When in this “I am” saying Jesus refers to himself as “the bright morning star” (22:16), it resonates with the theme of the cosmic conflict and recalls the fall and undoing of his leading opponent. The echoing surface of this allusion enlarges when like-sounding and equally emphatic statements are enlisted. Jesus is also 6 pàptuç 6
iTioTO Q (1:5)^® and even Ô pàptuç 6 ttlo toç Kal aA.rjOLv6<;, f] apxfj x f j ç k t l o€coç t o û 0eoO
(3:14). He is portrayed as the faithful and reliable witness in Revelation’s unveiling of the truth about God, in pointed contrast to the malicious and slanderous deceit that came to be the hallmark of his opponent, and indeed, his very name (12:9; 20:2).
The foregoing six-point oveiwiew does not exhaust the list of Old Testament allusions to the cosmic conflict in Revelation,but it suffices for the purpose of showing wide diffusion of relatively few texts. Most important, the substructure of this theme in Revelation appropriates the poem of the fall of “the Shining One” (Isa 14:12- 20) as a stable allusive constituent tlnoughout the book. This, too, supports the case for seeing Revelation as a unified composition while affirming a new beginning and claiming a special role for Revelation 12. Nan*ative continuation and thematic
recapitulation are both evident when the trumpet cycle (8:7-11:19) is laid out next to the bowl cycle (16:2-21). The theme of cosmic conflict that dominates the second half of
Beale {Revelation, 192) notes Ps 89:37 as the source of Jesus’ designation as 6 jidcpTuç 6 TTioToç. Significantly, this expression is found in a Psalm that affirms the worship and vindication of God “in the assembly of the holy ones” (89:5), setting God apart from the b^e "^lohim (89:6). Psalm 89, especially vv. 6-9, has the theme of cosmic conflict as an underlying assumption; cf. Morgenstern, “Psalm 82,” 66.
Other candidate texts are the reference to the downfall of the angels in Rev 12:4, also echoing Isa 14:12; the jewels in the foundation of the New Jerusalem (Rev 21:19-20), str ongly reminiscent of Ezek 28:13; and even the possibility that the decisive ‘battle of Armageddon’ (Rev 16:16) is yet another echo of Isa 14:13, leaving in play the view of Charles C. Torrey (“Armageddon,” HTR 31 [1938], 237- 489) and others of a still umesolved issue.
the book, then, is just as pervasive in the first half. The next task is to investigate how these conclusions affect the narrative at its beginning.
The Heavenly Setting of the Prophetic-Apocalyptic Narrative
The part designated as the beginning of the prophetic-apocalyptic naiTative covers the opening of the book with the seven seals (4:1-8:1). Crucial elements in this cycle are the heavenly setting (4:1), the sealed scroll (5:1), the distress caused by the difficulty of finding one who is qualified to open the scroll (5:2-4), the appearance of the slaughtered Lamb (5:6), the acclaim of heavenly beings (4:8-11; 5:9-14), and the mysterious silence in heaven at the breaking of the seventh seal (8:1). Only the setting will be explored in this chapter.
The Thi'one-Room Setting The sequence begins with a call to enter the heavenly realm.
After this I looked, and there in heaven a door stood open! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the spirit, and there in heaven stood a tlirone, with one seated on the tlnone!
Rev 4:1, 2
The change of setting that begins with this ascent to the heavenly tlnone room (4:1) is so marked that most interpreters see it as the major division in the book, setting apart the messages to the seven churches (1:9-3:22) from what may be called the prophetic or the apocalyptic nanative (4:1-22:5).^^ From the point of view of the unity of the text, the new venue spans the rest of the book except for the epilogue.^®
A detailed comparison of the seven seals and the seven tmmpets will not be pursued. Since the ‘seal cycle’ is introduced in Rev 4:1, this section (4:1-8:1) will be treated as an indivisible whole.
Most in-depth stmctural analyses favour this division one way or another; cf. Vanni, La
struttura letteraria delVApocalisse, 173; 182-254; Lambrecht, “Structuration,” 77; Aune, Revelation 1-5, c-cv; Beale, Revelation, 317. According to Ki'aft {Offenbarung, 103), the real begimiing of Revelation starts with chapter 4.
In the normal narrative sequence, the shift that occurs with the heavenly ascent “in the spirit” (4:2) marks an abrupt transition ftom the earthly state of the seven churches and their circumstances to a very different heavenly reality. The importance of this dramatic translocation is not lost on interpreters. Decisions with respect to the ‘why’ of the visionary transfer materially affect the inteipretation of the rest of the book.
On one level the ascent to heaven may be seen as merely a generic feature of an apocalyptic composition. Basic to this view of the apocalyptic genre is the notion that direct access to the heavenly realm should be seen as a sine qua non of apocalyptic literature.^’ This criterion for the genie is frilfilled by the book of Revelation, but its sensitivity as a marker of genre is greater than its specificity. Books not generally classified as apocalyptic also describe direct access to the immediate presence of God, including prophetic books that are important sources of allusions in Revelation.^^ In view of the generic ambiguity of Revelation the heavenly ascent in vision into God’s
The anarthrous reference to the tlnone in Rev 4:2 (Kal lôov) 0p6voç GKeiTo kv tw oùpavcô)
signifies the first mention of the tlnone in naixativai, conceptual, and thematic terms from the point of view of the author even though he has referred to the tlnone with the article in Rev 1:4 and 3:21. As the text stands, this feature indicates that (1) appropriation of the parts of Revelation’s narrative depends on appropriation of the whole and not only vice versa', (2) a linear reading of Revelation is inadequate, a point that is also emphasized with respect to the influence of the war-in-heaven theme on the whole of Revelation; (3) the use of the article before the tlnone in Rev 1:4 and 3:21 may be seen as anaphoric in the sense that it anticipates the anartlnous introduction to the important throne imagery in Rev 4:2; (4) priority must be given to the disclosure that begins in the tlnone room setting over the messages to the seven churches in terms of sounding the theme for the entire book. Boring {Revelation, 102) makes the transition to the heavenly thr one room “the theological fountairrliead and anchor point for the whole document.” To Roloff {Revelation, 68), this change of scene is to be taken as “the point of departure and reference for all that follows.” It is of particular significance for the preserrt interpretation that Roloff singles out Rev 12-13 arrd Rev 21-22 as additional eviderrce for his content!orr that the heaveirly tlnorre room marks the theological centr e of the book.
Cf. Rowland, Open Heaven, 10, 71-78.
An importarrt vision of the heavenly tlnorre room from the perspective of Rev 4 is found in Isaiah’s vision of God on his tlnorre (Isa 6:1). The visions of Ezekiel are also important to Revelation (cf. Ezek l:lff), and the vision reported by Micaiah son of Imlah also belongs in this category although its literary setting hardly qualifies as apocalyptic (1 Kings 22:19). In the New Testament Paul claims to be the intimate of a visionary experience arrd even a heaverrly asceirt that by sorrre criteria would belong to the rubric of apocalyptic even though the literary settirrg is not (2 Cor 12:1-4).
presence may not be fully accounted for merely by looking to books that fit the criteria for the apocalyptic geme less ambiguously. Moreover, even when the generic question is held in the foreground, the interpreter must still grapple with the substantive issue of what is disclosed in the course of the visionary experience. Rowland’s emphasis “on the revelation of things as they actually are in the heavenly world” is a succinct case in point.^^ This leads to the question. What exactly does the privileged view into the heavenly realm reveal in Revelation?
Charles answered this question before the subject was framed within the parameters of contemporary definitions of apocalyptic literature, setting words to the transition with a degree of specificity and with a redolent force that remain unsurpassed. Since the answer given on this point is decisive for any reading of Revelation, his inteipretation bears quoting in full.
With chapter iv. there is an entire change of scene and subject. The dramatic contrast could not be greater. Hitherto the scene of the Seer’s visions had been earth: now it is heaven. On the one hand, in ii-iii. we have had a vivid
description of the Christian Churches in Asia Minor, - which is to be taken as typical of the Church at large, - the ideals they cherished, their faulty
achievements and not infrequent disloyalties, and their outlook darkened in every instance with the apprehension of universal persecution and martyrdom. But the moment we leave the restlessness, the troubles, the imperfectness, and apprehension pervading ii-iii., we pass at once in iv. into an atmosphere of perfect assurance and peace. Not even the faintest echo is heard here of the alarms and fears of the faithful, nor do the unmeasured claims and wrongdoings of the supreme and imperial power on earth wake even a moment’s misgiving in the trust and adoration of the heavenly hosts. An infinite hannony of
righteousness and power prevails, while the greatest angelic orders proclaim before the tlirone the holiness of Him who sits thereon, who is the Almighty and from everlasting to everlasting, and to whose sovereign will the world and all that is therein owes and has owed its being.^"'
Chi’istopher Rowland, “The Visions of God in Apocalyptic Literature,” JSJ 10 (1979), 138. Charles, Revelation I, 102-3. On this point Charles’ view commands wide support. Ford {Revelation, 87) emphasizes “the contrast between the harmony which is found in heaven, as represented by the worship of the living creatures, elders, angels, and creation, and the earthly disharmony and cosmic catastrophes which will be revealed in the rest of the apocalypse.” Rowland {Open Heaven, 425) describes the contr ast between the earthly and the heavenly reality in luore subdued and prosaic terms than Charles, but the basic affirmation has the same ring to it: “The contr ast between the hymns of praise to the all-powerful God in heaven and the lack of evidence of the diviire will on earth must have been most evident to the readers of the apocalypse. The antithesis between theological affirmation and
The awe-inspiring scene and the eni'aptured reaction of interpreters appear to support this understanding. The removal from earth to heaven is assumed to be significant, and the purpose is taken to be immediately apparent. Amid the din and noise of earthly oppression the exiled believer is to find a measure of relief in a view of the peace and hannony of heaven. The sense of human powerlessness, battered by perils on all sides, is attenuated in the light of the omnipotent power of God and the glory of the unseen world. Polar opposites are brought to bear on faith that is tested to the limit in the shift from earth to heaven and still more in the striking contrast between earthly commotion and heavenly calm.
Reading Revelation linearly from start to finish is unlikely to raise doubts about the adequacy of this interpretation.^^ If the reality of the war in heaven is allowed to influence the interpretation of the beginning of the book, however, the impact of the transition into the heavenly thi'one room could be quite different. In that case Jolm is not invited to ascend into heaven primarily in order to escape strife and oppression on the earth. It is the other way around: Earthly strife is not contrasted with heavenly peace but is rather to be viewed from the perspective of heavenly tuimoil. Conditions on earth can only be understood in the light of the war that began in heaven. The premise for the entire presentation that compasses the main body o f Revelation (4:1-
22:5) will then be the conflict that began in heaven, and the presumption o f controversy underlies the actions in the heavenly council as well as the understanding o f what happens on earth. Yarbro Collins therefore seems profoundly correct when she writes
historical reality could not have been more starkly put.” Resseguie {Revelation Unsealed, 175) takes the overwhelming primary effect to be that “order and coherence rules the universe.”
This acquiescence need not be seen as a necessity but is based on the fact that relatively few interpretations treat Satan as anything more than a stock character in Revelation. A potential corrective was suggested at the beginning of this chapter, noting the puzzlement of many interpreters over the binding and subsequent release of Satan (Rev 20:1-10).
that “in the context of the Apocalypse as a whole it is clear that the problem facing the heavenly council is the rebellion of Satan which is paralleled by rebellion on earth.
What transpires in the initial scene in the heavenly thi'one room supplies four subtle and tantalizing pieces of evidence that strengthen the legitimacy of Yarbro Collins’ supposition. The first of these relates to the throne itself which occupies a dominant role Revelation, being referred to no less than forty t i m e s . T h e force of the thi'one metaphor is further enhanced by the fact that its use in Revelation is not static. When Satan himself is no more (20:1-10), only the throne and its legitimate occupant are left in the picture.^^ To highlight the vindication of the One sitting on it, the thione takes on a stupendous magnitude, and the fabric of the universe dissolves as if to leave no competing point of reference. John sees “a great white thi one and the one who sat on it; the earth and the heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them” (20:11). According to the war-in-heaven theme the throne of God is contested territory not only in the sense that the reader of Revelation must contend with claimants of earthly sovereignty in the form of Roman emperors who make demands on his life and loyalty. John’s vision of the thione and of the One who sits on the throne recalls the initiation of the conflict and the ambition expressed in the neglected passage in Isaiah,
Yarbro Collins {Apocalypse, 39) makes tliis statement with respect to the mystery of the sealed scroll in Revelation 5, but it should be extended to include chapter 4 since that is the proper beginning for the drama described in chapter 5. Her conclusion is based on paying attention to structural and narratival aspects of Revelation, allowing the combat theme that is explicit in Revelation 12 to
influence the inteipretation of the whole book. Despite the consistency with which she maintains this insight, it ends up mostly as mythological background noise in her own interpretation because her main