Exegesis and Theology

The Blog of Brian Collins

Steinmann and Thomas on the Structure of Revelation

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Andrew Steinmann, “The Tripartite Structure of the Sixth Seal, The Sixth Trumpet, and the sixth Bowl of John’s Apocalypse (Rev 6;12-7:17; 9:13-11:14; 16:12-16),” JETS 35, no 1 (March 1992): 69-78.

Steinman argues against the idea that interludes exist after the sixth seal and trumpet judgments. He instead proposes that there are three sections to the sixth seal. Similarly, the sixth trumpet is followed by two related scenes in chapters 10 and 11. Further, the sixth bowl is divided into three parts by theinterjection “Behold, I am coming like a thief!” The seventh seal,trumpet, and bowl are all united by the depiction of a theophany. Steinmannargues from the sixth and seventh items in the series of seal, trumpet, bowljudgments that there is a double pattern of judgment in heaven and judgment onearth that is also found in chapters 14, 19, and 20.

If these judgments are listed in order, it is obvious that there is a progressive revelation concerning the final judgment:
Judgment 1: The seventh seal. Silence in heaven (8:1).
Judgment 2: The seventh trumpet. Voices in heaven. Implied judgment on earth(11:15–19).
Judgment 3: The double harvest. Initiated by angels’ commands in heaven. First harvest an implied blessing for the saints. Second harvest brings judgment on earth (14:14–19).
Judgment 4: The seventh bowl. A voice announces the end from heaven. Judgment on earth identical in form to judgment 2 (16:17–21).
Judgment 5: The celebration in heaven. The blessings for the saints at the marriage feast of the Lamb. The army of Christ brings judgment on earth at the great supper of God. The beast and the false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire (19:1–21).
Judgment 6: Fire from heaven consumesSatan’s army on earth. Satan, the beast, the false prophet, and those not in the Lamb’s book of life are thrown into the lake of fire. Blessings for the saints in the new Jerusalem (20:9–22:5).

p. 78

Assuming that each of these judgments end a section, Steinmann proposes the following structure for the book:

I.Introduction (1:1–9)
II. Seven letters (1:10–3:22)
III. Opening of the seven seals of the scroll (4:1–8:1)
IV. The sounding of the seven trumpets (8:2–11:19)
V. The woman, the dragon, the two beasts, the 144,000 with the Lamb, three angels, the harvest of the earth (12:1–14:20)
VI. The seven bowls of God’s wrath (15:1–16:21)
VII. The fall of Babylon, the marriage feast of the Lamb, the great supper ofGod (17:1–19:21)
VIII. The millennium, the great white throne, the new Jerusalem(20:1–22:5)
IX. Conclusion (22:6–21)

pp. 78-89

There are several problems with Steinmann’s proposal, however. Even if chapter 7 were read as part of the sixth seal and chapters 10-11 were read as part of the sixth trumpet, the interjection in 16:15 hardly creates a parallel tripartite sixth bowl. Furthermore, this double judgment, first in heaven and then on earth does not always hold. It is not found in judgments 1 or 2. His interpretation of 14:14-19 is debatable. And the claim that 17:1-19:21 forms one section and that 20:1-22:5 is problematic given the way chapters 19 and 20 flow together. Bauckham’s structure, based off of repeated phrases is much preferred to this structure, which depends on forced or imagined parallels at key points.

Thomas, Robert L.  “The Structure of the Apocalypse: Recapitulation or Progression?” Master’s Seminary Journal 4, no. 1 (1993): 45-66.

Thomas argues for a progressive relation of the seals, trumpets, and bowls while acknowledging that recapitulation occurs in the intercalary sections. He gives seven (of course!) arguments in favor of progression. (1) There is no outpouring of wrath after the opening of the seventh seal. (2) There is no outpouring of wrath after the seventh trumpet. (3) The seventh trumpet needs to be a pouring out of wrath because it is the third woe. The seven seals are specifically identified as the seven last plagues which complete God’s wrath (15:1), which fits the third woe. (4) The six seals seem to correlate with the beginning of birth pangs noted in the Olivet Discourse, which would place them early in “the hour of trial” in comparison to the bowls, which are the last plagues. (5) There is an increasing severity in the judgments, which fits well with a progression from seals to bowls. (6) The storm theophany that occurs with the seventh seal, trumpet, and bowl links these judgments back to the throne room scene in chapters 4-5. Since the seals appear in those chapters, the idea that all of these judgments flow from the throne room scene is best maintained if the trumpets are the content of the seventh seal and the bowls are the contents of the seventh trumpet. (7) The seventh bowl marks theclimatic end of the judgments whereas the seventh seal and trumpet do not clearly do this.

Thomas, Robert L. “John’s Apocalyptic Outline,”Bibliotheca Sacra 123 (1966): 334-41.

This article is an argument that Rev. 1:19 provides a tripartite division for the book of Revelation. I’m still not sure that the interpretation of this verse is as significant as some think. A futurist, it would seem, could hold to either position. In arguing for futurism, I wouldn’t make this verse foundational.

Thomas, Robert L.  “The Chronological Interpretation of Revelation 2–3,” Bibliotheca Sacra 124 (1967): 321-31.

Thomas surveys of views about the significance of the letters to the seven churches. He defends the view that the letters to the seven churches are simply letters to churches in John’s own day without any additional symbolic significance relating to the history of the church.

Richard Bauckham on the Structure of Revelation

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Bauckham, Richard. “Structure and Composition.” In Climax of Prophecy: Studies on the Book of Revelation. New York: T&T Clark, 1993.

Richard Bauckham has proposed the most convincing structure of Revelation among the proposals that I’ve surveyed. Bookending the whole are a prologue (1:1-8) and an epilogue (22:6-21). The major divisions of the book are signaled by the use of “in the Spirit” (1:10; 4:2;17:3; 21:10), resulting in the following structure:

  • 1:9-3:22—”vision of the risen who gives the seven messages to the churches
  • 4:1-16:21—”vision of heaven…from which develops the whole sequence of judgments”
  • 17:1-21:8—the fall of Babylon though the coming down of the NewJerusalem
  • 21:9-22:9—the New Jerusalem (pp. 3-4)

Within this structure there are other substructures and linkages. For instance parallel wording in 17:1-19:10 and 21:9-22:9 (particularly at the beginning and end of the sections) show these sections to be parallel: “they deal respectively with the two cities that John portrays as women: Babylon and Jerusalem.” Further, “between the two sections 17:1-19:10 and 21:9-22:9 comes a section which must be understood as a single section describing the transition from one to the other” (p. 5).

The longest section of the book is 4:1-16:21, and the series of seven seals, trumpets, and bowls mark distinct subsections. He notes that the formulaic repetition of rumblings, thunder, lightning, etc. in with the seventh item in each series unifies the series. In addition, “The judgment of the seventh seal-opening, the climax of the first series, described by this formula in 8:5, encompasses the whole course of the judgments of the seven trumpets,and similarly the judgment of the seventh trumpet, described by this formula in 11:19b, encompasses the whole series of bowl judgments, climaxing in the final, fullest elaboration of the formula in 16:18-21” (p. 8). In addition, an interlocking of the seventh seal and trumpet with the series that follows marks each series as a development of the first.

Between the sixth and seventh seal and trumpet, are intercalations that parallel one another. Bauckham suggests that “these lengthy interruptions in the sequence of judgments delay the final, seventh judgment, and such delay would be particularly felt in oral performance. They serve to incorporate the issue of delay into the structure of the book” (12). He further suggests that the second intercalation (chs. 10-11) is focused on the theme of witness. I think the same could be said of the first intercalation.

Bauckham notes that many structures of Revelation struggle with how to handle Revelation12-14. He takes the abrupt beginning of chapter 12 to mark a distinct subsection that intentionally restarts the narrative. In this case, it alludes far back as Genesis 3:15 and more specifically begins with the birth of Christ. “But if John has not integrated this section into the rest of his book at the beginning of the section, he has done so at its end. He links it to the account of the seven bowls which follows by the same technique of overlapping or interweaving as he had used to link the series of seal judgments to the series of trumpet judgments” (16).

This leads Bauckham to propose the following structure of Revelation:

1:1-8 Prologue
1:9-3:22 Inaugural vision of Christ and the churches including seven messages to the churches
4:1-5:14 Inaugural vision of heaven leading to three series of sevens and two intercalations:
    6:1-9:1; 8:3-5 Seven seals, numbered 4 + 1 + (1 + intercalation) + 1
    8:2; 8:6-11:19 Seven trumpets, numbered 4 + 1 + (1 + intercalation) + 1
12:1-14:20; 15:2-4 The story of God’s people in conflict with evil
    15:1; 15:5-16:21 Seven bowls, numbered (4+3) without intercalation
17:1-19:10 Babylon the harlot
19:11-21:8 Transition from Babylon to the New Jerusalem
121:9-22:9 The New Jerusalem the bride
22:6-21 Epilogue

Bauckham, Climax of Prophecy, 22.

Kaiser on Rest and Bauckham on the Lord’s Day

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Kaiser, Walter C., Jr., “The Promise Theme and the Theology of Rest,” Bibliotheca Sacra 130 (1973): 135-150.

This is a helpful survey of the rest theme in Scripture. Kaiser’s own summary:

The rest of God is distinctively His own rest which He offers to share first with Israel and through them with all the sons of men who will also enter into it by faith. While there were antecedent aspects of that final rest to come, chiefly in the divine rest provided by the inheritance of the land of Canaan; because it was not accompanied by the inward response of faith to the whole promise of God, of which this rest was just a part, the land of Canaan still awaits Israel and the people of God. The rest of God, lost in the fall, again rejected by the older wilderness generation and subsequently by their erring children is still future to us in our day.

The dead will enter into its full enjoyment after their resurrection from the dead (Ps. 116:7), therefore it is not to be identified with heaven. Rather it is fixed by Isaiah 11:10 as being “in that day” when “the Lord will extend his hand a second time to recover the remnant of his people” (Isa. 11:11). In that eschatological setting, “his rest” (not “dwellings” as in RSV) shall be glorious. Then the Lord shall choose Jerusalem as His dwelling place, and this new David will say, “This is my resting place for ever” (Ps. 132:14).” [149-50]

Bauckham, R. J. “The Lord’s Day.” In From Sabbath to Lord’s Day: A Biblical, Historical, and Theological Investigation. Edited by D. A. Carson. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 1999.

This is an excellent examination of Revelation 1:10 in its historical and canonical context. Bauckham makes the case that the Lord’s day in Revelation 1:10 is Sunday. He further argues that the day was significant to the message of the book, which centers on the issue of sovereignty. The person you worship is your lord. Here it is fitting for the revelation given to John about the reality of Christ’s lordship and his coming full triumph to be given on the day the church gathers to worship. This connection between Christ’s sovereignty and the Lord’s day is strengthened by its being the day of Christ’s resurrection, which marked his triumph over opposition to his sovereignty. The Lord’s day, then, is to be a day of worship in anticipation of our Lord’s return and the full and visible manifestation of his sovereignty.

J. I. Packer, Knowing God

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Packer, J. I. Knowing God. IVP, 1973.

There is good reason that this book is considered a classic. It is an accessible introduction to the essentials of the Christian faith. A Christian with few books who mastered this one alongside his Bible would truly be a theologian in the older sense of theology: the science of living blessedly forever.

Logos 8 Review

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Logos 8 arrived earlier this month, and FaithLife (Logos’s parent company) was kind enough to send me a review copy. I’ve been using it for the past several weeks now, and what follows are a few of my favorite features along with some constructive criticism.

Canvas

Something that I’ve long wished was part of Logos’s highlighting toolbox is the ability to draw lines between key words in a text. I frankly thought that feature would never come due to technical challenges, but the canvas tool makes it possible to do that and much more. Below is an example I produced fairly quickly using Canvas.

Logos’s own blog post about Canvas shows it being used for more creative, artistic purposes, but expect I’ll use it most often to structure and highlight a passage. Because of this, one feature I hope Logos adds in the future is the ability to use the custom highlighting palates that can be used in other resources within Canvas.

See this page for a video and some other Canvas examples.

Workflows

One of the challenges with Logos is sifting through a large library of resources to find those most relevant for one’s present study. One way Logos has addressed this problem in the past has been through passage guides or exegetical guides.

Here are some examples from the passage guide:

 

Workflows take this concept to the next level and provide a click-through guide for how to study a passage. Here is the list of steps for the Passage Exegesis Workflow:

Within these steps, the workflow will direct users out to various resources:

Workflows are customizable, so if there are steps that you can do without or do without being prompted by the workflow, you can customize the process.

In addition to workflows that are focused on studying Scripture, Logos also included a workflow for praying Scripture. On the one hand, the process is simple enough that a workflow isn’t really needed, but part of the utility of the workflows is to teach people how to do something. I can also see using this workflow as a way to discipline myself to slow down and be more intentional in praying through Scripture.

For a video about workflows, see here.

Lexham Survey of Theology / Theology Guide

Another new feature of Logos 8, and one to which I contributed, is the Lexham Survey of Theology. Information from this resource is also presented and expanded on in the theology guide.

The LST provides a brief definition of a theological topic followed by an entry which summarizes the topic. Key passages and recommended resources follow the entry. In general, I think the summaries are helpful, though there are some which, unfortunately, seem to argue for a viewpoint instead of surveying positions. I contributed entries relating to the themes of covenant and law and sought to provide a summary of viewpoints followed by suggested resources that represent the range of viewpoints on the topic.

I think the resource recommendations and the key passages may end up being the most useful part of this resource.

For a video about the theology guide, see here.

Touch and Pen

I use Logos on a Surface device, and, in general, it works well with touch. I’ve used the Logos mobile app on both iOS and Android, and while the mobile app is nice, I prefer the full-featured experience on my Surface.

In many ways, Logos 8 improves upon Logos 7 in the realm of touch. The new design for accessing the table of contents within resources is more touch-friendly, as are the new toggles for the interlinear and multiple resources views. However, while the main resources respond to touch, the interactives do not. This is frankly unacceptable. Windows devices have had touch for the past decade, and a program in which touch works only selectively is broken.

Similarly, the pen works everywhere in Logos–except with the notes feature. There is no place where pen functionality is more desirable within Logos. Furthermore, there is no reason why pen functionality should not work here. Microsoft provides the pane for pen input, and the Logos program should not care whether the text is coming from the pen input pane, from an onscreen keyboard, or from a hardware keyboard. It is the only program I have that does not recognize pen input. When a program does not function with a basic operating system feature that works with every other program, it is broken.

Other Features

Logos 8 includes a number of other nice features. For instance, the Library now has a side panel with helpful filters. I find that I use this far more than I might have anticipated. In fact, if I were to organize this post by most used feature, this paragraph would be at the top of the post instead of at the bottom.

The homepage now includes a dashboard that fills up with the users own documents. The advertising is still present, but if you have enough docs on the dashboard, it is tucked away below your docs. This is better than the old homepage. I had my various prayer lists in the sidebar on the old homepage, but it seemed distracting to interact with them as a sidebar to blog posts and advertisements. At least for my workflow, the new homepage is better.

I’m generally happy with the new UI as well. While I did like the big book panel/icon that always appeared on the far left of a resource pane in the old design (and have to retrain myself to go to ellipses on the right of the screen instead of to the left of the screen to access the resource menu), I think the new design is better overall. It’s clearer which tab is active, and the icons within the tab make identifying resources in different tabs a bit easier.

My general assessment is that Logos 8 is a solid and substantial upgrade from Logos 7.

The Significance of Genesis 1:26-28 in Exegesis, Theology, and Culture

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On Monday I presented a paper at the BJU Seminary symposium for Fall 2018 on Genesis 1:26-28. The paper is posted on the Theology in 3D website. I’m thankful for the opportunity to present the paper, and I welcome feedback.

I’m grateful to Dr. Ken Casillas for inviting me to present the paper and to Dr. Eric Newton for his insightful response.

Schreiner on Spiritual Gifts

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Schreiner, Thomas R. Spiritual Gifts: What They Are and Why They Matter. Nashville: B&H, 2018.

This is an excellent brief introduction to spiritual gifts. The first part of the book presents wise pastoral counsel about what spiritual gifts are and how people should exercise them in the church. The latter part of the book is a brief, winsome defense of the cessationist position.

Schreiner had in the past held to the continuationist position. He comments about his change of mind: “What set me personally back on the road to cesssationism is this very matter of prophecy. I slowly became convinced that the idea that New Testament prophets were different in nature from Old Testament prophets was flawed. Instead, it is more convincing to say that New Testament prophets were infallible like Old Testament prophets” (loc 1681). Like Schreiner, I have always found this (rather than tongues) to be at the heart of the debate.

Schreiner argues that NT prophecy is infallible because there would need to be a clear indication in the NT if prophecy became fallible. To the contrary, the quotation of Joel 2:28 in the NT points to continuity. The NT warnings about false prophets point in the same direction. Second, Ephesians 2:20 teaches that the church was built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. While Grudem argues that this should be interpreted as “the apostles who are prophets” (thus showing a distinction between infallible and fallible NT prophets), Schreiner notes that Grudem misapplies the Granville Sharp rule to make this claim. Third, the NT demands that prophecies be judged, and the standard laid out in Deuteronomy 18 is that true prophets and prophecies are without error. Fourth, Schreiner rejects that argument that Paul’s claim of apostolic authority over prophets shows that prophets could be in error. “The issue here isn’t whether the words of the prophets are mixed with error. Instead, the issue is whether one is a false prophet!” (loc. 1203). Fifth, Schreiner rejects the claim that the prophecy of Agabus in Acts 21 was in error, noting that Paul in Acts 28 indicates that it was not. Further, Schreiner observes, “if Agabus is judged to be in error, the same kind of judgment could be used to assess other texts which some claim have errors” (loc 1225).

With regard to tongues, Schreiner holds that Acts 2 defines tongues as xenoglossia. None of the following passages in Acts or 1 Corinthians demand that tongues be understood as glossolalia. Thus the claimed gift today is not the same thing as the gift of tongues as practiced in the New Testament.

Worldview and American Experience’s “The Eugenics Crusade”

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PBS’s American Experience recently aired a two-hour program about eugenics: “The Eugenics Crusade: What’s Wrong with Perfect?”. It is well worth watching.

Eugenics is the textbook example of the problem with placing unquestioning trust in the latest scientific consensus. When Christians raised moral questions about embryonic stem cell research, they were admonished not to let faith stand in the way of progress and science.
Interestingly, Christians were viewed similarly when they raised objections to eugenics.

And it was when these self-identified liberal and modernist religious men abandoned bedrock principles to seek relevance in modern debates that they were most likely to find themselves endorsing eugenics. Those who clung stubbornly to tradition, to doctrine, and to biblical infallibility opposed eugenics and became, for a time, the objects of derision for their rejection of this most modern science.

Christine Rosen, Preaching Eugenics: Religious Leaders and the American Eugenics Movement (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004), 5.

Interestingly, the American Experience documentary did not identify this aspect of eugenics history. It did not distinguish between the social gospel ministers who embraced eugenics (Rosen, 17) and the conservatives who opposed it.

Indeed, the documentary makers framed the issue differently. They repeatedly emphasized that the proponents of eugenics promoted their ideas with religious fervor. Eugenics became to them a religion. The connection between religion and eugenics can even be seen in the title: “The Eugenics Crusade.” On the one hand, I have no problem with framing false ideologies in religious terms. They often are religious in nature. On the other hand, the documentary closed by claiming that better science debunked eugenics.

By eliding the religious opposition to eugenics, and by framing proponents of eugenics in terms of religion, the documentary created a narrative arc in which science triumphed over religion rather than presenting a narrative in which religious wisdom, if heeded, could have prevented oppression in the name of scientific consensus.

The worldview of the program also appeared in its handling of abortion. Abortion was never mentioned in the program. Margaret Sanger did make a brief appearance, but she was presented merely as promoting birth control. Her connection with eugenics, even specifically racist eugenics, was presented as a pragmatic way to promote the liberation of women through birth control. So instead of investigating the link between eugenics and abortion, the documentary seeks to distance them from each other.

The program does accurately convey the degree to which eugenics was in the mainstream of educated opinion for significant period of the early twentieth century, and it intends for viewers to be aghast that such ideas, and their implementation, were accepted so widely by Americans. I can only hope that in a future generation a PBS documentary on abortion will expect its audience to be aghast that abortion was mainstream.

I think this documentary is worth watching, but watch it with an awareness of how the creators’ worldview has shaped, and distorted, the story being told.

Two Puritan Books: McGraw on Owen and Watson on the Ten Commandments

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McGraw, Ryan. The Foundation of Communion with God: The Trinitarian Piety of John Owen. Profiles in Reformed Spirituality. Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage, 2014.

The Profiles in Reformed Spirituality are favorites. They are small books which fit easily into one’s hand or pocket. They begin with a brief biography, but the heart of the books are two-page selections from the featured theologian’s writings. The selections focus on personal piety and one’s walk with God. This volume concludes with a suggested plan for reading Owen’s works.

Watson, Thomas. The Ten Commandments. 1692; Reprinted, Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1965.

This is the first book I would recommend buying on the Ten Commandments (although Udemans’ The Practice of Faith, Hope, and Love ranks with it). Since this book is derived from sermons it provides both exposition and application of the Decalogue.

As the second volume of Watson’s exposition of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, Watson’s book covers more than the Ten Commandments. He also discusses the questions that relate to sin, salvation, and the ordinances.

Al Wolters on Nature and Grace in Proverbs 31

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Wolters, Albert M. “Nature and Grace in the Interpretation of Proverbs 31:10-31.” Calvin Theological Journal 19, no. 2 (November 1, 1984): 153-166.

In this article, Wolters looks at how different views of the relation between nature and grace have affected the interpretation of Proverbs 31:10-31.

He observes that those who oppose grace to nature tend to allegorize this passage. This was common from Origen through the Middle Ages. Even interpreters who focused on the literal sense, like Nicholas of Lyra, took the allegorical understanding to be the literal sense of this passage. Since Toy, many critical interpreters who assume that ancient Israel held a nature against grace view claim the poem was originally secular.

In the 18th-20th centuries, Catholic writers give a grace above nature interpretation of this passage. On this reading, much of the passage deals with merely natural virtues, but at the end of the poem these are transcended by true fear of God.

Luther exemplifies the grace alongside nature view. Wolters notes that Luther was influential in ending the allegorical interpretation of the passage. But Luther still distinguished grace and nature in this marginal comment to his translation of the passage: “That is to say, a woman can live with a man honourably and piously and can with a good conscience be a housewife, but she must also, in addition and next to this, fear God, have faith and pray.”

Regarding a grace restores nature viewpoint, Wolters says, “Applied to the Song of Proverbs 31, this paradigm fosters an interpretation which looks upon the fear of the Lord as integral to the poem as a whole. Religion is not restricted to verse 30, but pervades the whole… Here the woman’s household activities are seen, not as something opposed to, or even distinct from, her fear of the Lord, but rather as its external manifestation.”

Wolters holds to the fourth view, but he is willing to grant that the “Valiant Woman as the personification of Wisdom—not in an allegorical sense, but in the sense of an earthly embodiment of what it means to be wise.”