Summary: David deSilva’s film review gives unique insights to the last installment of the the 7 Churches of Revelation series Times of Deception Part II. (Not in theaters but rather a Premier Online Home Event the weekend of April 29-May 1)
“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze. – Revelation 2:18 (ESV)
The Journey Through the 7 Churches of Revelation Continues
A foundational principle of Bible study is to think about what a particular book meant within its original context, what it was understood to say and what response it was heard to elicit by those to whom the speaker or author principally addressed himself. A fundamental mistake that many make when they come to the Book of Revelation is to abandon this principle and treat the book as if it was written to address people two millennia removed from John on Patmos.
A principal strength of Times of Fire and Times of Deception is that they immerse us in the lived contexts and situations of those Christians living under Roman rule in the province of Asia in the late first century and they invite us to hear Revelation speak to them before we ask how Revelation speaks to us.
Times of Deception is an important complement to its prequel. It reinforces the often overlooked fact that Revelation does not merely address churches facing situations of persecution, it also addresses churches that were flourishing alongside their neighbors – or seeking paths of accommodation that would allow them to flourish alongside their neighbors as well.
This film helps us understand that Revelation addresses the challenges of both persecution and accommodation and seeks not only to “comfort the afflicted” but also to “afflict the comfortable.”
The Book of Revelation in Light of Local and Scriptural Contexts
Christophe Hannauer goes far toward helping us hear these seven oracles in light of their local contexts, though at times he may press this too far. For example, while many in Sardis might have been familiar with the Persians’ surprise attack on King Croesus in the acropolis there in 546 BC, it is worth considering that the words of Jesus to them in Rev. 3:3 – “if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief and you will not know at what time I will come to you” – might call to mind not some distant event in their history, but rather Jesus’ own very similar words known from his apocalyptic discourse (Matt. 24:42-43; Mark 13:32-33).
Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. – Matthew 24:42-43 (ESV)
Indeed, this very similarity between words Jesus was known to have spoken during his earthly ministry and the words in these oracles would help authenticate for the hearers that John was indeed conveying the words of their glorified Lord. The local and archaeological contexts of the seven churches are vitally important, but we need also to not lose sight of other contexts, such as the theological heritage of the Old Testament and Jesus’ teachings.
Unlocking the Symbols of Revelation
As Christophe is exploring the oracle to Thyatira, one of his scholarly conversation partners will say: “This is the reason for the symbolism in the Book of Revelation: it uses images to help us see things. When John of Patmos says, ‘No, this woman is Jezebel,’ he causes the mask to be removed and opens their eyes. It’s a paradox that by covering things with a layer of symbolism, it actually exposes the reality.”
This is of central importance not only to the prophetic words to the seven churches, but to the visions of Revelation as well. If we listen to the whole of Revelation in its first-century context, we will realize that the hearers did not need a “key” with which to unlock Revelation’s symbols; Revelation was the key to unmasking the spiritual significance – and danger – of what was happening all around these early Christians in the midst of Roman imperialism and the economy that Roman power sustained.
The Moral Challenge to the Church of Thyatira
Like Times of Fire, Times of Deception is also valuable for helping us to consider the spiritual challenge of these oracles to us. The oracle to Thyatira puts us on alert to the lure of immorality and the larger problem of the extreme sexualization of Western culture – though we also need to probe further the relevance of not making room for “food sacrificed to idols” in Christian identity and practice.
The challenge posed to the Christians in first-century Laodicea alerts us in the United States to the dangers of our wealthy, self-sufficient, and independent culture. It is important to remember in this regard, however, that the oracle to Laodicea does not speak to the majority of Christians in the world whose situation is far more akin to that of Smyrna, where faithfulness in the face of marginalization and hostility is the norm, or that of Pergamum, where fierce opposition might prompt them to discover paths of accommodation to relieve the tension. This is one good reason, by the way, to reject the tradition that suggests that the seven oracles represent seven ages of church history – since this view leaves out God’s actions and interest in the Majority World.
It must be remembered that this film initiates rather than settles the conversation. This, however, is the enduring value of all the movies released by Thinking Man Films. They are invitations into the historical contexts reflected in our biblical texts, invitations to read these texts afresh in light of historical evidence, and invitations to carry the conversation forward as further evidence and scholarly counterpoint lead.
Revealing the Deep Messages of Revelation
Christophe’s journey has stopped with the oracles to the seven churches in Revelation chapters 2-3 but, as he acknowledges, these oracles are but prologue to the dramatic tableaus that John will continue to unveil throughout the rest of his visionary work.
How do these visions continue to lift the veil – to unmask – the ideologies and situations that these seven Christian communities encounter as they live and move about the public spaces of their cities and attempt to negotiate a path through everyday life that also bears faithful witness to their one Lord and God in a world of many lords and many gods?
This is a question that has driven my own study of the Book of Revelation, the fruits of which are available to be examined in two books. In Unholy Allegiances: Heeding Revelation’s Warning (Hendrickson, 2013), I listen to Revelation as John’s counterpoint to the “good news” about Rome and her emperors that was trumpeted throughout these seven cities, calling the Christians to costly witness to the one Lord and one God whose kingdom was in the process of replacing Roman rule with its lies, violence, and exploitation. In Discovering Revelation: Content, Interpretation, Reception (Eerdmans, 2021), I work through the whole of Revelation more consistently, exploring and evaluating approaches taken to the meaning of each vision throughout the Church’s history.
And like the films, I am interested from start to finish in hearing Revelation’s deeper challenges and assurances to us in our context through these studies of Revelation’s word to John’s churches in their context.
As for Christophe, my own journey with Revelation continues. And it is so important for all of us who seek to live under the lordship of Christ to journey through this amazing book and keep thinking.
David deSilva is Trustees’ Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Greek at Ashland Theological Seminary, Ohio.
TOP PHOTO: Asia Minor, with the locations of Patmos and the 7 Churches of Revelation. (© Millenium Productions)
