Here are a couple of Bible questions for you:
1. What book of the New Testament has allusions or echoes to the Old Testament in nearly every verse? (Hint: it’s not a short book.)
2. What book of the New Testament has no direct quotations from the Old Testament? (Hint: it’s not a short book.)
The answer to both questions is: Revelation. (There might be other correct answers, but I didn’t check and that’s not my purpose here.) It is indeed very interesting that such a long book could be so full of the Old Testament, and, at the same time, never once directly quote it. Here’s how the book is introduced in the new Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament:
No other book of the NT is as permeated by the OT as is Revelation. Although its author seldom quotes the OT directly, allusions and echoes are found in almost every verse of the book. Revelation’s message remains thoroughly “New Testament.” The church universal is called to maintain a faithful witness in the midst of persecution, following in the footsteps of the Lamb, who died to free them from their sins. Having conquered through faith, they are promised the blessing of eternal life in the presence of God in the new heaven and new earth, all with the purpose that they worship him and that he receive the glory forever. However, the imagery is drawn almost exclusively from the OT, thus reminding the reader that redemption in Christ is the fulfillment of God’s eternal plans (G. K. Beale and Sean M. McDonough).
I’d say some things differently, but the point I want to make is that Revelation rings with the Old Testament. The books with the most connections: Isaiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, and Psalms.
Contrary to nearly everyone (I’ve read) who has written on Revelation, I would not say that John uses the Old Testament, that he is alluding to this or that passage, that he is developing previous themes. John wrote what he saw and heard. He certainly was well-versed in the Old Testament, but he did not fabricate the vision. The lack of direct quotations is evidence that he was not sitting down at a desk with OT scrolls open in front of him as he invented the future out of his own study of the Scriptures. The reason why his vision corresponded so closely with that of the previous prophets is that they were all spokesmen for one Author.
Revelation 1:1 (ESV) The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
Revelation 1:10-11 (ESV) I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”
Revelation 4:1: After this I looked…
Revelation 5:1: Then I saw…
Revelation 5:11: Then I looked…
Revelation 6:1: Now I watched…
Revelation 7:1: After this I saw…
Revelation 22:1: Then the angel showed me…
Revelation 22:6 (ESV): And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”
One the one hand …. and on the other hand. Which is the correct answer? Both of course. Very hebraic. Very biblical. Kudos to you! Mike Harney
Interesting post. As you have noted, Revelation is one of the most Old Testament books in the New Testament! I appreciate your reminder that Scripture has a divine Author. I think that this fact is too often rejected, minimized, or ignored in our discussions of the Bible. That being said, we must be careful not to reject, minimize, or ignore the human part of the inspiration equation or adopt wholeheartedly the dictation view of inspiration (which I don’t think you are doing). The explanation for the preponderance of OT material is best explained by contributions from both the Author and the author.
Crazy thought.
Sometimes new thoughts like these make me want to go to seminary. There is so much that I don’t know, like you said on Monday.
Wow! Very cool! Thanks!
I’m currently studying eschatology in Seminary and I just meditated on Rev. 21-22 and the topic of the millennium, rapture, tribulation etc. so your post was good timing! I took a class from Dr. John Sailhammer on the topic of Messiah in the OT. I’m not sure I agree with everything he said but it impacted my thinking on the topic of Messiah’s reign. I’m curious, what is your take on the relationship of Israel and the Church and the Millennium?
Shireen – I am just about to be off the internet for a week, so here’s a real fast answer.
1. There is a millennium. There is no way around this.
2. The OT promises a future kingdom for Israel, in which many unfulfilled prophecies will be realized.
3. It seems reasonable to connect #1 with #2.
4. The role of the church in the millennium is more difficult. This is one reason that some deny points #1 and #2. I prefer to recognize these realities without necessarily knowing how it all fits together. I believe that the raptured Church will be present in the millennium, but it doesn’t seem to be the primary focus of this period.
5. I wrote a paper once on the relationship between the millennium and the eternal state. This is not exactly your question but I could send it if you want.
Yes, I would like to read your paper. When you get a chance, email it to me. Thank you for your reply, it did answer my basic questions clearly. You always do a good job of that.