The book of revelation the smart guide to the bible series. The rise and fall of the antichrist appendix four a brief overview of the book of revelation. Although there is some debate, the author is probably the apostle john of the sons of zebedee. The meaning of the two women portrayed in the book of. Reference to the apostles authorship is found as early as justin martyr, in his dialogue with trypho. Brian chilton investigates the author of the book of revelation. John of patmos could be the author named as john in the book of revelation, the apocalyptic text forming the final book of the new testament. Book of revelation overview insight for living ministries.
It does belong to a tradition of apocalyptic writing, which began in judaism in the second temple period. Then i looked, and there before me was the lamb, standing on mount zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his fathers name written on their foreheads. 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. Other church fathers such as dionysius of alexandria, eusebius. Revelation is the last book of the bible and is a prophetic book of the end of the age and the return of christ. Book of revelation the author of the book of revelation identifies himself as john traditionally, this named author is believed to be the same person as both john the apostle of jesus and john the author of the fourth gospel. He explains, phrase by phrase, in clear, direct terms what has been learned about the genre of writings called apocalyptic literature of which. In the book of revelation, the apocalyptic hopes of the early christian community find their clearest and most complete expression. In fact, the author of the gospel of john never includes his. He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant john nlt.
He also wrote the gospel of john and three letters that are in our bible. Apocalypticism was not a new phenomenon among christians. May 02, 2017 why do catholic bibles not include the book of revelation. I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. The author of revelation also speaks to the church with such great authority rev. The two periods most often mentioned are the latter part of neros reign a.
The only other clue to the author s identity is that he states he received his visions while on the island of patmos rev. Aug 15, 2016 the first verse of revelation states that this book is a revelation from jesus christ which originated from god. Like koester, spilsbury walks you through johns revelation. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. Revelation has long been attributed to the author of johns gospel, in spite of the differences in style of writing. An apocalyptic letter, it relies on visions, symbols, and old testament references to reveal the ultimate fulfillment of gods promise given to abraham in genesis. So this book is a revelation of jesus christ, not in the sense that matthew, mark, luke and john revealed him, but rather than the humiliated christ, we have. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy. He wrote it when he was about 92 years old, while a prisoner of rome on the remote desert penal colony of patmos, an island in the aegean sea. The book of revelation had its origin in a time of crisis, but it remains valid and meaningful for christians of all time. Revelation 14 niv bible then i looked, and there before. The author of the book of revelation, saint john the divine, offers a transcription of seven letters and later describes strange beasts, visions of judgments, governments, demonic battles, heaven, and a new world order a prophetic vision for the end of the world.
A number of ancient church fathers, notably irenaeus, believed that the author of revelation was also the author of the gospel of john, and the epistles of 1,2 and 3 john. The traditional view holds that john, the apostle, was the author of revelation. The book of revelations prophecies about the seven last plagues are terrifying and show there will be massive suffering and destruction around the world in the end times. Book of revelation read, study bible verses online. Tradition has considered this person to be john the apostle, the son of zebedee. See the meaning of the seven seals, seven trumpets and bowls of wrath. Relates to the things which are, that is, the then present state of the church, and contains the epistle of john to the seven churches, and his account of the appearance of the lord jesus, and his direction to the apostle to write what he beheld, ch. In chapter 12 john outlined the history of the true church from the time of johns writing forward. 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. The book of the revelation pastor david legge 4 reign of righteousness. The author of the book of revelation identifies himself as john, and the book has been traditionally credited to john the apostle. Inerrantist christians employ a host of metaphorical interpretations and guesses to try and make the books of daniel and revelation appear inerrantly wise the things they symbolicaly foretold, just as today. The book of revelation, often called the revelation to john, or the apocalypse of john, is a book of the new testament that occupies a central place in christian eschatology.
The name revelation comes from the first word of the book in koine greek. Unlike more recent authors, larkin does not make any claims to know when or exactly how the prophecies will unfold. The book of revelation, also known as the book of the apocalypse, is an unveiling of jesus christ. Irvin baxter explains revelation in a 16 lesson commentary available on dvd in our endtime store. 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. 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. He was a jewish christian prophet, probably belonging to a group of such prophets, and was accepted by the.
To the church in ephesus to the angel of the church in ephesus write. Some modern scholars characterize revelations author as a putative figure whom they call john of patmos. Indie rock, indie pop, postpunk revival, new wave, electronic. Revelation is often described as a the revelation of john meaning the revelation to john 1. It will prepare you for the rest of the material contained here. I have a couple of questions in the spirit of friendly enquiry. It also describes the world that will come into being after this earth is destroyed.
Revelation niv bible the dragon stood on the shore of. John was one of the 12 disciples special students of jesus, who later became the apostles the first leaders of the christian church. Larkin, who published several books about biblical studies in the 1910s and 20s, was a dispensationalist, one of the threads of modern evangelical christianity. Book of revelation synonyms, book of revelation pronunciation, book of revelation translation, english dictionary definition of book of revelation. With that, jesus christ sent an angel to present this revelation to john 1. The revelation of jesus christ is communicated by an angel to a man named john when he was on the island of patmos. But first and foremost this book is the revelation of jesus christ. Patmos was a quarry mine for the roman empire, and was home to.
The apocalypse, or revelation to john, the last book of the bible, is one of the most. The book of revelation presents its author as john. Today, it is generally believed that the harlot city referred to in the book of revelation is rome. Book of revelation the last book of the new testament. Tradition has long held that john the apostle, whom we have seen penned the fourth gospel and the three letters attributed to him, wrote the last book of scripture. Jul 17, 2012 paramhansa yogananda stated that it is a book of yogic wisdom, and he wrote a yet unpublished commentary of several hundred manuscript pages to expound that fact.
Perhaps as much as any other nt book, we have evidence for an early, widespread, and consistent reception of revelation. The book of revelation, free pdf, ebook, epub global grey. Most of the other revelations, and this fascinated me, many of them were found with the gnostic gospels in upper egypt, and they had been censored by church leaders for over a thousand and a half years. Hahn demonstrates why this littlestudied book contains many of the keys to understanding the gospels. John the divine, although the godgiven title is at the very beginning of the text, the revelation of jesus christ, which god. It is structured or arranged in a very simple way to help us get the revelation of jesus. Tradition states that john the apostle served as the pastor to the churches in ephesus. The book of revelation endtime ministries irvin baxter. The book of revelation was written to seven churches as both encouragement and challenge.
The reason for this difference in style could possibly be that, the book of revelation was revealed to john the apostle at his old age and was possibly penned with the help of someone who was not good in greek language. Christians throughout history have given almost unanimous affirmation to the identity of the books author as john the apostle, who had been exiled to the island of. So, the divine author of revelation is jesus christ and the human author is the apostle john. Revelation was written when christians were entering a time of persecution. This is a very interesting article worth more thought.
The author used these images to suggest christs universal seven power. Unlike most books of the bible, revelation contains its own title. It too would make a good companion volume as you read this challenging book. Jan 28, 2012 in this ministers commentary i am going to explain the meaning of the two women portrayed in the book of revelation. This will be necessary for god to deal with a sinful and rebellious world. The book of revelation is gods message to all who are concerned about the future. My guest, elaine pagels, is the author of a new book about what she describes as the strangest book in the bible, the book of revelation, a book. The first blessing is in the first chapter of revelation in verse 3.
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. The usa is in the bible, in revelations, see that this is clearly so. The book of revelation often called the revelation to john, apocalypse of john, the revelation from jesus christ from its opening words, the apocalypse, the revelation, or simply revelation is the final book of the new testament, and consequently is also the final book of the christian bible. The angel gives a man named john the book of revelation. An interlude in which the mystery of god is revealed and a special little book held by a strong angel as described by the apostle john in the bible at revelation chapter 10.
The chapters i will focus on are chapters 12 and 17. The book of revelation was likely written between a. Each page of scripture is from the king james bible, and is immediately followed by the meaning of that scripture. This article will conclude our series titled who wrote the new testament. Revelation also seems to fit the narrative that some would not taste death before seeing christ reign over the earth, which is exactly what revelation showed. Angelology in the book of revelation christopher l. The bible isnt the first book you might turn to for gratuitous violence, but its definitely in there. The author of revelation in this post i want to explain why it is almost universally thought that the same author did not write the fourth gospel and the book of revelation, and then to show why the latter author was almost certainly not john the son of zebedee, jesus close disciple. Instead of stories and moral teaching, it offers only visions dreams and nightmares. The vision which opens the book and the verse that organizes it.
How to study the book of revelation christian truth center. Why do catholic bibles not include the book of revelation. The apocalyptic book of revelation is a symbolic glimpse. And i heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal o. Book of revelation definition of book of revelation by. Since the roman era, christians and historians have considered the book of revelations writer to be the apostle john john the evangelist, author of the gospel of john. This summary of the book of revelation provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and. 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. Third, the author of revelation never calls himself an apostlebut neither does the author of john. Justin martyr, irenaeus, clement of alexandria, tertullian, cyprian, and hippolytus came to that conclusion. The was the title given to the book in the latin vulgate 3. The entire book of revelation is devoted to the end of the world and details gods judgments unleashed upon the earth plague by plague.
He made it known by sending his angel to his servant john, 2 who testifies to everything he saw. 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. The holy bible book 66 revelation kjv dramatized audio. John the divine, although the godgiven title is at the very beginning of the text, the revelation of. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. Paul spilsburys book is a close runnerup for my go to book for an introduction to revelation. Book of revelation explained scripture by scripture. Revelation 1 new international version niv prologue. Tradition has long held that john the apostle, whom we have seen penned the fourth gospel and the three letters attributed to him, wrote. The revelation of peter, and the revelation of paul, and the revelation of zostrianos and almost anyone you can mention. John records the prophetic vision, in written text, and is instructed to send the document to the seven churches of asia. Best books on revelation interpreting the book of revelation its meticulous, scholarly approach to studying linguistic structure, vocabulary, and variant readings provides and exegetical model even for those who disagree with some of the author s conclusions. Apostle john was told to write the things which you see, the things which are, and the things which shall be. However, the true author of revelation is god and jesus christ is the one who have the revelation to an angel to give to john.
He made it known by sending his angel to his servant john, 2 who testifies to everything he sawthat is, the word of god and the testimony of jesus christ. A brief overview of the book of revelation the rise and. Father chapman writes for the general reader, for the many who need to understand the truth of the message of the book of revelation both its historical message and its message for christians today. The opening of the book states that it is a revelation about what must take place shortly or soon, so it does appear to relate to when even though shortly or soon is not precise. Later in the book of revelation a voice comes from heaven telling john to write about the persecution of gods holy people 14. A downtoearth guide to understanding the most mysterious book of the bible by tim lahaye and timothy parker jul 15, 2014 4. The author was probably a christian from ephesus known as john the elder. Meanwhile, the book of revelation ought to have been sealed instead of remaining unsealed. Best commentaries and books on revelation logos bible. The greek name of the bible book of revelation, apoka. Book of revelation is actually a christian prophecy book filled with old testamentstyle language and imagery narrating events and descriptions like the mark of the beast, the battle of armageddon, the binding of devil, the rule of the lord, the great white throne of judgment and the finally the nature of the eternal city of god. The apostle john is the author of the book of revelation.
The teaching company shmoop helpfully rounded up some of the terrible things that happen to people unlucky enough to live in the world described by revelation. Reading the book of revelation can be challenging the storyline twists and turns and isnt strictly chronological. Mar 07, 2012 the book of revelation is the strangest book in the bible and the most controversial. Dionysius 248 ad, bishop of alexandria and disciple of origen, wrote that the book of revelation could have been written by cerinthus although he himself did not adopt the view that. Irenaeus mentioned that john the apostle received the visions of revelation near the end of domitians rule. 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. Everyone has heard of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, but less well known are the horses of. 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 author of the book of revelation, saint john the divine, offers a transcription of seven letters and later describes strange beasts, visions of judgments, governments, demonic battles, heaven, and a new world order a prophetic.
The revelation of jesus christ was given to john by god to show his servants what must soon take place. This distrust of the book of revelation persisted in the east through the 15th century. The author of the book of revelation christopher l. And no guide makes revelation more understandable than the smart guide to the bible.
The author of the book of revelation calls himself john rev. The book of revelation provides some of the keenest insights in scripture concerning the big picture of work. The beast i saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of. The book of revelation, or the apocalypse as it is also called, is the last book of the bible. Revelation greek apokalupsis means an uncovering, an unveiling, or a disclosure. Its title is derived from the first word of the text, written in koine greek. Whoever that john was has been a subject of debate. The author names himself as john, but modern scholars consider it unlikely that the author of revelation also wrote the gospel of john. In the new testament, this word describes the unveiling of spiritual truth rom. The bulk of traditional sources date the book to the. Nov 19, 2012 this is the holy book of revelation, known as the revelation of st. The book of revelation, a prophecy of warning and hope. One of the symbolic pictures given in revelation is that of a throne in heaven around which twentyfour venerable persons known as presbyters are seated. Youll grasp the meaning of each verse, youll understand every important symbol, and youll get the big picture of all that god has promised for those.
The book of revelation was written sometime around 96 ce in asia minor. 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. Both john and revelation were written in the first century, and according to tradition john lived a pretty long life so there are really no arguments to. Some general comments about the book of revelation and its uniqueness. John was one of the 12 disciples special students of jesus, who later became the apostles the first. Oct, 2011 from the album portamento universal music 2011.
The book of revelation is so easy to comprehend if you truly know and understand the books of the old testament. 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. Book of revelation for dummies cheat sheet dummies. I heard or read somewhere that the book of revelation isnt included in catholic bibles, but that they have 73 books instead of the protestant 66, which protestants know as the apocryp. The church does not have an official stance on who the author is. For further information and visuals of the throne of god, angels, cherubim, four living creatures, new jerusalem, tabernacle, temple, jesus christ, song of moses, song of. John recorded the message but is not the true author of the book. The early 2nd century writer, justin martyr, was the first to equate the author of revelation with john the apostle.
There are a total of 66 books in our bible, but there is only one book that promises some kind of a special blessing for those who will attempt to try and read it and keep the words, revelation, and knowledge that is contained in it and that one book is the very last book of the bible, the book of revelation. Then go into each of the twenty two chapters of the book of revelation one by one. This is the holy book of revelation, known as the revelation of st. This book is filled with mysteries about things to come. Short summary of the book of revelation prophecy talk. The book of revelation and work bible commentary theology. Mar 07, 2012 the book of revelation, the final book of the new testament, has some of the most dramatic and frightening language in the bible.