Days of Vengeance - The Preterist Archive

INTRODUCTION TO PART TWO
slanderer is paralleled in the life of Joseph (Gen. 39:13-
20), as is the blessing of the crown of life for the faithful
(Gen. 41:40-44); Aaron too, as the glorious image of
Man fully redeemed, wore a crown of life (Ex. 28:36-
38). The “tribulation of ten days” followed by victory
reflects the story of Israel’s endurance through the ten
plagues before its deliverance.
3. Pergamum (2:12-17). The imagery in this section is
taken from the sojourn of Israel in the wilderness, the
abode of demons (Lev. 16:10; 17:7; Deut. 8:15; Matt.
4:1; 12:43); the Christians of Pergamum also had to
dwell “where Satan’s throne is . . . where Satan dwells.”
The enemies of the church are described as “Balaam”
and “Balak,” the false prophet and evil king who tried
to destroy the Israelites by tempting them to idolatry
and fornication (Num. 25:1-3; 31:16). Like the Angel
of the LORD and Phineas the priest, Christ threatens to
make war against the Balaamites with the sword (cf.
Num. 22:31; 24:7-8). To those who overcome, He
promises a share in the “hidden manna” from the Ark
of the Covenant (Heb. 9:4), and a white stone with a
“new name” inscribed on it, the emblem of the
redeemed covenant people worn by the High Priest
(Ex. 28:9-12).
4. Thyatira (2:18-29). St. John now turns to imagery
from the period of the Israelite monarchy and the
Davidic covenant. Christ announces Himself as “the
Son of God,” the greater David (cf. Ps. 2:7; 89:19-37;
Jer. 30:9; Ezek. 34:23-24; 37:24-28; Hos. 3:5; Acts 2:24-
36; 13:22-23). He rebukes the angel of Thyatira, whose
toleration of his “wife, Jezebel,” is leading to the
apostasy of God’s people (cf. 1 Kings 16:29-34; 21:25-
26). She and those who commit adultery with her (cf.
2 Kings 9:22) are threatened with “tribulation,” like the
three and one-half years of tribulation visited upon
Israel in Jezebel’s day (1 Kings 17:1; James 5:17); she
and her offspring will be killed (cf. 2 Kings 9:22-37).
But he who overcomes will be granted, like David,
“authority over the nations” (cf. 2 Sam. 7:19; 8:1-14;
Ps. 18:37-50; 89:27-29). The concluding promise
alludes to David’s Messianic psalm of dominion: “And
he shall rule them with a rod of iron; like the vessels of
a potter they shall be broken to pieces, as I also have
received from My Father” (cf. Ps. 2:9).
5. Sardis (3 :1-6). The imagery of this section comes
from the later prophetic period (cf. the references to
the Spirit and the “seven stars,” speaking of the prophetic
witness) leading up to the end of the monarchy,
when the disobedient covenant people were defeated
and taken into captivity. The description of the
church’s reputation for “life” when it is really “dead,”
the exhortations to “wake up” and to “strengthen the
things that remain,” the acknowledgement that there
are “a few people” who have remained faithful, all are
reminiscent of prophetic language about the Remnant
in a time of apostasy (Isa. 1:5-23; 6:9-13; 65:8-16; Jer.
7:1-7; 8:11-12; Ezek. 37:1-14), as is the warning of
imminent judgment (Isa. 1:24-31; 2:12-21; 26:20-21;
Jer. 4:5-31; 7:12-15; 11:9-13; Mic. 1:2-7; Zeph. 1).
6. Philadelphia (3:7-13). The Return from the Exile
under Ezra and Nehemiah is reflected in this message,
which speaks in the imagery of the synagogue and the
rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple (cf. the
prophecies of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi). The
Philadelphians, like the returning Jews, have “a little
power.” The reference to “the synagogue of Satan, who
say that they are Jews, and are not” recalls the conflicts
with “false Jews” in Ezra 4 and Nehemiah 4, 6, and 13.
The warning of a coming “hour of testing . . . which is
about to come on the whole world, to test those who
dwell upon the Land” reminds us of the tribulation
suffered under Antiochus Epiphanes (cf. Dan. 8 and
11). But Christ promises the overcomer that he will be
made “a pillar in the Temple” and share in the blessings
of the “New Jerusalem.”
7. Laodicea (3:14-22). The period of the Last Days
(A.D. 30-70) provides the motifs for the seventh and
last message. The “lukewarm” church, boasting of its
wealth and self-sufficiency yet blind to its actual
poverty and nakedness, is a fitting image of the
Pharisaical Judaism of the first century (Luke 18:9-14;
cf. Rev. 18:7). Warned that she is about to be spewed
out of the Land (the curse of Lev. 18:24-28; cf. Luke
21:24), Israel is urged to repent and accept Christ,
offered in the Eucharistic meal. Those who overcome
are granted the characteristic blessing of the age
brought in by the New Covenant: dominion with
Christ (cf. Eph. 1:20-22; 2:6; Rev. 1:6).
The Structure of Revelation Foreshadowed
Finally, the messages to the seven churches also
contain a miniature outline of the entire prophecy. As
we have noted, the four sections of Revelation
following the Preamble (Chapter 1) are structured in
terms of the four sevenfold curses of the Covenant, set
forth in Leviticus 26:18, 21, 24, 28. These four sets of
judgments in Revelation may be summarized as follows:
1. Judgment on the False Apostles (2-3). Heretical
teachers propagating false doctrines are exposed,
condemned, and excommunicated by St. John and
those who are faithful to the true Apostolic
tradition.
2. Judgment on the False Israel (4-7). Apostate
Israel, which is persecuting the saints, is condemned
and punished; the believing Remnant is protected
from judgment, inherits the blessings of the
Covenant, and fills the earth with fruit.
3. Judgment on the Evil King and False Prophet (8-
14). The Beast and the False Prophet wage war
against the Church and are defeated by the True
King and His army of faithful witnesses.
4. Judgment on the Royal Harlot (15-22). Babylon,
the False Bride, is condemned and burned, and the
True Bride celebrates the Marriage Supper of the
Lamb.
This is the same general pattern we find in the first four
messages themselves:
1. Ephesus: Judgment on the Fake Apostles (2:1-7).
47