It would thus become a particular book on roman history or a history book of the ancient church. God reveals a basic framework for understanding future events. Under the inspiration of the holy spirit, the apostle john introduces the reader of this prophecy to the source of its revelation. This book is gods open letter to us and contains critical information about our future. God would not have given it to us if its meaning were entirely a mystery. For the saints of god, however, the book of revelation is written to tell us the things which shall be hereafter. The meaning shows that it is an unveiling about the apocalypse of jesus christ. The author of the book of revelation, saint john the divine, offers a transcription of seven letters and later describes strange beasts, visions of judgments, governments, demonic battles, heaven, and a new world order a prophetic vision for the end of the world. What is the relationship between the old and new testaments. A river in the city that flows from the very throne of god 2.
Peter jensens the revelation of god was a helpful book on understanding a reformed perspective on revelation. In fact i dont think its possible for us to have a large enough understanding of who jesus is. The book of revelation is similar to other literature of the time thats called apocalyptic, which typically includes visions, global clashes, endoftheworld warnings, and many, many symbols. Revelation explained part 1 jesus unveiled revelation. Revelation chapter 22 explained book of revelation each. Understanding the book of revelation kindle edition by rose. Only those whose names are in the book of life will be able to enter. Entire gospel reveals jesus glory, but in this section, john explains the meaning of jesus passion, death and. God illuminates the city, it needs no external light source 3.
John the divine in some translations of the bible without comparing what it says to the rest of sacred scripture, can be a confusing experience. Whereas in the three synoptic gospels jesus actually eats a passover meal. A testimony of jesus christ is a commentary that explains some of the mysteries of revelation. The book of revelation gives us many of the keys that unlock prophetic understanding because it faithfully follows the principle that the bible interprets itself. This is a very interesting article worth more thought. Therefore, this book contains information god intends to disclose or reveal to humans, rather than conceal from us.
The book of revelation is a revealing of jesus christ in glory. Satan may empower fortune tellers, but neither he nor they actually know the future. The message of revelation is as relevant today as ever before, as our world seems to be descending into chaos. Understanding the book of revelation kindle edition by rose publishing. The book of revelation is the sequel to the book of genesis, the two books together bounding all history and bounding all of god s revelations to mankind. Early church and book of revelation church history 101. What is the response of the son of god to the church of laodicea rev 3. Its going to take our understanding of christ beyond what we will find anywhere else in scripture. The power that brings destruction to man is told to us in revelation 17. Far from god revealing merely knowledge about himself, god s revelation is an act of superabundant love, revealing his very self cf. Book of revelation for dummies cheat sheet dummies. According to the book, this john was on the island of patmos, not far from the coast of asia minor, because of the word of god and the testimony of jesus rev. Religious studies center, brigham young university, 2009, 27189.
First, i am not an expert in this area not in the early church thinking and even less when it comes to understanding and having a credible idea about revelation. The real meaning of the bibles book of revelation is a popular, ongoing debate. The mission of god and of his people is one of the central themes in the book of revelation. The understanding of revelation in dei verbum and the. Revelation outlines a long series of events that relate. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Considered canonically, the book of revelation unfolds for the reader the culmination on gods missional activity and the missional activity of his people. Jun 21, 2016 the big theme of revelation is gods sovereign rule chs. Soren kierkegard argued that since man is fallen and in a state of rebellion and isolation from god, he cannot understand god s truth without revelation. And i beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of god sent forth into all the earth.
I have a couple of questions in the spirit of friendly enquiry. The circumstances in which revelation was written would be the story of salvation. Though they sometimes seem dissimilar, the two parts of the bible are all. Supporting scriptural evidence is provided via the respective chapters in revelation for the wise, a detailed scriptural look at revelation the following is intended to assist you in your own reading of revelation and to provide a framework to help you understand it. A careful examination of the book of revelation explains its purpose and what it is about. The opening of the book states that it is a revelation about what must take place shortly or soon, so it does appear to relate to when even though shortly or soon is not precise. What is progressive revelation and is it scriptural. Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come. Revelation quiz questions flashcard style flashcards quizlet. Jesus is the express revelation of god, who is active in the life of the church and the. Every statement is to be taken to mean for exactly what is written unless such interpretation is highly improbable to spiritual reason, or against scripture elsewhere. Start studying religion history and divine revelation 97. The book of revelation must be taken literal whenever possible. Keys to understanding revelation the book of revelation.
Enduring word bible commentary revelation chapter 1. The book of revelation is the last book of the bible in our canon for good reason. Book of revelation explained a testimony of jesus christ. Peter jensen, the revelation of god, contours of christian theology. Understanding the source of revelation t he book of revelation begins with powerful words that, for the most part, have been ignored or misunderstood by many bible students. The correct title of the last book in the bible is the revelation of st. The time for understanding the book of revelation is now at hand.
In 30 minutes, understanding the book of revelation ebook will help you understand the different ways christians have interpreted revelation throughout the centuries. During which old testament book did the events of job most likely take place. The book reveals jesus christ, the god of the bible, in his role during the tribulation and as king of kings subjective genitive and is the revelation from jesus about the events that will transpire during the tribulation and afterwards objective genitive. Revelation explained part 1 jesus unveiled revelation is. God used specific revelation to reveal himself to man so he could promise a savior to the people and to confirm his covenant. The revelation of god contours of christian theology. Reading the book of revelation, also called the apocalypse of st. If we have a proper starting point, it can be both exciting and spiritually edifying. It is the revelation of jesus christ to show his servants revelation 1. Revelation is the last book in the bible in regards to both location and what else. The book of revelation in the bible is one of the more difficult books of the bible to understand. Chapters 48 cover the truths preceding the seal series and the opening of the seven seals and are explained in the book of revelation explained, volume 2. Understanding revelation study 1 circumstances of revelation p.
While they argued for a propositional understanding of the bible, hodge and henry were also aware of its other forms such as promises, assertions, narratives, questions, proverbs, laws, parables, and covenants. The key to understanding woe number one is given in revelation 9. The principal divisions of the book of revelation are the following. One of the intriguing questions discussed by scholars is the phrase of jesus christ iesou christou genitive case. Religion history and divine revelation 97 flashcards quizlet.
You thought revelation was about the end of the world. Understanding the book of revelation restored church of god. Translated from the greek apokalypsis, the word means unveiling, or revealing. The second woe, with its horses and horsemen, is found in revelation 9. The story of the storytellers the gospel of john from jesus to. Understanding the book of revelation, pamphlet ebook. Early in the book jensen makes his reformed beliefs clear in stating that humans are unable to find god on their own 38. Keys to understanding revelation united church of god. Hes the savior of the world and the vanquisher of evil so thats means hes a hands on kind of guy. Many people consider the book of revelation intimidating. As part of scripture, the book of revelation was given by inspiration of god 2 timothy 3. While there are a few references to earlier eventssuch as the symbol of ancient israel in revelation 12. The concluding book of the new testament begins in the following fashion. Ezekiel the throne of god, souls were slain, mark on the forehead of the faithful, coals on the altar, eat the word of god, measure the temple, jerusalem as sodom, harlet, new jerusalem.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading understanding the book of revelation. In fact, i really do not have a good working knowledge of the terms you are using. The introduction and prologue to the book of revelation. Key to understanding commentaries on revelations is knowing the position of the commentator. The book of revelation is just that a revelation 1. This book is god s open letter to us and contains critical information about our future. The emphasis of the bible is gods plan for mans redemption. A tale of two cities revelation 1722 the meaning of revelation for our work.
It is, of course, the cryptic symbolism of revelation that makes it challenging to understand. The doctrine of inspiration is concerned with the content of the written revelation of god. He then moves into a detailed and holistic description about the nature of the gospel, stressing especially its. In the old testament, worship was closely regulated. While many associate the word apocalypse with great disaster, the book of revelation begins and ends by saying that those who read, understand, and apply its message would be happy for doing so. Understanding the book of revelation a systematic study in. There are four common views regarding how revelation applies to us today. Some of the important themes that come from this sacred text include jesus christ, the last days, the second coming, good versus evil, god s judgments against. In revelation the message is that god is coming to judge and to redeem, and that the powers of evil and empires will clash before god establishes the fullness of his kingdom. Following is a fairly detailed summary of the major turning points and events of the book of revelation.
If youre befuddled by the book of revelation in the bible, dont fret. Understanding the book of revelation kindle edition by. The revelation of jesus christ which god gave him to show to his servants. Revelation reveals the events of the day of the lord revelation 1.
In the new testament, more freedom seems to be given in worship. Calvin famously wrote that the world and history are the theatre of gods glory. The clear purpose of revelation love worth finding with. John explains that god the father gave most of the book of revelation to christ in the form of a scroll sealed with seven seals. Like the books of prophecy in the old testament, revelation proclaims a message. But as johnwho wrote the book under gods inspirationtells us in his concluding chapter, an angel specifically commanded him, do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book revelation 22. Taking on human flesh, christ is the essence and object of god s self revelation. The book of revelation explained volume 3 p reface you will noti ce th at the b ook of reve lation e xplained, volume 3, begins with chapter 8, not chapter 1, and ends at the conclusion of chapter 11. 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. It seems likely this power will be a type of resurgence of the old roman empire. The date of the book in its present form is probably near the end of the reign of domitian a.
Progressive revelation is the teaching that god has revealed himself and his will through the scriptures with an increasing clarity as more and more of the scriptures were written. The genitive frequently is expressed in english by the preposition of, as in this textthus, of jesus christ. If this were the case, revelation would be a meaningless book. The message of the book of numbers is that god remains. God and jesus are two sides of one pretty amazing divine coin. Jan 02, 2020 in these chapters god tells us what eternity with him will be like. Take a look at the basic structure of the book of revelation. Hence, we have to find out when revelation was actually written so that we will have the ground to say whether or not their concept was right. Revelation never describes itself as a symbolic code of future events plotted on a timeline.
In other words, the later the writing the more information is given. The revelation of jesus christto show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass. On the one hand, you have godcreator of the universe and the mastermind behind all the wrath and destruction that is revelation. The prophecies found in the book of revelation are almost identical to. For many, the book is filled with puzzles to be pieced together, timelines to be hashed out, and symbolism to be debated. Apr 28, 2015 revelation never describes itself as a symbolic code of future events plotted on a timeline. Understanding the book of revelation a systematic study. Jesus, the son of god is the ultimate revelation hebrews 1. Natural revelation tells us more about god and points to his sovereignty through his attributes and works. Therefore, only those who believe that the bible is inspired by god and trust what it says will be able to understand the significance of what is revealed in the book of revelation.
The revelation of jesus christ, which god gave him to show his servantsthings which must shortly take place. Understanding the book of revelation introduction reading the book of revelation, also called the apocalypse of st. The chapters of these volumes are designated in this manner for ready reference sake. Chapters 1719 describe the systematic destruction of every enemy of god, culminating with the saints praising god revelation.
Therefore, god reveals knowledge in a progressive and increasing manner throughout the bible. Its meaning is positive, not fearful or terrifying to those who serve god. The book of revelation is a source of hope and encouragement for christians because the book tells about the triumphant return of our lord, jesus christ. As such his ways are higher than our ways and his thought are higher than our thoughts isaiah 55. In this new study guide, the authors examine the book of revelation phrase by phrase, including the actual scripture passages and revealed corrections from the joseph smith translation. The first verse of this book announces that it is the revelation of jesus christ, which god gave him revelation 1. Therefore, believers are strengthened to press on and endure e. Daniel, recorded over 600 years earlier, sets the stage for the larger and more detailed book of revelation, which describes events found nowhere else in the bible. Its important for us to know about the events that will. Understanding the book of revelation the book of revelation is an exciting yet often misunderstood book in the bible. The church that has a grasp of the holiness of god will proclaim, practice, and protect a pure gospel. The book of revelation is the book for the present hour.
It is the final expression of and complement to the prophecies of the jewish prophets. Revelation is a source of hope and encouragement for christians because the book tells about the triumphant return of our lord, jesus christ. The key to understanding the book of revelation is to interpret it as literally as possibleit says what it means and means what it says. While this theme is recognized by many commentators it has gone largely unexplored and unrecognized in the church. Despite all this, the church is kept safe by god, revelation 14. How was the book of revelation made known to john rev 1. Understanding images and symbols in the book of revelation.
The kingdom of god is near revelation 1 the seven churches of revelation revelation 23 the throne room of god revelation 4 and 5 end times disaster and deliverance revelation 616 babylon and the new jerusalem. They constitute the alpha and omega of god s written word, the book of beginnings and the book. It concerns itself with that day, when this present age is wrapped up and the new one begins. The more accurate title of the last book of the bible is the revelation of god. This framework is primarily laid out in daniel and revelation. This is to corre spond with the chapters in the revelation. In 1 peter 1, peter calls upon the saints to live in fear of god 1.
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