Source: Richard Bauckham, The Climax of Prophecy: Studies on the Book of Revelation (London; New York: T&T Clark: A Continuum Imprint, 1993), 199–209.
The Eschatological Earthquake.wav
This podcast explores the significance of earthquakes in the book of Revelation, arguing they are far more than just conventional apocalyptic imagery. The study traces the use of earthquakes in the Old Testament and Jewish texts, highlighting their frequent connection to theophanies, or divine appearances, and to judgment and the destruction of the old world. Revelation intentionally utilizes this rich background, particularly echoing the Sinai theophany with its thunder, lightning, voices, and earthquake, to depict God's coming for both judgment and the vindication of his people. Ultimately, the earthquake in Revelation is a multifaceted symbol, not a simple prediction, contributing to the book's overall picture of the eschatological climax of history.
1. The Deep Background and Significance of the Earthquake Image: The sources emphasize that the earthquake in the Apocalypse is far from a mere conventional image. It is a significant symbol with a rich history rooted in various Old Testament and later Jewish texts. In these traditions, earthquakes are frequently associated with a theophany, which is a manifestation or appearance of God. This connection often involves a cosmic scale, where the entire universe—including the heavens, heavenly bodies, earth, sea, and the foundations of the world—trembles at God's arrival. The earthquake image is used in diverse contexts within these older writings: it can accompany God coming as a warrior leading forces against enemies, God coming to reign over nations, or God coming to judge the wicked. These multiple aspects of the earthquake as a sign of God's presence, power, and impending action are all carried forward into apocalyptic descriptions of the great cosmic quake that will accompany the final, eschatological theophany.
2. The Earthquake as a Feature of Theophany, Especially Linked to Sinai: A particularly important background for the earthquake imagery is the account of the Sinai theophany described in Exodus 19–20. While the quaking of the mountain might not be the most prominent feature in the initial narrative, poetic descriptions in the Old Testament give it a larger role and extend the theophany imagery, including thunderstorms and earthquakes, to encompass the entire Exodus event from the Red Sea to the Jordan. By later texts, such as 4 Ezra and Pseudo-Philo's Biblical Antiquities, the Sinai earthquake is depicted as a cosmic quake involving the bending of heavens, shaking of the earth, trembling depths, and disturbance of the universe. Apocalyptic writings explicitly portray the eschatological theophany, the Day of the Lord, as a new Sinai theophany, drawing on Old Testament passages like Habakkuk 3 and Isaiah 64, and texts like 1 Enoch 1 and Testament of Moses 10. This connection is rooted in the apocalyptic understanding of salvation history, where future redemptive acts are patterned after God's past actions, particularly the Exodus deliverance. The earthquake, therefore, is a powerful sign indicating the presence and coming of God, just as it was at Sinai.
3. The Earthquake's Role in Judgment and Destruction: Beyond simply heralding God's coming, the earthquake frequently functions as a direct instrument of divine judgment, particularly against God's enemies. This is seen in texts like the Sibylline Oracles, which paraphrase Ezekiel's description of judgment on Gog, where the earthquake, unlike in Ezekiel where it primarily heralds God's coming, becomes part of the judgment itself. Another crucial role of the earthquake in some texts is the destruction of the old cosmos, making way for the new creation. Furthermore, earthquakes appear in catalogues of disasters or 'signs' that precede the End or are part of preliminary judgments. In these contexts, they might be listed alongside other natural and human-made catastrophes without a special role as an accompaniment to the eschatological theophany, although sometimes these roles can overlap, as seen in the Apocalypse of Abraham's series of plagues.
4. The Progressive and Strategic Use of Earthquake Imagery in the Apocalypse of John: The author of the Apocalypse employs earthquake imagery in a deliberate and progressive manner. Unlike some apocalyptic literature where earthquakes are merely one item in a list of preliminary signs, John uses them with a more traditional Old Testament function of heralding God's coming in judgment. He creates a progressive series of references, particularly drawing clear allusions to the Sinai theophany. This is evident in specific texts (4:5, 8:5, 11:19, 16:18-21) where a formula of thunder, voices, and lightnings is initially presented (4:5) and then progressively expanded to include the earthquake (8:5, 11:19). The later references expand upon and point forward to the full description of the great earthquake in 16:18-21, which is part of the final series of judgments. This stylistic device of progressive expansion coincides with the increasing severity of the judgment series as the visions move closer to the End. The great earthquake in 16:18 is explicitly described using terminology (such as "such as had not happened since mankind was on the earth") that marks it as an unprecedented climax of divine judgments, a technical apocalyptic term also echoing Old Testament descriptions of intense events and contemporary hyperbolic language used for significant historical earthquakes. John also uniquely associates the earthquake with the fall of cities, especially the symbolic "great city Babylon," potentially drawing on imagery related to the fall of Jericho.
5. The Earthquake's Dual Aspect: Judgment and Vindication: While strongly linked to divine judgment, the earthquake in the Apocalypse can also accompany events that signify the vindication of God's people. This is particularly highlighted by comparing the earthquake described in 11:13 with that in 16:19. The earthquake in 16:19 contributes to the fall of Babylon, a clear act of judgment. However, the earthquake in 11:13 occurs alongside the resurrection and ascension of the two witnesses, figures who represent God's people and their faithfulness. This earthquake signals a divine intervention that results not just in judgment (a tenth of the city falls, and 7,000 people die) but also leads some survivors to repent and glorify God, demonstrating a different response compared to those who experience the judgment in 16:21 and curse God. This suggests that the earthquake is a complex symbol of God's powerful intervention at the End, which brings both judgment upon the wicked and vindication, leading to repentance, for others. Furthermore, earthquakes accompany the theophany of God the Judge at significant points, such as the opening of the sixth seal (6:12-17) and before the Great White Throne judgment (20:11). In these cosmic quakes, heavens and earth flee from God's presence, reinforcing their role in signaling God's final appearance and action, which can encompass both destructive judgment and the making way for a new order.
What is the significance of the earthquake as an image in the Apocalypse?
The earthquake in the Apocalypse is a major symbol of the End times. It is not a mere conventional image but plays a significant role in the structure of the book, drawing upon a range of conceptual associations from the Old Testament and later Jewish texts. It frequently accompanies divine appearances (theophanies) and is often depicted as a cosmic event affecting the entire universe.
How is the earthquake linked to the Old Testament concept of a theophany?