In the same manner, the book of revelation demonstrates the sovereignty of christ but not at the expense of his redemption, neither is the eschatology different from one to the other. 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. While church tradition has attributed the gospel of john, the letters of john, and the book of revelation to the same authorjohn the apostle and son of zebedeeinternal and external evidence may require us to attribute them to other individuals who may or may not have also been named john. 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. Ultimately, above the human authors, the bible was written by god. As a teenager, i remember being a bit frightened of the book of revelation. Is this the same john who wrote the gospel account and three letters. Who wrote the book of revelations in the bible yahoo. Nov 09, 2008 during this period of history it was quite common for assistants and disciples of an individual to write their own thoughts under the name of their mentors the book of hebrews, for example, normally attributed to st.
One of the projects i remember from bible college that came up often was to do research to show why it is believed that certain men wrote each book. Early church tradition identified him with john the son of zebedee, one of the twelve apostles. The elder, the seer, and the apostle bible odyssey. 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. And christ sent his angel to show it to his servant john, 2 who has told everything he saw. How to study the book of revelation christian truth center. Perhaps as much as any other nt book, we have evidence for an early, widespread, and consistent reception of revelation. 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. Apr 07, 2018 perhaps more than any other new testament book, the date for the writing of revelation is important for interpreting the book. The book of revelation describes this moment of satans return and judgment at the end of a 1,000 year period.
In sharp contrast, the book of revelation provides ample internal evidence. Aug 04, 2009 revelation the dragon pursuing a woman, from the bamberg apocalypse. Who wrote the book of revelation and where did he live. Are the books of the bible in the order they were written. The phrasing itself also helps to differentiate between the gospel and epistles of john on the one hand and the book of revelation on the other. The author of revelation mentioned his name, john, four times throughout the book revelation 1. December 10, 2015 richard ostling patheos explore the worlds faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality.
A testimony of jesus christ is a commentary that explains some of the mysteries of revelation. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it. That is the internal evidence of the book and the external testimony of early church fathers. 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. John of patmos also called john the revelator, john the divine or john the theologian. For whom was the book of revelation written and why. The book of revelation was written by the apostle john revelation 1. Unlike most books of the bible, revelation contains its own title. Its purpose is to give encouragement and hope for all.
Book of the revelation encyclopedia of the bible bible. The apostle john, who wrote it under the inspiration of jesus christ revelation 1. However, 2 years later, in 98, john wrote 4 more books. John wrote revelation when he was a prisoner on the isle of patmos for preaching about. 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. Apart from the book of revelation, john has written other bible books which are. Who wrote the book of revelation in the bible answers. 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. An introduction to the book of revelation an argument of the book of revelation part 1. The book of the revelation pastor david legge 4 reign of righteousness. 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. Brian chilton investigates the author of the book of revelation.
Modern religious scholarship attributes the book of revelation to john of patmos, who wrote the book of revelation around the time of the roman emperor. The mysterious and epic book of revelation in the bible was most probably written by the disciple john, argues matome letsoalo. This book was written by john, the last surviving apostle revelation 1. The clear purpose of revelation love worth finding with. He wrote from the small island of patmos after being banished there for preaching the gospel. In the book of revelation, the apocalyptic hopes of the early christian community find their clearest and most complete expression. The first two are written not only without errors in the greek, but also with real skill with respect to vocabulary, logic and coherence of meaning. The book of revelation is the last book he wrote around 96 ad.
John of patmos also called john the revelator, john the divine, john the theologian, and possibly john the apostle. The first verse in the book of revelation does not say exactly who that particular john is, but it is naturally assumed to be john the apostle since it was the apostles that were given the authority by god to write scripture. The very fact that the author of the apocalypse simply calls himself john is a dead giveaway that he was well known throughout the churches in asia minor. From this fact, and from comparing the gospel of john with 1 john, 2 john, 3 john, and the book of revelation, we can be certain that the apostle john wrote the gospel of john. 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 who believe in him. 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. This article will conclude our series titled who wrote the new testament.
God superintended the human authors of the bible so that, while using their own writing styles and personalities, they still recorded exactly what god intended. The apostle john wrote the book of revelation around the year ad 95 from his exile on the island of patmos. The book that is positioned at the end of the standard bible, is the book of revelation and it was written by the apostle john in the year 96 on the isle of patmos. 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. Some writers, however, have advanced the preterist from a latin word meaning that which is past view, contending that the apocalypse was penned around a. The apostle john is the author of the book of revelation. In fact, the opening passage contains a blessing to everyone who reads, hears, and keeps the words of this prophecy. 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 wrote revelation while a prisoner on the island of patmos, approximately 8595 a. As with acts, revelation shows how the lord works with and through his servants.
The book of revelation in the bible is one of the more difficult books of the bible to understand. The universal church is composed of all who truly believe in christ, but in the last days, a time of widespread apostasy. Everyone has heard of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, but less well known are the horses of. Revelation 1 new international version niv prologue. Three angels broadcasting network 3abn 3,010,954 views 58. The book of revelation was written sometime around 96 ce in asia minor. The author of the book of revelation calls himself john rev. In the new testament, this word describes the unveiling of spiritual truth rom. The book of revelation is unique as the sole totally apocalyptic work in the nt. As mentioned at the beginning of the article, revelation was not given to scare us. The prophetic book of the new testament david malick.
Finally, while there is little to commend the notion that a shadowy figure named john the elder wrote the book of revelation, there is ample evidence that it was written by john the apostle. And no guide makes revelation more understandable than the smart guide to the bible. Yes, john wrote the book of revelation before writing the letters we know as john 1 and 2. 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. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. Revelation a study guide about the book of revelation. What the modern reader or biblical scholar has to do is to try to read the text with. John was one of the 12 disciples special students of jesus, who later became the apostles the first leaders of the christian church. 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. Well, as one crank to another, let me say that god makes it clear in the very first verse of revelation that this is his message to his church.
Book of revelation read, study bible verses online. In it he asked, who except cranks and lunatics reads the book of revelation. Apocalypticism was not a new phenomenon among christians. Likewise, in revelation god is not solely wrathful, but seeks repentance 9. Note that this could have been in reference to the book of revelation being circulated widely seen by many, in reference to john still being alive last seen, or a reference to the dating of the book itself being written. Revelation is the last book in the bible, the twentyseventh book of the new testament. This book of life is also mentioned in revelation 3. Many of the presbyters in attendance at the council of nicaea didnt want it in the bible. The two periods most often mentioned are the latter part of neros reign a. How john wrote the book of revelation is a behind the scenes look at the literary process used to create the book of revelation.
The only other clue to the authors identity is that he states he received his visions while on the island of patmos rev. The book of life, in this context, is the set of names of those who will live with god forever in heaven. This book cracks the mystery of the elaborate, and highly formulaic procedure john used, and gives readers the opportunity to observe how the book of revelation was written, line by line, as though they were peering. He also wrote the gospel of john and three letters that are in our. Victorinus late third century, author of the earliest commentary on the book of revelation, wrote. Various bible scholars have theories about who wrote the book of hebrews, for example. The book of revelation, the last book of the bible, has fascinated and puzzled christians for centuries. The view that its author is the same as the gospel according to john is undermined by the command of the greek language displayed in both. Revelation was written when christians were entering a time of persecution. The book of revelation by john the apostle bible probe.
Tom constables expository notes on revelation this is also available in the net. Symbolic language, however, is one of the chief characteristics of apocalyptic literature, of which. The books of the bible are organized according to the topic rather than in the order in which they were written. Advocates of a late date take it as proof of the book being written around 91ad but iraneaus never explicitly says so. The only other clue to the authors identity is that he states he received his visions while on. Those holding an older view for the dating of revelation promote the late 60s as the time the book was written. He wrote five books against marcion hippolytus 170235 a.
The author was probably a christian from ephesus known as john the elder. The church does not have an official stance on who the author is. Book of revelation overview insight for living ministries. For reasons we can only speculate on the decision to include it was made at the last minutetruly a cliffha. From as early as justin martyr in the second century a. The greek name of the bible book of revelation, apoka. Indeed, as we will see, the book speaks to our period even more than that of the seven churches.
The apocalyptic book of revelation is a symbolic glimpse. Revelation niv bible the dragon stood on the shore of. Patmos was a quarry mine for the roman empire, and was home to. If the book was written in the 90s, then the immediate background for the book is persecution of christians under domitian. We conclude the series with a look at archaeological and historical evidence relating to the last book of the bible, revelation. The first blessing is in the first chapter of revelation in verse 3. Book of revelation explained scripture by scripture.
The book of revelation the smart guide to the bible. The bible isnt the first book you might turn to for gratuitous violence, but its definitely in there. Traditionally, the book of revelation has been dated near the end of the first century, around a. The beast i saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of. Thus, revelation was not just for john and the saints of the seven churches but for other saints then and now. The book of revelation was written to seven churches as both encouragement and challenge. I always enjoyed these projects and studying about the various ways scholars make a connection to a certain author. Revelation was written by a man named john, who calls himself a brother in the faith 1. 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.
Four times the author identifies himself as john 1. The smell of acne face cleanser filled the room as i dove into mysterious depictions of fourfaced angels, beasts from the sea and land, of massive angels, and 100pound hailstones being hurled to the earth. While the former exibits a nearly flawless command of that language, revelation possesses a number of errors. The book of revelation is traditionally said to be written by john. The book of revelation provides the clearest biblical portrait of the events of the tribulation, dealing with. The author or revelation wrote in order to resolve this crisis by clearly demarcating the.
John, 1john, 2john, 3john, from the city of ephesus. John was the youngest disciple of the twelve disciples of jesus who became an apostle of the church. Why is the book revelation placed at the end of the new testament canon. However, the view that the book was written later in the firstcentury, most likely in the late 80s or early 90s holds greater strength. It has not been firmly established who wrote the book of revelation. The discipleapostle john, who followed jesus christ and witnessed his crucifixion, authored it. 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. Why was the book of revelation included in the bible. Yes, revelation is physically the last book in the holy bible, but not the last book written in the bible. The book of revelation, a prophecy of warning and hope. Patmos was a quarry mine for the roman empire, and was home to many political and religious prisoners or slaves. The literary genres of the book of revelation are an apocalypse, a prophecy, and an epistle or letter.
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