Apocalyptic Visions

• ISAIAH 6. The imagery of God as a great king, however, goes back further than the apocalyptic visions in which it culminates. (First) Isaiah's prophecies are generally ethical and political judgments like those of the other major prophets. But the account of his call as a prophet (6.1-8) introduces images that resonate in many later visions:
  -- 1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple.
  -- 2 Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.
  -- 3 And one called to another and said:
  ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts
  the whole earth is full of his glory.
  -- 4 The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke.
  -- 5 And I said: ‘Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’
  -- 6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs.
  -- 7 The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: ‘Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.’
  -- 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!
  ’ The seraphim here look forward to the "living creatures" of Ezekiel and Revelation. They are often envisaged as fiery, winged serpents. The vision is of God enthroned in his temple, and in both Israelite and Canaanite custom, the temple could be guarded by cherubim, the winged bull-lions. The vision makes it clear, however, that God far transcended the temple--the mere hem of his robe fills it up. The burning coal from the altar will cleanse Isaiah's lips, making it possible for him to speak the words given to him.
  -- It should be noted that the prophets encountered by Saul and David also have some kind of frenzied experience. Validation of one's calling by special visions is part of the experience of holy men in many religions.

• EZEKIEL 1
  . Ezekiel too testifies to a call through a vision. The creatures he describes are lit by lightning and described only in similes. Each has a wheel, making up a divine vehicle; it is suggested that the vision transforms a ceremonial chariot of some kind. Like Isaiah, his lips are cleansed, in this case by a scroll which tastes like honey (in chapter 2) and he is told that he prophesy to Israel but they will not listen.

• ZECHARIAH 12-14
  . The book of Zechariah falls into two sections, often assumed on stylistic grounds to be by different authors. If the first eight chapters suggest that the rebuilt Temple will lead to a new age, the later chapters display a disillusionment with the post-exilic order and a longing for a Messianic king. In chapters 12 and 13, there is a vision of the final day of the lord. Chapter 14, which may be later, envisages a final battle for Jerusalem leading to a new era of holiness.

• DANIEL
  Daniel is pictured as having lived during the exile, but the weight of scholarly opinion is that the book is a product of later persecutions, though it was its time frame that helped it win a place in the Hebrew canon. Christian Bibles place it after Ezekiel among the prophets, but the Hebrew scriptures place it with the "Writings." We know there were many books of apocalyptic visions circulated in the Hellenistic period, but Daniel is the only one to make it into the canon.
  • Steadfastness Under Persecution. The first six chapters of Daniel are exemplary tales of courage when persecuted for one's faith.
  • Visions. The last six chapters of the book are visions which turn history into symbols suggested by the earlier visions of Isaiah and Ezekiel and lead on to a vision of the last days.

• 2 ESDRAS
  Also known as 4 Ezra, this is a highly structured set of visions and explanations. It seems to have influenced many later Christian apocalypses.

• THE REVELATION TO JOHN
  . This was one of the more controversial books of the Bible from the beginning, and only its ascription to John of Patmos (identified with the disciple John) won it final admission to the canon. In more modern times, both Erasmus and Martin Luther raised questions about its authenticity. Luther's 1722 preface to the book is characteristically pungent: "About this book of the Revelation of John, I leave everyone free to hold his own opinions. I would not have anyone bound to my opinion or judgment. I say what I feel. I miss more than one thing in this book, and it makes me consider it to be neither apostolic nor prophetic. . . . For myself, I think it approximates the Fourth Book of Esdras; I can in no way detect that the Holy Spirit produced it. . . . Many of the fathers also rejected this book a long time ago; 9 although St. Jerome, to be sure, refers to it in exalted terms and says that it is above all praise and that there are as many mysteries in it as words. Still, Jerome cannot prove this at all, and his praise at numerous places is too generous."
  -- Luther's belief that the book was non-apostolic is supported by modern scholars who doubt that it was written by the author of the 4th Gospel, much less by the actual disciple. The author's self-identification as "John" (unlike the Gospel), the use of a different word for "lamb" (pretty important in this book), and a less fluid Greek style are among the arguments cited. The possibility that this is a product of the Johannine community, however, remains open.
  • Antecedent: Mark 13.1-27
    1 As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!’ 2Then Jesus asked him, ‘Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.’ 3 When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 4‘Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?’ 5Then Jesus began to say to them, ‘Beware that no one leads you astray. 6Many will come in my name and say, “I am he!”* and they will lead many astray. 7When you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. 8For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs. 9 ‘As for yourselves, beware; for they will hand you over to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them. 10And the good news* must first be proclaimed to all nations. 11When they bring you to trial and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say; but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; 13and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 ‘But when you see the desolating sacrilege set up where it ought not to be (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains; 15someone on the housetop must not go down or enter the house to take anything away; 16someone in the field must not turn back to get a coat. 17Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! 18Pray that it may not be in winter. 19For in those days there will be suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, no, and never will be. 20And if the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he has cut short those days. 21And if anyone says to you at that time, “Look! Here is the Messiah!”* or “Look! There he is!”—do not believe it. 22False messiahs* and false prophets will appear and produce signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23But be alert; I have already told you everything. 24 ‘But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in clouds” with great power and glory. 27Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
  • 1-3: Seven Letters to the Churches. The churches addressed are all near each other, perhaps a circuit of churches the author had served as an itinerant evangelist. The number 7, however, implies that they are serving as representatives of the church as a whole. Talk of ongoing persecutions does not pin down the date; Irenaeus dated it to the time of Domitian (c. 95 AD), but some prefer an earlier date, in the time of Nero (c. 68-70 AD). In any case, local persecutions leaving no trace on the historical record were always possible. The purpose of the book as a whole is often taken to be an encouragement to hold fast in the face of martyrdom because the final days were coming soon.
    • Laodicea. Of the churches addressed, the Laodiceans have become a proverbial epithet for "lukewarm" Christians, "neither hot nor cold" (3.16). There was also a non-canonical letter of Paul to the Laodiceans in circulation, though it did not touch on the same topic.
  • 4-7: Seven Seals of the Scroll. In the vision of the heavenly throne (4, we see it surrounded again by "living creatures" (4.6-8). Notice that the 144,000 sealed in 7 are made up of 12K from each tribe of Israel.
  • 8-14: Seven Trumpets of Warning. The disasters of 8-9 seem modelled on the plagues of Egypt. The fallen "Day-Star" of Isaiah 14.12, which may have been an earthly king originally, is now (12.9) seen as the great dragon Satan. The earthly struggles of other apocalypses are supplemented by a great heavenly battle.
  • 15-22: Seven Bowls of Wrath. Here at the end of Christian Bible we encounter again (22.2 the tree of life. [see also 2.7]