John needs no introduction beyond what is given in verses 12 as jesus servant, who testified to everything he saw, and beyond what he will give in verse 9 your brother and companion. The revelation of john the divine the argument it is manifest, that the holy ghost would as it were gather into this most excellent book a sum of those prophecies, which were written before, but should be fulfilled after the coming of christ, adding also such things as should be expedient, as well to forewarn us of the dangers to come, as to. Blessed are those who read and study from the book of revelation. It would perhaps be best to first establish the case that the same author is responsible for all the books associated with john. The book of revelations, a gnostic gospel excommunicate. Revelation 1 commentary the sender and the recipients. Army hospital hard to view when this book was written but we can assume that it occurred prior to the destruction of jerusalem of 70 ad as that is noted as a fact in the book of revelations as is the case of all the other gospel records. John the book of revelation, letters seven churches. Aug 04, 2009 stylometric analysis, a process which analyses an authors style of writing, shows that the book of revelation and john s gospel display more differences to each other than any other two books in. 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 comforting promise of revelation when you are certain of your future, then you can concentrate on your present. See the meaning of the seven seals, seven trumpets and bowls of wrath.
Who wrote the book of revelation and the fourth gospel. Watch our overview video on the book of revelation, which breaks down. 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. Its title is derived from the first word of the koine greek text. Strand andrews university the book of revelation is a remarkably wellconstructed literary piece, containing a mu1 tiplici ty of neatly intertwining patterns. Christ chooses some as kings and priests unto godchrist will come againjohn sees the. The author was probably a christian from ephesus known as john the elder. It is understandably easy to get caught up in the supernatural frenzy that runs through so much of. Traditionally, this was often believed to be the same person as john, son of zebedee, one of the apostles of jesus, to whom the gospel of john was also attributed. It may be in this sense that the prophet joseph smith said that revelation was one of the plainest books god ever caused to be written hc 5.
But first and foremost this book is the revelation of jesus christ. Thank you very much for your recent post about whether the apostle john was the author of the gospel of john. 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. Was this person the same john that wrote 1, 2, and 3 john. Blessed is he that keepeth the words of the prophecy of this book. Oct 05, 20 what the 1945 lost book of revelation reveals about the future. The new testament books of john, 1 john, 2 john, 3 john and revelation are sometimes called the johannine literature and are traditionally assigned to john the son of zebedee, one of the twelve disciples of jesus. 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. All of historys events are culminated in this fantastic story of christs ultimate triumph over evil and the restoration of all things to their created design. The early2ndcentury writer, justin martyr, was the first to equate the author of revelation with john the evangelist. Probably the most consequential vision of the future ever written is the bibles book of revelation. The usa is in the bible, in revelations, see that this is clearly so.
Revelation to john, last book of the new testament. Traditionally, both books have been identified as coming from the same person, john the son. Stylometric analysis, a process which analyses an authors style of writing, shows that the book of revelation and johns gospel display more differences to each. Johns mcc, a church of the metropolitan community churches, in raleigh, nc. If god didnt write it through the sainted instrument of someone named john, then who did, and why. Eight reasons against john the apostle as the author of. Some say that john s god is love, but revelations god is judgment. Aug 14, 2018 the writer of revelation identifies himself as john. It is the only book of the new testament classified as apocalyptic literature rather than didactic or historical. Unlike the book of revelation, the great majority of the others werent about the end of the world, but about finding the divine in it now. And when i heard and saw, i fell down to worship before the. Equivalent energy released by bombs, earthquakes, volcanoes and starquakes. Such patterns are more than simply demonstrations of.
Revelation 1 the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. The text of revelation states that john was on patmos, a greek island where. The phrasing itself also helps to differentiate between the gospel and epistles of john on the one hand and the book of revelation. The book of revelation is traditionally said to be written by john.
It professes to be the record of prophetic visions given by jesus christ to john, while the latter was a prisoner, for the word of. 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. And i agree also that it is the work of a holy and inspired man. Irenaeus quotes every chapter of the book of the revelation. John of patmos could be the author named as john in the book of revelation, the apocalyptic text forming the final book of. When was the book of revelation written by the apostle.
A major goal of this book is to introduce readers to the most important of those materials. Revelation of john definition and meaning bible dictionary. John after the taking up of our lord jesus christ, i john was alone upon mount tabor, where also he showed us his undefiled godhead. John list of revelation charts the golden thread of liturgy is what holds together the apocalyptic pearls of john s revelation. The book of revelation was written sometime around 96 ce in asia minor. There are some significant areas of consensus such as recognizing the cohesive nature of the septets, particularly the seals, trumpets and bowls. 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.
Someone recently asked me if the same author could have written both the book of revelation and the gospel of john. There are some significant areas of consensus such as recognizing the cohesive nature of the. The book should be rightfully called the revelation according to jesus christ. The writer of revelation identifies himself as john. 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. Speaking of the apocalypse from the previous post giving that odd video. Cyclical indices of growth, peace and prosperity contraction, war and depression for 2000 to 2027. Was the book of john written first or the book of revelation. The apostle john is the author of the book of revelation. The book of revelation provides some of the keenest insights in scripture concerning the big picture of work. I believe the clear purpose of revelation is exactly what it says it is. Ive been getting ready for my upcoming webcasts, but i needed to go for a stroll around the house for some fresh air and flower sniffing. When was the book of revelation written by the apostle john.
Dec 19, 20 did the apostle john write the book of revelation. But i cannot readily admit that he was the apostle, the son of zebedee, the brother of james. What the 1945 lost book of revelation reveals about the. John needs no introduction beyond what is given in verses 12 as jesus servant, who testified to everything he saw, and beyond what he. 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 book of revelation the end and the beginning, the new testament and the bible culminate with this glorious description of the revelation of jesus christ.
It has drawn the attention of numerous scholars throughout the ages, all trying to interpret the meaning of it. Revelation of john the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. This book is ideal for anyone that has picked up the bible and never been able to understand what john was talking about in revelation. I was one of those people that decided the book was too dark to read and since my pastor never quoted directly from it, i never gave it a second thought. Justin martyr quotes johns view that christ would dwell a thousand years in jerusalem. Returning the book of revelation to its historical context st. So what do the other revelations tell us, and how did johns come to trump the others. In revelation, johns visions reveal that jesus has overcome evil by. Excerpt from introduction to the secret revelation of john.
John of patmos also called john the revelator, john the divine, john the theologian, and possibly john the apostle. The book of revelation and work bible commentary theology. The book of revelation is the last of a series of books written during a 300year period the jews were under the thumb of foreign powers. May 02, 2007 this is because it is one of the only gnostic gospels that actually made it into the bible. 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. We read about several johns in the new testament, including john the baptist and john the apostle, the son of zebedee. Dec 28, 2018 blessed are those who read and study from the book of revelation. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Does the bible actually teach the doctrine of the trinity. Is this the same john who wrote the gospel account and three letters. A commentary on the book of the revelation based on a study of twentythree psychic discourses by edgar cayce contents pages the lords prayer and the seven centers diagram 6 extracts from the readings 7 the book of the revelation with the edgar cayce readings. What the 1945 lost book of revelation reveals about the future.
It seems clear that the early church attributed the book to john the apostle. With this additional short summary of the book of revelation you can discover the people, places and stories detailed in this holy scripture. All of the books including the 4 gospels were written as a source of explanation and encouragement to the jews. Revelations is the source for the popularity of 666 and the four horseman of the apocalypse war, famine, pestilence, and death. The book of revelation, often known simply as revelation or the apocalypse, is the final book of the bible and is the only purely apocalyptic book in the new testament. Patmos was a quarry mine for the roman empire, and was home to many political and religious prisoners or slaves. John, the revelation has particularly strong external evidence in its favour. The author of the work identifies himself in the text as john and says that he was on patmos, an island in the aegean, when he was instructed by a heavenly figure to write. Revelation to john, also called book of revelation or apocalypse of john, last book of the new testament. As the only book of its kind in the new testament, revelation can be difficult to understand, and for readers without specialized training. Coming attractions for you 2020s most anticipated movies. 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.
This summary of the book of revelation will help with many different forms of bible study. Therefore that he was called john, and that this book revelation is the work of one john, i do not deny. Modern readers are most likely to know the story from genesis and immediately hear its resonances in the secret revelation of john, but ancient readers would have recognized a much wider range of allusion. The book of revelation, what god revealed to the apostle john, is a great prophecy mystery. The clear purpose of revelation love worth finding with. In my judgment the gospel of john ranks far ahead of those of matthew, mark, or luke. This has been a question at the back of my mind for some time and its great to hear your reasons for believing john to be the author. The author of the book of revelation identifies himself only as john. Traditionally, the book of revelation has been dated near the end of the first century, around a.
John writes to encourage the faithful to resist staunchly the demands of emperor worship. The book of revelations is the only biblical book that is composed of. He claimed, based on the writing style and the lack of an apostolic claim in the book, john the elder presbyter was the author not john the apostle. Hahn demonstrates why this littlestudied book contains many of the keys to understanding the gospels. The theology of revelation can be said to differ from the theology of the gospel and letters of john. Elaine pagels has a persuasive answer, spectacularly illustrated. The book of revelation asv american standard version. One gospel, three letters, and the book of revelation are all attributed to john. He informs his readers that the final showdown between god and satan. O lord my god, who hast deemed me worthy to be your servant, hear my voice, and teach me about your coming. They included john chrysostom, cyril of jerusalem, denis of alexandria, eusebius of caesarea, and gregory nazianzen. The greek word for revelations is apokalupsis which literally means unveiling or taking off the cover a we are meant to understand the book of revelation. 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. Four visions interpreters have offered varied outlines of revelation as they attempt to understand how the drama of the apocalypse unfolds.
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