Popular interpretations of the book of Revelation describe it as the consummation and culmination at the end of the world that center around particular isolated events and figures or characters that happen in isolated future time period. For instance, the beasts and the harlot are represented by some specific charming satanic influential powerful deceptive individuals or organizations. Similarly, the riders and the horses as well as the trumpets and the bowls represent specific horrific series of events that happen just before the Lord Jesus Christ returns.
The critical, not total error of this school of interpretation is it disregards the key statement that Jesus made in verse 19 of the first chapter that the visions He was about to show John are "those that are and those that are to take place after this," indicating that they represent the events, characters and conditions that were already going in John's days and continuing until "those to take place after these" referring the second coming of and the last judgment by the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, the nature of most symbols and visions in Revelation, that Hendricksen exquisitely teaches with careful and extensive comparison and consideration with other prophetic Old and New Testament passages, is progressive and parallel, not culminative and isolated, except in a few cases. The parallel nature of Revelation teaches the events that happened, and are presently happening and will happen in the future in the physical visible world along with all the characters involved, are parallel to what is going on in the spiritual world, that is, the battle between God and Satan, the heavenly army against the army of darkness.
The culminative interpretation of Revelation may entertain and satisfy intellectual curiosity and fancy without affecting the heart much, largely because it only shows things that happen in the future with little or no consequences or applications at the present time. The progressive and parallel interpretation, on the contrary, is both dead serious and full of hope. It is dead serious because the majority of the visions represents what is going on even today and therefore, has a direct implication to everything; the state of the world governments and every socio-economic structure, education, philosophy, religion, down to the personal level, the state of the soul of men.
In interpreting the seven lampstands, it is sobering to learn, in light of the progressive nature of Revelation that every Christian church throughout the ages falls in the category of one of the seven churches the lampstands represent. They can be further divided into three sub-categories. The first one is the faithful church, with genuine and sincere devotions, sacrifices and services to Christ represented by Philadelphia and Smyrna, wherein Hendricksen included an incredible account of the display of the glory of Christ through the faith and martyrdom of the first bishop of Smyrna, a disciple of John himself, Polycarp, who was burned at stake (p.64). The second one is the church that seems to consist of serious genuine believers, yet as a whole, the church fails to discipline and disciple carnal worldly compromising members, represented by Ephesus, Pergamum and Thyatira. There are several passages in the Bible that warn against being lukewarm Christians, yet few are as serious or more serious than that given by Jesus to the churches represented by Sardis and Laodicea, the third sub-category. Their characteristics are described, as Hendricksen puts it as,
"arrogant, confident, and sure. The self-satisfied and boastful inhabitants of Sardis had seen destruction coming upon them `as thief in the night', most suddenly and unexpectedly. Sardis was a very `peaceful' church. It enjoyed peace, but it was the peace of the cemetery!
The forms were there, the ceremonies, the religious customs, the traditions, the services, but the real essence was lacking. The forms were empty. Faith, hope, and love, genuine and sincere, were lacking. In the sight of men, Sardis may seem to be a splendid church. But before God, this church is dead" (p. 73-74).
Christians, of whom let me be the first to admit, but specially the mega-churches, have plenty to learn, examine and fear from Laodicea, as explained by Hendricksen,
"It was the homes of the millionaires. There were, of course, theatres, a stadium, and a gymnasium equipped with baths. It was a city of bankers and finance. Even the church people manifested this same proud, defiant, conceited attitude. Perhaps they imagined that their wealth was a sign of God's special favor. They had imbibed the spirit that characterized the city as a whole. They boasted of their spiritual riches, ... were not troubled with any consciousness of sin, lukewarm, tepid, flabby, half-hearted, limp, always ready to compromise, indifferent, listless, `we-are-all-good-people-here-in-Laodicea' attitude. Their entire religion is just so much sham and pretence, so much hypocrisy" (p.76-77).
In regard to the rider of the horses, the readers may be stunned upon learning who the Rider of the white horse is by studying His color, and the fact that He receives a crown, and that He conquers, and the other three riders follow Him and they are subservient to Him, (p.94-96). I find it also striking to learn what the riders of the red and pale horses represent, whose main clue is found by identifying the type of sword they carry; the short sword used as a sacrificial knife (machaira) and the long, heavy great sword (rhompaia), respectively. One should only read world history and the news around the world, including what happens to Christians in hostile nations to understand the reality of the red, black and pale horses; past, present and future. Hendricksen commented, "No century is without its rider upon the red horse," (p.101) on which I should add, "and the black and pale horses, as well as most importantly, the white horse."
The readers should not miss the details of the dragon, but more importantly the helpers of the dragon; the beast of the sea, the beast of the earth and the harlot, because of the extreme danger they present today. It is probably best summarized by what Hendriksen wrote,
"The first angel is sent to those who `sit on the earth.' That characterizes men in general on the eve of the judgment; they sit on earth. They are easy-going, indifferent, unconcerned, listless, and careless... Similarly, just before the final judgment people in general will be fascinated with earthly charms to such an extent that they will not realize that the judgment is creeping upon them, coming closer and closer. They are unconscious of their peril, until it is too late," (p.153).
The words that often describe Revelation are "cryptic, symbolic, advanced, for pro's only" which is ironic considering to reveal means to make known, or to disclose. Yet after reading Hendricksen's study, though it still doesn't solve some elements of mystery, I would not hesitate to recommend this book to everyone due to its solid exegesis, clarity, weight, breadth, depth, intensity and sobriety, for Christians; new and mature, ministers, even as an evangelistic tool for non-Christians because its focus is not to entertain the fancy, but it centers on the great Conquering and Conqueror Sovereign, of whom and in whom the apostle Paul rejoices in his epistle to the Romans, "No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depths, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
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"Great book"