The Narrow Path Ministries

This is part two of a three-part article in which I am looking at some of the metanarratives of Revelation. This is taken from my book on Revelation. http://www.amazon.com/The-Antichrist-Se ... ap_title_1

As I discussed, a metanarrative is unifying storyline; it is a bigger story that brings together the smaller stories in a work (in this case in the book of Revelation). I have touched on, I. How Revelation is a story of two women who are two cities (harlot Babylon and the New Jerusalem bride). I tied this to Galatians 4:21-31 where we are shown two women/cities; we are explicitly told that they represent the two covenants (v. 24). Like Galatians 4, Revelation is showing the time when the old covenant wife was cast out (cf. Rev. 18:21) and the new covenant wife received her inheritance—the full establishment of the new covenant kingdom at the AD destruction of the old covenant. In part one I talked about, II. How the very structure of Revelation (four sets of sevenfold judgment) is patterned on the covenant curses that were to come on Israel (which would consist of four sevenfold judgments, Lev. 26:18-28). I then talked of, III. How Revelation’s picture of the fiery destruction of the harlot city (Rev. 17-18) followed by a wedding (Rev. 19) parallels Matthew’s parable (Matt. 22:1-10) of the fiery destruction of an evil city (clearly referring to the AD 70 destruction of Jerusalem) which is then followed by a wedding. See here for part one. http://www.theos.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=4110

In this article I will look at, IV. How Revelation is patterned on the book of Ezekiel, and, V. The motif of the destruction of the dwellers on the land followed by the establishment of a new heaven and earth. This narrative is taken from Isaiah 65-66.

IV. REVELATION’S USE OF THE SEQUENCE OF EZEKIEL
To a large extent the sequence of Revelation is based on the sequence of Ezekiel—for the most part with a very similar meaning. This patterning is far too extensive to just be a coincidence. This being the case, it is useful to look at Ezekiel as a way of understanding the meaning of Revelation.

Revelation contains numerous allusions to the book of Ezekiel. For example, the similarities between the throne scenes at the beginning of each book (Ezek. 1; Rev. 4) are well recognized. Most commentators also acknowledge that the end of Revelation (Rev. 21-22) parallels the end of Ezekiel (Ezek. 40-48). While these parallels (and others) are well recognized, it may be that Ezekiel’s influence on Revelation is more pervasive than is generally thought. Ezekiel provides an outline of sorts that Revelation follows. Boxall writes the following on this:

The influence of the Book of Ezekiel on the last book of the Christian Bible is indisputable. It can be detected most obviously in the many allusions to and echoes of the Old Testament writing, permeating virtually every chapter of Revelation. Isolating these allusions with precision is not always straightforward, given John’s stubborn refusal to actually quote Old Testament texts, and his tendency to evoke a range of texts from across the prophetic corpus in the same passage. Nevertheless, few would deny Ezekiel’s role as at least one dominant source for the seer of Patmos. The 4th edition of the UBS Greek New Testament, for example, lists no less than 84 allusions and verbal parallels to Ezekiel in the Apocalypse, spread across every chapter except 12-13. More recent scholarship, however, has not been content with exploring verbal connections between the two works. A number of scholars, notably Albert Vanhoye [1962], Jeffrey Marshall Vogelgesang [1981], Michael Goulder [1981], and Jean-Pierre Ruiz [1989], have argued that this influence even extends to the structural level, and (though disagreeing to the extent of this phenomenon) that Revelation follows Ezekiel’s order. [1]

Looking at the chart that Boxall supplies (see below), he is definitely onto something here. The overall sequence of Revelation does indeed parallel the sequence of Ezekiel. (Note the italicized portions are original to Boxall and indicate chapters he sees as being out of sequence.) [2]

Revelation 1---------------------------Ezekiel 1

Revelation 4---------------------------Ezekiel 1

Revelation 5---------------------------Ezekiel 2

Revelation 6---------------------------Ezekiel 5-7

Revelation 7:1-2----------------------Ezekiel 7:2-3

Revelation 7-8------------------------Ezekiel 9-10

Revelation 10--------------------------Ezekiel 2-3

Revelation 10-13---------------------Ezekiel 11-14 (echoes)

Revelation 11:1-2-------------------- Ezekiel 40

Revelation 13:11-18----------- ------Ezekiel 14

Revelation 17--------------------------Ezekiel 16, 23

Revelation 18--------------------------Ezekiel 26-28

Revelation 19:11-21------------------Ezekiel 29, 32 (39)

Revelation 20:1-3---------------------Ezekiel 29, 32

Revelation 20:4-6---------------------Ezekiel 37

Revelation 20:7-10--------------------Ezekiel 38:1-39:20

Revelation 20:11-15-------------------Ezekiel 39:21-29

Revelation 21-22-----------------------Ezekiel 40-48


When one examines the references in Boxall’s chart, it is clear that Revelation borrows heavily from the sequence of Ezekiel. It should be noted, however, that while Revelation does indeed follow Ezekiel topically, Revelation itself is not laid out in a strict linear fashion. Revelation has a number of recapitulations. That is, a number of times the narrative brings us to the day of the Lord and then backs up and discusses similar themes that again bring us to the day of the Lord (cf. Rev. 6:12-17; 11:15-19; 14:17-20; 16:17-21; 20:11-15). This explains why the day of the Lord is already being shown in Revelation 6:17. Notice how chapter 7 backs up and shows the sealing of God’s servants (v. 3) just prior to the great tribulation (and thus prior to the day of the Lord); it then skips ahead and shows God’s people having victoriously come through the tribulation (vv. 9-14; cf. Luke 21:16, 18). Thus, the fact that the topical order of Revelation parallels the topical order of Ezekiel is not necessarily an indicator of the chronological order of Revelation. One has to let the context of a given section of Revelation determine its chronology.

SUMMARY OF EZEKIEL AND REVELATION
Given that Revelation is patterned on Ezekiel, one can look at Ezekiel as a metanarrative for Revelation. It is thus beneficial to examine the parallels between Ezekiel and Revelation as a way of better understanding what Revelation is talking about. I go into detail on this in the following two-part article. http://planetpreterist.com/content/reve ... l-part-one Here is a brief summary of my conclusions.

Ezekiel is a book written by a prophet in exile (in Babylon). The subject of Ezekiel is the soon coming judgment (in the sixth century BC) of the unfaithful land of Israel. This judgment culminates with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, which is likened to the death of a wife (chapters 2-24). At this time God would judge the surrounding nations (chapters 25-32). A restoration of Israel is then promised (chapters 33-39) and a new order is described (chapters 40-48).

Revelation is also a book written by a prophet in exile (on Patmos). The subject of Revelation is the soon coming judgment (at AD 70) on unfaithful Israel, the dwellers on the land (Rev. 3:10). Like Ezekiel, the judgments of Revelation culminate with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple (chapters 5-18), which is similarly likened to the death of a wife (God’s unfaithful old covenant wife, Rev. 18:7). God would judge the nations of the world (chapter 19) as the kingdoms of this world fully became the kingdom of God at AD 70 (chapter 20; cf. Rev. 11:15-18; 16:19). A restoration of true Israel (cf. Rev. 3:9) would happen at this time, and a new order is described (chapters 21-22). In contrast to Ezekiel’s prophecy, these events were soon to happen when John wrote (Rev. 22:6-12). Again, see my article for the details on this.

V. THE DESTRUCTION OF THE DWELLERS ON THE LAND FOLLOWED BY A NEW HEAVEN AND NEW EARTH
A fifth metanarrative in Revelation involves the destruction of the dwellers on the land and then a new heaven and earth. It should be noted that the word “ge,” which is usually translated as “earth” in Revelation is often better translated as “Land” (i.e., the land of Israel). Chilton notes the following on John’s phrase “those who dwell on the land.”

St. John uses the expression those who dwell on the land twelve times in Revelation (once for each of the twelve tribes) to refer to apostate Israel (3:10; 6:10; 8:13; 11:10 [twice]; 13:8, 12, 14 [twice]; 14:6; 17:2,8). In the Greek Old Testament (the version used by the early Church), it is a common prophetic expression for rebellious, idolatrous Israel about to be destroyed and driven from the land (Jer. 1:14; 10:18; Ezek. 7:7; 36:17; Hos. 4:1, 3; Joel 1:2, 14; 2:1; Zeph. 1:8).[3] (emphasis in original)

That the land-dwellers are mentioned twelve times makes perfect sense; twelve is the number of Israel (cf. Rev. 7:4-8). The last time one sees the wicked dwellers on the land is in Revelation 17:8. They are not seen again because they were destroyed at AD 70 with the destruction of harlot Babylon. The saints possessed the land (i.e., the kingdom) at this time (cf. Dan. 7:21-27). The destruction of the land-dwellers and then the possession of the land by a new people is found in the parable of the wicked vinedressers in Matthew. The wicked vinedressers are destroyed by the AD 70 coming of the owner of the vineyard (God) and then vineyard (the kingdom) is taken from them “and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it” (Matt. 21:43; cf. Luke 19:11-27; 1 Peter 2:6-10). See Isaiah 5 for the vineyard motif in relation to God’s old covenant people.

When Revelation was written, the saints had not yet fully entered into the kingdom reign (cf. Rev. 3:21). Consider Revelation 5:10 (NASB) “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” The full reign of the saints would happen at the AD 70 destruction of those who were morally destroying the land (Rev. 11:15-18).[4] At that point the sea disappears (Rev. 21:1) and the whole world becomes the land (i.e., the domain of God’s people; cf. Dan. 2:34-35, 44-45). Note the souls of the saints who are calling for God to avenge their blood on the dwellers on the land (Rev. 6:10); compare this with the harlot being guilty of all the blood shed on the land (Rev. 17:6; 18:24). Her destruction is the vengeance the martyred saints had been calling for (Rev. 18:20).

Revelation is showing the time of the great tribulation. This time of distress was to focus on the land of Israel and would result in her destruction.[5]

But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance [cf. Deut. 32:34-36, 41-43], that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land [Gr. tēs gēs] and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations . . . .
Luke 21:20-23

Revelation 3:10 says that while the great tribulation would come upon the whole inhabited world, it would specifically focus on the dwellers on the land:

Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world (cf. Rev. 12:9; 16:14) to test those who dwell on the earth [tēs gēs, the land].

THE DESTRUCTION OF REBELLIOUS ISRAEL AND THEN
A NEW HEAVEN AND NEW EARTH
This narrative of the destruction of one people and the establishment of another is taken from Isaiah 65-66. In Isaiah 65 God said he would destroy his rebellious old covenant people (“I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people . . . ” v. 2) and would then bless his faithful servants (those who did not seek him, Isa. 65:1-2, 11-16) in a new heaven and new earth. In Romans Paul quotes Isaiah 65:1-2 and informs us that the two peoples contrasted are ultimately new covenant believers and Israel:

But Isaiah is very bold and says: “I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.” But to Israel he says: “All day long I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

Romans 10:20-21

Isaiah tells us that at this time of the destruction of Israel (at AD 70), God would call his servants by a new name and create a new heaven and new earth (metaphorically speaking) with a renewed Jerusalem (i.e., the New Jerusalem bride, Rev. 21:1-2, 9-10).

But you [rebellious Israel cf. v. 2] are those who forsake the Lord, who forget My holy mountain, who prepare a table for Gad, and who furnish a drink offering for Meni. Therefore I will number you for the sword, and you shall all bow down to the slaughter; because when I called you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not hear, but did evil before My eyes, and chose that in which I do not delight . . . You shall leave your name as a curse to My chosen; for the Lord God will slay you, and call His servants by another name . . . For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing and her people a joy.
Isaiah 65:11-12, 15, 17-18

It is imperative to note that this is not talking about the establishment of a new planet but the establishment of a new people. Earlier in Isaiah the picture of the creation of the original heaven and earth is used metaphorically to symbolize the creation of the old covenant:

But I am the Lord your God, who divided the sea whose waves roared—The Lord of hosts is His name. I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, that I may plant the heavens, lay the foundation of the earth, and say to Zion, “You are My people.”
Isaiah 51:15-16

The establishment of the new covenant using the symbol of a new heaven and earth with a New Jerusalem is used in Revelation 21-22 to show the full establishment of God’s kingdom. Notice that the new heaven and earth in Revelation is not heaven; there are still sinners in it (i.e., those who are not part of the new covenant bride, Rev. 22:14-15; cf. Isa. 65:17-20). The new heaven and earth is symbolic of the AD 70 full establishment of the new covenant order, the full establishment of the kingdom of God. This explains why the New Jerusalem is shown coming down to the new heaven and new earth prepared as a bride; she is the bride (Rev. 21:9-10). This is showing the time of Gods marriage to his people (cf. Matt. 22:1-10; 25:1-13) at the AD 70 full establishment of the kingdom of God. While I am technically a partial preterist (I see the millennium beginning at AD 70), to say Isaiah 65-66 and Revelation 21-22 are talking about a literal new or renewed planet is just plain wrong. See also David Chilton on 2 Peter 3 http://audio.elparazim.com/BasicsOfBibl ... 0Earth.pdf

I am going to end this article with a brief discussion of the New Jerusalem. Its coming to earth in Revelation 21-22 is not talking about a literal city coming to a physically renewed earth. Rather, it is showing us the post AD 70 new covenant order and who is part of God's people (those who are part of the bride/city) and those who are not part of God’s people (those outside the "city" Rev. 22:14-15). One needs to constantly remember that Revelation is revealing its truths by way of symbols (Rev. 1:1); that does not change at chapter 21.

THE NEW JERUSALEM AS A MASSIVE HOLY OF HOLIES

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south and three gates on the west. Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates and its wall. The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass
Revelation 21:9-18

The New Jerusalem is not a literal cube-shaped city that the new covenant bride inhabits; the New Jerusalem is a symbol of the bride. If the New Jerusalem were a literal city it would be a cube 1,500 miles by 1,500 miles by 1,500 miles (Rev. 21:16 NASB). Gentry notes that “on the literal exegesis, this city reaches 1,200 miles higher than the space shuttle orbits!”[6] Needless to say, the New Jerusalem is not a physical city that extends into outer space!

A literal interpretation of the New Jerusalem can lead to some very strange conclusions. Dispensationalist John Walvoord writes the following on the possibility of the New Jerusalem being a “satellite city.”

Most important, however, is the fact that the city is declared to come down from God out of heaven . . . Nothing is said about the New Jerusalem being created at this point and the language seems to imply that it has been in existence in heaven prior to this event. Nothing is revealed concerning this in Scripture unless the expression of John 14:2, “I go to prepare a place for you,” refers to this. If the New Jerusalem is in existence throughout the millennial reign of Christ, it is possible that it is a satellite city suspended over the earth during the thousand-year reign of Christ as the dwelling place of resurrected and translated saints who also have access to the earthly scene. This would help to explain an otherwise difficult problem of the dwelling place of resurrected and translated beings on the earth during a period [the millennium] in which men are still in their natural bodies and living ordinary lives. If so, the New Jerusalem is withdrawn from the earthly scene in connection with the destruction of the old earth, and later comes down to the new earth.[7]

When Jesus said that he was going away to prepare a place for believers, he did not mean that he was going to heaven to build a cube-shaped space city! In Galatians 4 Paul says that the Jerusalem from above (which is what the New Jerusalem is, Rev. 21:2) is symbolic of the new covenant: “which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants . . . the Jerusalem above is free which is the mother of us all” (Gal. 4:24-26; cf. Isa. 66:5-13). The heavenly Jerusalem is not a satellite city; it is a symbol of God’s covenant people. A similar teaching about the heavenly Jerusalem is found in Hebrews:

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant . . . Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.
Hebrews 12:22-24, 28

Again, the New Jerusalem coming to earth represents the AD 70 full establishment of the kingdom of God (cf. Rev. 11:15-18). This is not talking about a literal city coming to earth; it is referring to a spiritual “kingdom which cannot be shaken” breaking into the earthly realm (cf. Dan. 2:34-35; 44-45; Dan. 7:21-27). Note that this “city” is “prepared as a bride” (Rev. 21:1-2; cf. vv. 9-10); she is prepared for the AD 70 marriage to her Lord (Rev. 19:7-9; cf. Matt. 22:1-10; 25:1-13).

Consider what Isaiah 60:18 says about the renewed Jerusalem of this time: its walls would be called Salvation and its gates Praise (cf. Isa. 60:19-20 with Rev. 21:23, 25). This again highlights the fact that the New Jerusalem is not a literal city but a symbol of God’s new covenant people. This “city” is built of living stones (cf. 1 Pet. 2:4-5). The symbolism of the New Jerusalem being a cube (its length, breadth, and height being equal, Rev. 21:16) reveals that God’s presence is there (Rev. 21:3). It is a massive Holy of Holies (cf. 1 Kings 6:20 where the most holy place in the Temple was cube shaped).

GOD’S PEOPLE LIKENED TO A HOLY STRUCTURE
Using a physical structure where God dwells (the New Jerusalem) as a symbol for God’s new covenant people is not unique to Revelation. In Ephesians Paul similarly uses the symbol of a structure where God dwells (the temple) as a symbol of God’s new covenant people.

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
Ephesians 2:19-22

The “temple” that Paul talks about is not a physical structure where God dwells but a people where God dwells. Notice the similarities. Like the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:14) this temple is built on a foundation of the apostles. Like the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:3) the new covenant temple is the dwelling place for God. Ladd writes the following about the New Jerusalem being a symbol.

The redeemed church has already been likened to a bride (19:7) who is joined with her Lord at the marriage supper of the Lamb. The heavenly Jerusalem, the seat of the abode of the redeemed in the new order, is also likened to a bride.[21:2] One wonders if John means to identify the heavenly Jerusalem with God’s redeemed people, even as the church is likened to the temple of God in the new Testament (1 Cor. 3:16; Eph. 2:21). If so, then the details of the description of the holy city are altogether symbolic terms in describing the redeemed church.[8]

Ladd is definitely on the right track here; the New Jerusalem is a symbol of all of God’s redeemed. The symbolism here is no different from the rest of the book: Revelation is communicating its truths by way of symbols (Rev. 1:1). I keep restating this fact because it is so easy to lose track of.

Endnotes:
1. Ian Boxall, “Exile, Prophet, Visionary: Ezekiel’s Influence on the Book of Revelation” in The Book of Ezekiel and its Influence, eds. H. J. de Jonge, Johannes Tromp (Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2007), 147. Boxall gives the following references for the scholars he cites: Albert Vanhoye, “L’ utilisation du livre d’ Ezéchiel dans l’ Apocalypse”, Biblica 43 (1962) 436-76. J.M. Vogelgesang, The Interpretation of Ezekiel in the Book of Revelation (Unpublished PhD Thesis, Southern Baptist theological Seminary, 1981). Michael Goulder, “The Apocalypse as an Annual Cycle of Prophecies”, NTS 27, 1981, 342-367. Jean-Pierre Ruiz, Ezekiel in the Apocalypse: The Transformation of Prophetic Language in Revelation 16:17-19:10 (European University Studies 23/376, 1989), Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang
2. Ian Boxall, The Revelation of Saint John (2006), 255
3. David Chilton, Days of Vengeance (1987), 129.
4. Smalley writes that the second use of “destroy” in Revelation 11:18 carries the meaning of “to ruin” in a moral sense:
“The writer uses a play on words which balances the literal sense of complete destruction with its figurative counterpart of “to ruin”, in the sense of “(morally) deprave” (similarly Rev. 2:2; 14:8; et al.) See BDAG 239b. Stephen Smalley, Revelation to John, (2005), 293.
5. The great tribulation is the time of Jacob’s Trouble; we are told that Jacob (i.e., Israel) would be saved out of it (Jer. 30:5-7). It was true that Israel would be saved out of the great tribulation (cf. Rev. 2:9, 3:9)—those written in the book (Dan. 12:1; cf. Rev. 21:22-27). Physical Israel would be made desolate at this time (Dan. 9:26-27, 12:7; Matt. 8:10-13).
6. Kenneth L. Gentry Jr., “A Preterist View of Revelation,” Four Views on the Book of Revelation (1998), 312-13.
7. Walvoord, Revelation of Jesus Christ (1966), 312-13.
8. Ladd, Commentary on the Revelation of John (1972), 276-77.