Contents of this Page
Why Should we Study Revelation?
Revelation and Genesis.
The Author of Revelation.
John the Apostle.
Some Other John.
The Date Revelation was Written.
The Title.
Apocalyptic Literature.
Theories of Interpretation.
1) The Continuous – Historical Interpretation.
2) The Futurist Interpretation.
3) The Idealist Interpretation.
4) The Preterist Interpretation.
5) The Historical Background – Prophetic Principle.
5) Interpretation Principles used in this Study.
Why should we study Revelation?
1) Revelation is a book of symbols, figures and (to most of us) strange imagery. Because of this, it is a closed book to the majority of us, considered impossible to understand.
2) But why should it be so? Why have people neglected to study the book?
a) Many have been put off by its abuse: - Charlatans and other false teachers have used Revelation to “prove” their far-fetched and way-out doctrines. I have a large collection of theories concerning various parts of this book. More are appearing each year, so many in fact, that it is becoming impossible to keep up.
b) Sincere students of God's Word find themselves at a loss in trying to understand and deal with the strange figures of speech and imagery used in this book. Many want to study this book as they desire to study the whole of God's Word but when they come across beasts such as seven-headed dragons they give up in despair, unable to make any sense out of it.
3) God did not include this book in His Word, the Bible to confuse and mystify His people. God gave us His Word so we can know Him and understand Him, this includes the book of Revelation too.
a) The title of the book “Revelation” comes from the Greek word apokalupsis. Both these words hold the meaning, identify its contents as being a revelation, an uncovering, a clarification.
b) God is not the author of confusion: - Abuse and careless handling of the book are the main causes of confusion and misunderstanding of Revelation.
4) This book is clearly part of, fits in with, the rest of the Bible.
a) Strong evidence supports the fact that early Christians accepted Revelation as part of God’s word.
b) The theme of the book is in agreement with the theme of the Bible:-
“God is in control and He will overcome all evil.”
c) There is no idea found within Revelation that cannot be found elsewhere in the Bible. That is a bold statement, isn't it? Through out the pages of this study, it is my belief that I will prove that to be the case. For a start see Appendix D.
5) Here are five reasons why we should study Revelation.
a) There is no getting away from the fact that this is apart of God's word. It is a revelation, given to us by Jesus Christ, Himself. Rev 1:1.
b) A blessing is promised to those who read and study this book. Rev 1:3.
c) This book sets forth the Christian philosophy of history: - God is in control and righteousness will eventually triumph over evil.
d) The book centres its message on our Saviour, Jesus Christ. The one whose name we wear. Rev 1:4-6; 5:6, 9-4; 12:5; .
e) It completes and brings to a crashing climax the message of the entire Bible. Rev 20 The Final Judgment.
6) Revelation was written to encourage the early church in a time of crisis.
a) Encouragement for the approaching persecution.
Rev 1:1, .
b) Encouragement for other future times of crisis.
Rev 2:25-26.
c) Confirmation that God is still in control.
The final defeat of Satan. -15.
7) Two common misconceptions about Revelation.
a) First - Revelation is difficult to understand.
b) Second – We treat Revelation as a book of prediction and prophecy.
First – Revelation is not a difficult book to understand. It is highly symbolic but is not a lock whose key has been thrown away. It can be opened and enjoyed by anyone of us. The very fact you have got this deep into my study shows me your desire to learn about this book.
The major reason why we have difficulty decoding the symbolism is that unlike the 1st-century readers, we are largely illiterate of the Bible, particularly the Old Testament as it was understood by the Jews in the 1st century. The Old Testament provides us with important clues to the understanding and decoding of Revelation. For example:- Out of 404 verses in Revelation, some 278 of them allude directly to the Old Testament.
(See Appendix D – Old Testament Background.)
Old Testament ideas, symbols, names and themes have been pulled together through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to form a collage or kaleidoscopic effect to the message that John brings. For example- a phrase like “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” is a creative adaptation of Isa 25:8. Proper names like Balaam, Jerusalem, Sodom and Babylon, and concepts like the “tree of life”, are adapted from Jewish scripture. Numbers like 42 months, 144,000, and 666 are used symbolically just as seven was in the Old Testament (Dan 9:25-27).
This book, above all others in The New Testament, can only be interpreted by the knowledge and use of Old Testament Scripture.
(See lower down this page – Theories of Interpretation.)
Secondly – We misunderstand Revelation because we treat it as a book of prophecy. It is not so much a prediction of future events as it is an expanse of spiritual realities and concepts that affect us even today in a troubled world. Sure the last few chapters must be considered prophecy, but the majority of the book is NOT!
Revelation is a book with strong links to many of the greatest ideas of the Old Testament. While most of the important concepts of God’s word are found in this book, often they are overlooked in the search for predictions of future events.
Revelation and Genesis.
The Bible is a story. It is a story about Jesus.
In the Old Testament, God prepares for the time when Jesus will appear on the Earth. In the Gospels, we follow Jesus as He carried out His ministry, that in the space of three short years, would change the entire course of human history. Finally, in the New Testament, we see the results of what Jesus began. We see His church established and then spreading out across the entire known world.
As I just said above, the Bible is one story. The Last part of Revelation, the very last book of the Bible, reads like the close of a story that began in the very first verses of Genesis, the first book of the Bible. For example:-
1) The first words in Genesis are: - “In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth.” Genesis 1:1
Among the last words in Revelation are: - “I saw a new Heaven and a new Earth.” Revelation 21:1
2) “The darkness He called night.” Genesis 1:5
“There shall be no night there.” Revelation 21:25
3) “God made the two great lights (Sun and Moon)” Genesis 1:16
“The city has no need of the Sun and the Moon.” Revelation 21:23
4) “In the day you eat there of you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:17
“Death shall be no more.” Revelation 21:4
5) “I will multiply your pain.” Genesis 3:16
“Neither shall there be pain anymore.” Revelation 21:4
6) “Cursed is the ground for your sake.” Genesis 3:17
“There shall be no more curses.” Revelation 22:3
7) Satan appears as the deceiver of mankind. Genesis 3:1, 4
Satan disappears forever. Revelation 20:10
8) They were driven from the Tree of Life. Genesis 3:22-24
The Tree of Life re-appears. Revelation 22:2
9) They were driven from God’s presence. Genesis 3:24
“They shall see His face.” Revelation 22:4
10) Man’s first home was by a river. Genesis 2:10
Man’s eternal home will also be beside a river. Revelation 22:1
Halley’s Bible Handbook, pg 740
Taking into account these obvious connections between Genesis and Revelation a study of God’s Word would not be complete unless we included “the story’s ending” in the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation.
The Author of Revelation.
John the Apostle. (John the son of Zebedee.)
1) External Evidence.
a) Justin Martyr (140 AD), Irenaeus (190 AD), Clement of Alexandria (200 AD), Tertullian (220 AD), Origen (223 AD) and Hippolytus (240 AD) all testify that John the Apostle, son of Zebedee wrote the Apocalypse (The book of Revelation.)
b) Some third-century writers began to deny John the Apostle was the writer of Revelation which is evidence to support the fact that those before them must have held that John the Apostle was the author.
c) John the Apostle is known to have been an important leader (and writer) among the churches of the Province of Asia during the latter half of the 1st century.
2) Internal Evidence.
a) The author calls himself John, Rev 1:1; 1:4; 1:9; 22:8. The fact that only the word “John” is used seems to suggest that the author was well known to the churches of Asia. Who would have been more well-known than the Apostle based in Ephesus who regularly visited all these churches?
b) The author uses a tone of authority characteristic of one such as an Apostle. Rev 22:18-19. But even more importantly, this authority seems to have been excepted by first century Christians.
c) The Apostle John uses similar terms in other writings.
i) Compare Rev 22:8 with John “heard – bears witness to”.
ii) Compare Rev 1:2 with John 1:1; 1 John 1:1. Same term “Word of God” used to indicate Jesus Christ.
d) John claims to have received the vision while imprisoned on the island of Patmos. Tradition tells us that John was imprisoned on Patmos and that the Island of Patmos was used as a Roman punishment centre.
Some Other Well-known John.
1) External Evidence.
Some third-century writers such as Dionysius (250 AD), a scholar of the Christian School of Alexandria, denied that the Book of Revelation was written by the Apostle John.
2) Internal Evidence.
a) Just the name John is used which means it could be anyone called John or someone falsely claiming to be John.
b) The Greek of the Fourth Gospel is simple but correct where the Greek of Revelation is rugged, vivid and notoriously incorrect.
c) The author’s authority lies in his claim to be a prophet, not an Apostle.
i) He must prophesy. .
ii) Give witness or testimony to the Church. .
iii) Show his servants what is going to happen to the world. Rev 22:6
iv) The angel speaks of his brothers the prophets. Rev 22:9
v) The book is characteristically words of prophecy.
Rev 22:7; 22:10; 22:18-19.
Our Conclusion:-
The arguments concerning the name John weigh in favour of John the Apostle. The fact that the author chose to identify himself just by the name 'John' meant he must have been well known within the churches of Asia. For example, if at the beginning of this study I had just identified myself as Allan would you have understood who the author was? Well, the author of Revelation felt certain he would easily be identified by only this single name.
We can also explain the difference in grammar, writing style and subject matter by considering the fact that on Patmos, John was writing after having been given the Revelation while he was in a state of deep emotional surprise and wonder. On the other hand, it is likely John wrote the Gospel, taking the time to carefully consider what he was writing, perhaps even with the help of an assistant or scribe.
There is no disagreement in doctrine between Revelation and the fourth Gospel. We find there are a number of similar phrases or terms used in both writings which are not found in the other gospels.
After considering this evidence we can be reasonably certain that the Apostle John was the author of the Book of Revelation.
The Date Revelation was Written.
There also seems to be a difference of opinion as to the date that Revelation was written. It is very important that we establish an approximate date as this will have a major effect on how we interpret the events of the book. In doing this we have 3 possibilities: - An early date before 69 AD, a late date of 96 to 100 AD or a middle date of 70 AD.
1) An Early Date: - Before 69 AD.
a) Pshitta Syriac a 2nd-century translation of the Old Syriac that did not contain the Book of Revelation states that John was banished to Patmos during Nero’s reign.
b) The smoother Greek of John’s Gospel points to the fact that Revelation was written earlier than the Gospel when the Apostle was not so experienced in writing in the Greek language.
c) Since Jerusalem was not mentioned as being destroyed we must consider it to be still standing. Rev 11:8 tells us that the city where the Lord was crucified (Jerusalem) was still standing.
d) Revelation is not so much concerned with the second coming of Christ as with the symbolic judgement of Rome, the cause of much of the persecution suffered by the early church.
e) The Domitian reign closely fits into the context as the second and more terrible period of persecution faced by the early church.
See notes on Rev Chapter 17.
2) A Late Date: – 96 – 100 AD.
a) Irenaeus, a respected 2nd-century church leader, wrote:- “Revelation was produced towards the end of the reign of Domitian.”
b) Eusebius, a fourth-century church historian, preserves the tradition that John returned home to Ephesus following the death of Domitian.
Note: - Taking into account that two well respected early writers claimed a late date of about 96 – 100 AD, the evidence still falls in favour of the earlier date. But there is a third possibility.
3) Middle Date:- 70 AD.
There is strong evidence within Revelation for the book being written in the year 70 AD, after the persecutions of Nero, before the destruction of Jerusalem, at the beginning of the reign of Emperor Vespasian.
a) In Chapter 11:1-14 the temple, which was demolished in August of 70 AD, is still standing. Advocates of the “late date” naturally consider this passage to be strictly figurative, but the allusion to the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ in Rev 11:8, makes us think of the historical Jerusalem.
b) In Rev 17:9-11, we find eight kings are mentioned. If we take these kings to be the first eight emperors of the Roman Empire then again the text leads us to a date of 70 AD. The first five Emperors (kings) were: - Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero. Nero’s death in 68 AD left the empire in an uproar and then civil war. Maybe this is what John describes as the “deadly wound” of Rev 13:3, 12, 14. Three men, Galba, Otho, and Vitellius tried to consolidate power and their authority over the empire but it was to be Vespasian who eventually restored order in 70 AD. The “deadly wound” was healed and Vespasian became the sixth king, or “the one that is,” of Rev 17:10.This would make Titus the seventh king and Domitian the eighth king.
c) Notice carefully, that in Rev 17:8,11 John was told that the beast "is not". It "was", and "is about to come" (ASV), but at the time the Revelation was being given, the beast "Is not"! If you understand (as I do) that the "beast" represents Imperial Rome as personified in its emperors Nero and Domitian, then Revelation could not have been written during the reigns of either Nero or Domitian!
d) The conditions of persecution that had been experienced already by those in the book are similar to that mentioned by Peter. He wrote to the Christians in Asia Minor also, just a few years before 1 Peter 1:1. They were undergoing persecution similar to that described in Rev 2 & 3; i.e., persecution by the Jews with the help of Roman authorities, something that had been going on since the days of Paul's first missionary journey.
Our Conclusion:-
Therefore I suggest that the internal evidence indicates that the Revelation of John was given during the reign of Vespasian, the sixth emperor, while the "beast is not". This would place the date of the book being written around the spring of 70 A.D. (as suggested by Philip Schaff, History of the Church, Vol. I). Referring to Philip Schaff, who at one time held the "late date", I find this following quotation to be of great interest:
"The early date is best suited for the nature and object of the Apocalypse and facilitates its historical understanding. Christ pointed in his eschatological discourses to the destruction of Jerusalem and the preceding tribulation as the great crisis in the history of the theocracy and the type of the judgment of the world. And there never was a more alarming state of society."
"The horrors of the French Revolution were confined to one country, but the tribulation of the six years preceding the destruction of Jerusalem extended over the whole Roman empire and embraced wars and rebellions, frequent and unusual conflagrations, earthquakes and famines and plagues, and all sorts of public calamities and miseries untold. It seemed, indeed, that the world, shaken to its very centre, was coming to a close, and every Christian must have felt that the prophecies of Christ were being fulfilled before his eyes."
"It was at this unique juncture in the history of mankind that St. John, with the consuming fire in Rome and the infernal spectacle of the Neronian persecution behind him, the terrors of the Jewish war and the Roman interregnum around him, and the catastrophe of Jerusalem and the Jewish theocracy before him, received those wonderful visions of the impending conflicts and final triumphs of the Christian church. His was truly a book of the times and for the times and administered to the persecuted brethren the one but all-sufficient consolation: Maranatha! Maranatha!"
(History of The Christian Church, by Philip Schaff.
Vol. I, pp. 836-837)
The Title
Revelation: - The title means Apocalypse.
Apocalypse – A compound word of two parts.
1) Apo – “away from”
2) Kalupsis – “a veiling”
The full meaning – “unveiling, uncovering, revealing.”
"The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law." Deut 29:29.
This verse tells us, once God has revealed His Word to us it should remain with us and with our children for us. What has been revealed can not become hidden again.
The very title of this book should be enough to challenge the popular opinion today that this book is among the hidden mysteries of God and can never be understood. It this was the case then should it be called something such as; "The Mystery" or "The Hidden Book." Certainly not "Revelation" the book of uncovering, revealing.
It is common today to hear this book called "Revelations." This is based on the incorrect idea that the book is series of unconnected visions. The book itself claims to be one revelation so we should use the name “Revelation”, singular not plural.
Some give this book the title 'The Revelation' which is also incorrect. In keeping with the titles of other New Testament books, the title of this book should be just the one word 'Revelation.' The only reason the word 'the' should be used is when the book is described as 'The Revelation of John' or 'The book of Revelation' but of which should be used as a description rather than a name or title.
Some give this book the title 'The Revelation' which is also incorrect. In keeping with the titles of other New Testament books, the title of this book should be just the one word 'Revelation.' The only reason the word 'the' should be used is when the book is described as 'The Revelation of John' or 'The book of Revelation' but of which should be used as a description rather than a name or title.
Apocalyptic Literature.
1) Revelation belongs to a class of writing known by scholars as “apocalyptic literature.”
a) The Old Testament books of Daniel and Ezekiel, along with some parts of Zechariah, also belong to this type of literature.
b) This style of writing was not used to obscure a writer’s message but to make it more vivid and impressive through the use of dramatic figures and images.
2) Apocalyptic literature ordinarily appeared among the Jews during times of extreme difficulty in order to convey a message of optimism and hope.
e.g. The exile, times of great persecution.
3) The general theme of such literature is: - God is in control of history and fully capable of bringing men and events to His desired ending.
4) During the period from 200 BC to 200 AD, a great deal of this type of literature appeared among the Jews. This was mainly due to that fact that the Jews were under the authority and subjection of nations, such as the Romans.
5) Apocalyptic literature also appeared in Jewish writings at other times of crises such as we can see in the books of Daniel and Ezekiel.
6) Apocalyptic literature is identified by a number of general characteristics. A study of the book of Revelation needs to be placed against the background of these characteristics.
a) Apocalyptic literature usually reflects a dark time or a time of crises in Jewish or human history.
b) Apocalyptic literature personifies good and evil and pictures them in a situation of conflict.
e.g. The Lamb = Jesus, The Dragon = Satan.
c) Predictions are made about the outcome of the struggle and the fate of the wicked figures within the drama.
d) The message is made known via a series of dramatic dreams and visions.
e) A common symbolism is employed.
i) Domesticated animals represent God’s people.
ii) Wild animals and outrageous animals represent forces opposed to God.
iii) Numbers are very important:-
2 = Strength.
3 = The Divine Number.
4 = The World.
6 = Imperfection, Evil.
7 = Perfection.
12 = Organised Religion.
10 and its multiples = Human Completeness.
(See Symbolism of Numbers – Appendix C)
iv) Colours have special meaning as well:-
White = Purity or Victory.
Red = Blood or War.
Black = Evil.
Livid = Death.
Purple = Royal.
f) An Apocalypse is usually untraceable as to its authorship.
g) It is usually sealed (e.g. closed and contents are hidden) for future generations.
Note: - In the case of Revelation, for the first five traits (a – e) this is true but in the last two traits (f & g), Revelation differs.
First – In Revelation, the author is clearly identified.
Second – In Revelation, a major theme is the unsealing rather than sealing up of the book.
(See chapters 5 & 6)
Theories of Interpretation. (Richard Rogers – Hallelujah Anyway.)
There are five major schools of interpretation which have grown up around the book of Revelation. These are:-
1) Continuous – Historical.
2) Futurist.
3) Idealist.
4) Preterist.
5) Historical – Prophetic.
1) The Continuous – Historical Interpretation.
The Continuous – Historical school of thought looks upon Revelation as a forecast or blueprint of church history in symbols, from 96AD through until the end of time or the end of the Christian Age.
For an example of this let’s look at Revelation chapter six.
(Barnes Notes.)
The First Seal - Roman Empire from the death of Emperor Domitian 96AD to the accession of Commodus 180AD.
The Second Seal – From the death of Commodus 193 AD until the time of Caracella 211 AD.
The third Seal – The time of Caracella 211 AD.
The Fourth Seal – The time of Decius to Gallienus 243 – 268 AD.
The Fifth Seal – Fulfilled by the Roman Empire in the persecutions particularly in the time of Diocletian.
The Sixth Seal – Invasions of the Barbarians 365 AD.
Objections:-
a) Such interpretations find the popes, Mohammed, Hitler and other historical figures in the pages of Revelation which would have been completely meaningless to 1st century Christians.
b) This method always places the interpreter in the last age prior to the Lord’s return that means that as time goes by calculations of times and events are upgraded. Some past historical events are dropped off or down graded so more recent historic events can be fitted in.
c) The outlook is often too narrow in the fact that it seems to mainly follow the Roman Catholic Church. What about the many other branches of Christianity?
2) The Futurist Interpretation.
The Futurist school looks upon Revelation as a volume of unfulfilled prophecy. From chapter four until the end of the book we have recorded events which are to take place in the future, in the space of seven years Dan 9:24-27 prior to the Lord’s return for a thousand year reign over the Earth.
Objections:-
a) One of the strongest objections to the Futurist Interpretation method is that it leaves Revelation out of relating to the needs of the 1st-century church. One of the first principles of prophecy is that its first relationship is to its own generation.
b) Apocalyptic literature is highly symbolic and a literal interpretation results in absurdity.
c) This view turns the Kingdom of God into a material entity, denies the central role of the church in the scheme of redemption and forces Revelation to contradict other parts of the Bible.
d) Why should such a book be carefully sent to the seven churches of Asia, at great personal risk to John and to the churches, when the book was of no use or relevance to them?
3) The Idealist Interpretation.
Objections:-
a) It removes the book from any historical base and sees an eternal struggle between good and evil portrayed in Revelation.
b) You could almost consider it in the same way we might see the struggle between good and evil in the movies Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, interesting, but having no relationship to the real world.
c) This flies in the face of the book’s claim to be a prophecy about events that will shortly to take place.
4) The Preterist Interpretation.
Preterist School of interpretation views Revelation as a book of fulfilled prophecy against the specific background of the struggles between Rome and the church.
There are two sides to this group:-
The right having respect for the book being inspired by God.
The left having no respect for inspiration at all.
Objections:-
b) Roman State Religion under the reign of Emperor Constantine.
c) A more moderate Preterist view relates the bulk of the book as being the Rome – Church struggle while seeing chapters 20 – 22 as looking at the end of the Christian Era.
d) This method of interpretation, while being close to the truth, still leaves no message in the book for modern day Christians.
e) The left group does not regard the book as having been inspired by God.
5) The Historical – Background, Prophetic Principle Interpretation.
a) This school of thought holds that the book of Revelation was written in the 1st century for the comfort and edification of the 1st century Church.
b) It was written in symbolic language partly to add dramatic power to the book and partly so the book could pass by the Roman guards as writings of fantasy or writings of a “mad” Christian.
c) Being full of symbolic images it must be interpreted as figurative or symbolic unless a literal interpretation is called for.
d) Old Testament imagery is recognised but the symbols do not necessarily have to mean exactly the same thing as they did in the Old Testament.
See Appendix B & Appendix D.
e) Symbols must not be pressed to a fine detail but rather kept in relationship to the overall picture of the surrounding context.
f) The key to unlocking Revelation is to find a similar picture in some other part of the Bible and then apply it to the verse in Revelation.
g) Finally, this book is addressed to the imagination. Its purpose is to open the minds and imaginations of Christians to God’s word.
Revelation is to the imagination.
Romans is to the intellect.
Psalms is to the emotions.
Leviticus (Commandments) is to the will.
It is this fifth interpretation method that we will mainly be using in this study but I must be pointed out at this point, that there are elements from some of the other interpretation methods, particularly the Preterist Interpretation Method, which have crept into this study as well.
6) Interpretation Principles used in this Study.
a) Read the passage from Revelation we are considering.
b) Look for a parallel or similar passage from the Old Testament.
c) Ask, “What does this Old Testament passage mean?”
d) Apply a similar meaning to the Revelation passage.
e) Consider this meaning against surrounding context and overall theme of the book.
See my notes on -18 “The Vision of the Son of Man” as an example of how this works.
