Apocalypse. Interpretation of the XXI century. Valeriy Sterkh
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Church Fathers were able to grasp the overall message of the Revelation. Many of them wrote their own interpretations on this book or its parts.
d. The prophecy for all times
– The Apocalypse is the pinnacle of all prophetic books which reveal the Divine plan concerning the final destiny of mankind. It spans a long stretch of history – from the moment of Revelation to the end of the world. Thus, the prophecy of the Apocalypse applies to the entire New Testament era, unfolding gradually in its entirety. The final fulfillment of Revelation will take place at the end of time, after the Day of Judgment.
That’s why it says:
Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand (Rev 1:3).
Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book (Rev 22:7).
The close fulfillment of the prophecy means here three things:
In relation to God, it is a testimony of God’s time-transcending nature, for he is above and beyond time:
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day (2 Pet 3:8).
For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night (Ps 90:4 [Ps 89:5 rus]).
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be (Rev 22:12).
He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen (Rev 22:20).
For mankind, the near fulfillment of the prophecy means that Apocalypse is a permanent event, that is, it is being fulfilled constantly since its individual visions correspond to certain historical eras:
And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand (Rev 22:10).
For an individual, the near fulfillment of the prophecy means that life is fleeting from the standpoint of eternity, and sudden death is always a possibility. This calls for constant spiritual vigilance for the sake of the soul:
Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God (Rev 3:2).
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent (Rev 2:5).
Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth (Rev 2:16).
Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown (Rev 3:11).
It follows that the prophecies of the Apocalypse and their careful and thorough interpretation are of vital importance.
e. The rules for interpretation
The purpose of writing the Apocalypse was to explain to Christians the significance of certain historical events in light of the Divine Providence: to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass (Rev 1:1).
The mystical representation of the future of Christ’s Church and of the whole world helps to prepare believers for the temptations of peacetime, and, particularly, for the hardships in the days of the Antichrist. When the Church is aware of the inevitability of persecution and the Final Judgment, in which everyone will receive according to his deeds, she is helped to go through the hardships:
He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be (Rev 22:11—12).
The prophetic visions of the Apocalypse are not always arranged in chronological order. However, each individual vision contains a strict chronological sequence. This sets the rules for interpretation, which help to align these visions against each other. To some extent, these rules were formulated by the Church Fathers, whose authority and opinion should undoubtedly be taken into consideration when interpreting certain visions.
The events of the last few centuries are a good enough reason to review our modern history in light of the Apocalypse so we can interpret it properly, thus filling up what was lacking in the ancient interpretations.
f. The proposed interpretation
This book offers an interpretation of John’s Apocalypse. The structure of the book is not typical for this type of literature and therefore requires some clarification. The interpretation presented does not follow the chapters of the Apocalypse. Rather, it is based on the author’s intent, which aims to convey to the reader the meaning of the Revelation in a sequence that is easy to grasp.
In general, the book stays within the framework of Orthodox Christian theology. However, since much of the text is the author’s own interpretations, which are his particular theological opinion, he would be grateful for any comments and clarifications from those who are well-versed in the Orthodox theology.
g. My pilgrimage to Patmos
The island of Patmos can only be reached by sea. The most convenient way to get there is from the island of Kos, which is one of the closest airports connecting the island to the outside world. It has a regular ferry connection with Patmos. You can also get to the birthplace of the Apocalypse from the continental port of Piraeus or from one of the nearby islands.
On my way to Patmos, I stopped at the island of Rhodes. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands, and Patmos is one of them. From the east, Rhodes is washed by the calm waters of the Mediterranean, and from the west by the stormy Aegean sea. In the northern part of the island, there are lots of mooring piers. The one that is more known is called Mandraki Harbor, where the famous Colossus of Rhodes once stood. It was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. The history behind the Colossus made me think of Daniel’s prophecy about the giant idol…
In 305 before New Era (BNE), Antigonus, the king of Syria, sent his son, the renowned commander Demetrius Poliorket, to capture Rhodes, but after a year-long war, Demetrius abandoned the siege equipment at the fortress walls and returned home without any success. The Rhodians sold the equipment and used the money to hire Hareth, the sculptor from Lind, to erect a triumphal statue of Helios. It took him 12 years to build the statue, which was 70 cubits high (over 30 meters). Yet, the majestic Colossus did not survive for more than half a century. A powerful earthquake of 226 BNE broke off the legs of the statue, and it crashed. The Сolossus remained in ruins for centuries. Its shattered pieces were pillaged in 653 NE.
The sea ferry which took me to Patmos set off from Rhodes at 5 pm. As it slowly pulled off, a trail of propeller-foamed waters stretched far behind, gently swaying in the piercingly azure waves. The ferry set its course, and the foamy trail behind made a slight curve, stretching out in a nearly straight line, churning from inside. On the left, one could see Rhodes vanishing in the distance together with the high walls of the Old City fortress, and on the right loomed the rocks of Asia Minor. Soon they were out of view, and everything around me was one endless sea with specks of small islands scattered here and there, bare and mostly uninhabited. Just a few of them had visible signs of life – the isolated abodes of solitary monks. From time to time, we saw pleasure boats, barges, sailing yachts.
At about 7:30, a larger and more populated island loomed on the horizon. The loudspeaker announced: the island of Kos. The ferry slowed down and, turning astern to the shore, began to moor. We spent considerable time loading and unloading RV trailers, the passengers coming in and out. It took us about an hour to finish up with the process. In the