Hey Lazarus,
I'm not sure what you're asking. I guess my answer is that there is only one "Revelations" and that is the one in the "canonical bible". There were a lot more apocalyptic texts, but only one "Revelations of John" that I know of.
I think what you're getting at is that Revelation is the impetus behind the "Left-Behind" concept, and it is right there in the bible. Well, if that's what you're saying, you're right.
Problem is, most modern "christians" aren't Jews. Most modern christians don't "get" Revelation the same way a 1st-century Jew would have. Even with such a gap of understanding, few christians throughout history have made the claims that "Left-Behind" has.
And the promise that someday an apocalypse would happen to reward the "righteous" and cast out the wicked.
The apocalypse DID happen, just like Jesus said it would, just like the Jewish Christians expected (and dreaded). It's called "the destruction of Jerusalem in 70CE". Read through 1st-century Jewish eyes, that's exactly what Revelation predicted.
For example, here are some quotes from the sites you listed:
This book presents the vision of John regarding future events around his time (or even possibly yet to come now) of the "last days."
They were right the first time; the "last days" of the nation of Israel (distinct from modern Israel) came and went around his time.
If you open the Book of Revelation and simply begin reading it as an unfolding scenario, it goes something like this. There will be wars and famines and disease epidemics and heavenly signs that will alert the world to some sort of crisis.
Those definitely happened during the 1st century. "Heavenly signs" being comets, etc.
Then will come an Antichrist as he's called
The term "antichrist" is not in the book of Revelation. But I get what they're saying...
a political ruler, that will establish control over the whole earth.
Also known as Nero Caesar.
He'll be backed up with a religious ruler
Hmmm...John was a Jew...could he possibly have been referring to a JEWISH religious ruler, like maybe the corrupt (to John's eyes) temple system? The temple system which was in league with the Roman government?
who's called the false prophet.
Because this religious structure validated Rome and used religion to obtain power for itself over the commoners.
They together establish a unified social, economic and religious system that dominates the world.
Well, sorta. Rome dominates the political world, the Temple dominates the Jewish religious world. Both of those worlds were about to be deconstructed.
The only thing opposing them are the people of God and these two prophets, they're called the two witnesses, who appear in Jerusalem, and begin to speak against this power.
That's what the rest of the New Testament (particularly Acts) describes; people speaking out against a corrupt system of domination.
The rest of the book, really the last half of the book is about the overthrow of this system.
Which happened in the latter years of the 1st-century CE.
The beast, the false prophet, who has the number 666, the Antichrist, is overthrown with judgments and plagues.
That definitely happened. Nero and his heirs died violently, Jerusalem was destroyed, the whole civilized world was thrown into uproar.
...until finally, Jesus Christ returns as a warrior on a white horse and sets up the kingdom of God. ...
Naturally, this is symbolic, like the rest of the book. Revelation is about narrating then-contemporary history and political developments through Jewish metaphor, and through Jewish metaphor, giving them enhanced meaning. Jesus continually taught that the "kingdom of God" was within, would not come by force, and was not going to be a military reign.
But John depicts Jesus as a conqueror because Jesus' warning against violent revolution (which started this whole mess) had been proven right. After the corrupt temple establishment and Rome end up fighting each other, they both go down, leaving Jesus as the only one looking good.
Finally, the book ends on a victorious note, with the "New Jerusalem" coming down from heaven and setting up God's city on earth. What is often ignored is that John SPECIFICALLY identifies this metaphorical "city" with a group of people, namely, those who are peacemakers rather than violent revolutionaries. The "New Jerusalem" is not heaven, it is a community of good people on earth.
John's vision is not a world-ending catastrophe with a comfortable place for us when everyone dies. John's vision is of political turmoil that destroys the major oppressors of the 1st-century, and sets the stage for a group of people following God's rule (don't initiate violence) to demonstrate their correctness to the world.
-micah
LongeCity
