Book of Revelation Fr. Thomas Hopko part II

March 19
Symbols, Images & Numbers
In the second lecture Fr. Thomas interprets the images, numbers and symbols of the book of Revelation as well as
its canonical status in the place it has occupied historically within the preaching and teaching ministries of the
Orthodox Christian Church.
I will only point out the following about the seven churches: It begins with the seven letters to the seven churches
to see what the Spirit says to the seven churches. Each time He says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Seven
letters to seven churches represents what God wants to say to every church in every generation—the fullness of
God’s message to the Church put in the context of the first century. An apocalypse speaks of the historical events of
its time which have meaning beyond that time. Therefore, we can read this and apply it to ourselves. Bishop Averky
interpreted the seven churches as seven periods within Church history: Ephesus is early Church, Smyrna is
Apostolic, Pergamon is Patristic, Thyaitera is Post-Patristic, Sardis is the Schism/Split, Philadelphia is Modern-
Apostasizing, and Laodicea is what we’re in now. Averky’s interpretation is chronological and sees the End times as
now. However, every generation throughout history has thought this. Yet, remember Christ’s words that when the
End comes is not for us to know, though we are supposed to be ready for the End.
What is the point of these letters? Each church has its own problems and good qualities, which John praises.
Every letter ends with an expression about victory because the point of Revelation is that Jesus has conquered. The
Lamb is victorious. He is already exalted. We must conquer in and with Jesus. This is the meaning of our life. So
each church is encouraged, chastised and instructed to persevere through tribulation and difficulty to maintain
fidelity, love, fulfillment of God’s commandments, resistance of heresies (Nicolatians 2:6), materialism and
falsehood, in order that each Christian may avoid falling to temptation during tribulation. With each phrase about
‘him who conquers’, there is very liturgical, mystical language. This would be very recognizable for Orthodox
Christians because our worship is very material. We eat, drink, process, wash, we were robes.
To Ephesus, 7“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I
will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’ (Rev.2:7) Eating the tree of life
is the Eucharist. The Paradise of God is the Church. In fact, baptistrys in the early church were decorated like the
Garden of Eden with trees and flowing waters.
To Smyrna, 11“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall
not be hurt by the second death.”’ (Rev.2:11) The first death is baptism. The second death is physical death. Only
those who die with (a living, active faith in) Christ will be liberated from the second death because they already live
in the millennial kingdom where Christ rules.
To Pergamon, 17“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I
will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written
which no one knows except him who receives it.”’ (Rev.2:17). Hidden means apocalyptical and manna means bread.
Jesus says in Gospel, “I am the bread of life” (Jn.6:48). “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any
one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh”
(Jn.6:51). Thus, the one who conquers with Christ participates in the Eucharistic banquet, both here and now, and in
the End. The new name is the Christian name given in baptism. ‘Name’ will be a strong theme throughout
Revelation. The white stone is the symbol for admission, the ticket that got you in, because not everyone gets in, not
everyone enters. The word “come”is prevalent and ties in to this theme. The white stone is tied to the white robe.
To Thytira, 26And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the
nations—(Rev.2:26). This means power to reign with Christ in the kingdom.
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To Sardis, 5He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the
Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels” (Rev.3:5). The white garment is
symbolic of the resurrected body. Christians were baptized with a white garment. The martyr is one whose garment
has been made white. THE liturgical vestment is the white robe (alba = white in Latin) or sticharion and is symbolic
of the baptismal garment. We’ll see in the next chapter, the presbyters wearing the white robes standing around the
throne of God/Lamb with their incensors and crowns.
To Philadelphia, 12He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no
more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes
down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name” (Rev.3:12). The temple of God in the NT
is not a building, it’s the people. The New Jerusalem at the end of the book will have not temple. There is no temple,
nor any doors in the city because it’s totally open, anyone can enter. The people become God’s dwelling place, each
person is a pillar. In the gospels, the destruction of Jerusalem is an image for the End of the world and the
tribulation. St. Paul says, “You are the temple of the living God” (1Cor.3:16).
Throughout Revelation, Jerusalem is a symbol for the kingdom. Babylon is symbolically connected with this
world and historically connected with Rome. According to Revelation, the geographic Jerusalem is also a part of
Babylon. Later in book it says, “The city where Christ was crucified is now as good as Sodom and Egypt.” Thus, the
Christian is no longer interested in the historic, geographical Jerusalem. It means nothing now. In fact, St. Gregory
of Nyssa (4th cent.) wrote against pilgrimages to Jerusalem. He said, “We don’t have holy places. We are the holy
place when we gather because we become the heavenly Jerusalem. Therefore, why do you need to make a trip?” St.
Paul talks about the Jerusalem, who is our mother, as the bride of the Lamb (Gal.4:26). St. Cyprian of Carthage said,
“You cannot have God as your Father unless you have the New Jerusalem, the Church as your Mother.” Jerusalem
is connected to these conjugal images of the kingdom.
To Laodicea, 21To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat
down with My Father on His throne” (Rev.3:21). In Revelation, God is He who sits upon the throne. The
Lamb/Jesus sits upon the throne with God. All honor, glory, worship and majesty are given to Him who sits upon
the throne and to the Lamb. In Orthodox Liturgy, the ‘proestos’, the first in rank, sits upon the synthronon behind
the altar with the presbyters who are clothed in white robes. The Christian gathering is based upon image in
Revelation of God on His throne, Christ with Him, the elders/presbyters worshipping Him and co-enthroned with
Him. This continues in Chapters 4 and 5.
1After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was
like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after
this.” (Rev.4:1). The door into the kingdom is open. In an Orthodox Church, the doors into the nave are called the
‘royal doors.’ Only the baptized could enter through them. Then there is another door, the ‘holy gate’ which is the
entrance into the sanctuary (the heaven of heavens) where the presbyters stand with their white robes. Christ is
inviting us to come and enter the deepest mystery of Himself through these open doors.
[Disk 2:2:00] The stones mentioned in Rev.4:3 are the ones set around the kingdom at the end of the book. They
are the stones of the Zodiac. A church in Serbia has a mosaic depicting Christ above the Sign of Zodiac. Revelation
puts these stones in reverse order because the world and the horoscope which belong to the devil has been
conquered. Christ has turned it upside down and destroyed it. The stones also belong to the apocalyptic language in
the OT books of Daniel and Ezekiel.
4Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in
white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads (Rev.4:4). Why 24 presbyters? Because, 12 is a symbolic
number in the Tradition and stands for ‘the fullness of God’s people.’ That’s why there is 12 tribes of Israel and 12
Apostles. That’s why Judas must be replaced. The universal interpretation for 24 presbyters is 12 from Israel plus 12
from the nations. In Revelation this means the fullness of the saved people. The presbyters surround the throne, upon
which God is seated. In Christian liturgy this represented by the bishop who is the image of God within the
community. This is a very liturgical setting and is still done in the Orthodox churches today.
6Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne,
were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. 7The first living creature was like a lion, the second
living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a
flying eagle (Rev.4:6). Four is a cosmic symbol with north, south, east, west and up, down, length, breadth. 14For
this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15from whom the whole family in heaven and
earth is named, 16that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might
through His Spirit in the inner man, 17that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and
grounded in love, 18may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and
height—19to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God
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(Eph.3:14-19). Later in the book there is the four winds, the four corners of the earth and the four beasts, which each
stand for an element in the cosmos. So four means/implies the whole of creation.
8The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day
or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” (Rev.4:8). This comes
from Isaiah 6:3 and we still sing it in the middle of the Eucharistic service and before the scripture readings in the
Liturgy.
9Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever
and ever, 10the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever
and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: 11“You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor
and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.” ‘Axios ei’ is very close to
‘axion estiv’. In Chapter Five the word “worthy” is used six times because the ultimate mystery is going to be
revealed.
5:1And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with
seven seals. 2Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to
loose its seals?” 3And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at
it. 4So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. 5But one of the
elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open
the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” 6And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living
creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven
eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7Then He came and took the scroll out of the
right hand of Him who sat on the throne. (Rev.5:1-7)
Seven horns means ‘all power.’ Seven eyes means ‘all insight.’ Seven spirits means ‘all of God’s reality.’
8Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the
Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. It’s a near
description of Orthodox Liturgy.
11Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders;
and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 12saying with a loud
voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and
glory and blessing!”
13And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all
that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power, Be to Him who sits on the throne, And
to the Lamb, forever and ever!” 14Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell
down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever. This is the vision of the heavenly liturgy. [2-2-6:20)]
Hebrews and Revelation are the two main liturgical books in the NT. They also are the most disputed regarding
authorship. Revelation was canonized because of the holy people who testified for it and because of its apostolic
origin. Many books that were allegedly written by apostles were rejected from the canon of the NT (i.e. Acts of
Peter & Gospel of James). Nearly all writers at the time attached an apostle’s name to their work. So it took time to
sift through these writings to determine their authenticity.
In the NT and OT, there are different characteristics for different parts. The Post-Reformation biblical approach
tried to put all scripture on an equal level, at least theoretically, but this did not happen in practice. What the
scriptures say, the Church Fathers say about them, and the liturgical practice of the Church has been shows that NT
scriptures are used in different ways because they have different purposes, ‘Kerygma’ is what could be taught to
anyone and anytime (herald, good news). The Gospel or Good News is supposed to be taught to everyone (highways
and byways; go you to all nations; etc.). What is the Good News? God has sent His Son into the world; the Messiah
has come; Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah; He has been killed, raised and glorified. He is the King of God’s
Kingdom; by God’s grace you can be saved by faith in Jesus; through Him you can be free from ignorance, evil, sin
and death and literally live forever. St. Paul says, “We preach Christ and Him crucified.” This is what you can
preach to everyone, everywhere.
However, there are elements of Christian teaching that you cannot preach to anyone, anywhere because it only
belongs to someone who has already accepted the Gospel. [2-2-10:45] This is called ‘Dogmas’ or ‘Doctrine’ and
‘Mysteries’ in the Tradition. The NT shows that once a person accepted Jesus as Christ and Lord, was baptized and
entered into the life of the Church, then the mysteries of Church would be revealed to them. In the Synoptic gospels,
Jesus says certain things to the crowds and certain, different things only to His disciples (i.e. the Sermon on the
Mount (Mt.5). Certain other things were only taught to the Twelve Apostles. Certain other things were only
taught/revealed to three of the Apostles- Peter, James and John (i.e. the Transfiguration in Mt.17:1-9). [11:56] Christ
commands these select groups not to anyone else what He is teaching because they will not understand it and they’ll
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screw it up. Therefore, keep it to yourself. This pedagogical and mystical method is not Gnostic initiation. It’s
common sense, you cannot tell everyone, everything. A piano player cannot perform “Moonlight Sonata” until they
have learned the keys. It’s a process and takes time.
In the early Church, the process of evangelization took some time. Fr. Florovsky said in the early Church it took
three years to become a Christian and ten minutes to be ordained. Now it takes ten minutes to become a Christian
and three years to be ordained. In the early Church, the education, catechesis, prayer, exorcism, anointing,
purification and catharsis all took place before baptism. It was Baptism, Chrismation and participation in the
Eucharist that made one a priest and a king. St. Ambrose was elected bishop of Milan, not having even been
baptized. The catechumen was a member of the Church, although they could not enter into the mystery because they
were not baptized. Hopko theorizes that John’s Gospel is the first post-baptismal theology in Christian history. It
was not told to people until after they were baptized. The Paschal liturgy has the Prologue of John for its gospel
reading and the whole of John’s gospel is read only between Pascha and Pentecost, because it is the only time of
year when the Church has no catechumens. John’s gospel is dogma/theology. It is written only for baptized members
of the Church. St. Paul’s letters were written to Christian communities of people who were already baptized in order
to instruct them and help them understand how to live the reality of being baptized into Christ.
The Eucharistic part of the liturgy belongs to the inner mystery of the Church. The Lord’s Prayer was taught to
people only a few days before their baptism. They prayed it for the first time on the Paschal night. [Disk 2; Track 3,
00:00] in the West, St. Augustine says it was taught to them on Palm Sunday. In the East, Chrysostom said it was
taught on Holy Thursday. To this day, the communion hymn is still sung and prayed, “Receive me today, O Son of
God as a communicant of Your mystical Supper. For I will not reveal Your mysteries to Your enemies, nor will I
give You a kiss as did Judas. But as the thief, I will confess You Lord, remember me in Your kingdom.” In the early
Church, the non-baptized never even saw the Eucharistic supper. St. Ambrose, as mentioned above, was elected a
bishop never having seen the Eucharist. All non-baptized left the liturgy after the Word. The Word was for everyone
except on Pascha and Pentecost.
The Apocalypse is the ultimate mystery of the mystery. Therefore, it was never to be commented upon in the
gathering. Rather, it was just depicted in the icons adorning the temple including the lamb, animals, plants, flowers,
and angels, who are singing, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” The ‘thrice holy’ is in every church. Now it says, “Donated by
Paraskeva Koznowsky.” When domes appear on the basilica, then Jesus is depicted as Pantokrator, not the Lamb,
with the inscription “¿ ν
κár ¿ ƒν κár ¿ dñχuμaνïò”. At the St. Apollinari Church in Ravenna, Italy, down both
sides appear the martyrs, men on one side and women on the other, with white robes and crowns, holding palm
branches in a position of adoration. Christ is in the middle with Mary next to Him. This is all directly from the
Apocalypse.
In the sixth seal is the four winds, four beasts, angels and 144,000 (12 tribes x 12K/tribe which means the whole
multitude of the Jews). As an aside, of the 12 tribes of Israel in the OT, Levi had no portion/inheritance. The priests
lived off the people and we’re still doing it! The tribe of Levi appears in Rev.7:7 which means one of the other tribes
is missing. The tribe of Dan is missing because, as Averky says, the Antichrist was to come from Dan. According to
St. Paul (Romans 11), ‘all Israel’ does not mean every Jewish person. It means all the saved from the Jews and from
the nations. The great multitude that no one can number is the Gentiles.
9After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes,
peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm
branches in their hand. (Rev.7:9). When the early Christians were deciding where to hold the public gathering and
how to design/decorate the building/basilica, they took the arrangement from the book of the Apocalypse. That’s
why a round church with the altar in the middle is not Christian because the altar is ahead of us and beyond us.
Celebrating the Eucharist facing the people is not Christian because one should follow Christ into the kingdom.
From Hebrews, Christ is the ‘archegon’, whose back we see, who takes us into the presence of God. How? It takes
into the Holy of Holies, where the throne is, through a door, with a curtain that is pulled and the door opened. All the
saints including the martyrs are present.
The fifth seal talks about the souls of the righteous who are under the altar (Rev.?). In the Orthodox churches
we still put bones under the altar and we still put a bone/relic in the altar. All the righteous dead and the angels are
present. That’s why we have icons all over inside the church to signify their presence with us. Now, in the first
century, no doubt the Christians did not have church buildings nor did they have all these decorations/vestments/
appointments. The early Christians struggled to understand how to live their faith. The authors of the scriptural
letters/books attempt to tell the Christians how to understand and live the faith. Once written and canonized by the
Church, the scripture becomes the authority and thus must be followed. So, if one is going to follow the Scriptures
regarding worship, this is the way it’s done. It is absolutely wrong to think that early Christians prayed like a
modern prayer group. Neither is the liturgy and/or feasts is to be acted out like some drama. Christian worship has
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nothing to do with reenacting what Jesus did when He was on earth. It has everything to do with how you relate to
Jesus, here and now, glorified at the right hand of the Father and present in us through the Holy Spirit. So, if one
wants to worship according to the Scripture, Revelation is where they should be looking. Hopefully, you can see
how Tradition informs the writing of Scripture and when canonized, scripture continues to guide the Church in the
Tradition. Thus, in the first century, the Christians did not worship as according to Revelation. Why? Because they
had to understand, contemplate and meditate on it. They needed to be inspired to understand it. Christians were
illegal at that time and not free to do what they wanted. Once they understand and record the mystic vision, then the
minute they are freed, the Apocalypse is the way they start worshipping God. It’s been that way ever since in the
Church.
However, we pile layer upon layer on top of the rubrics of this worship. We took the apocalyptic vision of the
heavenly kingdom and heavenly court including the robes and crowns, and then superimposed upon it the imperial
court system of the decadent time of the Turkocratia. Therefore, instead of the bishop appearing as the image of
God, dressed in a white robe, seated upon the throne behind the altar surrounded by the presbyters and the people, he
is dressed-up like the Byzantine emperor, seated upon a throne outside the altar on the side where the civil
authorities would sit, with all the insignia of civil power. It can be very difficult for some to see a ritualistic liturgy
and do not know how it is rooted in the apocalyptic understanding of the heavenly Jerusalem. They may see it as a
decadent leftover from an imperial period in Church history. Then they might think it has nothing to do with the
bible. A thorough study of Revelation could lead to a recovery of liturgy to save it from decadent infections.

March 19 Symbols, Images & Numbers
Source:
http://www.stgeorgegoc.org/sermons/revelation%20symbols%20images%20numbers.pdf