Characteristics of the Book of
Revelation
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Question
How is apocalyptic literature similar to and different from typical biblical prophecy?
Answer
Yes. Apocalyptic literature has a number of characteristics. In recent years, that's been sharpened by scholars. The first characteristic is that it takes place typically in a narrative framework. There is a story that is told. Within that story, within that narrative, we have an angel or some type of heavenly being communicating content. So you have a narrative framework, you have a heavenly being, and part of this content that is being delivered to a human — for example, Daniel — is a transcendent reality. So there's a spatial dimension: heavenlies, throne room visions, that sort of thing, angels. There's also a temporal dimension as well: latter days, eschatology, end of days, cataclysmic events. So it all takes place in a narrative, communicated by a celestial being, such as an angel, to a human that's delivered. The content is vertical and horizontal, to put it like that.
Dr. Benjamin Gladd is Assistant Professor of New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS.