It is a curious book unlike any other account in the bible. Read revelation 18 commentary using a testimony of jesus christ. The revelation of jesus christ which god gave him to show to his servants. Parts of the old testament, particularly in the book of daniel, are also written in the apocalyptic genre. In this case, i suggest, the two witnesses represent. Conspiracy theorists and hardline christian evangelists have now alleged links between the coronavirus and prophecies in the bibles book of revelation.
It contains poetry and song, praise and peace and abounds in visions and symbols. Youll find four major interpretive approaches to the book of revelation that can help you read, understand, and figure out the apocalyptic letter of john. Revelation to john, last book of the new testament. Ad 95 on patmos island off the coast of asia minor by an exile named john, in the wake of local persecution by the emperor domitian ad 8196. I believe the clear purpose of revelation is exactly what it says it is. The book of revelation hadavar messianic ministrieshadavar. The clear purpose of revelation love worth finding with. Attridge, sterling professor of divinity and david l. Jun 04, 2016 the structure of the book of revelation page 7 of 31 the outline of revelation there are numerous different ways of outlining the book of revelation. The book of revelation has the highest divine authority and divine authorship of all the books in the new testament. Here, at the end of the book of revelation, john recorded the exact same message that he did in chapter 1. Name the name of the book comes from the first verse, the revelation of jesus christ which lets us know that this book is all about the unveiling or uncovering of the person, plan and. Mar 04, 2012 the book of revelation was written at a time when the significance of jesus legacy was furiously contested, and thats one reason why it gets hauled out so readily at times of similar discord.
Yet it is a tough nut to crack, not only because of its intrinsic difficulty but because of the myriad interpretations that have grown up around the book. Everyone has an opinion on when the famous events of the book of revelation will take place. The revelation of jesus christ was given to john by god to show his servants what must soon take place. John the apostle of the church represents the church in the book of revelation after god reveals what is the church, we see the heaven open and apostle john called to come up. Christian belief systems competing theories of eschatology, end times, and millennialism. The introduction proper revelation title of the book our bibles carry the title of the book as the revelation of john, or the revelation to john which means it is a revelation given to the apostle john, but the proper name is found in the first words of 1. The book of revelation was written sometime around 96 ce in asia minor. Below, the various theories about the two witnesses of revelation 11.
Perhaps it should come as no surprise, then, that its reception by the early church was equally complicated and controversial. First, revelation is a fulfillment of the sixtyfive books that came before it. Historicist interpretations of the book of revelation wikipedia. The revealing is done by the commentators, who know nothing. He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant john. Chapters cover the seven lett ers to the seven churche s of asia and are explaine d in.
The book of revelation, quipped ambrose bierce, is a famous book in which st. One theory, revelation draft hypothesis, sees the book of revelation constructed by forming parallels with several texts in the old testament such as ezekiel, isaiah, zechariah, deuteronomy, joshua, exodus, and daniel. Yet most people believe that this final book of the bible cannot be understood at allthat its language and symbols are too confusing to make sense. As mentioned before, the books very name means to reveal to unveil, to open to understanding what otherwise could not be comprehended. The comforting promise of revelation when you are certain of your future, then you can concentrate on your present. The book of revelation explained in under 5 minutes youtube.
It is difficult to account for a theory that fixes the chronology of revelation in the latter part of the domitian reign when he, the seventh, had not. Ending the revelation of gods mind to mankind this book deals with gods judgments and mens destinies. The book of revelation, also known as the book of the apocalypse, is an unveiling of jesus christ. This is referring to the scroll with the seven seals, not the 12 chapter book of daniel itself. Keys to understanding revelation united church of god. The greek name of the bible book of revelation, apoka. List of books and articles about revelation theology. The preterist approach to revelation the unfolding of. The kingdom of god is near revelation 1 the seven churches of revelation revelation 23 the throne room of god revelation 4 and 5 end times disaster and deliverance revelation 616 babylon and the new jerusalem. Above i have listed all the evidence i could find and believe that the evidence points to the apostle john as the author of the book of revelation. The book of revelation provides some of the keenest insights in scripture concerning the big picture of work.
In it, john1 talks about the ultimate defeat of evil and the glorious return and reign of the lord jesus christ. Book of revelation read, study bible verses online. A jungian study of the book of revelation edinger, edward f. Beale this is likely the single most exhaustive commentary on the revelation available today, an amillennial treasure just waiting to be explored. Who are the two witnesses in the book of revelation. As a teenager, i remember being a bit frightened of the book of revelation. In my personal opinion, the book of revelation was written by john the apostle who was the brother of james and disciple of jesus christ. Without it, they say, christianity would be an incomplete story. Michael brown on why i am paying no attention to the covid19 conspiracy theories. Gods work with the jews has, for the most part, been separate from his work with the church, but now in the book of revelation, it all comes together, and will be most clearly seen during the millennial kingdom. Revelation never describes itself as a symbolic code of future events plotted on a timeline. This book is filled with mysteries about things to come. The concluding book of the new testament begins in the following fashion.
It is the only book of the new testament classified as apocalyptic literature rather than didactic or historical. This is seen in revelation 7, revelation 1011, revelation 12, revelation 20 and revelation 21. The book of revelation also called the revelation of john or the revelation of st. The structure of the book of revelation slideshare. It is the final warning that the world will surely end and judgment will be. Study scripture verses and use highlighting, underlining, and take notes in the bible. The book of revelation explained volume 3 p reface you will noti ce th at the b ook of reve lation e xplained, volume 3, begins with chapter 8, not chapter 1, and ends at the conclusion of chapter 11. The book of revelation is a key book to help gods children know how gods plan for our world is going to end. The bible indicates in revelation that seven trumpets will sound before the end of the age and the second coming of jesus christ. One of the intriguing questions discussed by scholars is the phrase of jesus christ iesou christou genitive case. The book brings comfort as we learn that god is in control and he is moving toward the return of jesus to this earth and the working out his plan.
The author of the book of revelation christopher l. The book of revelation not revelations is the last book of the bible, and describes the tribulations visited upon mankind at the end of the world which is often referred to as the end times, the ultimate battle between goodandevil, and, finally, the second coming of christ. Five of the seven have already sounded as evidenced by critical moments in recent history, and a third world war, which is the triggering event of the sixth trumpet, may have already begun. An introduction to the book of revelation christs kingdom. Without a thorough understanding of the rest of scripture most of revelation will. Irvin baxter explains revelation in a 16 lesson commentary available on dvd in our endtime store. The book of revelation explained, volume 2 gospel trumpeter. The beast of the book of revelation the very first lesson that attracted me to listen to the doctrines of the iglesia ni cristo was the teaching that the pope is the fulfillment of the beast 666 in the book of revelation. For many christians, the book of revelation, attributed to the apostle john, continues to serve as gods countdown to his sons return to earth in a final triumph over evil. Elaine pagels on what the book of revelation reveals wsj. Babylon in the book of revelation multiple theories, little agreement the identity of babylon in the book of revelation has caused many commentators to question whether or not babylon was rome or if babylon would be literally a restoration of the babylon of the ancient days. This is to correspond w ith the chap ters in revelati on that deal with the seals series.
When interpreting the book of revelation there are two important elements to remember. Few today would contest the claim that the book of revelation stands as one of the most controversial, complicated, and esoteric books in the new testament canon. The apocalypse, or revelation to john, the last book of the bible, is one of the most difficult to understand because it abounds in unfamiliar and extravagant. The introductory verse betrays the complicated character of the whole work. The smell of acne face cleanser filled the room as i dove into mysterious depictions of fourfaced angels, beasts from the sea and land, of massive angels. Interpretive models for the book of revelation as a whole. A locust plague, which has now reached coronavirusstruck china may be the fifth trumpet prophesied in the book of revelation, according to wild claims. Johns book of revelation the apocalypse has been subjected to countless interpretations by theologians over the years, mostly based on theory and speculation.
Overview of the book of revelation people get ready. The book of revelation is unique in a number of ways, and one of those ways is how it takes three different genres and combines them into a single book. The book of revelation, a prophecy of warning and hope. Probably more obscure theological text has been written on this topic than on any other belief in christendom.
There are hundreds of quotes, references, and allusions to both the old and new testaments in the book of revelation. May 02, 2007 the book of revelation is the last book in the bible. The book revelations is a book the that reveals jesus to use. This is because it is one of the only gnostic gospels that actually made it into the bible. If youre befuddled by the book of revelation in the bible, dont fret. An issue that must be addressed before proceeding to an examination of the text of revelation is our basic hermeneutical approach to the book. Revelation employs prophecy, apocalyptic, and the form of a letter for john to make his point. The book of revelations, a gnostic gospel excommunicate. The book of revelation endtime ministries irvin baxter. Seiss, jesus of the apocalypse by barbara thiering. Many reformed and evangelical scholars argue that beale has written the best available contemporary commentary on revelation. The outrageous coronavirus theory was picked up by scores of conspiracy theories online.
Book of revelation for dummies cheat sheet dummies. Even in todays age we can see whats going on from the book of revelation in the bible. So, the divine author of revelation is jesus christ and the human author is the apostle john. The book of revelation explained, volume 2, begins with chapter 4, not chapter 1 and en ds with chap ter 8, verse 2. The book of revelation reveals the glory of jesus rev. Apr 28, 2015 revelation is not too hard to comprehend, and we should benefit from it. The rapture is the hope of the new testament, just as the revelation of christ was the hope of the old testament. Patrick zukeran presents a summary of four of the major approaches to interpreting the book of revelation and its meaning for the end times. Study the bible online using commentary on revelation 18 and more. Like the books of prophecy in the old testament, revelation proclaims a message. In the final book of the new testament, seven trumpets are sounded, one at a time, to cue apocalyptic events seen by john of patmos in his vision. Understanding the book of revelation 3 understanding the book of revelation he book of revelation is placed last in the bible for good reason. Introduction revelation is a confusing book to most people despite the many commentaries written.
Over the course of the churchs history there have been four main approaches. There are three primary theories on the identity of the two witnesses in revelation. Charts on the book revelation literary, historical, and theological perspectives a firstofitskind charts book that does not support a specific interpretation of endtimes prophecies, but instead depicts the literary, historical, and theological backgrounds of revelation. It presents the book as a revelation which god gave. Take a look at the basic structure of the book of revelation. Timeline of theories on the two witnesses creation concept. And the book of revelation will complete the revelation of christ. Beales familiarity with the original language, his grasp of the culture of the day, his command of the ot references and allusions, and his deft handling of the. The beast of the book of revelation the cornelius theory.
Ministry magazine the book of revelation and reality. The book of revelation closes with the bright and morning star, which is a figure of christ at his coming to take the church out of the world. Revelation is one of the most popular books to discuss among christians. The word translated signify niv, made it known suggests that god communicated the book to john through signs or symbols. The lord jesus christ began opening the seals shortly after he went into heaven to sit with his father on the throne. The reason most commentaries fail to enlighten the book s contents is because they violate one or more of the three basic principles of sound biblical interpretation. Even stranger, it was only one of many now forgotten books of revelation. The book of revelation is the final book of the new testament, and consequently is also the final book of the christian bible. The book of revelation starts with this is a revelation from jesus christ, which god gave him to show his servants the events that must soon take place. We also know that numbers play a significant role in the book of revelation, carrying meaning. Michael brown on why i am paying no attention to the covid.
As children of god we should live by the commandments he left. Like clouds they pass, while the truth underlying the prophecy is like a mountain that cannot be moved. Among the 30 or so similar books that appeared in the first through third. Eschatology is a christian term that means the study of the end of history from a religious perspective. It should be the last book of the bible that anyone seeks to become an expert on. The adventists take a unique view applying it to the millerite movement. For each, he presents the basic approach, strengths of the approach and weaknesses of the approach. Beales commentary is the place to turn for insight on the many old testament allusions and echoes in the book of revelation. The book of revelation reveals how the rapture of the church will take place.
The book of revelation and work bible commentary theology. The events of the generation in which he returns will have unique dynamics, requiring our involvement. Mar 07, 2012 close overlay buy featured book title revelations subtitle visions, prophecy, and politics in the book of revelation author elaine h. Give one distinguishing feature of each of the four major theories of interpretation of revelation. The book of revelation and covid19 wake up to the truth. We present these wonderful lectures here with the kind permission of the rudolf steiner nachlassverwaltung, dornach, switzerland. What you need to know about the book of revelation youtube. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The classical historicist view of the vision of the angel with the little book, in revelation 10, represents the protestant reformation and the printing of bibles in the common languages. Revelation 18 commentary a testimony of jesus christ. One of our most fascinating exercises in scriptural interpretation is to study the book of revelation, to ponder its truths, and to discover. Part of book of revelation for dummies cheat sheet the real meaning of the bibles book of revelation is a popular, ongoing debate.
The author was probably a christian from ephesus known as john the elder. According to the most recent scientific theories, earth is going to go out with a bang with the rest of the solar system. Bible commentary on revelation introduction book introduction revelation. End time notes of reference as to where we are now in the book of revelation. A tale of two cities revelation 1722 the meaning of revelation for our work.