Matthijs Den Dulk, «The Promises to the Conquerors in the Book of Revelation», Vol. 87 (2006) 516-522
This article suggests that the promises to the “conquerors” at the close of each
letter to the Asian churches in chapters 2 and 3 of the Apocalypse are based on
subsequent events in salvation-history. The first promise (to the conquerors in
Ephesus) refers to the creation story, the last promise (to the Laodicean
conquerors) refers to the ministry and exaltation of Jesus. The promises to the
other churches fit within this salvation-historical line from creation to the ministry
of the Messiah, which is taken up again at the end of the book in the
eschatological and climactic promise of Rev 21,7.
The Promises to the Conquerors in the Book of Revelation 521
Promise to: Primary reference: Content:
Ephesus (2,7) Gen 2,9 Tree of life in paradise
Smyrna (2,11) Gen 2,17 No (second) death
Pergamum (2,17) Exod 16,32-34; 28,9-10; 28-29 Sacred objects in the holy of holies
of the tabernacle
Thyatira (2,26-28) Num 24,17 Balaam’s messianic prophecy
Sardis (3,5) Exod 32,32-33 (34) The (idolatrous) events at Sinai
Philadelphia (3,12) – The Jerusalem Temple
Laodicea (3,21) – Ministry and exaltation of Jesus
Though it is, admittedly, impossible to be equally certain about every
primary reference deduced above, we are well justified in observing that the
promises at the end of each message are not given at random but betray a
coherent approach. John is following a (basic) salvation-historical line.
Starting with paradise and ending with the exaltation of Christ, he highlights
various points that seemed to him critical junctures in the biblical narrative.
The relationship between God and mankind appears to have been at the fore
of John’s interest here. Starting with the paradisiacal setting of God walking
with the first human couple (promise to Ephesus), he narrates subsequently
the radical disturbance of this union (promise to Smyrna), its partial
restoration through the tabernacle service (promise to Pergamum), the
prophecy of an eschatological reign of the Messiah (promise to Thyatira), the
almost failed endeavour of a new union at Sinai (promise to Sardis), the
glorious but partial reconcilement of the temple (promise to Philadelphia) and
finally the promised Messianic reign of the enthroned Jesus (promise to
Laodicea).
The seer refers to these episodes in a fairly sequential way. However,
chronologically speaking, one event is out of order; the Sinai theophany
preceded Balaam’s prophecy (according to Exodus and Numbers), but
follows it in the sequence of promises given above. It is in this context that it
is worth observing that Balaam’s activity was in Jewish tradition not
restricted to the episode in the plains of Moab. A number of texts situate him
in Egypt (as an adviser to Pharaoh) before the Exodus even began (25). Other
texts relate that when the law was given to Israel, it was Balaam who
explained to the nations what exactly happened (26). While such relatively late
rabbinic texts are by nature problematic evidence, they do witness to the
development of Balaam from a more or less historical figure toward a
mythical, archetypical, omnipresent personage, a development that had
clearly been well on its way by the time of the writing of Rev 2,14; 2 Pet 2,15
and Jude 11. The notion that Balaam played an important role in Israelite
history long before the Sinai theophany may account for the imprecision here.
Apart from that, the sequence followed now fits much better the actual
situation of the churches, which was, after all, John’s principal concern. The
church in Thyatira was far healthier than the one in Sardis. Thyatira is told “I
know your works – your love, faith, service, and patient endurance. I know
that your last works are greater than the first†(2,19), whereas Sardis has to
(25) Cf. e.g., b.Sot 11a; b.San 106a; ExodR 27,3 (on Exod 18,1).
(26) E.g. b.Zeb 116a.