Instead, this book addresses several difficult verses throughout the old and new testaments minus the apocraphal writings. Revelation rarely quotes directly from the old testament, yet almost every verse alludes to or. A parallel commentary, veteran bible teacher steve gregg goes into more detail about the futurist, preterist, historicist, and idealist approaches to passages, like revelation 7. A commentary on the revelation of john by george eldon ladd. This is part of mel lawrenz how to understand the bible series. Commonly asked questions from the book of revelation. First, well explore the historical background of the book of revelation. The book of revelation is notoriously difficult to understand.
The book of revelation brings to us great changes in the course of the history of the world. Some say chapter 11 is the single most difficult section of the entire book. The book of revelation is a powerful book about the past, the end times, so here are the 17 best bible verses from the book of revelation for you to read. There are books that were accepted very quickly, almost from the start e. There are more allusions to the old testament in revelation than in all other books of the new testament combined. Yet, the opening verse informs the reader that jesus intends to reveal himself in the passages that follow.
It is difficult to study revelation with teens if they have several bible translations. Many passages in acts are very difficult to comprehend. These titles come from the greek word apokalupsis meaning disclosure or revelation used in the first verse of the first chapter. The book of revelation is the final book of the new testament, and consequently is also the. Best revelation commentaries updated for 2021 best. Five tips to help you understand the book of revelation. Sep 10, 2020 the theology of the book of revelation new testament theology is the first edition of the book written by richard bauckham. There are so many large things that happen throughout the book that make it difficult to follow if you havent previously been taught what to understand or have done your own personal research. Yet it is a tough nut to crack, not only because of its intrinsic difficulty but. Some of the people around me read it as if it were full of secret codes to be solved as a way of piecing together a picture of the future that was supposedly presented in scattered passages throughout the bible and culminated with the book of revelation. Its title is derived from the first word of the koine greek text. A number of passages in it state gods definite purpose.
Jul 02, 2020 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 book of the revelation of jesus christ is a fascinating prophecy of the end times. High school, and a brand new christian, i made this mistake in a big way. You dont have to study this book for very long to discover that jesus christ is the key focal point of revelation. It was popular to see jesus and the earliest christians as a continuation of the old testament prophets and standing apart from the apocalyptic tradition see. Grant osbornes commentary on revelation aims to interpret the text while also introducing readers to the perspectives of contemporary scholarship in a clear and accessible manner. The book of revelation was written sometime around 96 ce in asia minor. Revelation is a long epistle addressed to seven christian communities of the roman province of asia minor, modern turkey, wherein the author recounts what he has seen.
Ive been using this for our small group study on the book of revelation. The revelation or the apocalypse as it is often called, from its opening word in greek is by common consent one of the most difficult of all the books of the christian bible. As to these difficult portions of the book of revelation, joseph smith said. A simple outline for the book of revelation is found in revelation 1.
The publisher notes that the revelation to john by stephen smalley is a magisterial interpretation of johns apocalypse as a grand drama, which can only be properly understood in light of johns gospel and letters and in the context of the johannine community. The book was addressed to 7 churches, but repeatedly uses the phrase, he who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. Mar 16, 2020 in his incredibly helpful book, revelation. Apr 04, 2018 revelation has always been a book that is very difficult for me to read and understand and i think that is the same for many people. Naturally we would like to know when they happened or when they will happen, but these questions divide the greatest specialists in biblical interpretation, so we mustnt imagine that we. A complete guide to answering the tough questions the by josh mcdowell. The book of revelation, a prophecy of warning and hope. The emotionally evocative power of the book of revelation has been often noted and even experienced by interpreters, but until now it has never been systematically explored. There are strange and cryptic passages filled with weird symbols and allegories which are difficult to penetrate and comprehend. Read verses 12 and again, this time from the amplified new testament, in order to grasp them more clearly.
For instance, in verses 24, jesus praised the ephesian church for its hard work and. Oh, yes, in places it is very difficult, but so are the books of matthew, mark, luke and john. Osborne begins with a thorough introduction to revelation. He has a plan in mind, and it is only as you and i begin to understand what gods plan is, that we can move in the same direction.
Yet, the language does not imply in any way that the references to the thousand years should be taken to mean anything other than a literal period of one thousand years. The scriptures in the book of revelation paul b decock abstract after a brief survey of recent research on the scriptures in the book of revelation in. The book of revelation, like in a movie, is the last part. The book of revelation contains some of the most difficult passages in scripture. I think i have appreciated the detail that he goes into in order to explain views contrary to his own. Revelation has its difficult passages, of course, but the book isn t as difficult as we ve thought it to be.
He reflects on the best way to approach the book when studying it for the first time, explains what the mark of the beast is really all about, and offers words of counsel and encouragement for pastors hesitant to preach through revelation in their churches. The book of revelation never quotes the old testament. On the positive side, this book provides fairly good responses 3 ot and 94 nt verses, using a wide variety of sources, including scripture, philosophy, science, ancient history, etc. To understand revelation, we need to read it with the old testament open. Therefore, in order to understand revelation, we must understand the apocalyptic literature from the old testament. The examination of the book of revelation by those seeking to understand and explain its structure has been one of the most difficult tasks undertaken by biblical literary critics. He also examines elements that complicate the interpretation of apocalyptic literature. Revelation invokes many passages from the old testament books of the prophets. And the book of revelation will complete the revelation of. The strange visions of the book of revelation provide some of the most difficult passages of the new testament, yet christians have long been fascinated by its power and provocative pronouncements. Grant osbornes commentary on revelation begins with a thorough introduction and the many difficulties involved in its interpretation.
Interpretations basically, there are four major alternative interpretations. Mar 01, 2000 the book of revelation contains some of the most difficult passages in scripture. Johns book is difficult to understand because god showed him amazing things hed never seen before, things that he couldnt. As a result of this, there are multiple understandings of the way in which the author of revelation has laid out the book, focusing on different aspects and. The book presents the doctrine of the book of revelation, its teaching of god and his mercy, the christ, the spirit, the hope that faith brings and especially the part the church plays in the world.
Many christians find that the book of revelation is the most difficult book in the new testament to understand. Because of its complex imagery and symbolism, revelation is the one of the most difficult biblical books to interpret. This is borne out by the plethora of interpretations that have been offered about it. I make this broad declaration, that whenever god gives a vision of an image, or beast, or figure of any kind, he always holds himself responsible to give a revelation or interpretation of the meaning thereof, otherwise we are not responsible or accountable for our belief in it. Bible handbook of difficult verses, the harvest house publishers. Reading the book of revelation 1256 words 123 help me. However, this difficulty is largely removed if we remember that revelation is a visionary picture book rather than a literal narrative of future events. Best revelation commentaries updated for 2021 best bible. From one of the most difficult passages of all the bible. As john marvels at the vision, an angel says, i will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her v. 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. Jan 28, 2011 in this engaging book, nineteen different authors from around the world utilize their areas of expertise to explore general themes, difficult passages and points of application in the book of revelation.
The scriptures in the book of revelation paul b decock abstract after a brief survey of recent research on the scriptures in the book of revelation in general, this study turns to revelation 21. The book of revelation closes with the bright and morning star, which is a figure of christ at his coming to take the church out of the world. Johns book is difficult to understand because god showed him amazing things hed never seen before, things that he couldnt always explain with. Before the book of revelation is even a few verses old, john says something that. In fact, the opening passage contains a blessing to everyone who reads, hears, and keeps the words of this prophecy. The book of revelation and work bible commentary theology of. The apocalypse made easy dvd perry stone ministries. More than one person has abandoned trying to make sense of its vivid imagery. Determining the purposes for which revelation was written depends, to some extent, on how one interprets the book, on the whole.
Many will assign various meanings to references to a thousandyear period. The rapture is the hope of the new testament, just as the revelation of christ was the hope of the old testament. Kuruvachira jose eobib210 3 revelation can be described as a kind of pastoral letter meant to be read publically in a liturgical setting in the churches of asia minor. What about romans and hebrews and the other new testament books. I wanted to show one of my friends the seriousness of his lack of interest in jesus. He explains his position well and also provides many other views on difficult passages. John wrote the book of revelation when he remained on a certain island. Ive just been writing some bible reading notes for scripture union due out next year on the first half of revelation. In this interview, thomas schreiner discusses the book of revelation. He wrote the book after god showed him special events that would happen in the future. The story of the new testament canon is a fascinating one, with many twists and turns. The double blessing are finally knowing the truth about gods salvation, grace, mercy, and justice to his creation. This record from church history reflects the vision of revelation 11, which is widely regarded as one of the most difficult passages in this challenging book. First, be careful not to give people the wrong impression about the book.
Nevertheless, attention to its historical context, social and religious milieu, and literary genre will bring considerable light on its form, content, and function. Why is the book of revelation so hard to understand. Preaching from the book of revelation influence magazine. John wrote the book of revelation takes the most difficult book to understand in the christian scriptures and reveals the sequence in which it was written, from. The description of the woman and the beast upon which she sits in 17. Commentary on the new testamentthe book of revelationthe book of. And so what we have to realize is that in some interpretations of the book of revelation in fact most of themthe interpretation is created by bringing things into the book of revelation, into. The book of revelation is the only apocalyptic book in the new.
Nov 24, 2019 the book of revelation is a powerful book about the past, the end times, so here are the 17 best bible verses from the book of revelation for you to read. The book of revelation also called the apocalypse of john, revelation to john or revelation from jesus christ is the final book of the new testament, and consequently is also the final book of the christian bible. Although it is essential to notice the old testament references within the book of revelation, it can be quite difficult to know exactly when the author of revelation intends to allude to the old testament. The book of revelation uses unusual pictures to teach us about the end times. Aoci bible training institute abti new testament survey. Followers of the antichrist these who by choice worship him are not found in the book of life even though they are physically alive on the earth rev. Clear explanations for the difficult passages 9780736921756 by ron rhodes. The author was probably a christian from ephesus known as john the elder. The book of revelation apocalypse 1 introduction revelation1 or apocalypse2 is a unique, complex and remarkable biblical text full of heavenly mysteries. The seven kings of revelation 17 ligonier ministries. It is often shortened to revelation or the apocalypse. Commonly asked questions from the book of revelation paul.
How can we understand the book of revelation in the bible. Learning how to preach the book of revelation is no easy task. On this twohour dvd, perry stone ensures that anyone, of any age, can clearly understand the history, symbolism, and predictions concealed in the apocalypse. The book of revelation the apocalypse is the leastread and mostmisunderstood book in the bible. Jan 22, 2019 in its 404 verses, revelation contains over 500 allusions to the old testament. The bible handbook of difficult verses josh mcdowell and sean mcdowell. One term that is frequently used in apocalyptic literature is god coming on the clouds or riding on a cloud. Revelation is not too hard to comprehend, and we should.
1151 1502 570 1107 1556 1126 214 912 993 493 612 1215 1240 213 1186 801 308 951 1283 404 102 934 1280