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Third Plenary
The Symbols of the Book of Revelation and Their Function for the Church
-Gregory Beale
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Note: The full text of this plenary address will be published in the April 2006 issue of Calvin Theological Journal.

On the evening of Friday, June 10th, students, pastors, and professors gathered in the seminary chapel to hear a lecture on the use of symbols in the book of Revelation given by Prof. Gregory Beale, Kenneth T. Wessner Chair of Biblical Studies at Wheaton Graduate School. Recognized as a leading New Testament scholar on the book of Revelation and author of the comprehensive New International Greek Translation Commentary volume on Revelation (Eerdmans, 1999), Prof. Beale is eminently qualified to speak on the topic of the primary mode of John's communication.

Beale began his plenary lecture with an arresting observation: the judgments in John's Apocalypse are intended not only for those outside the church, but also for compromisers within the church. But how can those who think they've got it right be shocked into realizing they don't? And what form should this "shock therapy" take? Beale argued that in the same way that the Old Testament prophets and Jesus himself used imagery and symbolism to communicate the urgency of their message of coming judgment, John uses symbolism in Revelation as his primary means of warning compromising churches of their precarious position.

Beale went on to unpack this initial contention by asking two related questions: (1) how can we be certain that John is indeed using symbolism in Revelation and not simply speaking literally; and (2) why does John use symbolism?

On the first question, Beale pointed out that John's intention to communicate primarily through symbols is made evident already in Rev. 1:1 by his use of the Greek verb sêmainô to denote the mode in which the revelation of Jesus Christ was revealed to him. (This verb is often translated "to make known" [NIV, NRSV] but, in Beale's view, it is more appropriately translated, "to symbolize" or "to signify.") In addition, the symbols that are used in Revelation are often explicitly interpreted as such within the book itself or by their OT background. In view of this textual evidence, Beale stressed that it is a mistake to adopt the hermeneutical stance, taken by some, that Revelation should be interpreted as literally as possible. Rather, it is clear that John is telling his hearers that they should actually expect him to speak in symbols.

On the second question of the purpose of symbolism in John's Apocalypse, Beale went into even greater detail. He explained that throughout the Old and New Testaments, the prophets-including Jesus Christ, the greatest of the prophets-used figures and parables whenever they most needed to awaken God's people from the deadening effects of their idolatry. Like the lifeless gods they worship, idolaters themselves soon become people whose eyes no longer see and whose ears no longer hear. This theme of "sensory organ malfunction" in those who fail to worship the true God (and conversely, restored function in those who worship rightly) is one that recurs throughout Scripture (cf. Is. 6:9-10; Ez. 3), and especially in Jesus' ministry (cf. Mt.13:9ff; Mk. 8). Significantly, the concept then reappears in the well-known "hearing formula" that closes each of the messages to the seven churches found in Rev. 2-3: "Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches."

But why are figures and symbolic stories so effective in rousing people from their anaesthetized state? Beale's answer: because they possess the unique ability to catch their audience off-guard in a way that a more sermonic style of discourse does not. This can be seen, for example, in the account of Nathan's confrontation of David after his sin against Uriah and Bathsheba. Rather than confronting him in a straightforward way, Nathan tells David a powerful parable of his own actions, inciting David to great anger against the story's main character, and thus, against himself.

Beale pointed out a similar dynamic in Revelation. For example, he argued convincingly that we should understand the description of the harlot, Babylon, in Rev. 17 as an image intended to shock the church in Thyatira (Rev. 2:18-29) into realizing who exactly they are dealing with when they tolerate the immorality of their own harlot, Jezebel. The similarities between Jezebel and Babylon are plain, as plain as the similarities between David and Nathan's parable.

Beale concluded his lecture by urging the audience that we, too, need to be shocked out of our complacency and idolatry and into God's perspective every day. Speaking very specifically, he pointed out that this is exactly why Christians need to read the Bible daily. Offered with an engaging blend of pastoral exhortation and scholarly insight, Prof. Beale's presentation was greatly appreciated by all in attendance.

-Elizabeth Holmlund