The Book of Revelation

By Tim Ware

"The Book of Revelation" is the second offering in the new series ”Bible Study That Matters." This series was developed especially for those who are dissatisfied with the type of Bible study normally found in Sunday Schools, Bible study groups, and devotional guides. It's for those who want more than a few feel-good platitudes and want to dive in to the biblical text and see what's really there. What if Revelation is more than a coded prophecy of the future? What if Revelation is more than ancient science fiction? In an age where so many Christians ignore Revelation, this study examines Revelation as an essential part of the Bible. Using this study, you will learn to see Revelation in overview, as containing the whole of the Christian gospel. This study takes you behind the images and fantastic events and shows you the simplicity of what’s really there. Learn to see how Revelation takes seriously what many modern Christians have dismissed as myth and legend. Don’t get bogged down in Revelation, and don’t let yourself get confused by the myriad of conflicting opinions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tim Ware
• Release date: Oct 8, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301209583

Tim Ware

Tim Ware has been active in churches of various denominations for 40 years. He graduated from seminary with a Master of Divinity degree in 2011. Having become dissatisfied within denominational confines and more than a little disillusioned with the institutional church, God called him to withdraw from the institutional church and pursue an independent ministry. He founded and pastors The Chapel of Christ in Shelby, North Carolina, a non-affiliated alternative to the institutional church. Noticing the scarcity of genuine and worthwhile Bible study resources for the general public, he decided to offer the "Bible Study That Matters" series. He lives with his wife on a 5th generation family farm in western North Carolina where he raises blueberries, vegetables, and tobacco.

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The Book of Revelation

Published by Tim Ware at Smashwords

Copyright 2012 Tim Ware

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - Introduction to Revelation

Chapter 2 - The Context of Revelation

Chapter 3 - Messages from Jesus

Chapter 4 - The Visions in Overview

Chapter 5 - A Closer Look at Chapters 4-11

Chapter 6 - A Closer Look at Chapters 12-18

Chapter 7 - Final Chapters

Chapter 8 - Final Thoughts

Introduction to Revelation

Welcome to this study of Revelation. There is probably no book of the Bible that is better known in the popular culture than Revelation. Best-selling books of fiction are written based on it, and numerous books and TV shows detail the opinions of different religious and secular figures. But on the other hand, there is probably no book of the Bible that is more ignored by many Christians and in many churches. Many churches sidestep Revelation and many people pay it little attention. That is understandable, because the images in Revelation are disturbing. Plus, the message of Revelation is something that doesn't fit well with the message many churches proclaim. But Revelation is too important to be ignored, for in Revelation, we find the very core of the Christian faith. Revelation contains the whole of the Christian Gospel. I hope you will see that as you move through this study.

In this study, we will first look at Revelation in general, in an overview. Then we will look at some of the details. Finally, we will come back to an overview and try to bring it all together. And so...let's get started.

The book of Revelation states it was written by someone named John. John was on the island of Patmos, a small Greek island off the western coast of modern Turkey. But who was this John? Was he the same John who was a disciple of Jesus? No one knows. Some biblical scholars think he was, while others think he was not. Since we cannot know for sure if John in Revelation is the same as John the disciple, we should not assume he was. Most importantly, we should not base our interpretation of Revelation on the assumption that this John is the same as John the disciple.

Many people have assumed John was in exile on the island of Patmos. That’s a popular story—that Revelation was written by John while he was in exile on Patmos. However, if you look at the biblical text, you will notice it does not say that. Read 1: 9. Some interpret this verse to mean he was in exile, while others do not. Since it does not explicitly state John was in exile, we should not assume it. He may have been exiled there, or he may have been there for some other reason.

When was Revelation written? No one knows. Some biblical scholars date Revelation from between 70 and 95 A. D., but no one knows for sure. No one knows exactly when Revelation was written. However, the text itself indicates it was written at a time when early Christians were being persecuted by the Romans. Given that, the time period of between 70 and 95 A. D. is reasonable.

Revelation is written in a different style than most books of the Bible. It is an example of what is called apocalyptic literature. Revelation is an apocalypse. The word apocalypse comes from a Greek word that can be translated as vision. An apocalypse is a vision that reveals something previously unknown. In the case of Revelation, John wrote about a series of visions he had that reveal something about how the world as we know it will end. Since John’s visions are concerned with how the world will end, it is called eschatological. Eschatological means something concerned with the end of this world, with the last things. So, Revelation is an eschatological apocalypse. That is simply a technical term that means Revelation is a writing that reveals something about the end of this world.

In this respect Revelation is different from what we normally think of as prophecy in the Bible. What we generally call prophecy in the Bible is usually concerned with the continuation of things in this world. This is seen in the Old Testament. Remember that in the Old Testament, the Hebrews left Egypt under Moses and later entered the Promised Land under Joshua. Eventually they established a kingdom. The kingdom expanded and grew powerful under David, but it started to weaken under Solomon. After Solomon’s death, the kingdom split into two parts. The northern part was called Israel, and the southern part was called Judah. Eventually, the Assyrians took over the northern part, and the Babylonians took over the southern part. Old Testament prophecy relates to those events.

There are basically two different kinds of Old Testament prophecy. The first kind is the prophecy that said the kingdoms were corrupt and would be destroyed as punishment for the corruption. The second kind of Old Testament prophecy is that which foretold some sort of reestablishment of the kingdom. Prophecy related to the destruction of the kingdoms and the reestablishment of the kingdom comprises the major part of Old Testament prophecy. While some Old Testament prophecy concerning the reestablishment of the kingdom is apocalyptic in style, it still concerns itself with the establishment and continuation of a kingdom in this world. Old Testament prophecy relates to this world and concerns itself with the