Ninterpreting the book of revelation in the bible

Is what it says simon stevens is assistant principal religious identity and mission at our lady of the sacred heart college in enfield, sa. This is the word of god and the testimony of jesus christ. Ten keys for interpreting the book of revelation digital commons. Revelation was among the last books accepted into the christian biblical. In christian theology, hermeneutics focuses specifically on constructing and discovering the appropriate rules for interpreting the bible. John was a christian leader of jewish origin who was in exile on the roman prison island of patmos. The bible is the word of god given in the words of men in history. 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. It provides the reader with clear insights into the various methods of interpreting this last book of the bible. Like most southern baptist churches in the 90s, we talked a lot about the rapture, the antichrist, the tribulation, and miscellaneous details we. May 08, 2018 without a doubt, the book of revelation is one of the most controversial in all of sacred scripture. Regardless, god promises blessing to the student of this book rev. Interpreting the bible literally reformed bible studies.

The orthodox faith volume i doctrine and scripture. The interpreters of revelation are divided into three main schools. A downtoearth guide to understanding the most mysterious book of the bible. The interpretation of revelation has always been a subject of debate among bible interpreters. For example, the book of revelation uses the word jerusalem to refer to the heavenly future of christians revelation 21. The book of revelation is at once one of the most important books of the.

Hermeneutics is the science of interpreting what an author has written. Its meaning is positive, not fearful or terrifying to those who serve god. There are four major schools of interpretation for the book of revelation. The book of revelation bible, bible study, scripture, and. This does not mean, however, that there is a secret method for discerning the bibles meaning. In it, john1 talks about the ultimate defeat of evil and the glorious return and reign of the lord jesus christ. Its bible on your screen pastor in your headphones with clear, relatable teaching so you can understand. 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. The key to understanding is the mysterious book of revelation is comprehending its story flow. He is studying for the bachelor of theology at flinders university interpreting the book of revelation. The book of revelation is johns record of that vision revelation 1. We are immediately told that this book contains the revelation of jesus christ. Widely recognized as the flagship of american biblical scholarship, the anchor yale bible series is comprised of. Old testament, but most of the characters described in revelation are doing something.

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. Interpreting the book of revelation by richard wagner, larry r. 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. 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 is full of strange and often scary imagery, confusing numbers, time references, and much more. A downtoearth guide to understanding the most mysterious book of the bible lahaye, tim, parker, timothy on. Perhaps those who regard the book of revelation as repulsive, subchristian or somehow unworthy of the god of the bible need to call their own world into question with the same rigor they bring to these disturbing oracles out of their christian past. Therefore, wherever some interpreters found the word jerusalem elsewhere in the bible, they concluded that it also had something to say about heaven. The interpretation of the book revelation lamb and. In fact, the opening passage contains a blessing to everyone who reads, hears, and keeps the words of this prophecy. Dragons and beasts, wrath and grace what does it mean.

A testimony of jesus christ is a commentary that explains some of the mysteries of revelation. All the term means is that the book of revelation is a type of prophetic literature that uses a lot of symbols. Below is a chart identifying the basic literary style of each book of the bible. It is most important to understand that the book of revelation does not list the scenes and events in the same order in which they will actually occur. It has become a book which is the object of the widest possible divergence of interpretation. The book of revelation in the bible is one of the more difficult books of the bible to understand. 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. The interpretation of the book of revelation has often proven difficult throughout the history of the christian church. The theme of the book is the events leading up to the jesus second coming.

Through the years, i have said, the bible was written by baptists, about baptists, for baptists, and to make baptists. Interpreting the book of revelation guides to new testament. Different schools of interpreting revelation evidence unseen. Johns visions reveal that jesus has overcome evil by his death and resurrection, and will return one day as the true king of the world. Because the book of revelation says that angels stand on the earths four corners. Richardson 1960, the shield bible study of baker book house, and the 19volume series of tyndale bible commentaries 1960 of eerdmans, edited by r.

Keys to understanding revelation united church of god. In this companion volume to interpreting the scriptures, kevin j. I do not write this with the intention of upsetting anyone but instead i do it in the tradition of all good teachers including jesus who inspire their students to think for themselves. Interpreting the book of revelation provides a concise introduction to the careful interpretive study of revelation. Youll find four major interpretive approaches to the book of revelation that can. How to interpret the bible remember that context rules.

People have shied away from this book because of its use of symbolism and its cryptic references. Interpreting the book of revelation bible prophecy blog. Others have no doubt but that they can explain it all, with a detailed chart of the future reconstructed from revelation and other biblical books. In my 30s the lord led me through some changes and challenges, and despite my resistance, he broke through and i finally came to faith in 1990. Interpreting the symbolism in the book of revelation. The book of revelation doesnt mean what you think theres more to understanding this ancient book than you realize. If you lay the solid foundation of observation, you will be prepared to consider each verse in the light of the surrounding verses, the book in which it is found, and the entire word of god. The book of revelation was written to seven churches as both encouragement and challenge. The book of revelation the smart guide to the bible series kindle edition by nelson, thomas, richards, larry.

The book of revelation, a prophecy of warning and hope. Because it contains so many symbols, some people teach the book as if it were a sort of aliceinwonderland story for adults. Paul, minnesota in a day when most horrors of this book can be matched or exceeded on our planet, and when many are wondering whether we shall make it through 1984, let alone till 2,000, revelation leaps into relevance. 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. Like the books of prophecy in the old testament, revelation proclaims a message. While interpreting the bible, we must never forget to understand the genre literary style of the passage we are studying.

The real meaning of the bible s book of revelation is a popular, ongoing debate. John macarthur takes readers on a journey through biblical texts to discover what lies beneath the surface, focusing on meaning and context, and then reflecting on the explored passage or concept. 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. The book of revelation provides some of the keenest insights in scripture concerning the big picture of work. Im going to propose what i think is a rather novel and perhaps disturbing interpretation of the book of revelation. Interpreting revelation is a sane, thorough, scholarly, and sensible approach to studying and understanding the book of revelation. 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. Basics for interpreting the book of revelation biblical reasoning.

Because it contains so many symbols, some people teach the book as if it were a sort of alice in wonderland story for adults. On the other are those who believe the book has already been fulfilled in the first century or. Scripture is divinely inspired and contains the content we need to know for salvation. Patrick zukeran presents a summary of four of the major approaches to interpreting the book of revelation and its meaning for the end times. The bible contains numerous types of literature, and each one needs to be interpreted according to principles befitting its particular style. Revelation 17 commentary the angels interpretation. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. A 21st century interpretation of the book of revelation. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant john, 2 who testifies to everything he saw. Eugene borings critical assessment of revelation enlightens readers as to just what that message is. The interpretation of revelation the interpretation of revelation has always been a subject of debate among bible interpreters. In fact, revelation is a book in which all the great themes, seed plots, lines of doctrine and bible prophecy find their fulfillment. Well, in the ancient world, when early christians were interpreting the book. We dont know why john was exiled to patmos, but it may have been for refusing to worship the roman emperor domitian, who had declared himself a god.

In other words, it is the way you interpret scripture. That search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers. For each, he presents the basic approach, strengths of the approach and weaknesses of the approach. But it is not prophecy in the popular and incorrect modern sense of predicting the future. Under this view, the book of revelation is mostly a book of future prophecy. Aug 02, 2016 most churches today teach the futurist interpretation of the book of revelation. Like all books of the bible, revelation was written in a particular time and place to particular people. Bible for many christians, yet one of the most difficult books to understand.

John was the youngest disciple of the twelve disciples of jesus who became an apostle of the church. In short, the book of revelation is arguably the most important book you will read in your life time. Because the book of revelation is written in johns own name, it is related to old testament prophecy, perhaps more closely than it is to apocalyptic. The fundamental principles for unlocking the mysteries of the book of revelation are presented by internationally recognized biblical studies teacher and author kevin j. Ttws audio guides walk you through each passage in just 5 minutes. These methods and principles, however, are often drawn from outside of scripture in historical, literary.

It is with this thought in mind that brother cook has written this commentary on the book of revelation, and all true baptists, on reading this book, will readily admit that he has done a good job in this respect. When people read the book of revelation they encounter this vast array of symbols. The book of revelation is by far one of the most challenging books in the bible, yet well worth the effort to study and comprehend. The anchor yale bible commentary series, a book by book translation and exegesis of the hebrew bible, the new testament, and the apocrypha more than 80 titles in all. As its first verse declares, it is the revelation from jesus christ to show his servants what must soon take place. Book of revelation explained a testimony of jesus christ. How to interpret the bible billy graham evangelistic. The real meaning of the bibles book of revelation is a popular, ongoing debate. Introduction the book of revelation is one of the most encouraging books of the new testament.

Satre luther northwestern theological seminary, st. Its meticulous, scholarly approach to studying linguistic structure, vocabulary, and variant readings provides and exegetical model even for those who disagree with some of the authors conclusions. 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. The word revelation means an uncovering, unveiling, a disclosure of truth. While there is only one old testament apocalyptic book daniel and one new testament book that demonstrates some features of this type revelation, it was a common form of writing in the two. The interpreters bible the holy scriptures in the king james and revised standard versions with general articles and introduction, exegesis, exposition for each book of the bible. The book of revelation the smart guide to the bible. And no other book of the bible promises blessings to those who read it, hear it and take to heart what is written in it. Interpreting the book of revelation logos bible software. Futurist occurs in the future the futurist school holds that everything after chapter 4 is yet to happen in the future.

This mode of interpretation, which sees later events in christian history as fulfilling predictions in the book of revelation, is known as the continuous history view. Make no mistake, this is a good serious commentary but i will caution against it for 2 reasons both of which can be overcome. Revelation never describes itself as a symbolic code of future events plotted on a timeline. A bible commentary for teaching and preaching is a distinctive resource for those who interpret the bible in the church. The book of revelation is the last book he wrote around 96 ad. An apocalypse is a very specific kind of literature with no modern equivalent.

Interpreting the book of revelation guides to new testament exegesis michaels. Historical bible study doesnt treat revelation as a cosmology textbook. I heard or read somewhere that the book of revelation isnt included in catholic bibles, but that they have 73 books instead of the protestant 66, which protestants know as the apocryp. Revelation the last book in the bible was written to tell us about the futureespecially the final conflict between god and satan, and the triumph of jesus christover all the powers of evil and death and hell. Interpretive models for the book of revelation as a whole. In reading the bible literally, our goal is to get at the plain sense of the text. A book of this kind makes one aware of how much he owes to others. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the book of revelation the smart guide to the bible series. This is being aired by permission of the holder litchfield associates, all rights. The preterist method of interpreting the book cannot adequately deal with.

Introduction the book of revelation is one of the most encouraging. Helyer part of book of revelation for dummies cheat sheet the real meaning of the bible s book of revelation is a popular, ongoing debate. The wrong method of interpreting the book of revelation is to give some sort of exclusive meaning to its many visions, equating them with specific, concrete historical events and persons, and to fail to understand the symbolical significance of the many images which are used by the author following biblical and traditional sources. However, with just a few tips for understanding certain confusing elements, the book opens up as an important and helpful book for christians. The revelation of jesus christ, which john the apostle was given on the isle of patmos, is a disclosure of events that were imminent at the time of the books writing and that now lie in the past. Some briefer commentaries, like the torch commentary of macmillan, edited by j. Apart from the book of revelation, john has written other bible books which are. The book of revelation bold type and underlining of scripture text have been added for emphasis your questions and comments are welcome note. An introduction to the book of revelation, including issues in interpretation, ways to understand the time frame of the book, and an outline. In the books last chapter god reiterates that his words were given to reveal and not to be sealed revelation 22.

Conner unlocks the mysteries of the book of revelation. For most the only question about eschatology that exists is whether you think the rapture is pre, mid, or posttribulation. Hermeneutics is the study of the principles of interpretation. They were holding back the four winds so that the earth would not be overcome by violent, rushing winds blowing over the land or over the sea or blowing down any tree. Most christians dont even realize other interpretations exist, but there are actually 5 different approaches to interpreting the book of revelation, maybe you knew. In fact, this position of israel, and the testimony connected with it, were interrupted by the destruction of jerusalem. Understanding revelations in the bible biblical archaeology. The book of revelation is the final book of the new testament, and consequently is also the. The anchor yale bible dictionary, a state of the art dictionary.