| The significance of the seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls remains paramount in any attempt to understand and appreciate the Book of Revelation for what it truly is--a faithful witness to the sovereignty of God the Almighty and the kingship of the Lamb!; Within these three sevenfold series, there occurs between the sixth and seventh elements an interlude which deliberately interrupts and disturbs the natural flow of the series. Central to this interlude is its explicit purpose of providing significant theological, Christological, ecclesiological, and eschatological insights. In addressing the questions, concerns, and issues of the first century Church, the interlude answers the question, "who is able to stand?" (6:17) the great day of the wrath of God and the Lamb? It also offers comfort, encouragement, and reassurance to those who seek to be faithful to the Lamb.; The purpose of this dissertation will be fivefold: to establish proper support and recognition for the presence of an interlude in all three of the sevenfold series, especially the series of the seven bowls (16:15); to present a systematic examination of the meaning, the purpose, and the function of the interlude, individually and collectively; to discuss the integral nature of the interlude with respect to the overall purpose of the Book of Revelation; to investigate the insights as well as the problems arising from the various terms used to describe the interlude; and to consider newer and important sources for the hermeneutical process.; To accomplish this fivefold purpose, the following outline will be employed. Chapter One will provide a comparative study of the seven seals, trumpets, and bowls. Chapter Two will investigate the first interlude (7:1-17), especially the significance of the sealing, the identity of the 144,000, and the identity of the "great multitude." In light of the complexity of the second interlude (10:1-11:13), Chapter Three will examine the meaning of the "little scroll" in 10:1-10 and Chapter Four will examine the meaning of the symbolic action of measuring and of the two witnesses in 10:11-11:13. Chapter Five will investigate the meaning of the admonition and the beatitude in the third interlude (16:15). The Conclusion will examine the overall meaning, purpose, and function of the Interlude. |
