I. Introduction
The book of Revelation is the only apocalyptic literature that has been canonized among our current New Testament Scripture. Meanwhile, the book of Daniel also has apocalyptic writing in its second part. I will now discuss here these two apocalyptic writings, their similarities as well as their differences. But before I begin with the discussion on the comparison of these two apocalyptic books, it is important that you first understand the nature of apocalyptic writings – what they contain as a literary mode and what they mean to people in the past, present, and future.
An apocalypse is a genre of revelatory
literature with a narrative framework in which a revelation is mediated by an
otherworldly being to a human recipient, disclosing a transcendent reality
that is both temporal, insofar as it envisages eschatological salvation, and
spatial, insofar as it involves another, supernatural world.[1] Apocalyptic writings are not easy to
understand. They are full of symbols
because it explain transcendent truth both in space and time.[2]
In studying the historical context of
apocalypses, scholars say that these are inspired in an ideology of resistance.[3] This ideology or worldview is called “apocalypticism”
that comes from the Greek word (ἀποκάλυψις) apocalypsis,
which means an “unveiling” or a “revealing.”
The authors of the apocalyptic book claim that the course of future
events had been revealed to them.
Bart Ehrman said that this kind of writing or
worldview originated in the turbulent history of Jews in Palestine.[4] Most ancient Jews believed that God had made
a covenant with them to be their divine protector in exchange for their
devotion to Him through keeping His law.
This kind of thinking, however, was challenged by political events in
Palestine. That if God had promised to
protect and defend Israel against its enemies, how could one account for its
perpetual foreign domination – by the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians,
the Greeks, the Syrians, and the Romans?[5] Prophetic writings usually say that it is
because of people’s wrongdoing against God.
That God would change his mind and establish them once more as a
sovereign power in their own land if they would only return to the ways of God
and become devoted again to keeping his commandments. This understanding is not only popular among
Jews but among Christians as well, saying that suffering is a consequence of
their sin against God. However, in
reality, it is not only the sinners who suffered but also people who were
righteous and striving to fulfill God's will.
There is a sudden change of Jewish understanding
about the suffering of the people during the Maccabean revolt, when Antiochus
Epiphanes implemented oppressive policies where they were forbidden on pain of
death from keeping the Torah, that became too much for the Palestinian Jews to
bear.[6] They thought that their suffering, as God’s
people who are keeping his laws, could not be explained as a consequence for
their sin. For God would not do this to
his people who are doing what is right.
Then they found this new way of thinking, that their suffering may not
really be caused by God, but by some other supernatural agency, Satan who is God’s
enemy. They believed that God was still
in control of this world, but for unknown and mysterious reasons he had
temporarily relinquished his control to the forces of evil that opposed him.[7]
Yet, this event will not last forever, for
the good God will again prevail, he will destroy the forces of evil and
uphold his people as rulers over the earth. When this new kingdom came, God will fulfill
his promises to his people. This
ideology, which is commonly called “apocalypticism,” is a way of resistance of the oppressed
people of God.
II. Comparing the
Prophetic Part of the Book of Daniel and Book of Revelation
Now, let us see how the prophetic part of the Book of Daniel (the second part) and the Book of Revelation coincides, intertwines, or differentiates with each other. It is important to note that the historical context of these two books, Daniel and Revelation, is about the hardship and oppression among the people of God caused by the foreign domination. The book of Daniel is about the experience of the Jews in the Babylonian exile, while the book of Revelation is about the suffering facing by the Christian churches because of the testimonies of their faith in Jesus Christ in some communities in Asia Minor at the time before the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem by the Roman Empire. Both are trying to resist the foreign oppression, believing that God’s judgment will come against the evildoers who act like gods, and God will reign together with his people.
The Beasts
One of the similarities between Daniel and Revelation is that they used the imagery of beasts to describe the tyrant kings of their time. In Daniel 7, the vision of Daniel describes the four great beasts that came up out from the sea (v. 3). The first is like a lion who had eagle’s wings, with two feet, and a human mind was given to it (v. 4). The second is looked like a bear with three tusks in its mouth among its teeth (v. 5). It was raised up in one side and told Daniel, “Arise, devour many bodies!” Like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back and four heads, is the third beast who was given dominion (v. 6). The fourth beast seems more terrifying, dreadful, and exceedingly strong. “It had great iron teeth and was devouring, breaking in pieces, and stamping what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that preceded it, and it had ten horns” (v. 7).
Meanwhile, John had a similar vision of the beasts in Revelation 12-13. In Chapter 12, there was a red dragon that appeared in heaven, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads (v. 3), while he swept down a third of the stars of heaven and threw them on the earth (v.4). He stood before the woman “clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” (v.1), who was about to bear a child, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born (v.4). Some scholars believed that the dragon symbolizes Python in Greek mythology, which basically a serpent and existed in the center of its mother, Gaia (which personifies Earth).[8] It seems that the dragon embodies the serpent in Genesis 3, who is the deceiver.
Then there were two beasts aside from the
red dragon (Rev. 13). The first one was raised out from the sea, having ten
horns (similar to the fourth beast in Daniel 7:7) and seven heads, and on its
horns were ten diadems (13:2). Its ten
horns with ten diadems on it and seven heads are similar to the head of the
dragon (12:3) This beast looks like a
leopard (similar to the third beast in Daniel 7:6), has feet like a bear (similar
to the second beast in Daniel 7:5) and a mouth like a lion (the first beast in
Daniel 7:4). The dragon gave this beast
his throne with power and authority (Rev. 13:2). Moreover, this beast has a wound on one of
its heads, that seemed caused by a death-blow, that had been healed (Rev.
13:3). This was caused amazement that
the whole earth followed this beast.
They worship him, as they worship the dragon who gave him the authority,
saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” (Rev.
13:4). Interestingly, emperor worship
was very common in ancient times (see Dan. 3:5-7, 15). The ancients believed that kings were
messengers of their god. Often, the
rulers of the kingdoms also used names that followed the name of their deities.
The beast was given a mouth uttering arrogant and blasphemous words against
God, his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven (Rev. 13:5-6).
This is similar to the characteristic of
the fourth beast in Daniel 7:8, who has a tiny horn that appeared to him, with eyes
like in human and a mouth speaking arrogantly.
The first beast in Revelation 13 was described as having the power to make
war against the saints and to conquer them (v. 7). He claimed to be the
lord over every tribe and people and language and nation (v. 8), and
all the inhabitants of the earth will worship him, especially those whose name
has not been written from the book of life of the Lamb (v. 8).
In Revelation 13:11-18, the second beast
appears to John’s vision was rose out from the earth and described as having two horns like a lamb and speaking like a dragon (v. 11). This beast was not mentioned in the book of
Daniel. This second beast is the representative of the first beast to the
people, exercises all of his authority to make the earth and its people worship
the first beast (v. 12). He performs great signs allowed by the first
beast, to deceive the people by telling them to make an image for the first beast
who had been wounded by the sword and yet lived (v. 13-14). In
verse 15, it says that this second beast had the power to give breath (or
spirit) to the image of the first beast so that it speak and cause those
who will not worship this image to be killed. A power which the Creator God demonstrated
in Genesis 2:7 when God breathed to the man’s nostrils the breath of life for
him to become a living being. It also causes all (both great and small,
rich and poor, free and slave) to be marked of the name of the first beast or
the number equivalent of its name which is “666,” on their right hand or the
forehead (v. 16-18). The mark served as a mode of the economic transaction; without this mark, they cannot buy or sell things
(v. 17).
It seems that the first beast described in
Revelation 13 has a strong allusion to the four great beasts in Daniel 7. The characteristics used to describe the four
beasts in Daniel 7 can see woven in the first beast that came out from the sea
in Revelation 13. While the second
beast, the lamb with two horns, is a unique image of a beast in
Revelation. As we analyze the description
given in Revelation, the relationship of these two beasts seems patterned to
the relationship of God, who is the Father, and the Lamb, who is Jesus Christ
(see Rev. 22:1-5). Some scholars
suggest that the four great
beasts in Daniel 7, represent the world kingdoms of Babylonia, Media, Persia,
and Greece.[9] While the first beast from the sea, in
Revelation 13, represents the Roman Empire, incited by the dragon (v. 2) to
oppress the saints (v. 7).[10] And the second beast represents the false
prophets of John’s time.[11]
The Ten Horns
The image of ten horns is a common characteristic of the beast
in Daniel 7 and Revelation. This can be
seen on the fourth beast (Dan. 7:7), on the red dragon (Rev. 12:3), on the
first beasts came out from the sea (Rev. 13:1), and on the scarlet beast (Rev. 17:3,
7). There are no clearer interpretations
about these ten horns. But scholars
believed that horns are symbols of power (Dan. 8.20; Eze. 29.21; Zec. 1.18; Ps.
132.17).[12] While the number ten means perfection,
harmony, and creation, in Biblical numerology.[13] It also means integration, discipline, laws, and wholeness.[14] The seven heads, as describe among the beasts
in Revelation 13 and 17, represents the seven “kings” in the Roman Empire (see
Rev. 17:9).[15]
The War Against the Saints
Both Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 speak
about the beast making war against the saints (Dan. 7:21; Rev. 13:7). According to the historical analysis of some
interpreters, Daniel 7:21 is about the actions of Antiochus IV against the Jewish
community before the Temple was desecrated in 167 BC (Dan. 11).[16] While
in Revelation 13:7, the war might referring to the destruction of the Jerusalem
Temple by the Romans in 70 CE.[17]
The
Three and a Half Time Period
In Daniel, particularly in 7:25 and 12:7,
talks about “a time, two times, and half a time.” This particular pattern of number of “time”
had some alterations in Revelation 11:9-11 which instead indicate as “three and
a half days.” Though Daniel and
Revelation has some differences in terms of the pattern of the number of “time,” it
seems that both are equal in value. Both
refer to the specific period where the prophecy will occur and there will be an
end.
The
Worship of the Beast’s Statue
As I have said, worshiping a king or a ruler was very common during ancient times. In Daniel 3:5-7, 15, during the time of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, there was a decree where people should fall down and worship his golden statue. Those who disobey that law will immediately be thrown into “a furnace of blazing fire” (v. 6, 15). This cultic “emperor worship” was challenged by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Dan. 3). The imagery of “emperor worship” was also found in Revelation 13:15 where the second beast deceives the people to create an image of the first beast and worship it. Those who will not worship the image of the first beast will be punished to death. During the time of Domitian, where the book of Revelation was written, the Roman Empire issued a coin showing the son of the emperor seated on a globe and reaching out to seven stars. In the coin, there is this inscription saying: “To the Divine Caesar.”[18] This kind of pronouncement is blasphemous to the Jews and Christians during that time.
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| The great image statue is a 36-foot replica of an ancient dream of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. |
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This coin commemorates the deification of Domitian's son. Upon his accession, Domitian revalued the Roman currency by increasing the silver content of the denarius by 12%. Caption: IMP. CAES. DOMITIANVS AVG. P. M. / DIVUS CAESAR MP. DOMITIANI F. |
The
Son of Man Coming on the Glorious Cloud
Another similarity that we can see between the book of Daniel and Revelation is the prophetic vision of the coming of the Son of Man, who is seated on the clouds (Dan. 7:13; Rev. 1:7; 14:14). In Daniel, the description of one like a “son of man” maybe represents the archangel Michael (Dan. 10:13, 21; Rev. 12), or as a corporate symbol of faithful Israelites (Dan. 7:18, 27). Meanwhile, in traditional Christian interpretation, it is understood as Jesus Christ (Mt. 24:30-31). the humanlike form of the one who comes from the clouds is the exact opposite of the beasts.
The
Seal of the Book
In Revelation 22:10, the angel’s instruction to John is not to seal up the words of the prophecy of the book. Which is opposite to the instruction given to Daniel (12:4, 9). The sealing of Daniel’s prophecy indicated that the time of its fulfillment was distant, standing in a different epoch of God’s redemptive plan from the prophet (cf. Dan. 8:26). However, what John has seen concerns the redemptive-historical epoch in which he is living – the span between the resurrection of Christ and his return, the 1,260 days between the enthronement of the woman’s child and his return as the captain of heaven's calvary. Because John stands with his hearers in the time in which the conflict of the ages has reached its critical pitch in the sacrifice of the Lamb and the expulsion of the dragon accuser from heaven, every individual needs to face immediately the sort of person he or she is today, without assuming a perpetual a string of tomorrows in which change might occur (Rev. 22:11).[19]
III. Conclusion
Although very difficult to understand,
apocalyptic books such as Daniel and Revelation are very rich in meanings and
interesting to study. By comparing these
two apocalyptic literature, we witness their similarities and differences. Perhaps they differ in some detail and
description of the imagery and symbols they use. This may be due to the historical context in
which they were written – one was during the Babylonian conquest, while the
other was at the height of the Roman Empire's reign. Despite the differences, the two books are
united in one theme: that the reign of evil caused by oppressive empires will
not last long. It will fall, just like
the fall of the Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Syrian, Greeks, and
Romans kingdoms. Because in the end, God
will rule and rule over righteousness, justice, and peace. Such a view of the apocalyptic writings will
surely give us hope and perseverance to continue to cling to our faith, rather
than the fear and anxiety that some preachers usually express about these
books. At a time when an oppressive government
led by populists and fascist rulers is rampant, it is important that we
understand the significance and message of these apocalyptic writings. That we may stand firm in our faith in God
while resisting the evils of our modern-day empires.
[1] Rachel Wagner, “XBox
Apocalypse: Video Games and Revelatory Literature,” SBL Forum, 9, no. 7
(2009). https://www.sbl-site.org/publications/article.aspx?ArticleId=848
(accessed December 8, 2020).
[2] John J. Collins, The Apocalyptic Imagination: An Introduction
to the Jewish Matrix of Christianity, (New York: Crossroad, 1992), 1-19.
[3] Bart D. Ehrman, “Jesus,
the Apocalyptic Prophet,” in The New Testament: a Historical Introduction to
the Early Christian Writings, (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997) 203–31.
[4] Ehrman, “Jesus, the
Apocalyptic Prophet,” 203–31.
[5] Ehrman, “Jesus, the
Apocalyptic Prophet,” 203–31.
[6] Ehrman, “Jesus, the Apocalyptic
Prophet,” 203–31.
[7] Ehrman, “Jesus, the
Apocalyptic Prophet,” 203–31.
[8] Michael D. Coogan, et
al., eds, The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version: An
Ecumenical Study Bible, 5th ed. (New York, New York: Oxford University Press,
2018).
[9] Michael D. Coogan, et
al., The New Oxford Annotated Bible.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Ibid.
[12] Michael D. Coogan, et
al., The New Oxford Annotated Bible.
[13] ___________, “Biblical
Numerology - Number 10,” Numerology
Center, n.d., accessed December 8, 2020,
http://numerology.center/biblical_numbers_number_10.php.
[14] Ibid.
[15] Bart D. Ehrman, “Christians
and the Cosmos: The Revelation of John, The Shepherd of Hermas, and the
Apocalypse of Peter,” in The New Testament: a Historical Introduction to the
Early Christian Writings, (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997) 398–414.
[16] Arthur J. Ferch, “The Book of Daniel and the ‘Maccabean Thesis’,” Andrews University Seminary Studies 21,
no. 2 (1963): 129–141.
[17] Michael D. Coogan, et
al., The New Oxford Annotated Bible.
[18] Ehrman, “Christians
and the Cosmos,” 398–414.
[19] Dennis E. Johnson, Triumph
of the Lamb: a Commentary on Revelation (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Pub.,
2001).
