An interpretation of the book of revelation

He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant john. Hermeneutics is the study of the principles of interpretation. As the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth 1. Revelation is an apocalyptic prophecy with an epistolary introduction addressed to seven churches in the roman province of asia. More than conquerors presents a sound commentary on revelation that settles on an amillennial position grounded in a moderate idealism. This key verse can be used to unlock the meaning of the book.

Answers to a variety of questions on the book of revelation including, the meaning of the first horseman, the timing of the bowl judgments, the application of the churches of laodicea and thyatira to history, and the meaning of nation against nation. John the divinean alternative name for the book of revelationwas written by a prophet, it makes perfect sense that its interpretation is best given by another prophetespecially by the prophet who fulfills the prophecies in the book of. You will find references all through the bible to help us understand the interpretation. The book of revelation is johns record of that vision revelation 1. John the divine is an example of apocalyptic writing a form that delivers a message using symbols, images and numbers.

The revelation is the only book in the nt mentioning john as author. John mentions his name four times in the book revelation 1. Its most serious problem is that it brushes over the specificity found within the text. Interpretation of the book of revelation is stidhams first book. Revelation is apocalyptic, a kind of writing that is highly symbolic. Part of book of revelation for dummies cheat sheet. Reagans video program, revelation revealed, presents a sweeping overview of. Different schools of interpreting revelation evidence unseen. It fittingly has the last place ending the scriptures and gods revelation to man. The bible is the word of god given in the words of men in history. The interpretation of the book revelation lamb and. An overview of revelation multimedia training kit covers the book of revelation verse by verse.

Under this view, the book of revelation is mostly a book of future prophecy. Justin the martyr around 100 to 165 ac, irenaeus around 140 to 220 ac and the muratori canon end of 2 nd century confirm that the apostle john is the author. I am alpha, and omega, the beginning, and the ending. Though it is little more than a piece of scholarly gossip, some have even suggested that the reformer john calvin, one of the best interpreters of the scriptures the church has known, shied away from writing a commentary on the book of revelation for this very reason. The holy scriptures start with a revelation on the past genesis 1 and they end with a revelation on the future. According to ladd, theology, 671, the preterist interpretation rests partly on the assumption that the genre of revelation is very similar to other jewish apocalyptic literature such as the apocalypse of enoch, the assumption of moses, 4 ezra and baruch and is therefore interpreted similarly. Interpretation of the book of revelationpastor bob stidham. Take a look at the basic structure of the book of revelation. Although a christian work, the apocalypse belongs to a class of literature dealing with eschatological subjects and much in vogue among the jews of the first century before, and after, christ. The revealing is done by the commentators, who know nothing.

Dec 14, 2016 watch our overview video on the book of revelation, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The book of revelation also called the revelation of john or the revelation of st. Pastor bob stidham pens an interpretation of the book of. The encyclopedia of christianity in the book of revelation. This very powerful and dynamic teachingtool on the book of revelation shines a light on the symbolism and the mysteries of god revealed to mankind in this great book. The greek name of the bible book of revelation, apoka. The revelation is a very solemn book speaking much about divine judgments but it is also a. 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. A wellknown illustration of an historicist reading of the book of revelation is the reformation identification of the harlot babylon in revelation 17 with the roman catholic church and the papacy. So, the divine author of revelation is jesus christ and the human author is the apostle john. Historicist interpretations of the book of revelation wikipedia.

The interpretation of revelation has always been a subject of debate among bible interpreters. The book of revelation is perhaps the most mysterious book in sacred scripture. However, with just a few tips for understanding certain confusing elements, the book opens up as an important and helpful book for christians. The historicist view follows a straight line of continuous fulfillment of prophecy which starts in daniels time and goes through johns writing of the book of revelation all the way to the second coming of jesus christ. Some will interpret the how, what, and even the timing in the book of revelation differently depending on their method of interpretation. Parts of the old testament, particularly in the book of daniel, are also written in the apocalyptic genre. Although a christian work, the apocalypse belongs to a class of literature dealing with eschatological subjects and much in vogue among the jews of the first.

The interpretation of the book of revelation home facebook. Book of revelation read, study bible verses online. The book depicts him as the risen, glorified son of god ministering among the churches 1. Its purpose is to give encouragement and hope for all. Its title is derived from the first word of the koine greek text. Day of the christ pantocrator sky august 11th, 1999. An apocalypse is a very specific kind of literature with no modern equivalent. The book elijah by michael obrien is faithful to the catholic point of view, while speculating on the events described in the book of revelation, but as mentioned before, there is no actual official interpretation of the book of revelation. Historicist interpretations of the book of revelation. The revelation is the only prophetic book of the nt and it is the keystone of the word of god. Is the modern interpretation of the book of revelation. Titles published through westbow press are evaluated for sales potential and considered. In daily mass we have recently been reading from the book of revelation. I believe that in the book of revelation our lord jesus christ has already given us an excellent key to the interpretation.

Revelation with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. In all its uses, revelation refers to something or someone, once hidden, becoming visible. The interpretation of the book of revelation has often proven difficult throughout the history of the christian church. What this book reveals or unveils is jesus christ in glory. Book of revelation for dummies cheat sheet dummies.

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. Book of revelation explained a testimony of jesus christ. Key to understanding commentaries on revelations is knowing the position of the commentator. The interpretation of the book of revelation by apostolos makrakis. Because it contains so many symbols, some people teach the book as if it were a sort of aliceinwonderland story for adults.

A testimony of jesus christ is a commentary that explains some. Whether one agrees with every detail of the exegesis or not, a view of the text that is unmistakenly christocentric is certainly a marked improvement from much of the drivel that gets passed off as exegesis on. Nov 27, 2018 in daily mass we have recently been reading from the book of revelation. This view maintains that the words in the entire book have. Here is my verse by verse interpretation of the book of revelation chapter 1. If you want to better understand the book of revelation and the end times. It is commonly read at this, the end of the liturgical year, because it speaks to the passing quality of the things of this world and to the end of the world itself. And there has been much speculation about it some of it bordering on offthewall, but some of it serious and scholarly.

The preterist approach to revelation the unfolding of. Although its visions often seem bizarre to the western reader, fortunately the book provides a number of clues for its own interpretation e. The interpretation of the book is it symbolic or literal in nature. The book of revelation is difficult to understand and inspires a wide range of questions, especially since there are many competing interpretations. Youll find four major interpretive approaches to the book of revelation that can help you read, understand, and figure out the apocalyptic letter of john. A testimony of jesus christ is a commentary that explains some of the mysteries of revelation. The idealist approach is held by many in the present day, but it is fundamentally flawed as a method of interpreting the book of revelation. This is the prevailing view among modern scholars who arent aligned with orthodox christianity.

It is also a book of glory, depicting the continue reading is the modern interpretation of the book of revelation flawed. I have some thoughts on this, but i would like to hear what others believe. The book of revelation, a prophecy of warning and hope. Reagans book, wrath and glory, covers the book of revelation chapter by chapter.

Mar 18, 2019 a bahai interpretation of the book of revelation, after acknowledging the existence of a previous, and immediate, historicalcontemporary context, can then apply the prophetic patterns in the book of revelation to a presentday context. The first five seals described in the book of revelation are dealt with in 11 verses see revelation 6. If youre befuddled by the book of revelation in the bible, dont fret. One criticism one hears of this book by fans of the popular prophecy experts is that the book takes a symbolic rather than literal approach to the text. Is the modern interpretation of the book of revelation flawed. And there has been much speculation about it some of it bordering on off the wall, but some of it serious and scholarly. Alan hultberg, associate professor of bible exposition and new testament, shares from the book of revelation in this talbot chapel at biola. The key to bible interpretation, especially for the book of revelation, is to have a consistent hermeneutic. The idealist interpretation could also be called the symbolic or spiritual interpretation. The interpretation of the book revelation lamb and lion. The discipleapostle john, who followed jesus christ and witnessed his crucifixion, authored it.

The preterist interpretation of revelation holds that the events spoken of in this book were all specifically fulfilled in the first century. The result is that the basic historicist interpretation of the book changes from one generation to the next. The following is the forward and a portion of a chapter from a forthcoming book which, in my view, falls in the latter category. Please dont be deceived by those people who come along and say, the book of revelation is apocalyptic. A commentary of the book of revelation bible truth.

A 21st century interpretation of the book of revelation. Symbolic language, however, is one of the chief characteristics of apocalyptic literature, of which. The book of revelation is very simple it starts in the book of genesis. Truths about him and his final victory, that the rest of scripture merely allude to, become clearly visible through revelation about jesus christ see historical and theological themes. What this school said was too idealistic to be accepted by orthodox bible interpreters. Apocalypse, from the verb apokalypto, to reveal, is the name given to the last book in the bible. Revelation is first and foremost a revelation about jesus christ 1. For an adequate understanding of revelation, the reader must recognize that it is a distinct kind of literature. There are several other articles available on biblical interpretation. The real meaning of the bibles book of revelation is a popular, ongoing debate. A 21st century, secular interpretation of the book of revelation now, even though the realms of religion and science in themselves are clearly marked off from each other, nevertheless there exist between the two strong reciprocal relationships and dependencies.

The book of revelation, quipped ambrose bierce, is a famous book in which st. This view has precedent in the early church, but it did not become widespread until the nineteenth century. Westbow press is a strategic supported selfpublishing alliance between harpercollins christian publishing and author solutions, llc the world leader in supported selfpublishing. Unlike most books of the bible, revelation contains its own title. This view regards the book as a book on church history. There are four major schools of interpretation for the book of revelation. In other words, it is the way you interpret scripture. The book of revelation starts with this is a revelation from jesus christ, which god gave him to show his servants the events that must soon take place. The historicist view follows a straight line of continuous fulfillment of prophecy. Reagans video program, revelation revealed, presents a sweeping overview of the entire book of revelation. The book of revelation in the bible is one of the more difficult books of the bible to understand. What is the idealist interpretation of the book of revelation. It can perhaps be best understood in distinction from the other major interpretations of revelation.

Those events are subject to interpretation but they are not a salvation issue. A less wellknown historicist interpretation is the medieval churchs identification of the beast from the sea in revelation with the rise of islam. This surely misses the point of any reasonable interpretation as it cannot be denied that for a book replete with symbolism, the symbolic interpretation isthe literal interpretation. This is the word of god and the testimony of jesus christ. Historicism, a method of interpretation in christian eschatology which associates biblical prophecies with actual historical events and identifies symbolic beings with historical persons or societies, has been applied to the book of revelation by many writers. Interpreting the symbolism in the book of revelation. The interpretation of the book revelation lamb and lion ministries. The literary genres of the book of revelation are an apocalypse, a prophecy, and an epistle or letter.

John wrote revelation while a prisoner on the island of patmos, approximately 8595 a. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant john, 2 who testifies to everything he saw. Watch our overview video on the book of revelation, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Revelation speaks of things that are already history. An interpretation of the book of revelation hendriksen, william on. Futurist occurs in the future the futurist school holds that everything after chapter 4 is yet to happen in the future. Book of revelation explained scripture by scripture. What is the idealist interpretation of the book of.

If we do not prove what we are saying, then we are not teaching anything. All the term means is that the book of revelation is a type of prophetic literature that uses a lot of symbols. The book of revelation explained takes you on a easy to understand and eyeopening journey through the book of revelation. The historical context of the book of revelation put forward in this minority view is the persecution of christians by unbelieving jews in. If you want to understand how the current events of today are coinciding with biblical prophecy, then purchase a copy of this book. 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.