In A History of the End of the World, Jonathan Kirsch aptly included a parallel to the Lewis Carroll novel Alice in Wonderland when he wrote, “Once we follow the author of Revelation down the rabbit hole of the apocalyptic tradition, we find ourselves in a place where the sights and sounds are curiouser and curiouser” (40). As I read through the Book of Revelation for the first time, I couldn’t help but think of Alice in Wonderland as well. Alice woke up at the end of that novel only to realize Wonderland was a dream. My first impression of the Book of Revelation was that John, author of the Revelation, was much like Alice, except that when he woke up, he considered his nightmare an apocalyptic prophecy.
However, upon realizing that this book was placed in the Bible for a reason, I began to draw other conclusions. While keeping my apocalyptic skepticism, I kept asking myself similar questions. “Why is God portrayed as such a malevolent being? Why must Judgment Day end in complete destruction of Earth? Why does this book focus so much on the punishment of evil and so little on the rewards for the good?” Perhaps this book, strategically placed at the end of the Bible, exists as a final literary effort to convert people to Christianity by using fear.
Kirsch made an excellent point when he stated, “Revelation, quite in contrast to the Gospels, is notoriously lacking in loving-kindness. Rather it is a punishing text, full of rage and resentment…” (11). In most of Christianity, God is often portrayed as a benevolent god with a forgiving nature. However in this last book of the Bible, God unleashes his wrath upon the non-Christians and those with the “mark of the beast” to no avail. Pain, suffering, and formidable death consume the Earth while those who are Christian and pure remain unharmed. The extravagant imagery in Revelation used to describe the creatures, monsters and other horrible acts of God’s wrath is enough to make anyone second guess their faith. In particular, the seven trumpets and seven bowls stand out in my mind because they are God’s ultimate punishments. Hail, fire, blood, pollution, and locusts ravage those with the mark of the beast. Even as they beg for death, God will not grant them such a luxury until their suffering is complete.
The Book of Revelation could have been used as the perfect tool to “scare someone straight,” …straight into Christianity, that is. Even for those who considered themselves Christians but were not always faithful could have been scared back into a practicing Christian, essentially scaring the belief back into people. Even if John actually thought he was a prophet who saw a vision of the end of the world, his book served a greater purpose to Christianity as being a device for keeping the faith alive.
You bring up an interesting question when you ask why the Book of Revelation was included as the last book of the Bible. Of course, we should take chronology into account, considering the fact that Christian officials initially opposed the addition of the text into the New Testament. However, the attempt at a final conversion to Christianity may in fact have been the underlying reason for this particular sequence.
It seems highly likely that John’s Book of Revelation serves as a form of moral propaganda to Christians and believers of other faiths as well. As for fundamentalist Christians who read and were familiar with the text, they were obviously prompted to be more aware of their actions in fear of God’s Judgement. And yet, in the end, many innocent Christians would not make it to the New Earth anyway. The possibility that even the faithful ones might not pass God’s Judgement would surely ignite more fear amongst non-believers.
It is also quite noteworthy that God is portrayed as such a “malevolent” entity in the Book of Revelation, which consists of such nightmarish images and beastly features. Indeed, this additional text may reveal the true nature of God and religion. As you mention, John’s prophecy does share some elements present in other books throughout the scripture. This includes the incessant repetition of the number seven, which relates to the 7 days during which God created the world. However, John’s prophecy differs in its apocalyptic basis: when he sees into the future, he sees an end to the future. Such an idea bears skepticism at its core; hence, it faced an equal balance of opposition and controversy as it did belief and adherence.
It’s interesting to look at The Book of Revelation as John’s “nightmare.” I had a lot of questions about the shifts in the portrayal of God and the underlying message of Christianity that occur in Revelation as well. Especially considering that Revelation is the one portion of the Bible that is likely to stick in the reader’s mind because of it’s use of graphic and fantastical phrases and imagery.
I struggled with letting go of my skepticism as well. I think that the time during which Revelation was published has a lot to do with the impact it made on people. Whether or not John set out directly to scare people into a more orthodox Christian lifestyle, his writing works incredibly well as pro-Christian propaganda.
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