A Great City
A capital of an empire that lasted a thousand years. Constantinople is Babylon the Great. The Byzantine Empire lasted a thousand years and its capital was Constantinople. At the start there were the seven dynasties of the Roman Empire. At the end there was the tenth dynasty of Islam. All the pieces fit.
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A Storm and Thunder
A Russian astronomer claimed John Chrysostom wrote the Apocalypse in 395 based on astronomy. This John was in Ephesus at the beginning of 401. He could have said, “there are seven kings: five are fallen.” At the time, five of the seven dynasties of the Roman Empire had fallen. Really.
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A Brother on Patmos
A third John who was in Ephesus when Jerome was finishing his Vulgate that included the Apocalypse. At the time it was not clear if it would be. Jerome had to be convinced that it was written by the Apostle. John Chrysostom was in Ephesus replacing seven bishops at the beginning of the fifth century.
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A Prophecy Again
A little book eaten by John the Apostle who added the seven churches. He was told to prophesy again. Followers of John the Baptist were found in Ephesus by Paul in Acts 19. This is a reasonable explanation of why John uses his name three times in the first chapter of the Apocalypse. Three different Johns.
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A Recapitulation
A proven teaching technique. Victorinus employs Recapitulation to understand the Apocalypse. Visions of the Apocalypse are repeated and are not necessarily in chronological order. Do not assume the chapters of the Apocalypse are in chronological order. It can lead to significant misinterpretation.
A First Coming
A servant of God. It was John the Baptist who “bare record” of the word of God. John was preparing the way for the first coming which must shortly come to pass. He was preparing the way for the “Lamb”, a word found 27 times in the Apocalypse. John the Baptist wrote the first Apocalypse and John the Apostle wrote the second.
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A Sign of the Times
A time to watch. Keep your garments. You can’t predict the future but you can watch the past. History confirms the fulfillment of prophecy. It is the only way. You can’t trust your interpretation but you can trust the numbers to link history to prophecy. Like a thousand years. It is easy to find.
A Jewish Composition
A German scholar Vischer held that the Apocalypse was “originally a purely Jewish composition”. Taking away the seven churches and the 12 references to Jesus and you are left with the word “lamb” mentioned 27 times. John the Baptist prepared the way for The Lamb of God. He could have written the original Apocalypse.
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A Record of What Wasn’t
A problem with Eusebius and Victorinus. They don’t seem to be aware of the seven churches of the Apocalypse. Eusebius mentions six of the seven churches but never associates them with the Apocalypse. Victorinus mentions the seven churches that Paul wrote to but not the seven churches of the Apocalypse. Was there a version of the Apocalypse that did not have the seven churches?
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A Reason for the Apocalypse
A revelation of what must shortly come to pass. Why? To prepare the way for the first coming. The Lamb of God. Not the second coming. Jesus. Lamb is mentioned 27 times. Jesus is mentioned only 12 times. John the Baptist prepared the way for the Lamb of God. He didn’t know it was Jesus.
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