Sincere bible scholars, in fact, disagree about the meaning of some of the symbolic passages. Free interactive bible quizzes with answers and high score tables. The book of revelation was written sometime around 96 ce in asia minor. God reveals a basic framework for understanding future events. A fun way to see how much you know about the bible whilst complementing your bible study. Great prophecies in the book of revelation show how and when these catastrophic events will occur. 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 symbolism, which at best appears unusual to the modern reader. In these parts of the book the people of earth are being judged and all three stories are connected together with one connecting to the next. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it. The book of revelation, or the apocalypse as it is also called, is the last book of the bible. The most popular and feared book of the bible, the book of revelation, suffers a thousand deaths every time someone gets this wrong. An introduction to the book of revelation christs kingdom.
It aligns perfectly and illuminates magnificently the prophecies of daniel, ezekiel, isaiah, and other hebrew prophets. Its called the book of revelation, not revelations. He explains that, for those students willing to examine the historical background to the new testament, the book of revelation actually summarizes the central doctrines of faith. Recently i was watching msnbcs lawrence odonnell on his show, the last word, when, in responding to a rival tv host who claimed that the japanese earthquake and tsunami were evidence of the last days as depicted in the book of revelation, he retorted, the book of revelation is a work of fiction that describes. Media dealing with daniel revelation amazing facts. Summary in the book of revelation, the apocalyptic hopes of the early. This book is filled with mysteries about things to come.
John is to write down what is revealed what he sees in his vision and send it to the seven churches. In the face of apparently insuperable evil, either from within or from without, all christians are called to trust in jesus promise, behold, i am with you always, until the end of the age mt 28. Pack staggering events foretold in your bible will shock the whole world. In revelation, as in johns gospel and first epistle, the consciousnessofaworldconflict,aworldprocess,andaworldtriumph is manifest. A brief overview of the book of revelation the rise and. Reading the book of revelation can be a frustrating and perplexing study experience, with all its amazing cast of characters, its extraordinary symbolic imagery, and its deeply spiritual prose. Thats what gives the book its sense of urgency and feel that something important is. 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. The return of jesus is contemplated in relation to the enlarged environment in which christianity stood. The book of revelation is written in symbolic language. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the lambs book of life. The book of revelation reveals the glory of jesus rev. Some people consider revelation to be the most difficult book in the bible. Keys to understanding revelation united church of god.
After the two witnesses are taken to heaven rev 11. Progression versus recapitulation in revelation 20. Today, it is generally believed that the harlot city referred to in the book of revelation is rome. The people to whom this book was originally adressed could easily understood this because it was closely related to the social and political background of the people. Finally, and most important of all, revelation is about a lamb. A careful examination of the book of revelation explains its purpose and what it is about. The first blessing is in the first chapter of revelation in verse 3. The things john had seen were described in chapter 1 consisting of the lords visit to him on the isle of patmos. The book of revelation includes events of the past, present, and future. You can hear it at any coffee shop at least in my town, church parking lot, or casual argument at work when a coworker is trying to convince you of. Introduction from the notes on the introductory matters, i concluded that the apostle john wrote revelation from the island of patmos at the end of domitians reign. You can hear it at any coffee shop at least in my town, church parking lot, or casual argument at work when a coworker is trying to convince you of all the things they have learned from hal lindsey or john hagee.
A simple outline for the book of revelation is found in revelation 1. Hes just a mildmannered christian guy living in exile whenpow. John the divine is an example of apocalyptic writing a form that delivers a message using symbols, images and numbers. The agent of the revelation is not a celestial being. Revelation is indeed sent as a letter with a traditional greeting, direct messages to the recipients re 23, and a sendoff re 22. Recently i was watching msnbcs lawrence odonnell on his show, the last word, when, in responding to a rival tv host who claimed that the japanese earthquake and tsunami were evidence of the last days as depicted in the book of revelation, he retorted, the book of revelation is a work of fiction that describes how a truly vicious god would bring about the end. Its meaning is positive, not fearful or terrifying to those who serve god. The rise and fall of the antichrist appendix four a brief overview of the book of revelation. The book of revelation also called the revelation of john or the revelation of st. Since domitian was assassinated in ad 96, we can date the book roughly at ad 95. No other book of the new testament feels like revelation.
The book of revelation provides the clearest biblical portrait of the events of the tribulation, dealing with the specifics of that. The seven last plagues are sometimes a scary topic for kids as well as adults. The revelation of jesus christ was given to john by god to show his servants what must soon take place. Daniel, recorded 600 years earlier, sets the stage for the larger and more detailed book of revelation, which describes many events nowhere else in the bible. This is particularly so with the book of revelation or prophecy in general. The very fact that an apocalypse was a common type of literature meant that if. John reports that the vision that fill the book came to him while he was on the island of patmos. Apocalypse means the revealing of divine mysteries. In greek, the word apocalypse means revealing or unveiling.
John is told to write down everything god shows him, and boy is god going to show him some strange things. Revelation is from a greek word meaning to uncover, to unveil. Christ tells john to write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. The literary genres of the book of revelation are an apocalypse, a prophecy, and an epistle or letter. It is a revelation that was received by the apostle john while he was in romanimposed exile on the island of patmos in the eastern mediterranean around 90 a. The book of revelation frequently mentions the fact that johns readers were. Jesus love and the seven last plagues revelation for kids. The book of revelation presents itself as a prophetic, pastoral message that the church has come to recognize as an inspired word of god. Revelation is one of the longest books of the new testament at 22 chapters.
In the study of any book of the bible or any topic of scripture, a certain amount of ground work is needed for understanding, orientation, and motivation. The book of revelation can be confusing to the modern reader because much of it was written using a symbolic style of language that is not used today. He is the central figure and hero the hero of revelation, pt. The most important chapters in the book of revelation are the seven seals revelation 6. Of course, the writer of the book, the apostle john, tells us that the prophetic book is, in fact, a revelation of jesus christ himselfone often. The book of revelation, the last book in the bible, is often misunderstood because there is so much symbolism in it. It is the final warning that the world will surely end and judgment will be. John wrote revelation while a prisoner on the island of patmos, approximately 8595 a. The book of revelation bible trivia quiz questions. The book of revelation is a history of the church and a prophecy of the earth after. The apostle john, who wrote it under the inspiration of jesus christ revelation 1. If you take a few minutes to browse this site, youll also find a number of study materials that will help you.
Our current study is a versebyverse walk through the book of revelation. Seiss, jesus of the apocalypse by barbara thiering. Therefore, this book contains information god intends to disclose or reveal to humans, rather than conceal from us. The things that are comprise chapters 23, the seven churches all of which were actual functioning congregations during johns lifetime, and taken.
Interpretive models for the book of revelation as a whole. Of course, the writer of the book, the apostle john, tells us that the prophetic book is, in fact, a revelation of jesus christ himselfone often given through dramatic visions and dreams. This booklet contains vital understanding that will forever change your outlook on the future. Why are so many people afraid of reading and studying the. Why is revelation, the last book of the bible, so different from the rest of the text. Therefore, in this post i want to show a comprehensive list of the numbers in the book of revelation. This framework is primarily laid out in daniel and revelation. As mentioned before, the books very name means to reveal to unveil, to open to understanding what otherwise could not be comprehended. Facts of the book of revelation this is not the book of revelations. Parts of the old testament, particularly in the book of daniel, are also written in the apocalyptic genre.
But after i discovered the wonderful love of jesus and what he did for me, the thought. The author was probably a christian from ephesus known as john the elder. Revelation is a book that has been called everything from a hodgepodge of. An argument of the book of revelation part 2 david malick. But after i discovered the wonderful love of jesus and what he did for me, the thought of the last plagues no longer makes me shiver. 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. While many associate the word apocalypse with great disaster, the book of revelation begins and ends by saying that those who read, understand, and apply its message would be happy for doing so. Revelation is the 11th book of the christian new testament. Pete, how should studying the book of revelation and the end times affect how we live today. You will behold the great unveiled vision of john, given 1900 years ago. This is why the authorized king james version calls revelation the revelation of saint john the divine divine was a seventeenth century word for theologian. The book of revelation had its origin in a time of crisis, but it remains valid and meaningful for christians of all time. The book of revelation was likely written between a. The use of symbols has an important place in religious literature, for there is no other.
Jul 01, 20 its called the book of revelation, not revelations the most popular and feared book of the bible, the book of revelation, suffers a thousand deaths every time someone gets this wrong. The apostle john identifies himself as the writer of the book and tells us he was a prisoner on the isle of patmos 96 c. Summary and analysis the book of revelation cliffsnotes. The time for understanding the book of revelation is now at hand. Revelation was written as a letter to be circulated among the christian churches at seven important cities in asia minor. The amazing vision recorded for us in revelation is at once perplexing, invigorating, energizing, thrilling, and even exasperating.
First we see the witnesses of the lamb the seven churches, rev. This is seen in revelation 7, revelation 1011, revelation 12, revelation 20 and revelation 21. As part of scripture, the book of revelation was given by inspiration of god 2 timothy 3. Its purpose is to give encouragement and hope for all. The greek name of the bible book of revelation, apoka. This name indicates the meaning of revelation it uncovers matters that had been hidden and discloses events that would happen long after it was written. The book of revelation is the only book in the bible, that i know of, that has a blessing associated with it for those who will read itnot once but twice.
But that should not keep us from reading it and understanding its main message. Most modern interpreters believe that revelation was written sometime during the reign of the roman emperor domitian 8196 ce. This chapterbychapter, easytofollow guide through the bible books of daniel and revelation features stunning contemporary artwork and historical images and facts that reveal the true mysteries of prophecy in staggering detail and clarity. In the first chapter, the risen and exalted christ is speaking to john. Book of revelation overview insight for living ministries. Understanding the book of revelation news amazing facts. We conclude the series with a look at archaeological and historical evidence relating to the last book of the bible, revelation. Jan 02, 2020 a simple outline for the book of revelation is found in revelation 1. Symbolic language, however, is one of the chief characteristics of apocalyptic literature, of which. Jul 02, 20 revelation is the 11th book of the christian new testament. Interesting facts about the book of revelation only one hope.
The greek phrase is meta tauta, which literally means after these things. The opulence and the prominence of the city along with the mention of the seven hills on which it rests, its persecution of christians, and the use of euphemisms such as babylon are generally presented as evidence that rome is the wicked city. The discipleapostle john, who followed jesus christ and witnessed his crucifixion, authored it. Hahn demonstrates why this littlestudied book contains many of the keys to understanding the gospels. The book of revelations is written in the literary format called apocalipse. God hits him with a doozy of a revelation hey, thats not a bad idea for a title. What you need to know about the book of revelation this book is totally centered around the lamb of god. The things john had already seen are recorded in chapter 1. And why was this particular point of theology so important to him and to his. In this post i provide a list of the numbers used in the book of revelation because those numbers are often seen as symbolic. The great message of the revelation is that satan and the world cannot win, and that christ and his church cannot lose. Some scholars see this verse dividing the book of revelation into 3 parts. This fabulous revelation reveals the past, the present, and the future.
1584 1592 69 1089 1625 722 358 1557 379 1586 643 454 756 1055 765 1298 1611 1142 853 1628 722 594 658 593 1167 1239 759 1100 464 672 310 425 948 1125 1026 1020