The Book of
Revelation
Revelation is the last book
of the Bible. It’s one of the most
confusing books to read. If you find it confusing, that’s a GOOD thing! It was meant to be confusing. Revelation was written so that only
some would understand. It doesn’t
contain any “secret knowledge” per se, but the knowledge it contains was
written so that only a certain group would understand it.
The
good news is that Christians (and now, anyone who really wants to know) can
understand the Book of Revelation.
What was once written for the earliest Christian communities still has
meaning today. While situations
have changed, the message of Revelation remains the same.
Over the past few years, there has
been A LOT of emphasis on Revelation! There have been novels, movies, devotionals, and other
Christian literature concerning the prophecies in Revelation. While some of the above mentioned media
is better than others, try to read Revelation to see what it means for you.
While reading The Book of Revelation, try to cast out any preexisting
thoughts you have about this book.
Try not to put Revelation “in a box.” Some have said that Revelation means 1 thing and 1 thing
only. But, in line with all Holy
Scripture, while God inspired 1 author for 1 purpose, the book’s meaning has
grown to encompass all people.
This is what is meant when it is said “The Word of God is alive!”
(Hebrew 4:12).
Some find Revelation to be
scary. Who wouldn’t find vivid
images of Dragons and Beasts and Battles to be scary? But, Revelation
was not written to instill fear.
Revelation was not written to scare generations of people. Revelation
was written to give hope.
Without trying to spoil this study,
read Revelation 21-22. Soak in the
imagery that is presented…allow your mind to paint a picture. Allow yourself to be immersed in the
vision of the New Earth and the New Heaven. Think of the sights and sounds. Think of what you would feel and touch. Even allow yourself to imagine the smells
and tastes. Think of the emotions
you would feel if you were part of this story.
Fast Facts: The Book of Revelation
Authorship: Written by John. It may
be John the disciple and the author of the Gospel of John and the 3 Letters of
John. Scholars, however, believe
that it was written in John’s name because the author came from John’s
community. This is determined by
analyzing writing styles and theologies (teachings about God) of the books in
question.
Date of Writing: No one knows for sure when Revelation
was written, but it is fairly certain it was written sometime between
54-96. It was written when
Christians were being persecuted.
It is possible that Revelation was written in many stages and compiled
at the end of the 1st century into 1 book.
Why Revelation Was
Written: The Roman
Government was persecuting the new Christians. Emperors Nero (54-68) and Domitian
(81-96) were particularly harsh and violent towards Christians.
Revelation
is still important today because it has a lot of information for us, but it
wasn’t originally intended for us. The same can be said about every book in the Bible. WE were not the intended audience by
the author, but God intended for it to apply to us in the “here and now.”
Style of Writing: Revelation is an Apocalypse. Apocalypse
is Greek, meaning “Revelation.” This is a revelation from Jesus to
John. This style was popular in
Jewish and Early Christian writing.
An Apocalypse has strange images, confusing language, and
symbolism. There is usual also a
huge emphasis on the future where God wins. This style was important because apocalypses were written
for a specific group of people using “codes” they would understand.
In the Old Testament, Ezekiel has
Apocalyptic elements, and Daniel is the only other book-length Apocalypse.
Revelation was
written to the 7 Churches in Asia.
Much of Asia was controlled by Rome.
1.
Pergamum
2.
Thyatira
3.
Smyrna
4.
Sardis
5.
Philadelphia
6.
Ephesus
7.
Laodicea
****All these cities are in modern
day Turkey****
(NOTE: The
majority of the information on this page comes from David E Aune’s introduction
to Revelation in the Harper Collins Study
Bible)
Methods of Interpreting the Bible
There
are many methods scholars and readers of the bible interpret meaning from what
they read. Almost every reader of
the bible prefers one method over the others, but it’s important to remember
that each method can be useful.
The
goal to interpret a passage or book of the Bible is to see what it means for us
rather than making it say what we want.
Of course, we can see ourselves in many of the passages (That’s a good
thing!), but the goal is to see what God saying.
Here are some
methods used to interpret the Bible:
* Historical-Critical
Method: What was the
historical significance of a passage?
What did it mean to the people who originally read it? Can that meaning somehow transfer to
now? (Ex. “Mind your ‘p’s’ and
‘q’s.’” To us that statement means “watch your manners – or some
variation. BUT, in history it was
important for people who set the type on a printing machine not to mistake “p”
for “q” and vice versa).
* Literary
Method: What kind of
writing are you reading? A song? A
story? A poem? A prophecy? How
does the style of writing affect the meaning? (Ex. “I called them
a million times before they answered” – Did the person really call a million
times? Or does “a million” mean “a lot” of times?).
* Literal
Interpretation: The Bible
means exactly what it says. (Ex.
One who uses this method would probably say the world was created in 6 24 hour
days).
* Allegorical
Interpretation: Some passages
are interpreted as stories to teach a lesson. The events may or may not have really happened. (Ex. “The
Boy Who Cried Wolf” may or may not have really happened, but it teaches an important
lesson – don’t lie!).
* Narrative
Theology: The Bible is the
story of God’s people in community.
The overarching story is most important. When and why a passage was written is not as important as to
what it means now. This relies on
a STRONG belief in the Holy Spirit’s continual teaching. (Ex. We can all probably tell someone what
happens in “The Wizard of Oz” without giving each detail).
* Dispensational
Interpretation: During
different times, God chooses to work in specific ways for that period. (Ex. Creation, The Flood, Moses, Jesus,
The Future).
* Original
Language/Grammar: The
Bible was written in Hebrew and Aramaic (similar to Hebrew) in the Old
Testament, and Greek in the New Testament. To use this method, one has to look at the original language
and see what it means. (Ex. “Tengo
mucho calor” means “I’m hot” in Spanish.
BUT, literally, it means “I have much heat.” Without knowing this, people may wonder why someone is
carrying around a bunch of heat – whatever that is anyway).
There are more methods than
these…this is just a beginning.
All methods have some good reasons for using them, and all methods have
problems. A combination of several
is probably the best way to learn from the Bible.
Revelation Study:
Bible Study is a LIFELONG process. One reading of ANY Biblical book will only give you one
perspective. All of your questions
won’t be answered in this study.
Even if you read/study Revelation (or another book) multiple times, new
questions will arise. Again, that
is what makes the Word of God alive!
Revelation has some
specific methods of interpretation:
Historicism- The events of Revelation are ongoing events for
all time.
Preterist-
Revelation
mostly refers to the events when it was written.
Futurist-
Revelation
describes future events.
Idealist, or Symbolic-
Holds that Revelation does not
refer to specific people
or events, but is an allegory of the
spiritual path and the ongoing
struggle between good and evil.
Radical
Discipleship- Revelation teaches us to stay faithful without giving into the world.
BEFORE THE STUDY:
Before beginning, write down some of your current thoughts
about Revelation. What have you
heard? What do you think it is
about? What questions do you
have? Where have you received most
of your information about Revelation?
What do you know about Revelation?
One: The Futurist View:
What about the
Rapture, End Times, Futurist view of Revelation? What does Revelation say to us
today?
Futurists believe Revelation is a book of things to
come. They do not deny that
Revelation events have happened in the past with the Roman Empire, but they
hold that Revelation is a sign of what is to come.
Basic Futurist
Timeline: (This view is presented in books like the "Left Behind Series" Read this and then do the rest of the study - see how this compares - Keep an open mind)
-The Rapture (All
Christian Believers will be taken to Heaven at the same time. Some believe this happens first, others
say it will happen after some suffering.
This term and this thought were not discovered until the 1700’s, and
they weren’t taught in churches on a wide scale until the late 1800’s and early
1900’s – That DOES NOT mean it is wrong…just that it’s not a longstanding
view).
(From 1 Thess.
4:16-17 – “For the Lord himself, with a
cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet,
will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who
are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to
meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever.”-
One non-futurist view is that these verses do speak of a resurrection, but that
to “meet the Lord in the air…” is a statement of 1st century
hospitality where visiting dignitaries were met outside the city gates. Since Jesus is coming from heaven, he
would be met “in the air.”)
(Matthew
24 has also been used.
Read Matthew 24, but pay close
attention to the verses BEFORE what could be called the Rapture (24:40-41))
-Coming
of the Antichrist (Rev. 6:1-2 – The White Horse is symbol of
the Antichrist who comes in the name of peace, makes a 7 year peace treaty, but
begins 7 year Tribulation- time of suffering and war)
-The
Tribulation- 7 years of suffering, famine, war, plagues, and rule
by the Antichrist. (This view takes Revelation
6-11 literally)
-Midpoint
of the Tribulation- After 3 ½ years, the Mark of the
Beast is forced (people must then choose God or the Antichrist). The Antichrist desecrates the Temple
(which must be rebuilt if this view is true) by entering and claiming he is God
(Matt. 24:15). There are more judgments as seen in Revelation 16.
-Battle
of Armageddon- (Rev. 19:19-21) Armageddon is the Greek name of
Har Megiddo (Mt. Megiddo), a hill and valley in Israel where the final battle
will be fought.
-Return
of Christ- At the end of the Tribulation, Christ returns (Rev. 16:17-21) and conquers Satan. Christ rules from Jerusalem for 1000
years. Satan is then briefly released
and finally defeated forever.
Two:
Read Revelation 1
before coming to Bible Study.
1.
How did John get this revelation? What is a revelation? How do you think John got this
revelation?
2.
In vs. 3, it says, “…the time is near.” What “time” is “near?” (This is an opinion question…it isn’t
clearly answered in the reading yet).
3.
Read vs. 4-8. Describe Jesus as he is portrayed here.
4.
In vs. 4, the number “Seven” is used two
times. It’s used 57 times in
Revelation. What is so special
about the number 7? Where else in
the Bible is it used?
EXPLANATION: In vs. 9, John says he is on the Island
of Patmos. Patmos is a small
island between modern Greece and Turkey, between the Aegean and Mediterranean
Seas. Some say Patmos was a penal
colony/jail, while others say John sent there into exile by the Romans. Either way, John was not on Patmos by
choice.
5.
In Vs. 9-20, there is vivid imagery that John
describes. John is told to write
what he has seen. What does that
imply about the way this book was revealed to John?
THREE:
Read Revelation 2-3.
1.
Each of the 7 churches gets a message “to the
angel.” Who could be the angel?
(This is an opinion question…The answer is not made clear)
2.
What is the basic message sent to each
church? How can WE apply that same
message to our own situation?
Ephesus:
(2:6 – Nicolaitans were a Christian sect…not much is know about them now – They
probably were not a traditional Christian sect and had strange beliefs and
practices.)
Smyrna:
Pergamum:
Thyatira:
Sardis:
Philadelphia:
(Pay attention to 3:11 – “I am coming soon…” What does this mean? How soon is “soon?” Is this prophecy wrong?)
Laodicea:
Four:
Read Revelation 4-5.
Chapter 4:
NOTE: The 4 living creatures are probably
referring to the angelic beings that support the throne of God. The Tabernacle (House of God in the
Exodus) and the Temple had similar statues.
Why is there so much imagery explaining worship in
Heaven? Read it several times and
visualize it the best you can.
One theory of the 24 Elders is that it represents 1 person
from each of the 12 Tribes of Israel and the 12 Disciples. If this is right, what does it say
about Heaven and who is there?
Compare the visions in Revelation 4 with the vision in
Ezekiel 1. (Remember, both are apocalyptic literature).
4:8-11: Notice
how many of these words are in our modern day worship liturgy and worship
songs.
Chapter 5:
If this is taking place in Heaven, why is no one worthy to
open the scroll?
(Seal- The wax seal used to close scrolls and documents in
ancient times)
Think on the terms for Jesus: “Lion of the tribe of Judah,” “Root of David.” What do these signify?
What does the worship in Ch. 4 and 5 say about how we should
worship? The answer is not direct,
but we can get some ideas from these chapters.
Five:
Read Revelation 6-7.
Chapter 6:
The Lamb (Jesus) opens
6 of the 7 Seals. Each seal unleashes an event. Look at each Seal and event. What do they mean?
Think about the colors used. Did these events happen yet? Will they happen soon?
Is it symbolic? Is it
literal?
Seal 1: White Horse, Rider with a bow and crown
conquering.
Seal 2: Red Horse, Rider takes peace from the
earth, people are slaughtered.
Seal 3: Black Horse, Rider holding a scale.
Seal 4: Pale Green Horse, Rider named
Death. Hades follows after
him. Given authority over ¼ of the
Earth. Famine/Pestilence.
Seal 5: Under the altar (what altar???), vision
of souls slaughtered for God.
Seal 6: Earthquake, sun darkened, moon like
blood.
Chapter 7:
What is the
significance of the 144,000 (vs. 1-8), and the Multitude from Every Nation (vs.
9-17)?
(Note: Remember, 12 is a symbolic number – 12
disciples, 12 tribes of Israel.
144,000 = 12 x 12,000)
If we don’t worry so
much about details, is there a theme or story being told?
Six:
Read Revelation 8-9.
The Lamb opens the 7th Seal – The scroll is
completely open. Why the silence?
An angel comes with incense to offer the prayers of the
saints. Then the angel throws the
censer (what holds the incense) to the earth causing thunder, rumblings,
flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.
Then come the 7 Trumpets.
Trumpets usually mean the beginning or end of something (think of
“Reveille” and “Taps”). What is
the meaning of each trumpet?
Trumpet 1: Fire, Hail, Blood, Burning of the Earth
Trumpet 2: Mountain thrown into the sea, 1/3 of
sea becomes blood
Trumpet 3: Star fell from heaven. Star named Wormwood (Note:
Wormwood is a bitter but not poisonous plant)
Trumpet 4: 1/3 of the Day was darkened. Same with the night.
Trumpet 5: Bottomless pit opened. Locusts come to the earth. Locusts could only attack those without
God’s seal on their head. (Read
the description of the Locusts).
Trumpet 6: 4 Angels
released. They kill 1/3 of
humans. Those not killed did not
repent.
Trumpet 7: Comes in a later chapter.
How are these like and not like the Plagues in Egypt (Exodus
7-12)? Look at why the plagues
happened in both settings. Where
the plagues happened. What was the
result?
Again, if we don’t pay too close attention to the details
(though details are important!), what can we learn?
Seven:
Read Revelation 10-17
Skim these chapters
first, and then go back and read them again (several times if you can).
There is a lot of
symbolism in these chapters. Don’t
let the details bog you down. Try
to get the overall message. What
is that message? (The answer will probably be somewhat different for different
people).
Revelation 10:6-
“…There will be no more delay…”
This implies that God is starting events that lead to the “end of
time.” The theological word for
the study of end times is eschatology. What
does “the end of time mean?”
Chapter 11: The two witnesses prophesy for 1266
days (3 ½ years)(3 ½ is half of 7, the “perfect number). These witnesses are wearing sackcloth- often made of dark goat hair
for mourning. What are they mourning?
11:15- The Seventh
Trumpet: “The kingdom of the
world has become the kingdom of
our Lord…” This is a line
in Handel’s Messiah (“The Hallelujah
Chorus”). Notice the beauty of the
language!
Chapter 12: What
do the following symbolize? The
Woman? The Dragon? The Child?
Chapter 13: The beasts are thought to be Roman
emperors who said they were gods to be worshipped.
*666 (Rev.
13:17-18) – probably is the numerical equivalent of “Nero Caesar”
The Greek spelling, "Nerōn
Kaisar", transliterates into Aramaic (using English letters) nrvn qsr.
Using Gematria- assigning numbers to letters, if you add the those
letters (in Aramaic) you get the following:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Resh (ר)
|
Nun (נ)
|
Sum
|
|
200
|
60
|
100
|
50
|
6
|
200
|
50
|
666
|
What could it mean to have the Mark of the Beast on your
right hand and forehead?
*Tattooing or some physical mark
was used to identify slaves. What else could
this mean? (See how God uses similar terms in Deuteronomy
6:4-9).
Chapter 14: Notice the beauty of the language as
the Lamb claims power!
Chapters 15, 16, 17-
The Final Judgment: Why would this happen after Jesus is in
control? Why not the final battle
before he comes into control?
(Again, this is opinion).
Chapter 17: The Great Whore and Babylon are
probably originally references to Rome.
What would they represent now?
Without worrying
about all the details, what is the main thing happening in Chapters 10-17? How would this apply under Roman
oppression? How would this apply
now?
Eight:
Read Revelation 18-22
Skim these
chapters. Don’t dwell on the
details. Read them again; several
times if possible.
Revelation 18: This chapter is about the Fall of
Babylon (symbol for Rome). Dating
the fall of Rome is difficult because historians consider different events to
be “Rome’s Fall.” Some say Rome
fell in the year 476 after about 320 years of decline when the Western Roman
Empire collapsed. Others say Rome
collapsed in 395 when the empire was last politically unified. Notice how graphic Revelation is about
the “Fall of Babylon.” Why do you
think it is so graphic?
Revelation 19: Read how Heaven rejoices. The Rider on the White Horse is
Jesus. How does the description
describe what Jesus will be like?
Revelation 20: The Beast is finally defeated. What does this symbolize?
Read about the judging of the dead. How does the timing of this judgment
seem to you? Are we judged at the
end of time or when we die (or some other time)?
Revelation 21-22: Read about the New Heaven and the New
Earth. Write down the parts that strike
you the most. What about them seem
important?
Conclusion: What is the message of Revelation as
you see it now? Try to limit
yourself to just a few sentences. (That may be VERY difficult).
Labels start to get misconstrued when we get into issues of religion and politics. I'll use myself as an example. First, I'll discuss religion (I'm a pastor, after all, and that IS my job). I am a United Methodist. Being United Methodist makes me a Christian. So, which am I? I guess it depends on who is asking the question. I would hope that if one knew I am a United Methodist, that person would know I'm a Christian. But, sadly, that is not the case. There are many United Methodists (and Baptists, and Catholics, and Presbyterians - If I left out your denomination, fill it in here) who do not act like Christians. I would even venture that some United Methodists (or other denominational members) ARE not Christian. That is most likely a minority, but I'm sure it exists. They may attend church, participate in its ministries, but do not have the faith. I'm not speaking of the doubts we all have from time to time, but rather a denial of the faith.
With all of this in mind, I've chosen to rid myself of all political and ideological labels. By saying "I'm a Democrat," or "I'm a Republican," or "I'm an Independent," a person (in American politics) is stating more than their voting habits. Sadly, the "more" is usually unintended because of stereotypes associated with each party. For example, I am a Pro-Life (though I'm sure there are situations where I could be convinced to be Pro-Choice, but that is the exception rather than the rule), Anti-Death Penalty, Pacifist, Christian who loves NPR, The Colbert Report (when I have time to watch it), and secular music. I am for social justice, but I also believe that those who are not hampered by a condition they cannot control (including illness, discrimination, unemployment in an economically "dead" area, etc.) should take personal responsibility for their lives. For those who are unable due to unavoidable reasons, I am the first to say we owe a duty of care to those people. I believe we should spend liberally on education, and conservatively on defense. I believe that while I may not like various foreign governments, it is not our place to actively work to overthrow them. Of course, we owe some sort of duty of care to oppressed citizens of those nations, but our care ends before we determine their "new" government. I believe in ecological conservation, but I believe that "progress" will use natural resources. Rather than exploiting our natural resources, we should treat them with care. I believe we are the UNITED States of America. That doesn't mean we all need to agree, in many situations we need to agree to disagree. You don't have to vote the way I do to be equally valued. Does all of this make me Democrat? The Democratic officials would find problems with some of my beliefs. Does this make me
All in all, this is to say that the stereotypes of modern labels have become misconstrued and too narrow. Most of all, I shun the use of "Liberal" and "Conservative." What do they mean, especially when they come to religion? Again, using myself as an example...I believe that I (try to) follow Jesus the best I can in the way He taught. I am, however, not a Biblical Literalist (usually associated with the stereotype of "Conservatives"). I believe the Bible to be 100 per cent true. But to be true, each detail does not have to be literal. Yes, there are literal passages...and if I guessed a percentage, probably 80 per cent or more passages in the Bible are literal. But, the Bible is also Theological. Some statements are made to prove a theological concept about the character of God and not to give a historical account (stereotypically a "Liberal" stand). Does that make me a "Liberal?" Does that make me "Conservative?"
