HOW DID WE GET THE BIBLE?

CHAPTER 10

NEW TESTAMENT

REVELATION-BOOK OF PROPHECY

The Book of Revelation is the last of the 66 Books of the Bible, and of the 27 Books of the New Testament.

The Book of Revelation is a greatly misunderstood book. It is NOT called the Book of RevelationS, as some call it. There are many misconceptions about the Book. Books, magazines, radio, television, and movies have exploited portions of the Book of Revelation while ignoring the rest of the Book, even to the point of ignoring the WHOLE rest of the ENTIRE Bible! (What Is The Bible All About?)

The Book of Revelation was written about A.D. 90-96(Clarke's Commentary), on the Isle of Patmos(Revelation 1:9). The Author is God(1:1-3), through Christ, by an angel who dictated the message to John(1:1). Domitian exiled John to hard labor in the quarries on Patmos(Anchor Bible Dictionary). Lots of Christians were killed during that time(Revelation 2:13). Estimates have been as high as 40,000 to 100,000 deaths(Foxe's Book Of Martyrs). After Domitian's assassination, John was released, and then he returned to his home in Ephesus, the capital city of the province of Asia Minor(Encyclopedia International). The Seven churches in Revelation are located in Asia Minor. John died about A.D. 98-100 during Trajan's reign(Butler's Lives Of The Saints). The Theme of Revelation is that God is in Control, encouraging Christians to stand firm(Revelation 1:8,17,18; 2:10; 4:8,10; 5:9; 7:14; 12:11; 21:6,7; 22:13,14). It has been called "resistance literature" exhorting christians to "stand firm in the faith and avoid compromise with paganism despite the threat of martyrdom"("Who Wrote The Bible?" U.S. News And World Report). The book has many poetic symbols rooted in the Old Testament. To understand the Book of Revelation, one MUST understand the Old Testament(Understanding The Old Testament). Examples of Old Testament Books used are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Many Old Testament symbols are used in the Book of Revelation, for example, the city of Babylon(God's Prophetic Word). John warned of coming trials. Persecution after John's death came under the following Emperors: Trajan[98-117], Hadrian[117-138], Plutius Pious[138-161], Marcus Aurelius[161-180], Septimus Severus[193-211], Maximin[235-238], Decius[249-251], Valerian[253-260], and finally Dioclecian[284-305](Encyclopedia Britannica). As seen from the dates, not all Emperors persecuted christians, but many did(The Life And Works Of Flavius Josephus).

Revelation is divided into Two Main Sections: The Seven Churches of Asia(Revelation 1-3){things that are} and God's Judgement(4-22){things that will be}(Halley's Bible Handbook). The Seven Churches were written in a path from the Isle of Patmos, where the messenger can travel to each city in order(The Eternal Kingdom, A History Of The Church Of Christ). The Seven churches are divided into three separate groups: Two are Good[Smyrna and Philadelphia], Two are Bad[Sardis and Laodicia], and Three are both part good and part bad[Ephesus, Pergamum, and Laodicia]. The Lord Jesus warns the churches to grow in the right way, by growing in Knowledge, Love and Truth(Second Corinthians 13:11; Ephesians 6:10; Philippians 1:9; 4:8), lest they should lose their candlestick, symbolizing their turning away from being the true church of the Lord Jesus Christ(Revelation 2:5).

The background for each city follows:

1) Ephesus- Capital city of the province, with a population of 200,000+, and very prosperous(Encyclopedia Americana). The Temple of Diana was built after a meteor fell there(Acts 19:35). Paul was there two years on his Third Missionary Journey. John later died of old age there. They were orthodox in teaching but were losing their "first Love"(Revelation 2:4).

2) Smyrna- Modern Izmar(Encyclopedia Britannica). The Elder and disciple of John, Polycarp was martyred there A.D. 155(Foxe's Book Of Martyrs). It had been a very large, and busy commercial center(Interpreter's Dictionary Of The Bible), with a population of about 150,000(The Catholic Encyclopedia). It was also an important port city, and a temple dedicated to the Emperor Tiberius was built there, where they practiced Emperor worship(The Lion Encyclopedia Of The Bible). The humble classes of christians were facing persecution(Revelation 2:10).

3) Pergamum- modern Bergama now, where the Altar of Zeus overlooked the town. It was the first administrative capital of the Roman province of Asia. The first temple dedicated to Augustus in A.D. 29 was built there(The Lion Encyclopedia Of The Bible). The population at the time was estimated at 80,000(Collier's Encyclopedia). Eummenes II [197-159 B.C.] built a famous library with more than 200,000 volumes, which was later taken by Marc Antony as a gift to Cleopatra(Anchor Bible Dictionary). It was also known for the Healing Temple of Asclepias, which employed many(Encyclopedia Americana). It was the base of the Emperor worshipers' cult(Nave's Topical Bible). They experienced some immorality, while faithful to the name of Christ(Revelation 2:13).

4) Thyratira- Now Akhisar(Collier's Encyclopedia). It had an estimated population of 47,000+(Encyclopedia Britannica). It was a manufacturing center for dyeing, clothes making, pottery, and brasswork(Compton's Encyclopedia). Lydia was from Thyratira(Acts 16:14), whom scholars believe started the church there. Another woman, "Jezebel" was leading many away. The church tolerated "Jezebel" but was growing in zeal(Eerdman's Handbook To The Bible). Some scholars believe that "Jezebel" was a lady preacher whom some liberals tolerated, thinking that working with her would win the WHOLE city to Christianity(Revelation 2:20).

5) Sardis- A Jewish synagogue was found there(Nave's Topical Bible). It was the former capital of the kingdom of Lydia(The Book

Of Knowledge). Dyeing and wool industries were the main source of income(Encarta). Scholars argue the population to have been anywhere from 14,000 to 500,000(Interpreter's Bible). The former king of Sardis was Croesus, which according to legend was one of the richest men in all of history(The Book Of Knowledge). It was a very wealthy city. The rich and ruling class people claimed to be christians but actually lived a pagan lifestyle(Revelation 3:1,2).

6) Philadelphia- Named for a king who loved his brother very much(Encyclopedia Americana), and briefly became a prominent city before the Romans came to power(Encyclopedia International). Now Alasehir with a population of 40,000, it was a small farming town then considered unimportant by Roman Officials. A small synagogue existed. The minimum number of families required to make a synagogue is ten(The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia). The humble classes of christians were facing persecution(Revelation 3:10,11).

7) Laodicia- A prosperous city near Hieopalis in the Lycus valley. It was a chief city of Phrygia Pacatiana(The Broadman Bible Commentary). The city had a population of about 65,000+(New Catholic Encyclopedia), with about 2,000 Jewish families(The Encyclopedia Of Religion And Ethics). It was a banking center, and sold wool and eye salve to the empire(Encyclopedia Britannica). The hot springs of Hieopolis flowed through a channel to Laodicia, which cooled until it became lukewarm for the city's personal use, hence the reference to the church as "lukewarm"(Revelation 3:16). The rich, ruling class people claimed to be christians but were living a pagan lifestyle(3:15-17).

Since the Book of Revelation has many symbolic terms in it, there developed FOUR major yet different Interpretations of the Book of Prophesy(Clarke's Commentary).

1) Historic- the book deals with the whole period of Church history from John's time to the end of the world.

2) Preterist- the book deals with ONLY the days of the Roman Empire and no other period.

3) Futurist- the book deals with ONLY the Lord's coming at the end of time and the end of the world.

4) Spiritualist- the book deals with the figurative language of the Great Principles of the Divine Government that is applicable for all periods of time.

There is a dangerous movement within the Futurist viewpoint called Pre-Millennialism(Gospel Advocate). This movement believes in a literal 1,000 year reign of Christ on earth, and the 144,000 will be in heaven, while the rest of the faithful will remain on earth. While this movement acknowledges most of the symbols as figurative, they become literal with selected passages that support their view(Exalted Above The Hills). This movement has grown since the book "The Late Great Planet Earth" was written by Hal Lindsey(The Rapture, Fact Or Fiction). Those who misunderstand the figurative language of Revelation incorrectly interpret the 1,000 years as literal. They don't understand the implication of 1,000 years as a general term for a long period of time(Matthew 24:36). The U.S. Government has lately been following a policy supporting this belief, including giving all types of support to Israel, which Pre-Millennialists believe will return to power, and that the Christ will rule in the city of Jerusalem(Texas Eagle Forum Torch,Aug.1994). Among those who have this view, are the Jehovah's Witnesses(Exalted Above The Hills).

There are many important symbols in the Book of Revelation, including numbers(Eerdman's Handbook To The Bible). Scholars have determined the meanings for the following numbers as: ONE-unity and/or God(John 1:1-5; Ephesians 4:3-6; Revelation 22:4,5) or as the First{First day of the week-the Resurrection: the one event that gives meaning to Christian life(First Corinthians 15:12-57; Philippians 2:9-11)}; TWO-A united and complete balance, as God is balanced(Romans 11:22) such as "male and female"(Genesis 1:27), both Joseph and the Pharaoh had two dreams(Genesis 41), two tablets of stone(Exodus 31:18), "Heaven and Earth(Matthew 5:18), as witnesses of the nature of God(Revelation 11:1-12), the "Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End"(Revelation 1:8); THREE- The Godhead(Matthew 28:19; Acts 17:29; Romans 1:20; Second Corinthians 13:14; Colossians 2:9; First John 5:7,8) the True nature of Christ, such as the three gifts given to him(Matthew 2:11), his being "lost" for three days from his parents, and that he usually took three disciples with him, there were three men on the cross, Pilate asked for his release three times(Luke 23:22), and for emphasis due to the intensity of the moment(Revelation 8:13[3 woes]; 16:13[3 spirits]); FOUR-nature/creation(Revelation 5:6; 9:15,16), or the world's number, ie. Four angels standing on the four corners of the Earth, holding the four winds of the Earth(Revelation 7:1); SIX- of being incomplete, or also of the devil and/or his representatives on earth(Rev.13:18); SEVEN[three plus four]- Of completeness, or of perfection(Revelation 1:12; 4:5;5:6); TEN[and/or multiples of Ten]- the signature of the world's[Governments,etc.] power(12:13; 13:1; 17:7,12,16); TWELVE[3 times 4]- the sign of God's people(James 1:1){ie. 12 tribes of Israel, 12 Apostles}.

The number "Seven" appears several times. There are 7 colors in the rainbow, 7 notes in a musical scale, 7 days in a week, and the creation covers 7 days(Genesis 1). The city of Jericho fell after 7 priests with 7 trumpets for 7 days marched and blew their 7 trumpets 7 times on the 7th day(Joshua 6). Naaman dipped 7 times in the Jordan river and was healed of his leprosy(Second Kings 5). Revelation has 7 beatitudes or blessings(Revelation 1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7,14). There are 7 churches of Asia mentioned(2,3). The Book mentions 7 Seals(5-8), 7 angels with 7 trumpets(8-11), and 7 angels carrying the 7 Vials of the last plagues(15,16).

Angels have important places in the Book of Revelation, as well as in the rest of the Bible. Angel means "messenger"(Nave's Topical Bible). 100,000,000 angels sing praise to the Lamb(Revelation 5:11). Four Angels have the power to hurt the Earth(7:1-4). An angel opens the book that announces the end of the world(10:1,2,6). An angel binds Satan(20:12). An angel shows the New Jerusalem to the Apostle John(21:9).

A brief description of the Book of Revelation follows:

1) God is the writer(1)

2) Messages to the 7 Churches(2,3)

3) Scene at the throne of God(4,5)

4) The 7 Seals(5-8), mention of the 144,000.

5) The 7 angels with 7 trumpets(8-11), the 2 witnesses.

6) The woman, man-child and Dragon(12,13)

7) Jesus Christ, The Lamb(14)

8) The 7 Plagues(15,16)

9) The destruction of the Woman,Babylon(17,18)

10) Battle with the Beast(19)

11) Figurative 1,000 year reign, Devil beaten, Judgment(20).

12) New Heaven, New Earth, New Jerusalem(21,22).

With the Book of Revelation, we conclude with the forty "writers", thirty-two for the Old Testament [Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Solomon, Nathan, Gad, Ahijah, Iddo, Shemmaiah, Jehu, Agur, Asaph, Ezra, Lemuel, Nehemiah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi],(The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia) and eight for the New Testament [Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul,James,Peter, and Jude](Funk And Wagnall's Encyclopedia). Some scholars add Jahaziel, Eliezer, and Hanani as Old Testament writers(The Catholic Encyclopedia), stating there were "about forty writers"(The Encyclopedia Of Religion And Ethics), although most scholars leave the number of writers at an even forty. It should be reminded that the "writers" were guided through inspiration by God, the TRUE writer and Author of the Bible(Revelation 1:1-3)!

Questions

1. Who is the Author of the Book of Revelation?

2. To whom is the Book written?

3. What is the Theme of Revelation?

4. What can help us understand the Book of Revelation?

5. What are the Two Main Sections of Revelation?

6. What symbol was used by Jesus concerning falling away?

7. What were the churches told to do?

8. Who were the Good churches and how many were there?

9. Who were the Bad churches and how many were there?

10. Who were the part Bad/Good churches? How many were

there?

11. What are the Four Interpretational views of Revelation?

12. What are some number symbols used in the Bible?

13. Why should we study the Book of Revelation?

14. Why should we study the Bible?