excludes the Jewish capital in the reign of Nero.
 ----------
 \\{Note:\\ The exegetical assumption of modern critics that
 # Re 11:1
 proves the temple at Jerusalem to have been still standing at
 the time when the Apocalypse was written affords another sign of
 the deep fall of these critics into a false literalism.--Lange
 on Revelation, p. 26).\\}\\

    (2) It is held that
 # Re 17:11
 refers to Nero, and hence a forced and, as will be shown in the
 text, an erroneous interpretation is made the basis for
 determining the date. The theory itself is sceptical in that it
 convicts John of holding and sanctioning a popular error.

    (3) It is also urged that there are certain solecisms in the
 Greek original which are wanting in John's gospel, and from this
 it is argued that the Revelation must have been written much
 earlier than the gospel, before John had fully mastered the
 language. Upon this point I quote from Prof. Wm. Milligan, of
 the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, than whom, probably, no
 man living is a more thorough scholar in NT Greek: "The
 solecisms are not such as proceed from an ignorance of the Greek
 language, and they would not have been removed by greater
 familiarity with it. However we attempt to account for them,
 they are obviously designed, and rather imply a more accurate
 knowledge of the grammatical forms from which they are
 intentional departure. At the same time there are passages in
 the book (as for example chap. 18) which, in their unsurpassed
 and unsurpassable eloquence, exhibit a command of the Greek
 tongue, on the part of the writer, that long familiarity with it
 can best explain, were explanation necessary."
 ----------
 \\{Note\\: Winer ("Grammar of the Greek Testament"), discussing
 the solecisms of the Apocalypse says, "In some instances they
 are the result of design; in others they are to be referred to
 carelessness on the part of the writer. . . . In this light they
 should always be considered, and not ascribed to the ignorance
 of the writer, or regarded Hebraisms. . . . But, with all the
 simplicity and the oriental tone of his language, the author
 knows well and observes well the rules of the Greek syntax."--
 Page 672. It should always, too, be kept in mind that Revelation
 is written, not as a clam, sedate, elaborate composition, like
 John's Gospel, but with the fire and ecstasy of a prophet. This
 accounts for differences of style.\\}\\

    (4) It is said that the Jewish imagery belongs to John's
 earlier rather than his later years. To this it may be replied
 that no NT writer shows a stronger Jewish feeling than is found
 in John's gospel. It is John, who states, "Salvation is from the
 Jews";
 # Joh 4:22
 that Jesus is "the King of Israel,"
 # Joh 1:49
 and OT thoughts and figures constantly appear in the fourth
 gospel.

 from B. W. Johnson's \\The People's New Testament . . . with\\
 \\Explanatory Notes.\\ 1889. (pp. 406-407)
09305
                         THE REAL DATE

    It is thus seen that the argument in favour of the early date
 is easily answered. On the other hand, the historical argument
 in favour of a later date is convincing to the mind which can be
 swayed by historical evidence. Commencing with the positive and
 definite statement of Irenaeus there is unbroken agreement for
 nearly four centuries that the date of the work belongs to the
 persecution of the reign of Domitian. To properly weigh the
 statement of Irenaeus, elected Bishop of Lyons in A.D. 178, and
 born in the first quarter of the second century, it is needful
 to keep in mind that he was a disciple of Polycarp, who suffered
 martyrdom in A.D. 155. In one of his letters Irenaeus speaks to
 a fellow disciple of how intimate they had been with Polycarp
 and how often they had heard him tell of John the apostle, and
 how much they had been told of John by the aged saint who had
 once been under the instruction of the apostle. Hence it is
 apparent that Irenaeus must have known from Polycarp the leading
 facts of John's history, and especially the circumstances
 connected with his exile to Patmos. This witness, whose
 opportunity for knowing the facts is unquestioned, declares,
 "Revelation was seen no long time since, but almost in our
 generation, towards the end of the reign of Domitian" (A.D. 96).
 With this plain statement agree all the church fathers who speak
 of the subject, not only of the second century, but for three
 centuries. "There is no variation in the historical accounts.
 All statements support the conclusion that St. John was banished
 to Patmos by Domitian (A.D. 81-96)--some writers placing the
 exile in the fourteenth of his reign--and all agree that the
 Visions of which Revelation is the record were received in
 Patmos." {"The Bible Speaker's Commentary." NT, Vol. IV, p.
 432).

    One writer in the fourth century makes the blunder of
 assigning the banishment to the reign of Claudius Caesar, a
 blunder which finds no endorsers, a blunder which is supposed to
 have been a verbal mistake, but it is not until the sixth
 century that we find the opinion expressed that the banishment
 belonged to the persecution of the reign of Nero, and up to the
 twelfth century there are only two writers who endorse this
 date. They cannot be called witnesses, since the earliest of
 them was separated from the death of John by a period greater
 than that which separates us from the discovery of America by
 Christopher Columbus. Hence, it is no misstatement of the facts
 to say that the historical proof, in favour of the later date, is
 uniform, clear and convincing.

 from B. W. Johnson's \\The People's New Testament . . . with\\
 \\Explanatory Notes.\\ 1889. (pp. 407)
09306
                       INTERNAL TESTIMONY

    The historical conclusion is corroborated by convincing
 internal testimony. I condense from Godet's "Bible Studies,"
 second series, certain points which bear upon the question of
 Date:

    (1) "The condition of the churches indicated" in the second
 and third chapters renders the early date improbable. These
 churches were not founded before A.D. 55-58. Paul wrote to two
 of these churches, Ephesus and Colosse, in A.D. 62 or 63; Peter
 wrote to all the churches of that region several years later
 still; Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, at Ephesus,
 probably as late as A.D. 67; in these letters there is no hint
 of John being in that section of the world, or of the spiritual
 decay revealed in the letters to the angels of the churches of
 Ephesus, Sardis and Laodicea; yet this theory requires us to
 believe that not later than A.D. 68 or 69, John found these
 churches spiritually dead. There is no reasonable doubt but that
 the second and third chapters of Revelation describe a condition
 which could only have arise a generation later than the date of
 Paul's last intercourse with these churches.

    (2) Godet notes the fact that an ecclesiastical organization
 reveals itself in the seven churches which did not reveal itself
 until about the close of the first century. In each church there
 is one man, "the angel of the church," through whom the whole
 church is addressed. There is no hint of any individual enjoying
 a distinction like this until about the beginning of the second.

    (3) The expression, "The Lord's-day," does not occur in the
 earlier apostolical writings. They always speak of the "First
 Day of the week" instead. The term used in A.D. 68 was "the
 First Day of the week," but the writers of the second century
 from the beginning use "the Lord's-day." This term, then, points
 to a period near the beginning of the second century as the date
 of Revelation.

    (4) The expression in
 # Re 2:9 3:9
 points to a complete separation between the church and the
 synagogue. This complete separation did not take place until
 the epoch of the destruction of Jerusalem. Such language as we
 find in these two places can only be accounted for by a fact so
 momentous as the overthrow of the Jewish state, and hence
 belongs to a later date.

    This discussion might be continued, and it is of importance
 to any correct interpretation that the date should be clearly
 settled, but I believe that enough has been said to show that
 all the facts point to "near the end of the reign of Domitian,
 or about the year A.D. 96." It might be of service to add that
 the persecution of Nero, as far as known, was local and confined
 to Rome; that death, instead of banishment, was the favourite
 method of punishment with him; that it is not probable that he
 would have put to death Paul and Peter and banished John; and
 that there is no evidence that John, as early as A.D. 68, had
 ever visited the region of the seven churches. On the other
 hand, the persecution of Domitian was not local; we know also
 that he sent other Christians into exile; we know also that the
 later years of John's life were passed at Ephesus, and in the
 region of which it was the centre.

 from B. W. Johnson's \\The People's New Testament . . . with\\
 \\Explanatory Notes.\\ 1889. (pp. 408)
09307
                            THE PLACE

    That the visions of Revelation were seen upon the island of
 Patmos is a fact that rests upon the testimony of the writer
 himself. It is the universal testimony of the early church, that
 John survived the destruction of Jerusalem, that when the storm
 of war was gathering around that devoted city he, in obedience
 to the Lord's warning,
 # Mt 24:16
 fled from the coming desolation, and finally took up his abode
 in Ephesus, in the midst of the churches of Asia, founded by the
 apostle Paul. During his long sojourn in this region, which
 extended until the close of his life, he was banished in the
 persecution of the latter part of the reign of Domitian. Patmos,
 the place of exile, is simply a rocky prison house in the sea.
 It consists of three rocky masses connected by isthmuses, is
 about thirty miles in circuit, lies in the south part of the
 Aegean Sea, and one of a group called the Sporades. It is seldom
 visited as it is reached by no regular lines of ships and has
 comparatively little intercourse with the mainland. The writer
 passed between it and the shore of Asia in 1889, and was enabled
 by comparison with the adjacent islands to form a realistic
 conception of the prison house of John. Its mountain peaks are
 bare, there is some grass in the valleys on which a few sheep
 and cattle are pastured, and there are some fruit trees, but the
 general appearance is lonely and desolate. Yet it is set in one
 of the brightest of seas with an almost cloudless sky above, and
 from its higher points John could sweep his vision over a range
 of forty miles, embracing the surrounding islands and the
 mountains of Asia in the distance.

    Though the visions were granted while John was an exile on
 Patmos many have held, it seems to me with too little reason,
 that the work was actually written in Ephesus. There is nothing
 in proof of this view but conjecture. It is also opposed to the
 fact that the first of the seven letters is addressed to "the
 angel of the church of Ephesus."
 # Re 2:1
 Had John, at the time of writing, been a resident of Ephesus,
 this fact cannot be reasonably explained. It is better to accept
 the plain inference of the narrative, that the visions were not
 only seen in, but that they were recorded in Patmos.

 from B. W. Johnson's \\The People's New Testament . . . with\\
 \\Explanatory Notes.\\ 1889. (pp. 408-409)
09308
                    SYSTEMS OF INTERPRETATION

    There is probably no other portion of the Scriptures
 concerning the meaning of which the interpreters so widely
 differ. This has caused some readers to conclude that the work
 is a tissue of confused and perhaps incoherent utterances,
 thrown out in prophetic ecstasy, the interpretation of which is
 a hopeless attempt; and they have supposed that the attempted
 explanations only illustrated the vagaries and the failures of
 the commentators. The differences are due to the different
 systems of interpretation employed. Of these there are three
 principal ones, all containing some truth, but all also in
 danger of being pushed to extreme erroneous conclusions, and it
 is probable that every interpreter, who is not rationalistic,
 accepts some of the results of all three of these systems. These
 are:

    (1) THE PRETERIST. According to this system the successive
 visions apply to events chiefly in the history of the Jewish
 nation and of pagan Rome. These events have occurred long since
 in the past. Many rationalistic writers insist that all events
 described must have taken place before the visions were written,
 and that there is no such thing as prediction. Hence these
 critics are called Preterists, but this view is not confined to
 them. It is held by most Roman Catholic commentators and by some
 Protestant.

    (2) THE FUTURISTS. These insist that the predictions apply
 mainly to events yet in the future, and will be fulfilled in the
 future history of the literal Israel. They assert that Israel
 will again occupy Palestine, that the temple will be literally
 rebuilt; that the holy city shall be literally trodden down for
 1,260 days by the Gentiles, etc. The Preterist system is right
 in asserting that much of Revelation applies to what is now
 past, and the Futurist is right this far, namely, that a portion
 applies to what is still future.

    (3) THE HISTORICAL. In my opinion this system is more nearly
 correct, and yet it needs to be modified by the others, and
 carefully guarded. It holds that a succession of historical
 events, future when John wrote but now in part in the past, are
 portrayed by a series of visions. The error must be avoided of
 supposing that the book is continuously historical from the
 beginning to the end. If it is borne in mind that there is more
 than one series of visions; that when one series ends another
 follows which is synchronous, at least in part; that a part of
 the events portrayed by symbols is not in the past, while
 another portion is in the future, I think the result of the
 Historical system will be found to be clear, harmonious, and
 surprisingly in correspondence with the visions of the prophet.
 It perhaps cannot be expected that even those who adopt this
 system will agree in every detail, but we do find that the great
 expositors of the historical school, embracing the majority of
 English commentators, are in substantial agreement.

    It must always be kept in mind, however, that this book is a
 book of prophecy, intended to show the "things which must
 shortly come to pass."
 # Re 1:1
 John was a Seer. He recorded what he saw. The future was
 portrayed to him in a series of visions. The pictures which
 passed before his eyes represented future events. Hence, each is
 a symbolical representation of what was then future, and may now
 be past history. Thus, when the first seal is opened in
 # Re 6:1-2
 and a warrior is seen with a bow in his hand riding on a white
 horse in conquest, this must be interpreted as a sense-image
 which appropriately represents an event or epoch of history
 which was future when John was an exile on Patmos. Symbolical
 pictures follow each other in rapid succession as the seals are
 opened and the trumpets blown, a correct interpretation of which
 is to be sought not in literal fulfilment, but in events of
 which the sense-visions might be appropriate symbols. It will be
 a help in understanding the text to have an explanation of the
 meaning of the various symbols employed as they are ordinarily
 used in prophetic writings; hence I give a table of symbols.

 from B. W. Johnson's \\The People's New Testament . . . with\\
 \\Explanatory Notes.\\ 1889. (pp. 409-410)
09309
                        TABLE OF SYMBOLS

    In this table I aim to give only the leading Symbols used by
 John, with their apparent meaning. The definitions have been
 obtained from Mede, Elliott, Lange, Campbell, Archdeacon Lea,
 and other sources.

 \\Adultery.\\--Idolatry or apostasy; especially the latter. As
    Christ is represented as a bridegroom and the church as a
    bride, apostasy, or unfaithfulness to him, would be spiritual
    adultery, and a false church properly represented as a
    harlot.
 \\Angel.\\--Any agent or messenger of the divine will. The term
    may be a symbol of any movement of nations, or in history
    which carries out the divine purposes.
 \\Ascension to Heaven.\\--Exaltation in power and glory.
    Prosperity.
 \\Babylon.\\--The city which carried Israel into captivity.
    Hence, a symbol of any power that renders them captive,
    whether it be pagan or papal Rome.
 \\Balances.\\--A symbol of justice, but when used to denote the
    weighing out of food, a symbol of scarcity.
 \\Black.\\--The colour of mourning; hence a symbol of calamity
    and sorrow.
 \\Black Horse.\\--The horse was not used as a beat of burden by
    the ancients, but for purposes of war. Hence it is a symbol
    of war, and a black horse is a symbol of calamitous war.
 \\Blood.\\--A symbol of the carnage of war.
 \\Beast.\\--The term rendered "beast" in the Revision means a
    savage wild beast. Hence it is a symbol of a cruel,
    tyrannical persecuting power. The term used in chap. 4,
    rendered "beasts" in the Common Version, is not the same.
    Instead of "Four Beasts" that should be rendered "Four Living
    Creatures."
 \\Binding.\\--This symbol means to restrain, to hold; also to
    deprive of power and render helpless.
 \\Book.\\--The record of the divine will. To seal a book is to
    conceal its meaning, since ancient books were rolls and could
    not be read when sealed. To open seals is to disclose the
    meaning. To devour a book is to become master of its
    contents. The book with seven seals is the book of human
    destiny, an outline of the great events which connect
    themselves with the church until its final triumph. The
    opening of its seals is the revelation of future history.
 \\Bow.\\--The bow, a warlike weapon, when held in the hand is a
    symbol of war.
 \\Bride.\\--The spouse of Christ, the Church, the New Jerusalem.
 \\Bridegroom.\\--Jesus Christ.
 \\Candlestick.\\--A symbol of a church, which should be a light
    in the world. The seven golden candlesticks are the seven
    churches. A symbol of any light-giving agency.
 \\Chain.\\--A symbol of bondage or affliction. To chain is to
    render powerless. To bind Satan with a chain is to destroy
    his power.
 \\Cloud.\\--An emblem of power and majesty. To ride upon the
    clouds is to appear in glory and exaltation.
 \\Crown.\\--The symbol of royal majesty. To enjoy exaltation and
    honour. To receive the crown of life is to receive the honours
    of eternal life.
 \\Darkness.\\--The well known symbol of calamity and affliction.
 \\Day.\\--"I have given you a day for a year." One revolution of
    the earth on its axis is a symbol of its annual revolution in
    its orbit. "Twelve hundred and sixty days" means as many
    years.
 \\Death.\\--A symbol of destruction.
 \\Dragon.\\--The old pagan Roman Empire. The dragon was
    originally a symbol of a monarch. In Revelation it means the
    persecuting monarchy of Rome.
 \\Earth.\\--The ancient civilized world, which corresponded in
    John's time with the Roman Empire. Political powers.
 \\Earthquake.\\--Political and moral revolutions and convulsions
    of society. The shaking of the established order of things.
    The subversion of states and fortunes.
 \\Eclipse.\\--Or the darkening of heavenly bodies, means the
    obscuration of the glory of kings and potentates of which
    sun, moon and stars are symbols.
 \\Egypt.\\ The place of spiritual bondage. A condition of
    sinfulness. Opposition to Christ.
 \\Euphrates.\\--The symbol of the Turkish power. To be "bound by
    the Euphrates" is to be restrained at that river.
 \\Elders.\\--Probably princes of righteousness.
 \\False Prophets.\\--A false spiritual power which falsely
    claims divine authority for its teaching.
 \\Fire.\\--Fierce destruction. Never the symbol of a blessing,
    but of a curse.
 \\Fire from Heaven.\\--Divine destruction; but fire brought down
    from heaven by the two-horned dragon means excommunication
    and anathemas of a false spiritual power.
 \\Flood.\\--Symbol of overpowering. Distress from persecution or
    any cause.
 \\Forehead.\\--A mark in the forehead means a public profession.
 \\Fornication.\\--Idolatry. See Adultery.
 \\Grave.\\--To put in the grave, signifies to consign to
    oblivion. "Not to suffer dead bodies to be put into the
    grave" means that they shall be remembered.
 \\Hail.\\--Ravages and destruction.
 \\Hand.\\--A mark in the hand means the manner of life, or
    practice.
 \\Harlot.\\--An idolatrous community. The great Harlot is the
    apostate church. See Adultery.
 \\Heavens and the Earth.\\--The world. The political and
    religious universe. A new heavens and new earth imply a
    passing away of the old order of things and the establishment
    of a new order.
 \\Horse.\\--Used only for warlike purposes by the ancients and
    hence a symbol of war. The colour of the horse indicates the
    condition of his rider and the state of the war.
 \\Horns.\\--"The great horn of the first king"; Daniel. A symbol
    of kings, kingdoms, or power. Seven horns indicate enormous
    power.
 \\Incense.\\--The prayers of the saints.
 \\Islands.\\--European states. In the prophets the "isles of the
    sea" meant the countries in and beyond the Mediterranean;
    hence, Europe.
 \\Jerusalem.\\--The capital of Judea and the seat of the temple
    becomes a symbol of the church of Christ. The "holy city" is
    contrasted with the "great city," Jerusalem with Babylon, or
    the true with the false church.
 \\Jezebel.\\--An unholy woman is a symbol of an unholy influence
    in the church.
 \\Key.\\--A symbol of power to deliver or imprison, to open
    heaven or hell, or to shut them; of power to save or destroy.
 \\King.\\--Supreme power of any kind. A government; a kingdom.
 \\Lamb.\\--The symbol of a sinless, sacrificial offering. The
    Lamb of God is Christ slain as a lamb from the foundation of
    the world.
 \\Lion.\\--A symbol of kingly power.
 \\Locusts.\\--The locusts, a devouring pest bred in the deserts
    of Arabia, are a symbol of devouring Arabian armies. The
    Arabians under Mohammed.
 \\Manna.\\--The bread of life. The truth of Christ.
 \\Measuring Rod.\\--The standard by which the church is
    measured. The Word.
 \\Mountain.\\--Some person or power conspicuous among men.
    Highly elevated. A great prince or government. A burning
    mountain is a baleful, destructive power.
 \\Moon.\\--A symbol of powers, rulers and great men which are
    not supreme. A light which shines by reflecting another
    light.
 \\Merchants.\\--A symbol of those who make a gain of godliness
    and traffic in religious privileges.
 \\Palm.\\--A symbol of joy or victory.
 \\Pale Horse.\\--An image of desolating war, and a reign of
    death.
 \\Red Horse.\\--An image of cruel, bloody war, distinguished by
    awful carnage.
 \\River of Life.\\--Christ is the fountain of life. The
    abundant, ever flowing life that Christ bestows, is fitly
    symbolized by a river. The river, and tree, of life means
    essentially the same.
 \\Rod.\\--The symbol of rule. The rod of iron is a symbol of
    resistless sway.
 \\Scarlet.\\--This colour, the colour of blood, symbolizes bloody
    cruelty. A scarlet woman is a persecuting church.
 \\Seven.\\--The perfect number. Completeness.
 \\Stars.\\--Shining lights in the world. Conspicuous men,
    whether in the church or the state.
 \\Sun.\\--As the great light giver, in one sense a symbol of
    Christ. Also a supreme ruler. The moon and stars indicate
    great lights of society, but inferior to the sun.
 \\Sword.\\--A symbol of slaughter. Also of conquest. A sword in
    the hand indicates by carnal weapons. A sword proceeding from
    the mouth indicates conquests by the word of God.
 \\Temple of God.\\--The church of which the tabernacle and
    temple were types. The temple of God in heaven, open, is the
    abode of God, heaven itself, the church above.
 \\Throne.\\--A symbol of authority.
 \\Trumpet.\\--The blast of a trumpet signifies the forward march
    of armies, carnal or spiritual. Also the proclamation of war
    or peace.
 \\Time.\\--Time, times and half a time is an annual revolution
    of the earth, a year, two years, a half year, or three and a
    half years. "Seven times" passed over Nebuchadnezzar, or
    seven years.
 \\Wine Press.\\--A symbol of an effusion of blood and of
    distress.
 \\White.\\--To be clothed in white is to be innocent, pure, and
    to be triumphant.
 \\White Horse.\\--Triumphant and glorious war. See Horse.
 \\Whore.\\--Apostate church. See Adultery.
 \\Winds.\\--Symbol of commotion; of mighty movements. The "Four
    Winds" are four invasions of the Roman Empire.
 \\Witness.\\--The two witnesses are the two Testaments, for such
    is the meaning of the latter word.
 \\Woman.\\--The "woman clothed with the sun" is the pure and
    faithful church. The Great Harlot is the false, faithless,
    apostate church. The church is often symbolized by a bride,
    or a woman bearing children. A pure woman represents a
    faithful church; an adulterous woman, "a harlot," a false,
    apostate church.

 from B. W. Johnson's \\The People's New Testament . . . with\\
 \\Explanatory Notes.\\ 1889. (pp. 410-413)
09310
                     THE SCOPE OF REVELATION

    John states that the book is a record of things "which should
 shortly come to pass." He saw outlined in his vision events
 which were at that time in the future, but high were "shortly"
 to become history. No one would suppose that it was the divine
 purpose to reveal all the changing history of nations, races and
 kingdoms for the last eighteen hundred years, and hence, a
 question necessary to interpretation is: To what countries and
 series of events do the predictions apply? If we turn to the OT
 prophets we will be guided to a correct answer. The central
 thought in all their predictions is the future history of the
 people of God. All that they utter is related, either directly
 or indirectly, to the fortunes of Israel, temporal and
 spiritual, the typical nation, and the spiritual nation, or in
 other words, to the fortunes of the Jews and of the Church. With
 this great object before them they predict the fate of the great
 Gentile nations with whom the Jews came in contact, who
 influenced their fortunes, or became their oppressors. Hence we
 have Assyria, Babylon, Tyre, Egypt, etc., made burdens of
 prophecy.

    Exactly the same is true of NT prophecy. The prophets speak
 of the future of Israel and of the Church, and necessarily
 reveal much concerning the opposing and persecuting nations. It
 was not in the mind of Christ to give in Revelation the outline
 of all history, but to outline the fortunes, tribulations and
 triumphs of the Church. The Church was, in the earlier
 centuries, almost wholly within the bounds of the vast,
 persecuting empire of Pagan Rome. Hence this opposing power
 would come before the prophetic vision, and we will find that
 the symbolism often refers to the Roman power. Let it be ever
 present to the mind of the reader that John was the victim of
 Roman persecution, and an exile on Patmos when he wrote; that he
 had never been beyond the boundaries of the Roman Empire, and
 that there is no historical authority for supposing that any
 apostle ever stepped upon soil that a Roman citizen would call
 foreign. Since this mighty empire affects so closely the
 interests of the Church, it is in harmony with all we know of
 prophecy to expect it to be the subject of prophetic vision.
 That Pagan Rome is, to a greater or less extent, the subject of
 the predictions is agreed by almost all interpreters, but the
 agreement is by no means so marked that Papal Rome, the great
 spiritual despot upon which the mantle of the pagan empire fell,
 is also an important element in the explanation of the visions.
 I believe that a close and unbiased study of the text compels
 the conclusion that a great apostasy, a false church, a
 persecuting spiritual power, is revealed which mightily
 influences the fortunes of the Church, and that its
 characteristics are found strikingly exhibited in certain
 periods of the history of the Papacy. There arises a great
 apostasy, a false church that produces for the time a mighty
 influence upon the saints of Jesus Christ. This is also a
 subject of prophecy. I am then prepared to affirm that the
 general scope of the Book of Revelation is similar to that of
 the OT prophets; that its primary object is to outline the
 history of the church; that, in subordination to this primary
 object, it portrays the fortunes of the two great persecuting
 powers, Pagan and Papal Rome. The changing fortunes of the
 Church are portrayed, running like a golden thread through the
 dark panorama of history, until at last, in God's good time, the
 battle is fought to the end, the victory won, and the triumphant
 Church enjoys the fruition of all its sufferings and labours and
 the glories of the New Jerusalem.

 from B. W. Johnson's \\The People's New Testament . . . with\\
 \\Explanatory Notes.\\ 1889. (pp. 413-414)
09311
                            DIVISIONS

    In order to an understanding the reader must keep in mind
 that there is more than one series of visions, and that these
 overlap each other, revealing different features of the same
 period. The whole book might be divided as follows:

    \\PART I. Chapters I-IV.\\--This part embraces the
 Introduction, the Vision of the Son of Man, the Letters to the
 Seven Churches, and Vision of the Opened Heaven and the Throne
 of God.

    \\PART II. Chapters V-XI.\\--This part opens with a Vision of
 a Book sealed with Seven Seals in the Hands of Him who sits upon
 the Throne--the Book of Destiny; the Contents hidden by the
 seals. The Lamb of God prevails to open the seals; that is, to
 Reveal the Future. As each is opened a vision appears which
 presents a Symbol representing a Period of Human history. Six
 seals are opened in succession, followed by a pause before the
 opening of the seventh seal. When the seventh seal is opened it
 is found to embrace Seven Thunders and Seven Trumpets. The
 trumpets are blown in succession, each followed by Great Events,
 and when the last is blown the End comes when Christ triumphs
 over all. The Seven Seals, with the Seven Trumpets, contained
 under the last seal, reach to the end of time.

    \\PART III. Chapters XII-XVIII.\\--This part opens with a
 Vision of a Woman, a symbol of the Church; an Enemy of the Woman
 which appears with as a Seven-headed and Ten-horned Beast,
 understood to be a symbol of Pagan Rome; a Two-horned Beast,
 which I understand to be Papal Rome; there also appears sitting
 on the Seven-headed Beast a False Woman, a symbol of a False
 Church. The figures change and these opposing powers under the
 name of "Babylon" are overthrown.

    \\PART IV. Chapters XIX-XX.\\--These chapters describe the
 Great Victory over the opposing powers, the Millennial Period,
 and the Final Uprising and Defeat of Satan.

    \\PART V. Chapters XXI-XXII.\\--These chapters describe the
 Glorious Home of the Redeemed Saints, and embrace Closing
 Exhortations.

 from B. W. Johnson's \\The People's New Testament . . . with\\
 \\Explanatory Notes.\\ 1889. (p. 414)
09312
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