One eventually achieved official recognition, becoming a shrine in the 4th century. Admonished to repent for allowing a "prophetess" to promote sexual immorality and to eat things sacrificed to idols. . 8. A.D. 94-96), near the end of Emperor Domitians reign (A.D. 81-96). Had he done so, he would have had to use their (Hebrew) poetry whereas he wanted to write his own. [122], According to James Stuart Russell, the book is an exposition of Olivet Discourse found in the Synoptic Gospels in Matthew 24 and 25, Mark 13, and Luke 21. This implies in his introduction that he is no longer on the island! 1995. vol. The evidence agrees with Revelation 1:9. 159-161. (8:1213). Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 150 215) confirms that John had been on the Island of Patmos. In these letters (Rev 2,. One gigantic correlation between the Gospel of John and Revelation is John's (Disciple John's) record of Jesus's encounter with John the Baptist. But say he did at least see a vision of the heavenly tabernacle first before writing the Gospel whether he wrote Revelation later or not. God has nothing but the best planned for those who love him. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. (20:46), The Dragon is released and goes out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the Earth, The Dragon is cast into the Lake of Fire with the Beast and the False Prophet. God is greater than your circumstances. The text includes no indication that John of Patmos and St. John the Apostle are the same person. [109] This approach considers the text as an address to seven historical communities in Asia Minor. Early-date advocates hold that Revelation was written by John prior to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in A.D. 70. [12] He was a Jewish Christian prophet, probably belonging to a group of such prophets, and was accepted by the congregations to whom he addresses his letter. The external evidences can only support what is internal. To agree with Bill, Revelation shows that John was given a vision of the heavenly tabernacle. Since Domitian began his reign as Caesar in A.D. 81 and died in A.D. 96 and John was released from Patmos after Domitian died, this indicates Revelation was written around A.D. 95-96. (16:47), Fourth Bowl: The Sun scorches the Earth with intense heat and even burns some people with fire. Praised for holding "fast to My name", not denying "My faith" even in the days of, Admonished to repent for having held the doctrine of. .[8]. Doctrine and Covenants, section 77, postulates answers to specific questions regarding the symbolism contained in the Book of Revelation. "It is very nice if you are poor and not humble to bring your enemies down to utter destruction, while you yourself rise up to grandeur. That John died in Ephesus is also stated by St. Irenaeus, bishop of Lyon circa 180 ce, who says John wrote his Gospel and letters at Ephesus and Revelation at Ptmos. No mention of future destruction of Jerusalem, which for Full-Preterists is odd, since John writes the entire book of Revelation about it and the topic would be front and center on his mind that is . The survivors call upon the mountains and the rocks to fall on them, so as to hide them from the "wrath of the Lamb" (6:16). Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll (Revelation 22:6-7). And that you may be still more confident, that repenting this truly there remains for you a sure hope of salvation, listen to a tale, which is not a tale but a narrative, handed down and committed to the custody of memory, about the Apostle John. He sets out a comparative table listing the chapters of Revelation in sequence and linking most of them to the structurally corresponding chapter in Ezekiel. Tertullian also has mentioned Domitian in the following words: Domitian also, who possessed a share of Neros cruelty, attempted once to do the same thing that the latter did. [104] He saw the language which Revelation used as being bleak and destructive; a 'death-product'. He gives us insight into the events that will take place leading up to the very moment when Jesus again returns as he promised he would do. The author of Revelation is the apostle John, or as he called himself the disciple whom Jesus loved. At that time the Alexandrian School of Theology, including Dionysius, opposed the doctrine of the millennial kingdom which is plainly taught in chapter 20 with its reference to the thousand years. The message is about what is to come. The external evidence strongly agrees with the internal evidence that the apostle John is the author of the book of Revelation. 1:1; 1:4). Then he placed his right hand on me and said: Do not be afraid. Others have pointed to aspects of composition which have been ignored such as the similarities of prophetic inspiration to modern poetic inspiration, or the parallels with Greek drama. Though the question of authorship has been much discussed, the language . This tradition is credible because banishment was a common punishment used during the Imperial period for a number of offenses. That person was John. You will find the identity of the writer in Revelation 1:4. 1.10). They say it is a recurring theme that flows throughout his entire book. The author of the first letter is not identified, but the writer of the second and third calls himself "presbyter" (elder). [95] The surviving Greek translation was a literal translation that aimed to comply with the warning at Revelation 22:18 that the text must not be "corrupted" in any way. John is instructed to eat the little scroll that happens to be sweet in his mouth, but bitter in his stomach, and to prophesy. [9][13], The book is commonly dated to about AD 95, as suggested by clues in the visions pointing to the reign of the emperor Domitian. Corrections? Rev. Christian tradition has considered the Book of Revelation's writer to be John the Evangelist (himself identified as John the Apostle ), purported author of the Gospel of John. It is important to note that Augustine lived hundreds of years after these conclusions had already been reached. 5. "Enoch's journey has no close parallel in the Hebrew scriptures. Under these conditions, a Christian named John wrote Revelation, addressing it to the seven churches that were in Asia Minor. Revelation has a wide variety of interpretations, ranging from the simple historical interpretation, to a prophetic view on what will happen in the future by way of God's will and the Woman's (traditionally believed to be the Virgin Mary) victory over Satan ("symbolic interpretation"), to different end time scenarios ("futurist interpretation"),[55][56] to the views of critics who deny any spiritual value to Revelation at all,[57] ascribing it to a human-inherited archetype. I am the First and the Last. ), "Collected New Essays in Comparative Religion", S Moyise p. 13 reports no work whatsoever done between 1912 and 1984, Ian Boxall The Revelation of St John London: Continuum & Peabody MA: Hendrickson (2006) p. 254, G. K. Beale John's use of the Old Testament in Revelation Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press (1998) p. 109, Brandon D. Smith, "The Trinity in the Book of Revelation: Seeing Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in Johns Apocalypse" (IVP Academic, 2022), Historicist interpretations of the Book of Revelation, Historicism (Christianity) Seventh-day Adventists, Apocalypse of John dated astronomically, Textual variants in the Book of Revelation, "Letter of Innocent I on the Canon of Scripture", "Tertullian: Decretum Gelasianum (English translation)", "Eccumenical Council of Florence and Council of Basel", "Church Fathers: Council of Carthage (A.D. 419)", "Pope Benedict: Read Book of Revelation as Christ's victory over evil International Catholic Online", Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States, "Seventh-day Adventist 28 Fundamental Beliefs", "The Final Consummation: American Bah's, Millerites and Biblical Time Prophecy", "Bah' Reference Library - Some Answered Questions, Pages 45-61", "Bart Ehrman Discusses the Apocalypticist", "The Book of Revelation: Plagues as Part of the Eschatological Human Condition", Journal for the Study of the New Testament, Safety of high-energy particle collision experiments, Existential risk from artificial intelligence, Self-Indication Assumption Doomsday argument rebuttal, Self-referencing doomsday argument rebuttal, List of dates predicted for apocalyptic events, List of apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Book_of_Revelation&oldid=1152475333, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2015, All articles containing potentially dated statements, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from September 2021, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2015, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2016, Articles incorporating a citation from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia with Wikisource reference, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from The American Cyclopaedia, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from The American Cyclopaedia with a Wikisource reference, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. [c] It occupies a central place in Christian eschatology. A General Introduction To The Bible. (21:18), God comes to dwell with humanity in the New Jerusalem. The people of the world wonder and follow the Beast. [20] Revelation may instead have been composed in the context of a conflict within the Christian community of Asia Minor over whether to engage with, or withdraw from, the far larger non-Christian community: Revelation chastises those Christians who wanted to reach an accommodation with the Roman cult of empire. [5][6] Modern scholarship generally takes a different view,[7] with many considering that nothing can be known about the author except that he was a Christian prophet. [79][82], Christian Gnostics are unlikely to be attracted to the teaching of Revelation because the doctrine of salvation through the sacrificed Lamb, which is central to Revelation, is repugnant to Gnostics. [e] Patience is the closest to perfection the human condition allows. (6:911). (1) The author identifies himself as "John" without any elaboration and was apparently known by the churches in the seven cities of chapters 2-3. Whats interesting to note is that in this place of exile and banishment, God gave him this great revelation. John 1:29, 35-36. . [11] It begins with John, on the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea, addressing a letter to the "Seven Churches of Asia". Then in the ninth and tenth verses, that is, Revelation 1:9-10, John refers to himself as I., I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. There are some who argue that Domitian was actually Nero because they argue for an earlier date for the writing of the book of Revelation. Patmos Harpers Bible Dictionary. "[93] Torrey showed how the three major songs in Revelation (the new song, the song of Moses and the Lamb and the chorus at 19: 68) each fall naturally into four regular metrical lines plus a coda. The author names himself as simply "John" in the text, but his precise identity remains a point of academic debate. Athanasius (AD 367) in his Letter 39,[34] Augustine of Hippo (c.AD 397) in his book On Christian Doctrine (Book II, Chapter 8),[35] Tyrannius Rufinus (c.AD 400) in his Commentary on the Apostles' Creed,[36] Pope Innocent I (AD 405) in a letter to the bishop of Toulouse[37] and John of Damascus (about AD 730) in his work An Exposition of the Orthodox Faith (Book IV:7)[38] listed "the Revelation of John the Evangelist" as a canonical book. The victory of God over Satan and his Antichrist (in this case, the perseverance of Christians in the face of Roman persecution) typifies similar victories over evil in ages still to come and Gods final victory at the end of time. [87] Various Christian anarchists, such as Jacques Ellul, have identified the State and political power as the Beast[88] and the events described, being their doings and results, the aforementioned 'wrath'. The Muratorian Fragment was written about A.D. 170 since Polycarp (A.D. 69-155) refers to the Fragment himself. Geisler and Nix. 187, 191, 193. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. [96] Her The Face of the Deep is a meditation upon the Apocalypse. It states that John, "bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw.". [8] While the dominant genre is apocalyptic, the author sees himself as a Christian prophet: Revelation uses the word in various forms 21 times, more than any other New Testament book. The MacArthur Bible Handbook. Some names were re-used, as in the case of Yazid II and Yazid III and the like, which were not counted for this interpretation. First Trumpet: Hail and fire, mingled with blood, are thrown to the earth burning up a third of the trees and green grass. Do you want to go deeper in your walk with the Lord but cant seem to overcome the stuff that keeps getting in the way? [109] Thus, the letter (written in the apocalyptic genre) is pastoral in nature (its purpose is offering hope to the downtrodden),[112] and the symbolism of Revelation is to be understood entirely within its historical, literary, and social context. 1, p. 491. Admonished to be zealous and repent from being "lukewarm"; they are instructed to buy the "gold refined in the fire", that they may be rich; to buy "white garments", that they may be clothed, so that the shame of their nakedness would not be revealed; to anoint their eyes with eye salve, that they may see. After that, Lawrence thought, the book became preoccupied with the birth of the baby messiah and "flamboyant hate and simple lust for the end of the world." 1:9 (NASB). It is the final warning that the world will surely end and judgment will be certain. Upon the cry of the angel, seven thunders utter mysteries and secrets that are not to be written down by John. First of all [he wrote] to the Corinthians forbidding schisms and heresies; then to the Galatians [forbidding] circumcision; to the Romans he wrote at greater length about the order of the scriptures and also insisting that Christ was their primary theme. Historicist interpretations see Revelation as containing a broad view of history while preterist interpretations treat Revelation as mostly referring to the events of the Apostolic Age (1st century), or, at the latest, the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century. Whitlock wrote: "Zoroastrianism, the state religion of the Roman Empire's main rival, was part of the intellectual environment in which Christianity came into being, just as were Judaism, the Greek-Roman religion, and the worship of Isis and Mithras. Revelation 1:4 (NASB). Justin Martyr (A.D. 100 -166) wrote in Dialogue With Trypho chap 81 that the author of Revelation was John, an apostle of the Lord. (18:919), The permanence of New Babylon's destruction. For example, Howard-Brook and Gwyther[114] regard the Book of Enoch as an equally significant but contextually different source. One of the greatest of these happened when they were with Jesus on the mountain and saw his transfiguration. Hippolytus quotes extensively from chapters 17 and 18, attributing them to John the Apostle. He saw him in his natural form as a human; he also saw him transfigured and in all his glory. . Basically, John was chosen because of his witness of the life of Christ. Similar to the early Protestants, Adventists maintain a historicist interpretation of the Bible's predictions of the apocalypse. Because such a view presents current problems in an eschatological context, the message of Revelation also becomes relevant to future generations of Christians who, Christ forewarned, would likewise suffer persecution. Traditionally, this was often believed to be the same person as John the Apostle (John, son of Zebedee), one of the apostles of Jesus, to whom the Gospel of John was also attributed. [113], Much of Revelation employs ancient sources, primarily but not exclusively from the Old Testament. Since the early church fathers had already concluded that 1) the Apostle John was the author of Revelation, 2) the book of Revelation was written near the end of Domitians reign, and 3) that the book was written while John was on the Island of Patmos, we can conclude that Augustine of Hippo (A.D. 354 430) had no influence on the authorship, dating, or Johns location while writing the book. Lawrence coined the term "Patmossers" to describe those Christians who could only be happy in paradise if they knew their enemies were suffering in hell. Instead, he wanted to champion a public-spirited individualism (which he identified with the historical Jesus supplemented by an ill-defined cosmic consciousness) against its two natural enemies. "[101], Recently, aesthetic and literary modes of interpretation have developed, which focus on Revelation as a work of art and imagination, viewing the imagery as symbolic depictions of timeless truths and the victory of good over evil. If John wrote about Christ's coming as future from A.D. 90-100, it is said to combat preterists, then Christ did not come back in A.D. 70 (John's writing would be pointless). The brief time between Pauls ministry there and the end of Neros reign was too short for such a decline to have occurred. He remained there until Trajan began his rule. Some scholars suggest that the influence of this event is not captured in one instance in Johns gospel account. Justin Martyr. [112] Critics study the conventions of apocalyptic literature and events of the 1st century to make sense of what the author may have intended. They are given white robes and told to rest until the martyrdom of their brothers is completed. Overview Does The Dating of revelation Matter? 4.14.2; 4.17.6; 4.18.6; 4.21.3; 5.28.2; 5.34.2. There is some speculation that Emperor Domitian was the one that sent John to Patmos, but some evidences say otherwise. [] it is proper to sum up the writings of the New Testament which have been already mentioned After them is to be placed, if it really seem proper, the Apocalypse of John, concerning which we shall give the different opinions at the proper time. Did the Apostle John write the Book of Revelations? Early in chapter 1 of the book we discover the way John wrote the book. ET on EWTN: Holy Mass and Rosary on Saturday, April 29, 2023 - Memorial of Saint. Surprisingly, it came by revelation (I guess naming the book wasnt very difficult). Salem Media Group. John MacArthur,. Ecclesiastical History. Christians are consequently exhorted to remain steadfast in their faith and to hold firmly to the hope that God will ultimately be victorious over his (and their) enemies. Apparently Jesus wanted John to write letters to the seven churches in the Roman province of Asia (Rev 1:4) that were literal churches at the time John wrote this. It is the only book of the New Testament classified as apocalyptic literature rather than didactic or historical, indicating thereby its extensive use of visions, symbols, and allegory, especially in connection with future events. Prior to him writing the book, there was a time of tremendous persecution in the church. Some of these writers have no connection with established Christian faiths but, nevertheless, found in Revelation a source of inspiration. The presence of the threads which stubbornly refuse to be incorporated into the neat tapestry of our world-view does not usually totally undermine that view. 1:9-10 (NASB). Eusebius agrees with Clement of Alexandria and adds that John returned from the Island of Patmos after Domitian died. Jesus is coming soon. Hendrickson. . An angel appears, with one foot on the sea and one foot on the land, having an opened little book in his hand. He begins the body of his book by saying that it is from John to the Seven Churches in Asia (Rev. "Flowers preach to us if we will hear", begins her poem 'Consider the lilies of the field', "Christians should resemble fire-flies, not glow-worms; their brightness drawing eyes upward, not downward. [98] Her book, which is largely written in prose, frequently breaks into poetry or jubilation, much like Revelation itself. The Revelation of Jesus Christ. [115] An anonymous Scottish commentary of 1871[116] prefaces Revelation 4 with the Little Apocalypse of Mark 13, places Malachi 4:5 ("Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord") within Revelation 11 and writes Revelation 12:7 side by side with the role of "the Satan" in the Book of Job. Whats very interesting about this book is that John has an encounter with Jesus again in the first chapter. Internal Evidence #1: No warnings to flee the destruction of Jerusalem which was only 4-8 years away when John supposedly wrote the book before AD 70: 1. 17K views, 727 likes, 654 loves, 3.7K comments, 237 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from EWTN: Starting at 8 a.m. The idea of the Eucharist as a foretaste of the heavenly banquet is also explored by British Methodist Geoffrey Wainwright in his book Eucharist and Eschatology (Oxford University Press, 1980). John the Baptist did not write any books that we know of -and he had his own disciples. [citation needed], Some commentators argue that it is these purposes and not the structure that really matter. John F. Walvoord. [27] This distrust of the Book of Revelation persisted in the East through the 15th century. John then refers to himself as I once again in verse 10. Persecution of Christians reached a peak during Emperor Domitians reign (A.D. 81-96). This interpretation, which has found expression among both Catholic and Protestant theologians, considers the liturgical worship, particularly the Easter rites, of early Christianity as background and context for understanding the Book of Revelation's structure and significance. The Seven Spiritual Figures. Such matters are eternal and outside of normal human reckoning. Ante-Nicene Fathers. The people of earth retreat to caves in the mountains (6:15). It is important to recall that he was the disciple whom Jesus loved (John 13:23; 20:2; 21:7, 20). He was creating a written record of the things God was about to reveal to him. This is, however, not the only interpretation; Domitian may not have been a despot imposing an imperial cult, and there may not have been any systematic empire-wide persecution of Christians in his time. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that the warning contained in Revelation 22:1819[80][non-primary source needed] does not refer to the biblical canon as a whole. The John MacArthur Bible Handbook states the following about the date of Revelation. [8] The entire book constitutes the letterthe letters to the seven individual churches are introductions to the rest of the book, which is addressed to all seven. "[22] There is also theological interpretation that the book mainly prophesies the end of Old Covenant order, the Jewish temple and religious economy. I was in the Spirit on the Lords day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, Rev. The spiritual decline of the the seven churches (chaps. Irenaeus quotes every chapter of the book of the Revelation. Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: apokalypsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation". John is the author of five books in the New Testament: - The Gospel of John (this is where he identifies himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved)- 1 John- 2 John- 3 John- Revelation. I, p 149. He refers to this in the first chapter of Revelation: I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus (Revelation 1:9). This list mentions it as a part of the New Testament canon. That means John referred to himself in the first chapters and the last chapter. There are approximately 300 Greek manuscripts of Revelation. When you read Revelation, nowhere in the book does it state that John is in exile or imprisoned. The Canon of Scripture. Historical records indicate that Nero reigned from A.D. 54 to A.D. 68 and Domitian reigned from A.D. 81 to A.D. 96. When he comes that will be a glorious day. [69], By reasoning analogous with Millerite historicism, Bah'u'llh's doctrine of progressive revelation, a modified historicist method of interpreting prophecy, is identified in the teachings of the Bah' Faith.
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