Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation (formal title The Revelation of St. John the Divine, also called The Revelation to John, The Apocalypse of John, or simply Revelation) is the final book of the Christian Bible (The New Testament). It records a series of visions received by the John the Divine while he was imprisoned on the island of Patmos. In ancient writings as going back as early as Justin Martyr, it was held that John the divine was John the Apostle.[1] The visions describe the end times and the second coming of Jesus Christ. (Preterists disagree, believing the book describing events fulfilled at other points in history.)
Revelation also describes the final rebellion of Satan (at Armageddon), the final defeat of Satan by God, and the return of peace to the world.
Contents
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Revelation first describes the arrival of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death. However, the Bible itself only directly names one horseman, "death".
Mark of the Beast
Revelation describes a time in which the a mark consisting of the Number of the Beast will be required on all people in order to buy or sell.
Plagues
Twenty-one judgements are pronounced on the earth: the seven Seal Judgements, the seven Trumpet Judgements, and the seven Bowl Judgements.
Interpretations
There is much modern emphasis that Revelation prophesizes the future and the end times. These views usually consider the end times to be relatively close to being fulfilled. Other views postulate that the writing describes a period of persecution in the early church either during the reign of Nero (54 - 68) or Domitian (81 - 96).
History
The Book of Revelation was one of the last books to be fully accepted into the New Testament Canon largely due to its difficulty in being understood.
See also
References
- ↑ The NIV Study Bible, Zondervan Press, 1985, Pg. 1923
