Introduction the book of revelation is one of the most encouraging books of the new testament. Revelation is like the scifi book of the bible leaving many christians fascinated, puzzled, stumped and ultimately divided on how to interpret it. Anyone with astronomy freewareshareware can see this. The solar eclipse over cyprus and patmos in chapter 1 happened on april 30, 59 ce. Book of revelation explained scripture by scripture. 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. Without understanding the overall context of the bible, it is impossible to understand the book of revelation. And christ sent his angel to show it to his servant john, 2 who has told everything he saw. Study guide for revelation by chuck smith blue letter bible. Read through the book of the revelatuion twice by the end of the semester 2. Revelation of the black messiah february 7, 2018 september 15, 2018 by black history in the bible there is no bigger threat to white supremacy than the notion that jesus of nazareth was a black man.
During the 1st century ce, judaism was composed of about 24 separate religious groups. The interpreters using the historicist approach for revelation had their origins in the jewish apocalyptic writings such as we see in the book of daniel, which predicted the future the time between their writing and the end of the world. Because of the book of revelation is widely considered the most difficult book in the bible, many ignore it altogether. 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. Throughout most of history since the predictions of the book of daniel, historicism has been widely used. Write a running verse by verse commentary of a chapter of your choice of the book of revelation should be at least 3 pages 3. Watch our overview video on the book of revelation, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Revelation is often described as a the revelation of john meaning the revelation to john 1. In revelation, johns visions reveal that jesus has overcome evil by. Revelation is apocalyptic, a kind of writing that is highly symbolic.
The book of the revelation of jesus christ is a fascinating prophecy of the end times. The new world translation of the holy scriptures is published by jehovahs witnesses. Revelation 1 niv prologue the revelation from jesus. John was the youngest disciple of the twelve disciples of jesus who became an apostle of the church. The method requires the student of revelation to go outside the bible and seek for the fulfillment of predictions in the past events of world history, and to one not well taught in history the method is impossible to carry out, leaving the book of revelation largely closed to the ordinary reader. He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant john. The most mysterious, controversial and disturbing of all of the books of the new testament portion of the christian bible is the book of revelation.
While most christians are led to believe that all books of the bible were compiled by some sort of divine mandate, the book of revelation was not an inevitable addition to the canon. The book of revelation is the last book he wrote around 96 ad. 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 scripture reveals many terrible events that will supposedly precede the. This mode of interpretation, which sees later events in christian history as fulfilling predictions in the book of revelation, is known as the continuous history view. So, the divine author of revelation is jesus christ and the human author is the apostle john. Question 7 what does the bible foretell about our day. The time period recorded during those 1400 years covers nearly 4000 years of human history and gods revelation of himself to and through man. But for believers of a more open disposition, and nonbelieving lovers of great literature, reading it will be a revelation and a delight.
Historicist interpretations of the book of revelation. Read more sign up for history emails for the latest on your favorite shows and more. The book of revelation is the final book of the bible in which john the apostle outlined his visions of the end times. Question 10 what does the bible promise for the future. The book of revelation is in harmony with the prophecies in the old testament especially the ones written by ezekiel, daniel and zechariah. Question 6 what did the bible foretell about the messiah. It talks about a time when god will dwell with men and he will wipe every tear from their eyes and there will be no more death, or mourning or crying or pain for the old order i. Apart from the book of revelation, john has written other bible books which are. John the apostle names himself as the one who wrote down what the lord said through the angel. The greek name of the bible book of revelation, apoka. Although its visions often seem bizarre to the western reader, fortunately the book provides a number of clues for its own interpretation e. What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in asia. As we near the end of time, the prophecies relating to the last days especially demand our study. But the content it consists of is too important to miss out on.
The last book in the bible is probably one of the most misunderstood. It requires some knowledge of the rest of the bible in order to appreciate it. Book of revelation read, study bible verses online. Views revelation as a panoramic view of church history from. The book of revelation also called the revelation of john or the revelation of st.
Some of these were the sadducees, pharisees, essenes, various groups within the christian movement, followers of john the baptist, etc. How accurate are the descriptions of these seven cities mentioned in the book of revelation according to archaeology and history. Physically attend at least 80% of all classes unless given special permission by. 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. Many people have been taught that revelation is a sealed book, but the bible itself tells us that it is not sealed. Since domitian was assassinated in ad 96, we can date the book roughly at ad 95. This book is the unveiling of jesus christ in his relationship to the church, to judgment, and to what is to come. The book of revelation is by far one of the most challenging books in the bible, yet well worth the effort to study and comprehend. The history of the holy bible is the history of gods involvement with mankind.
Revelation greek apokalupsis means an uncovering, an unveiling, or a disclosure. The route by which the revelation came to john is given here. While we believe the bible prophecy timeline provides the most accurate dating available, many dates are still subject to interpretation and some educated guesswork due to a few vague areas in bible history. The bible contains various truths, wisdom sayings, and the final revelation of jesus who is god in flesh. Picture study bible revelation bible history online. As with anyones family tree, the farther back you go the fuzzier things can become. Unlike most books of the bible, revelation contains its own title. This is an interdisciplinary study which constructs a dialogue between biblical interpretation and systematic theology. The bible is the holy scripture of the christian religion, purporting to tell the history of the earth from its earliest creation to the spread of christianity in the first century a. The book of revelation, a prophecy of warning and hope. The was the title given to the book in the latin vulgate 3. The book of revelation is the last book of the bible for good reason. The real meaning of the bibles book of revelation is a popular, ongoing debate. In fact, the opening passage contains a blessing to everyone who reads, hears, and keeps the words of this prophecy.
Parts of the old testament, particularly in the book of daniel, are also written in the apocalyptic genre. Revelation 1 new international version niv prologue. For an adequate understanding of revelation, the reader must recognize that it is a distinct kind of literature. Key to understanding commentaries on revelations is knowing the position of the commentator. God and history in the book of revelation by michael. Can a prechristian version of the book of revelation be. The book of revelation in the bible today can be dated to after 164 ce, while parts of it date to 59 ce. 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 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. It is the only book of the new testament classified as apocalyptic literature rather than didactic or historical, indicating thereby its extensive use of visions, symbols, and allegory, especially in.
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