The Apocalypse of Saint John
Examining common interpretations o Revelation from an Eastern Orthodox Perspective
The quality of our interpretation of Saint John’s Apocalypse is dependent upon the substance of our worldview: our Scriptural hermetic, Christian tradition, and personal spiritual state. Considering that Revelation is replete with fantastic images, specific numbers, and foreboding events, it should come as no surprise that it is one of the most widely misinterpreted books of the Bible. However, it is not misinterpreted in isolation; rather, when it is misread, it is done so alongside many other key themes and passages in Scripture. Thus, how we interpret it unveils the condition of our Christian paradigm as a whole.
Fear: The Mark of the Beast and His Number 666
One of the most common misguided approaches to this text within American Christianity reveals a categorically unChristian infrastructure: fear. Often, the number 666 is treated as evil in-and-of itself, with some claiming that the mark of the beast (Revelation 16:2; 19:20) is an etching of this number on the skin. Others claim that Christians can unknowingly receive the mark of the beast. Still others make much ado about technological advances, with some recent examples being the introduction of barcodes, credit cards, or microchips. Such approaches, however, stem from the premillennial dispensationalists’ deep-seated conviction that Scripture must be taken literally (in most instances). This fails to account for the role of numerological symbolism within Scripture generally and in John’s accounts specifically. (A similar error: reading Revelation as a series of chronological events. Within this view, the first three chapters are considered the only part of the book that was written for another time.)
But such ideas rings with overtones of superstition, not Christian faith.
An Orthodox understanding of the Apocalypse is not based in fear, but in victory. The numbers within John’s account should not be constrained to a literal interpretation but include a numerological approach. For instance, the number of the beast does not refer to a literal number etched on the skin; it signifies that which falls short of perfection.1 6 is one short of 7 (which symbolizes perfection, the number of God being 777), man was created on the sixth day, and man fell from grace at the sixth hour. In ancient times, to repeat something three times was to give it maximal emphasis. So, 666 is the most “6” number – the eternally imperfect number. Another interesting point to consider is that the beast is said to reign for three and a half years, which is 1260 days. Now, 6 squared is 36 and the triangular of 36 is 666. The factors in the 666 are 1260 which corresponds to the three and a half years.
It would be important to note here that, according to the Orthodox Church, it is not possible to accidentally or unknowingly receive the mark of the beast. One marks themselves, so to speak, by their actions. It is by our choices that we proclaim fidelity to the beast or to Christ. Understanding the marking or sealing in Revelation in this way provides us with inspiration to live the life of Christ in our day-to-day life (and inspiration for the first Christians as well).
The one-thousand year reign (Revelation 20)
The 1,000 year reign according to premillennial dispensationalists refers to a period wherein all of the Old Testament prophecies will be fulfilled for ethnic Jews (after the “rapture” of Christians). There are several different iterations of this view: in Jewish Apocalyptic literature (c. 100 B.C.–33 A.D.) there was a belief in an earthly paradise where one would reap bountiful harvests. Some of the earliest Christian writers would proffer a literal 1,000 year reign of Christ (Sts. Irenaeus, Justin Martyr) as well – a position that was later revoked at the Second Ecumenical Council (381 A.D.) by the addition of “whose kingdom shall have no end” to the Nicene Creed.
Postmillennialists do not believe it to be a literal 1,000 years but rather a long time of prosperity wherein the whole world must be missionized in order to usher in the rise of the end times, the coming of the antichrist, and the parousia of Christ. In most cases, however, there seems to be a narrow human understanding of justice and reward motivating this view.
Like postmillennialists, amillennialists do not believe in a literal 1,000 year reign. Instead, they believe that the 1,000 years refers to the time between the Ascension and the Second Coming, when Christ reigns in the Church. This view emphasizes the numerological symbolism of 1,000 (which is 10 cubed, with 10 representing totality). The Orthodox Church’s view of the 1,000 year reign is essentially amillennial.
The Rapture
The now-widespread belief in what is called the “rapture” was first proffered by John Nelson Darby in the 1830s. For his part, Darby claimed that Christ would return to spare Christians from the catastrophes of the last days. According to his own admission, this doctrine simply “jumped out” at him as he pondered the distinction between ethnic Jews and Gentiles. As a result, he included it as a footnote in his study Bible for a few distinct passages in scripture (1 Thessalonians 4:16–18, Revelation 3:10).
As the idea of the rapture developed, there came to be differing ideas of when the rapture would take place. Some came to believe in a pre-tribulation rapture wherein Christians will avoid all the suffering to come while others came to believe in a post-tribulation rapture.
The Orthodox Church believes in the Second Coming of Christ but not in the rapture. These are two distinct doctrinal ideas. The Second Coming marks the end of time at which point every human being will face the final judgment; the rapture is an idea that does not exist before the 19th century. Although the rapture is sometimes also called the second coming, it does not refer to the end of time – as in some models Christ returns again after a period of time to usher in the final judgment.
The Orthodox Church affirms that Christ only comes twice: once through the womb of Mary and once at the end of the age. Not three times (Birth/Rapture/Second Coming) as some models would have it.
144,000 (Revelation 7)
John Nelson Darby did not stop innovating with the rapture, though. According to his theorizing, the 144,000 (12x12,000) mentioned in Revelation 7 refers to the number of ethnic Jews that would become Christians in the last days and start missionary work. According to the Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW), the number 144,000 (Revelation 7:4–8; 14:1–5) refers to those chosen to be immortal spirits with Christ in heaven. For Charles Taze Russell, the founder of the JWs, believers not among the chosen will live in an earthly paradise. Everyone else will cease to exist – a view called annihilationism.
Within the Orthodox view, the number 144,000 (which is 12 times 12,000) has several Old Testament associations (See 1 Chronicles 23; 2 Chronicles 7; Ezekiel chs. 40–48). As used in the Old Testament to refer to an innumerous multitude (1 Chronicles chs. 4–7), we believe that 144,000 refers to the whole Church. Saint Andrew of Caesarea comments that the number can be seen as 12 times 12 times 1000, referring to the fruit of the Apostle’s seed. The number 1,000 is used, according to St. Augustine, to symbolize the fullness of time (10 being the number of perfection or totality; 10 cubed is 1,000; 12x12x1000).
Who is Israel?
John Nelson Darby’s obsession with ethnic distinction points to a key problem within premillenarianism as a whole: a misunderstanding of who Israel actually refers to. Within the premillennialist view, it is believed that there is an eternal distinction between ethnic Jews and Gentiles; as such, the Church is not Israel but a plan B (since the Jews did not go along with God’s initial plan). The idea is that this initial plan will be restored, however, during the one thousand year reign. This belief has undoubtedly affected American foreign policy. The establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 would lead 20th century millennialists like Hal Lindsey to proclaim that “this generation” would see the foretold events of Matthew 24 and the Revelation. The timeline: the 1980s.
For the Orthodox Christian, the Church is understood as the new Israel. Traditionally, Israel as a whole is spoken of as a vine – but in the Old Testament it refused to bear fruit and were thus set under judgment. In the New Testament we see that Christ is the True Vine (John 15); He is also the head of the body (Colossians 1:18). It is those who abide in Christ that grow and flourish.
The Old Testament is clear: “Israel” refers to those that keep God’s commandments; those who do not obey, however, will perish (see Exodus 23:22; Deuteronomy 8:19–20; Jeremiah 11:10). In other words, the covenant is conditional. The idea of choosing the ethnic Jews in the first place was to raise them up as an example to the other nations, that they would be drawn to worship the one True God. But this did not happen. As is clear by Jesus’ response to the Pharisees who constantly hearkened back to their ethnic pedigree, ethnic line has nothing to do with true, eternal life and blessings – the birthright can be forfeited, like we see in the story of Jacob and Esau. After all, it is clear that this ethnic distinction does not exist in Christ (Romans 2:28–29; 9:25; Ephesians 2:11–13; Galatians 3:28).
Old and New Testament Imagery
It is worth noting that the way John describes his experience of the Revelation connects Old Testament and New Testament imagery; for the former, he says “I heard” and for the latter, “I saw.” As one example, in Revelation 7:4 he “hears” a number of people that wer sealed (as in a military role-call or that which is described in Chronicles) but he sees or beholds an innumerable multitude.
Liturgical Worship
The liturgical aspects of heavenly worship described in Revelation are striking; they provide us a wonderful opportunity to converse with Protestants about proper worship from the Scriptures. According to Rev. Patrick Sena, the Revelation is “one of the two most liturgical of the NT writings.” If we simply look at the liturgical aspects of Revelations together with the movements in our Divine Liturgy, we will see a striking resemblance. In Revelation 8:3–5, we are told of an angel who stands at the altar witha golden bowl of incense; in our divine liturgy, the deacons, who are understood to symbolize the angels goingin in and out, uses a golden bowl filled with incense on numerous occasions (Rev. 5:8). In Revelation 6:9 we see the souls of the martyrs under the altar; in our tradition, altars are sealed with relics (bones) of the martyrs. Additionally, those in heaven are crying out to the Lord (Revelation 6:10) – as we understand intercessions of the Saints. There is the thrice holy hymn and alleluia’s in heavenly worship and our liturgy as well (Revelation 4:8; chs. 12 and 19).
Thus, when we worship in the Orthodox Church we should be cognizant of the fact that, “we Christians…are already joined to our associates who are worshiping now in God’s presence. Heaven is breaking into our present existence. There is a communion of saints; we are united to those who have gone before us and are resting in God’s presence (Revelation 6:9–11).” These facts would not have been lost on Christians at the time of John’s writing, as Sena notes: “The Christians who were being persecuted by Domitian understood this; we should understand it as well.”
The Apocalypse Fever of Orthodox Christians Today
There is an unfortunate trend in the Orthodox Church today among online Orthodox personalities and modern Athonite monks to prophesy about the rise of the beast and his mark. Such “prophecies” often come from an excess of protestant theological baggage (whether experiential or literary) but are cloaked in Orthodoxisms that confuse young converts. In some cases, fringe Athonite “elders” and “holy men,” according to some online sources, make sweeping claims about the end times that are traceable to the literary presence of frenetic Protestant eschatological theories – theories that were taken from different books, compiled, and translated into Greek under a different title than the original English. (For a detailed article on this specifically, see Saint Paisios, Protestant Eschatology, and Vital Context for Orthodox Christians Reading Saint Paisios Today).
Revelation is not a book about fear or geopolitical theories. It is a book about victory – one that encourages us to persevere in times of trouble. As such, it would have been a great encouragement for the Christians reading it in the early periods of the Church – as it should be a great encouragement for us today.
Watch the video about the Apocalypse below: