The Long Revelation
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The Long Revelation is a Christian religious theory that lies just outside the mainstream in Christian thought. It basically postulates that the events laid out in the Book of Revelation could take as long as 75 years or more to unfold. The view has, as it’s main advantage, a striking correlation between current and projected events whose proponents are entirely outside of the Christian tradition. For example, the consequences of climate change are expected by most scientists to be severe by the middle of the century. The Long Revelation viewpoint sees these consequences as part of the unfolding prophecy of the Book of Revelation. Among the other currently, and professionally postulated future impacts that may appear in a Long Revelation position are peak oil, comet or asteroid impacts, resource and energy wars, famines, super volcanoes, tsunami’s.
A basic eschatology is as follows.
The Book of Revelation
§ Chapters 1 – 3: Timeframe ~ 2000 years
o These chapters highlight the ministry of the Spirit of God to the seven churches. The number seven is significant in Biblical numerology representing completeness, holiness, or God’s work. In the letters to the seven churches the number may signify that the letters cover completely the problems of the church in its age. The order of the letters is taken as a time ordering by some (especially many in the various Baptist denominations), the viewpoint is often called ‘dispensational.’ However the wisdom of these letters may apply to the church in any age. In the Book of Revelation the letters do seem to represent the time between the writing of the book and the prophetic events of later chapters.
§ Chapter 4: Timeframe indeterminate
o The chapter is often taken as an indication that the Rapture will happen before the judgment of God. The interpretation is not intrinsic however and relies upon special interpretation of other passages. It is obviously true that the Church throughout its history has suffered and does continue to suffer persecution. But the passage is notable otherwise for the breathtaking description of God’s throne. This sets the stage for the opening of the seals.
§ Chapters 5 – 7: Timeframe 5 – 20 years
o 6:1,2 The First Seal
§ There is a growing but quiet sense among many evangelicals that the time frame 1999 to 2001 represents the opening of the first seal and the beginning of events that will lead to the rise of the Antichrist, 9/11 being key.
o 6:3,4 The Second Seal
§ In the wake of 9/11 war came to the world in a new way. Under the banner of the War on Terror, western powers invaded Afghanistan (2002) and Iraq (2003). Many familiar with the impending energy crisis involving oil see other parallel motives in these invasions. In 2001 the American stated plainly, “America is running out of energy.” (G. W. Bush.)
o 6:5,6 The Third Seal
§ Peak Oil is a theory that has only recently started to make it’s way into mainstream media discussions. Still many respected professionals in the energy industry and public policy, including Matthew Simmons and Robert Hirsch, have noted peak oil as an even greater concern that climate change. In short peak oil represents the midpoint of world oil production, the place after which total production beings to decline dramatically. This is due to several geologic factors. Skeptics say that technology will save us, or that alternative fuels will offer the help we need. Most in the know understand that the complex factors contributing to the problem ranging from the laws of thermodynamics to the laws of economics and positive politics make it highly unlikely that the impact of peak oil will be negligible. In a 2004 report to the Commerce Committee, Robert Hirsch suggested that successful mitigation of peak oil would require a twenty-year head start. Matthew Simmons points out, frequently now, that peak oil may have occurred in 2005. If this is true then as early as this year (2007) the world may be faced with prolonged energy shortages, pushing up prices and deeply affecting the global economy. Verse 6:6 says “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.” Since a quart of wheat is about a day’s consumption (subsistence level) and a denarius about a day’s wage, some have seen this passage to mean that workers will spend all day working just to get food when the force of this seal is unveiled. But to believers there is hope, the oil and the wine are often taken as references to those who serve Christ. To reduce the effects of economic uncertainty on their churches many pastors now tell parishioners to get out of debt and stay out of debt. The next seal shows us how deeply and broadly this last will affect society.
o 6:7,8 The Fourth Seal
§ The horsemen are given authority over the earth to kill with sword famine pestilence and the wild beast of the earth. Within three to five years of a massive economic disruption none of these plagues would be hard to imagine. Consider what would happen if all of the services we depend on from society disappeared. How many more people would die of disease, would starve or kill one another in the search for food. What new diseases might move freely across vast regions (bird flu.) Could the years following 2010 be the time of the fourth horseman?
o 6:9-11 The Fifth Seal
§ This passage is deeply disturbing to many Christians especially in the ultra-rich United States where much of the Church has predictably adopted a belief that general prosperity is guaranteed in the Bible. Though this notion is widespread, not all American Christians view a relationship with God through the lens of material wealth. Still the idea is widespread enough that Christians from other parts of the world consider it a defining property of American Christianity. When prosperity becomes harder to come by the church in the entire world will begin to face its first universal persecution since the times of Paul and Timothy. And this will go on not for days or weeks, but for years, up until the time of the Rapture that may be as many as 20 years from this point.
o 6:12-17 The Fifth Seal
§ God, not being one to suffer the torment of saints lightly causes the earth to be struck by a massive earthquake around the time of a major eclipse. The earthquake and whatever event that caused it (asteroid or comet collision, Yellowstone eruption) are so sever that the people of the earth hide themselves in caves and universally seem to fear the wrath of God. But this fear wanes.
o Chapter 7 Preparing the Church
§ Those who have died in the persecutions are seen before God’s throne. Those who are still alive are then seal and prepared for a ministry. This is suggested by the fact that the 144,000 are called the first fruits. Awakened by the persecutions of the previous years and forced to live somewhat underground the church is galvanized to make its final witness before the coming of Christ. As the Seventh Seal is opened seven trumpets are revealed. All that restrained the wrath of God is now out of the way and with great blasts His the salvation of the righteous and the impending damnation of the wicked will be announced.
§ Chapters 8-11: Timeframe 7 to 20 years (Jacob’s Trouble)
o 8:7 The First Trumpet
§ One third of the earth was burned up, one third of the trees, and all the green grass. The consequences of climate change are beginning to set in. Perhaps the Amazon forest has moved over it’s tipping point into full blown accelerating desertification. Perhaps the average temperature over the continents leaves rain evaporating as fast as it can hit the ground creating vast open steppes waiting for the slightest spark to set them ablaze. Perhaps human beings now facing the long night of a future without oil are desperately cutting down the forests to try to stave off the population collapse that must come from loosing such a high-density energy source. The time perhaps 2018, or 2024.
o 8:8 The Second Trumpet
§ A great mountain burning with fire strikes the sea. One third of the sea became blood (or death, deadly) and one third of all life in the sea dies. One third of the ships are destroyed. Could such a thing happen? If an asteroid or comet of sufficient size were to strike the Pacific Ocean one could easily imagine these consequences. But could climate change also contribute? Right now most of the World’s coral reefs are dying. Most of the worlds fish stocks are being over fished. And what number of the shipping related activities would have to stop in a world where oil is no longer abundant and cheap, or where thermal pollution causes massive die-offs as was recently seen off the coast of Oregon.
o 8:10,11 The Third Trumpet
§ Again a star falls from heaven called Wormwood (bitterness) on a third of the rivers and springs of water. Many men died from the waters that were made bitter. What would happen if sometime around 2029 an asteroid struck the United States in the upper Mississippi River watershed? Fallout from such an event could contaminate the great lakes, the Mississippi, and the Missouri. There are many scenarios in which asteroid strikes could result in one third of the fresh water turning bitter. The NASA website that tracks near earth objects NEO’s reports regularly on possible threats with probability of impact. The next possible major threat is in the 2020’s.
o 8:12 The Fourth Trumpet
§ As a consequence perhaps of the last trumpet the power of the sun and moon is diminished by one third, so that the day does not shine for a third of it and the night for a third. A miniature nuclear winter makes the already horrible living conditions even worse.
One can easily see how such Long Revelation theories can stretch well into the 21st century. Other notable events and connections postulated by Long Revelation theorists is the identification of Babylon the Great of Chapter Seventeen (that great city that had commerce with the kings of the earth) with the United States. The identification of the Beasts of Revelation 13 as components of a European super-state filling in the power vacuum as US hegemony wanes in the wake of peak oil. Furthermore the ministry of the two witnesses represents a distinct turning point (Revelation Chapter 11), for there comes a time after them and before the bowl judgments when none is allowed to enter the temple in heaven. Some interpret this to mean that the bowl judgments represent the darkest time in human history, a time when the Spirit of God has been withdrawn along with the church and only the certain fear of judgment awaits. But those who survive this time may in fact live to participate in the world under Christ’s millennial reign of chapter 20.
Conclusion
It is unlikely that the previously mentioned eschatology rises to the level of doctrine for any particular denomination. In fact the author is not aware of such anywhere within the churches. Yet in many churches today there are nearly as many variants of eschatology as there are Christians (the number of the one increasing while the number of the latter is decreasing.) It is safe to say that the Long Revelation will gain more and more acceptance as Christ’s return is delayed and the consequences of issues such as peak oil and climate change become more advanced. This assumes that religion is somewhat, and in every place a product of its environment. For believers however there is but one truth and that is not negotiable. If this is true then God will eventually sort it out. Part of the interest of the Long Revelation is that it calls us to see some parts of the wrath of God as consequences of specific acts of neglect, abuse, and indifference in relationship to the earth and our fellow humans. Advocates might point to this verse to support this point.
“The Lord is known by the judgment He executes, the wicked are snared by the works of their own hands.”
A Psalm of David.
"Climate Change" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change
"Climate Change Impacts in the United States" http://www.climatehotmap.org/impacts/index.html
Cambridge Energy Research Associates http://www.cera.com/aspx/cda/public1/home/home.aspx
Association for the Study of Peak Oil http://www.peakoil.net/
Yahoo Answers http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061102123331AAGBVSU
Christian Eschatology http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_eschatology
"President Bush on Energizing America" http://www.theglobalist.com/printStoryId.aspx?StoryId=4546
NASA JPL Near Earth Objects http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/neo.html
"Asteroid and Comet Impact Hazards" http://impact.arc.nasa.gov/
