BETWEEN THE CROSS AND THE THRONE

THE BOOK OF REVELATION

TRANSFORMATIVE WORD

MATTHEW Y. EMERSON

Edited by Craig G. Bartholomew

Between the Cross and the Throne: The Book of Revelation

Transformative Word

Copyright 2016 Matthew Y. Emerson

Lexham Press, 1313 Commercial St., Bellingham, WA 98225

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Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Print ISBN 9781577996583

Digital ISBN 9781577997139

Series Editor: Craig G. Bartholomew

Lexham Editorial Team: Lynnea Fraser, Elliot Ritzema, Abby Salinger

Cover Design: Jim LePage

Back Cover Design: Brittany Schrock

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction

2. Revelation as Literature

3. The Drama of Redemption

4. The Portrait of God and His People

5. The Portrait of God’s Enemies

6. The War of the Lamb

7. Reading Revelation Today

8. Conclusion

1

INTRODUCTION

In most Christian circles, the book of Revelation is either wildly popular or completely avoided. Some churches turn to it for clues about the end times, attempting to correlate their newspaper headlines with certain passages of John’s Apocalypse or Daniel’s visions. On the other hand, many Christians respond to Revelation with sentiments that mirror Dorothy’s in the Wizard of Oz: “Dragons, beasts, and harlots, oh my!” However, this book is neither a decoder ring for the end times nor an avoidable, weird addition tacked on to the biblical canon. Rather, it is a book that was and is vital for the Church; it assures us, even as we face tribulation, of the triune God’s victorious reign and the imminence of Christ’s return.

Overview

John, who Church tradition has identified with John the Elder and the apostle, wrote Revelation late in life while in exile on the island of Patmos. In this book, John recounts a vision he received from the risen Jesus. Throughout, he urges readers to hold fast to their confession that Jesus is Lord in spite of opposition from Rome and Caesar. Most, if not all, of the book uses figurative images and language. For instance, John often refers to churches as “lampstands,” angels as “stars,” and Satan as “the Dragon.” John draws these images primarily from the Old Testament, especially from the book of Daniel. These word pictures allow us to visually and imaginatively understand the fundamental conflict of the world—the war between God and Satan.

PATMOS AND THE SEVEN CHURCHES

John’s vision begins with the image of the exalted Christ, who stands gloriously victorious in the midst of his churches (Rev 1:9–20). Jesus, who has already conquered Satan through his death and resurrection, then exhorts each of the seven churches that comprise John’s audience to stand ...