The Revelation of Jesus Christ to John the Evangelist is the final book of the Christian Bible.
Archbishop Averky of blessed memory, a professor at Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, NY, described the structure of the book, following St. Andrew of Caesarea and other Orthodox commentators from the past, as fourfold:
- The vision of a figure “like unto the Son of God” in Chapters 1-3, including the Seven Messages to the Churches.
- The vision of God on the throne and the Lamb, and the opening of the seven seals and sounding of the seven trumphets, in Chapters 4-11.
- The Woman travailing in birth, and the conflict between the Church and the power of evil of the Anti-Christ, in Chapters 12-14.
- The final Tribulation, including the seven plagues and the vision of the “new heaven and new earth,” Chapters 15 to 22.
Following Archbishop Averky’s exegesis, Orthodox commentators sometimes have identified the Seven Churches in the beginning of the book with both a literal historical meaning and also typology for seven eras of Church history. In the latter,
Ephesus=The Apostolic age.
Smyrna=The Church of the Ecumencial Councils.
Thyiatira=The “Medieval” Church.
Sardis=The Church during the “Renaissance-Enlightenment” rise of the West.
Philadelphia=The “Modern” Church
Laodicea=The Church of the Last Days
As described by Archbishop Averky, drawing on Saint Andrew, the so-called “four horsemen” of the Apocalypse have an interpretation that differs from some subsequent non-Orthodox commentaries.
The White Horse: The Apostles
The Red Horse: The believers resisting the apostolic preaching and missionary work.
The Dark Horse: Apostasy and the need for compassion in rescuing apostates.
The Pale Horse/Rider: The wrath of God against sinners in the time of Tribulation.
Orthodox Christian commentary most often identifies the Woman in Chapter 12 with the Church. However, the birth of the Child, identified with the birth of a believer through baptism, is also understood to be associated with the birth of Christ. The typology for the Church is likewise related to the Theotokos as the Mother of God identified with the Church as Mother and the Body of Christ.