Abstract
Four narrative features of the book of Revelation are the focus of this article: masterplot, characters and characterization, architectural and topographical settings, and numerical symbolism. Masterplots are skeletal stories belonging to cultures and individuals that clarify questions of identity, values, or the understanding of life. The masterplot of Revelation is a quest story of the people of God in search of the new promised land, the new Jerusalem. Characters either aid or hinder the questers’ sojourn. Hybrid characters, which blend character traits from the world below with characteristics of this world, or combine the human with the inhuman, underscore the dangers the exodus-people, the followers of the Lamb, encounter on their trek. Other characters—such as the angel of Rev 10—advance their quest with a MacGuffin. Architectural and topographical settings—such as Babylon, the new Jerusalem, the desert, and the sea—amplify peril and solace on the journey. Symbolic numbers are road signs that warn the exodus-people of dangers or proffer divine succor and protection.
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