Both testaments can be divided into history instruction prophecy revelation is the only book of prophecy in the new testament. 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. God would not have given it to us if its meaning were entirely a mystery. We may summarize the relevant chapters of daniel as follows. 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. God hits him with a doozy of a revelation hey, thats. God hits him with a doozy of a revelation hey, thats not a bad idea for a title. The revelation increases the number of repetitions to further emphasize the surety and nearness of the visions. Book of revelation for dummies cheat sheet dummies. The book of revelation is not really the revelation of its author, the apostle john, but it is the revelation of jesus christ which is written to his servants the things which must shortly come to pass rev 1. In this post, we hope to support our earlier statement using the text of revelation. The apocalyptic book of revelation is a symbolic glimpse.
Very important we note this and realize we cannot study revelation in the same way we study the book of romans. Verses 1 and 2 summarize the contents of the book of. The book of revelation introduction the revelation of jesus christ, which god gave him to show his servantsthings which must shortly take place. Revelation is the only book with a promise of blessing to readers 1. The book of revelation calls christians to remain faithful to god and christ and to resist the powers of evil in the conviction that god will prevail and bring salvation in the new jerusalem.
It also describes the world that will come into being after this earth is destroyed. Christs letters to churches in ephesus, smyrna, pergamum and thyatira. An easyenglish bible version and commentary 2800 word vocabulary on the book of revelation. Revelation summary we have detailed a brief summary of the book of revelation for bible study or sunday school lessons. John was the youngest disciple of the twelve disciples of jesus who became an apostle of the church. The number seven looks very important as it is repeated 52 times in the book. Years ago i heard some preach this book of revelation as we do the gospel. In chapters, john describes the details of the setting as he received this revelation. The book of revelation and work bible commentary theology. The book of revelation was written to seven churches as both encouragement and challenge.
The book of revelation explained volume 4 other publications by the author dan iel and rev at on texts exam ned depressi on did j esu d c nd i to h ll. In the book of revelation, the apocalyptic hopes of the early christian community find their clearest and most complete expression. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of book of revelation by john the apostle. And i saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous. A summary of each chapter in the book of revelation. Summary of the book of revelation this summary of the book of revelation provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of revelation. Seiss, jesus of the apocalypse by barbara thiering. Revelation, and present them as the testimony that jesus. 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 dead will stand before god to be judged out of the books according to their works.
Ask the class to summarize, using as few words as possible, conditions in the world. Revelation to john, also called book of revelation or apocalypse of john, last book of the new testament. This book is filled with mysteries about things to come. Without understanding the overall context of the bible, it is impossible to understand the book of revelation. In it, the church, the bride of christ, is the guest of honor at the marriage of the lamb in heaven verses. The last book of the bible explodes with a cosmic celebration of the triumph of gods global purposes in the world.
The discipleapostle john, who followed jesus christ. According to the first words of the book, god gave this revelation to jesus, who entrusted it to an angel to pass on to john. A brief overview of the book of revelation the rise and. John wrote that revelation is special because, blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant john, 2 who testifies to everything he saw. By the time the writings that are now included in the new testament were assembled in their present form, three letters and one gospel were also attributed to john.
The revelation of jesus christ was given to john by god to show his servants what must soon take place. The book of revelation starts with a warning to the seven churches scattered throughout the known world at that time. A word list at the end explains words with a star by them. A reader has graciously questioned our previous assertion about this repetition in revelation. The book of revelation is one of the most difficult books in the bible. You have a wonderful ability to summarize hundreds of pages of information into just. You may find that different translations may vary slightly.
The book finishes with a call for all to obey the message of the book and a warning to those who reject what is taught. A summary, synopsis or recap is a shortened version of the original. The beast the rise and fall of the antichrist books. White is professor of classics and christian origins at the university of texas at austin, and acted as historical consultant for apocalypse. 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 patmos by the authorities for preaching the gospel in asia. The revelation of peter, and the revelation of paul, and the revelation of zostrianos and almost anyone you can mention. The book of revelation is a teachers delight, yet the preacher must tread softly here. The book of revelation is the final book of the new testament, a stark account of the apocalypse and a prophecy of the world coming to an end. 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. The book of revelation is the revelation of jesus christ to apostle john thus to us christians. Oct 29, 2012 book of revelation, paperback matt dorff, chris koelle, mark arey, philemon d.
Revelation was written for all believers revelation 1. God reveals a basic framework for understanding future events. Revelation s symbolic visions are similar to what youd see in the old testament prophecies of ezekiel, daniel, and zechariah. First, well explore the historical background of the book of revelation. There are no biblical references in the book so why does rupert thomson choose such a blatantly religious title. In order to understand it, you need to know a lot of the book of daniel, which is another very difficult book. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of bible. Keys to understanding revelation united church of god. It is the final warning that the world will surely end and judgment will be. Jan 09, 2001 the book of revelation is a curious title for this disturbing and haunting story about the systematic,traumainduced destruction of an amsterdam based male dancers life. John is told to write down everything god shows him, and boy is god going to show him some strange things. Jan 02, 2020 in these chapters god tells us what eternity with him will be like.
It draws upon the language and imagery of the old testament. The time for understanding the book of revelation is now at hand. The rise and fall of the antichrist appendix four a brief overview of the book of revelation. 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. Revelation chapter 19 explained discover revelation.
The background to the book of revelation biblical thinking. Revelation with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. It requires some knowledge of the rest of the bible in order to appreciate it. These are the words of him who holds the seven spiritsof god and the seven stars. The importance of understanding, interpreting, applying, and then communicating the contents of the book of revelation is becoming increasingly obvious. The real meaning of the bibles book of revelation is a popular, ongoing debate. The book of revelation is the final book of the new testament and the last book of the christian bible.
Paul spilsburys book is a close runnerup for my go to book for an introduction to revelation. Revelation is the last book of the bible and is a prophetic book of the end of the age and the return of christ. I summarised the bible on twitter between aug 2010 and nov 20 one tweet per chapter, one chapter per day. The greek name of the bible book of revelation, apoka. What is the summary of the bibles book of revelation.
The book of revelation uses an easytounderstand approach and plenty of handy features and learning aids to explain the book of revelation. Watch our overview video on the book of revelation, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. It is also known as the revelation to john, the apocalypse of john, revelation, or the revelation. Three times, each at a critical break in the sequence of events described in the book of revelation, christ gives more detail to john for clarification. Some general comments about the book of revelation and its uniqueness. Short summary of the book of revelation prophecy talk. John wrote revelation while a prisoner on the island of patmos, approximately 8595 a. The discipleapostle john, who followed jesus christ and witnessed his crucifixion, authored it. John the divine is an example of apocalyptic writing a form that delivers a message using symbols, images and numbers. This framework is primarily laid out in daniel and revelation. Contains 22 chapters, 404 verses and 12,000 words 1.
A summary of the revelation to john revelation in s bible. Franciscan father stephen doyle provides a catholic commentary on the book of revelation and explains that todays people do not understand what the author of revelation. How would you summarize the book of revelation in the bible. The last book of the new testament is also called the prophecy book and the revelation of jesus christ. 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. Revelation is the only prophetical book in the new testament c. The book of revelation book summaries, test preparation. Revelation 3 niv bible to the angelof the church in. 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. The book consists of six cycles of visions, each of which warns of the dangers arising from sin and evil. The book of revelation is the last book of the bible for good reason. Mar 07, 2012 revelations npr coverage of revelations. Hes just a mildmannered christian guy living in exile whenpow. A testimony of jesus christ is a commentary that explains some of the mysteries of revelation.
It is the first book that many new to the bible want to study, while it is often neglected by mature. Book of revelation read, study bible verses online. I do not attempt to interpret it, as i am usually skeptical of those who do. The revelation of john is the one book in the new testament that claims john as its author. He was a first cousin of jesus and was exiled to the greek island of patmos because. The book of revelation in the bible is one of the more difficult books of the bible to understand. 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 connection with future events. The book of revelation also called the revelation of john or the revelation of st. This triumph takes place amid much suffering, suffering that is intensified as the final end draws near. Each letter, as proclaimed by jesus and recorded by john the apostle, declares the triumphs and failings of the recipient churches and warns each congregation to repent. Summary in the book of revelation, the apocalyptic hopes of the early christian community find their clearest and most complete expression.
It contains descriptions, places, names, numbers, etc. The key to understanding the book of revelation is to interpret it as literally as possibleit says what it means and means what it says. Christs letters to churches in sardis, philadelphia and laodicea. He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant john. The book of revelation, a prophecy of warning and hope. The book of revelation addresses seven letters to seven churches in asia minor modernday turkey revelation 23. John mentions his name four times in the book revelation 1. 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. Visions, prophecy, and politics in the book of revelation by elaine h. The book was written around 96 ad by apostle john when titus domitian was the emperor of the roman empire. Summary of daniel and revelation precious seed view or print. Book of revelation explained a testimony of jesus christ. As mentioned before, the books very name means to reveal to unveil, to open to understanding what otherwise could not be comprehended. The book of revelation is the final book of the new testament, and consequently is also the final book of the christian bible.
Why was the book of revelation included in the bible. The vision which opens the book and the verse that organizes it. The book of revelation was likely written between a. The bibles scariest book elaine pagels explains that the book of revelation has always been more politics than prophecy. Revelation summary the following is a summary of the book of revelation. How would you summarize what is revealed about christ in revelation. The book of revelation, or the apocalypse as it is also called, is the last book of the bible.
The first five seals described in the book of revelation are dealt with in 11 verses see revelation 6. It does belong to a tradition of apocalyptic writing, which began in judaism in the second temple period. Book of revelation overview insight for living ministries. The rise and fall of the antichrist chapter three the beast. 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 following is a summary of the book of revelation.
Every chapter of the bible in 140 characters or less. 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. But what does the biblical scripture say will happen. The book of revelation was written sometime around. This chapter is one of the most dramatic in all the bible. The advice in these letters is prophetic, forewarning presentday christian communities. Revelation bears similar features to the book of daniel d. Lastly, since revelation is a jewish book, many of the symbols in the text. Of course, even after going over the book s content, it can still be difficult to know what revelation is all about. Revelation simply forecasts the apocalypse, which is a synonym for revelation. The book of revelation is a prophetic book the word apocalypse means unveiling and thats exactly what the book of revelation isit is a prophetic book that discusses the unveiling of what is going to happen in the nearing end times and what will come with the final revelation. The book of revelation encourages followers of jesus christ to remain faithful.
This commentary has been through advanced checking. This is the word of god and the testimony of jesus christ. Christians throughout history have given almost unanimous affirmation to the identity of the book s author as john the apostle, who had been exiled to the island of patmos by the authorities for preaching the gospel in asia. G if ts, oce and t hepera on of t new testamen church. The author of revelation mentioned his name, john, four times throughout the book revelation 1. Justin the martyr around 100 to 165 ac, irenaeus around 140 to 220 ac and the muratori canon end of 2 nd century confirm that the apostle john is the author. Parts of the old testament, particularly in the book of daniel, are also written in the apocalyptic genre. Sep 30, 2015 bauckhams book will guide you into a richer understanding of the symbolism and their significance and literary art of johns prophetic imagination. The literary genres of the book of revelation are an apocalypse, a prophecy, and an epistle or letter. 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. John may have written it but its content is from jesus christ.
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