Apocalypticism was not a new phenomenon among christians. Summary of the revelation of jesus christ true bible study. Many major entities and symbols in the book of revelation are introduced earlier in the bible. For example, the sevenyear period known as the tribulation will officially begin in a single moment with the rapture of the church. Its title is derived from the first word of the koine greek text. 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. Part 1 of this article september 2016 discussed what the book of revelation reveals about the true meaning of worship and how believers today should worship god. Jul 01, 20 the most popular and feared book of the bible, the book of revelation, suffers a thousand deaths every time someone gets this wrong. It was not written only for the end of the ages but for all ages. Book of revelation for dummies cheat sheet dummies.
A principle of reading and interpreting the prophetic portions of the bible is that every prophetic event casts its shadow. Revelation is one of the most popular books to discuss among christians. Heres the big ol story behind the bibles book of revelation. Nov 11, 2018 the book of revelation describes this moment of satans return and judgment at the end of a 1,000 year period. Revelation 1 niv prologue the revelation from jesus. Jan 02, 2020 a simple outline for the book of revelation is found in revelation 1. The last book of the bible, revelation, is also sometimes called the apocalypse. From all the books of the bible, it seems that the book of revelation is the most talked about and the least studied, because it seems impossible to be understood, thats why it is so misinterpreted. The book of revelation what john saw john was given visions of things to come covered in chapters 4 thru 22 of the book of revelation. As the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth 1. 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.
John, who wrote the bibles book of revelation, was the longest living apostle. It describes the fiery end of the world, and the book of revelation can be interpreted a lot of different ways. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of prophecy in this book. Mar 10, 2016 it is true that the message of the book of revelation is very difficult to understand and this is not at random. The book of revelation is johns record of that vision revelation 1. Those who worship god in revelation are seen adoring gods being, declaring the lambs worthiness, celebrating gods glorious presence, submitting to his authority, and fearing. It is from this word that we get the english translation revelation. Revelation always implies the unveiling of something previously hidden, in this case, future events. Early church leaders suppressed an astonishing range of books that claimed to be revelations from apostles such as peter and james. This word is only written once by john in this writing, which contains various revelations about many events. The book of revelation is written by the apostle john after christ appeared to him and gave him a revelation of the things to come in the end times. It was true 50 years ago, and it is just as true today.
In the first chapter, the risen and exalted christ is speaking to john. Jehovah the true god in the heavens and creator of all things. The most popular and feared book of the bible, the book of revelation, suffers a thousand deaths every time someone gets this wrong. Parts of the old testament, particularly in the book of daniel, are also written in the apocalyptic genre. The book of revelation is an amazing message from jesus to his followers. Rapture is specifically for the church the true bride of christ. Mar 19, 2019 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. This summary of the book of revelation provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of revelation. Thomas aquinas believed in two types of individual revelation from god, general revelation and special revelation. The book of revelation also called the revelation of john or the revelation of st.
It is true in the sense that it predicted the fall of the roman empire. 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 made it known by sending his angel to his servant john, 2 who testifies to everything he saw. John recorded the message but is not the true author of the book. Revelation always implies the unveiling of something previously hidden, in. Johns visions reveal that jesus has overcome evil by his death and resurrection, and will return one day as the true king of the world. The following historical events were significant to john the apostle and his audience. The book of revelation was written to seven churches as both encouragement and challenge. The book of revelation is the final book of the new testament, and consequently is also the final book of the christian bible. T he book of the revelation of jesus christ is a fascinating prophecy of the end times. Every time something big happens in the news, especially if it involves the middle east, it seems a new set of books, reinterpreting the book of revelation, is published. This is part one of a series of teachings on the book of revelation. Some believers form strong dividing lines over different interpretations. Everyone has an opinion on when the famous events of the book of revelation will take place.
The apocalyptic book of revelation is a symbolic glimpse into. Everyone has heard of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, but less well known are the horses of. 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. John was a christian leader of jewish origin who was in exile on the roman prison island of patmos. It is a book of sign and symbol showing events which would occur from the 1st century right up until our day and beyond. The holy bible book 66 revelation kjv dramatized audio. Revelation is first and foremost a revelation about jesus christ 1. Revelation, on the other hand, had nearly the opposite experience. There are some things in the book that may be difficult to understand. It is filled with cryptic references which would have been understood at the time it was written, but now take a great deal of knowledge to correctly interpret. It is, therefore, no surprise when the reader begins to get the impression that the book of revelation is a very dark, mysterious book that is difficult, if not downright impossible, to understand but to many peoples. John was exiled on the island of patmos at the time he wrote the book of revelation. John the divine, although the godgiven title is at the very beginning of the text, the revelation of jesus christ, which god.
Other debated books tended to have a lukewarm reception at the earliest stages, only to gain more and more acceptance over time. From as early as justin martyr in the second century a. Revelation 1 new international version niv prologue. 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. Many christians scratch their heads as they read through johns. Watch our overview video on the book of revelation, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In the book of revelation, the apocalyptic hopes of the early christian community find their clearest and most complete expression. Special revelation is the knowledge of god and spiritual. The book of revelation is war literature, pagels explained. The first word in this writing is apocalypse, which is a greek word usually translated into english as revelation and it refers to something that is uncovered or revealed, as though removing a veil to expose what had previously been hidden.
The book of revelation, a prophecy of warning and hope. The word comes from the greek word apokalupsis, which is used in the first verse. 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. Jan 12, 2019 the book of revelation is written by the apostle john after christ appeared to him and gave him a revelation of the things to come in the end times. Preachers and parents discuss who they believe the antichrist is or will be when he comes. The book depicts him as the risen, glorified son of god ministering among the churches 1. The book of revelation is a sure guide to what is really going on. Futurists emphasize that the antichrist has not yet come to the world, and thus, the prophecies from the book of daniel, book of matthew and book of revelation have not yet come true. In general revelation, god reveals himself through his creation, such that at least some truths about god can be learned by the empirical study of nature, physics, cosmology, etc. Apr 15, 2019 the bibles book of revelation is basically a fever dream of epic proportions. The book of revelation in the bible is one of the more difficult books of the bible to understand.
Core christianity the book of revelation is not about the. A simple outline for the book of revelation is found in revelation 1. Nov 19, 2012 this is the holy book of revelation, known as the revelation of st. These are, i guess you could say the two final prophets that the book expects to appear on the earth, like moses and elijah of ancient times in the bible. It is true if it provide comfort to christians suffering egregious persecution from the roman empire. Indeed most of the material is secondhand, being borrowed liberally from the old testament books of isaiah, ezra, ezekiel and, in particular, daniel which also has fantastic images of the end time and refers to. A testimony of jesus christ is a commentary that explains some of the mysteries of revelation. The language and imagery is so chosen as to appeal to the maturing gospel scholar, to those who already love the lord and have some knowledge of his goodness and grace. Book of revelation explained scripture by scripture. Core christianity the book of revelation is not about. The revelation of saint john scarcely merits the title. The lord, the god of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place. Rapture in the book of revelation christian truth center.
Jesus himself said to beware of false prophets who come to you in sheeps clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves matthew 7. In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural. The book of revelation describes this moment of satans return and judgment at the end of a 1,000 year period. The bible is the number one bestselling book of all time. Ministry magazine worship in the book of revelation. This is the word of god and the testimony of jesus christ.
Jesus promises the church of philadelphia that he will keep them from the hour of trial coming to test those who dwell on earth. And then the third kind of literalist interpretation is one that says that all the events in the book of revelation are literally historically true, but that almost all of them have been completed. The only reason it is not on the new york list of booksales every week, is that if it were, it would always be at number one. Book of revelation chronological order pursuing intimacy.
During roman persecution john exiled to the isle of patmos for his faith, was sent an angel with gods commission to record the word of god, and the testimony of jesus christ, and of all things he saw. Far from being a revelation, it is the most abstruse book in the whole bible. Perhaps as much as any other nt book, we have evidence for an early, widespread, and consistent reception of revelation. God sent an angel to him to tell him all this and he wrote it all down in this handy dandy little guide.
The apocalyptic book of revelation is a symbolic glimpse. Christ tells john to write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. Simply look up the number of the top selling books, and then look at bible sales. Revelation uses many signs, or symbols, that are not to be understood literally. Satan causes his false prophet to appear like a meek and gentle lamb when in reality he has the heart of a destroyer. We dont know why john was exiled to patmos, but it may have been for refusing to worship the roman emperor domitian. John was the only one of the original apostles not killed for his faith in jesus christ. Apostle john in the book of revelation represents the church he is a church apostle. Apocalypse, from the verb apokalypto, to reveal, is the name given to the last book in the bible. John of patmos was a war refugee, writing sixty years after the death of jesus and. The things john had already seen are recorded in chapter 1. Gods word is just as true in its prophecies as it is in its history.
The book of revelation had its origin in a time of crisis, but it remains valid and meaningful for christians of all time. The bible isnt the first book you might turn to for gratuitous violence, but its definitely in there. This word means disclosure or revelation and conveys the idea of laying bare or uncovering. Like the book of daniel, which was written to provide comfort to the jews. John the divine is an example of apocalyptic writing a form that delivers a message using symbols, images and numbers. When the thousand years are over, satan will be released. These are the things that will happen in the future. But, the story of the book of revelation is not what one might expect. Four times the author identifies himself as john 1. 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. The book of revelation is an extremely difficult book for us to read today. The book of revelation the revelation on jesus the book of revelation the only new testament prophetical book is the revealing of the complete identity of jesus christ.
The false prophet in the book of revelation david jeremiah blog. The book of revelation takes an approach to the plan of salvation that is found nowhere else in all of our inspired writings. On one hand, the book is the revelation from jesus christ, which god gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant john. Book of revelation read, study bible verses online. Understanding the book of revelation church of jesus christ. There are 3 theories to the time rapture of the church will take place in relation to the great tribulation period. He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant john nlt. The revelation of jesus christ is a book of prophecy on the end times and comprises the final book of the new testament and of the bible. Here michael pearl gives a brief 5 minute overview of the revelation of jesus christ. So, the divine author of revelation is jesus christ and the human author is the apostle john. An apocalyptic letter, it relies on visions, symbols, and old testament references to reveal the ultimate fulfillment. It is a book of glory that discloses the victory that jesus has already won. Its called the book of revelation, not revelations.
To unlock the symbols in the book, other parts of gods word. 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. Theres no other book in the bible quite like revelation, but there are plenty of books like revelation that didnt make it into the bible, pagels says. Book of revelation explained a testimony of jesus christ. Although a christian work, the apocalypse belongs to a class of literature dealing with eschatological subjects and much in vogue among the jews of the first. That means, while the event itself happens in a moment of time, there are shadows of that event which touch those who live prior to the event.
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