Understanding the book of revelation john received his vision

The visions john recorded in the book of revelation are very different from the revelation he received during jesus earthly ministry. Mcconkie one of our most fascinating exercises in scriptural interpretation is to study the book of revelation, to ponder its truths, and to discoverto our surprise and amazementwhat this commonly misunderstood work is all about. Most ordinary readers of revelation assume that john had some sort of vision, and that what we have is a moreorless straightforward description of what he saw as if he was describing a picture. John the divine, you must remember that the words of st. If your bible has a title at the beginning of the revelation which says, the revelation of st. And the same voice that spoke to me before, that sounded like a trumpet, said, come up here, and i will show you what must happen after this. Therefore, we know that the reason john is here is because of his teaching as an apostle of christ i john 1. John tells us that he was on the island because of the word of god and his testimony of jesus.

This means that revelation and vision has nothing to do with ourselves as participants in the old man eph. And here is another key to understanding the whole book. The apocalypse apocalupsis in greek, means revelation of st. The first vision which john is given is, appropriately, a vision of the risen and glorified christ who now lives in heaven revelation 1. Worship of and accepting the antichrists mark will constitute a rejection of christ and seal ones eternal doom revelation 14. John describes the elders as worshiping god and saying,worthy are you, our lord and god, to receive glory and honor and power revelation 4. Revelation 1 part 2 patmos vision of christ glorified rev. But there are several reasons for qualifying this kind of understanding.

For example, at the end of his vision, john saw the future celestial kingdom and those who gained it. The apostle john is the author of the book of revelation. John received this revelation on the lords day on the isle of patmos rev. In the previous two parts in this series, we have covered the opening messages to the seven churches. John, the writer of the book of revelation, sets out to tell his readers something vital about the paradox of the days and years ahead. If you have already fallen in love with johns presentation of the. Most ordinary readers of revelation assume that john had some sort of vision. John wrote the book of revelation in symbols so the. This is the only place in the bible where the phrase, the lords day appears. For john, it is clear that it is the words he has written, more than anything else, which constitute what he has been given by god as the revelation of jesus christ 1. This revelation is not a complete interpretation of the book.

Apocalypse means the revealing of divine mysteries. Short summary of the book of revelation prophecy talk. The apostle is giving the reader vital information about the time setting of his vision and thus the true application of the book of revelation. It foretells the impending fate of mankind, the end of the world, and the beginning of eternal life, and it is, therefore, naturally placed at the end of the holy scripture. If youre befuddled by the book of revelation in the bible, dont fret. Neither do we know how long he had been on the island when he received this revelation from god. Understanding images and symbols in the book of revelation. Revelation 4 ncv john sees heaven after the vision of.

Keys to understanding the book are included in 1 nephi 14. The book begins stating that it is the revelation of jesus christ, which god gave him to show his servantsthings, which must shortly take place. For the bulk of its sixtysix books, the bible portrays a world deep in the throes of. It has drawn the attention of numerous scholars throughout the ages, all trying to interpret the meaning of it. He was in the spirit on the lords day when he received gods command to write the letters to the seven churches of asia 1.

John the theologian is the only prophetic book of the new testament. Although many claim that his exile entailed hard labor in the islands quarries, this is not recorded. Keys to understanding revelation the book of revelation. John states that his first vision took place on the island of patmos. Knowing that the book of revelation resulted from a supernatural vision given to.

Before we turn to the remainder of the book, with its powerful apocalyptic images. The orthodox faith volume i doctrine and scripture. Since the rest of the vision is what john sees as each of the seven seals are opened, understanding the symbolism of the book and the seals is critical to understanding the book of revelation. These are a final vision of heaven after judgement. The eyes of the lord are toward the righteous and his ears are open to their cry. Apparently he returned to ephesus after his release. John launched into his account of the future which he received in his vision. Daniel 7 and 10, ezekiel 43 and isaiah 6 will help you with these verses. The irony of the book of revelation is that john had a wonderful visionthreedimensional, multifacted, sensoryladen, and emotionallychargedall the stuff of the subconscious mind or the right brain or the artistic side, but the only technology available to him to convey his vision to us was the written wordthe stuff of the conscious. The book of revelation centers around jesus christ.

Returning the book of revelation to its historical context by joey cobble. Take a look at the basic structure of the book of revelation. John is to write down what is revealed what he sees in his vision and send it to the seven churches. The book of revelation, what god revealed to the apostle john, is a great prophecy mystery. The last book in the new testament, consisting of a revelation given to john the apostle. Each of the seven messages contains the words of christ for the specific church 24. Saint john received his vision on the island called patmos. The foundations of the wall are inlaid with every kind of precious stone, and reflect green, blue, red, white, yellow and purple colours. The author of revelation mentioned his name, john, four times throughout the. John, revelations of the encyclopedia of mormonism. Book of revelation overview insight for living ministries. He had been exiled on the island of patmos a roman penal colony because of his christian faith. The lord spoke, his servant heard, the word was written, and we now have the written record for our profit and blessing.

John tells us he is a brother who is patient in his. Revelation 4 new century version ncv john sees heaven. The place of composition would appear to be one of the smaller mysteries connected with revelation. Where was john when he saw his vision in the book of. Understanding the book of revelation judaicaworld archives. Days abortion writing age, span of life providence, of god in circumstances gods activity in human life schedules face of god. This is a counter to the adulation offered to the roman emperors who were also addressed as our lord and our god. Keys to understanding revelation united church of god. Christ came to john exiled on the isle of patmos to give him. Understanding the book of revelation 3 book series. The first relates the nature of visions and spiritual auditory experiences. Richard booker helps you understand the book of revelation by explaining johns vision within its intriguing original historical, literary, and biblical context.

The author was probably a christian from ephesus known as john the elder. Merrill unger is of the opinion that human messengers is the meaning of the stars. In revelation 1, john draws on the following symbols from book of daniel to describe his vision of jesus. Understanding the book of revelation come, follow me. The author of revelation mentioned his name, john, four times throughout the book revelation 1. Richard booker explains johns vision within its original historical, literary, and biblical context. Before we can understand this book we must have one thing clearly lodged in our minds. He wrote it when he was about 92 years old, while a prisoner of rome on the remote desert penal colony of patmos, an island in the aegean sea. The book of revelation is mentioned twice in the book of mormon, in 1 nephi 14. Like much of revelation it is a vision, which is meant to tell us what christ is like, not what he looks like. Know that the book of revelation deals with things that are to occur after new testament times, particularly in the last days. John was freed in october of 96ad after domitians death. Received by joseph smith while working on the joseph smith translation of the bible jst, this revelation contains fifteen questions and answers about the book of revelation.

Revelation 2020 4b verse by verse ministry international. Also, unlike johns other biblical writings, revelation was written in an apocalyptic style, which probably occasioned many of the differences in his literary style and use of greek. The new view, therefore, began to argue that none of the events described in the book of revelation after chapters i. The 7 letters are the key to understanding the structure of the visions. John witnessed that all who dwell upon the earth will worship him revelation. The author of the book of revelation, saint john the divine, offers a transcription of seven letters and later describes strange beasts, visions of judgments, governments, demonic battles, heaven, and a new world order a prophetic vision for the end of the world. In revelation, john described the roman empire as having the characteristics of the earlier empires whose remnants it had absorbed. 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. Birthdays giving, of time book of life life expectancy, today babies in the womb seasons, of life god seeing all people vision. The book of revelation is not a book of doom and gloom but the victory of the lamb of god and those who follow himthe overcomers. Some fellow named dickens seems to have borrowed that theme several centuries later.

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. Book of revelation for dummies cheat sheet dummies. Chapter 12 records a vision of the evil that began in heaven when satan. The first verse of this book announces that it is the revelation of jesus christ, which god gave him revelation 1. Understanding the book of revelation church of jesus christ. It starts out simply enough, it is a revelation in greek, apocalypse from jesus christ, it is a prophecy, and it comes as a letter to seven churches. Psalms, isaiah, daniel, and ezekiel make the most important contributions to revelation. This was a small, rocky island in the aegean sea about forty miles off the coast of asia minor. John indicates that at the time he is writing, at least some of his prophecies will be fulfilled very soon 1.

The wall is made of jasper, and the city itself of pure gold. Johns vision of the son of man is described in the scriptural revelation 1. Christians throughout history have given almost unanimous affirmation to the identity of the books author as john the apostle, who had been exiled to the island of patmos by the authorities for preaching the gospel in asia. By the time of johns vision in the book of revelation, the empires of ancient babylon, persia and greece had passed into history and the fourth kingdomthe roman empiredominated the world scene. Understanding the book of revelation elder bruce r. The book of revelation is not a book of doom and gloom but rather the story of victory of the lamb of god and those who follow him.

Yes, after his oracles of judgment, john speaks of a glorious new heaven and earth in which sin and death are no more chaps. My commentary on revelation, published by ivp in the tyndale new. Unveiling the symbolism in revelation introduction. If we did not realize already that it takes a lifetime to understand the bible and thats a good thing, the point is driven home when we get to the last book in the biblerevelation. Jesus is portrayed in this vision as having a robe with a golden sash, white hair, eyes like blazing fire, feet like bronze and a voice like rushing waters. The revelation of christ revelation 15 the prologue the vision of christ his appearance. John sees a vision of the risen, ascended and glorified jesus christ, whom he describes as one like the son of man verse. Fortunately, these were two of the topics addressed by the prophet in doctrine and covenants 77. Seeing the book of revelation as a book of revelation. When he received this vision, he was in his late 60s and had become known as a visionary prophet.

Revelation of john the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. Before we turn to the remainder of the book, with its powerful. When the bible is read holistically, revelation is consistent with its other parts. Johns angel guide showed him a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of god and of the lamb revelation 22. Through the agency of gods spirit, john received a vision of endtime events and related material that reveal to the church a unique understanding of the day of the lord. T he apostle johns life was close to its end when he wrote down the content of the book of revelation. 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. God has spoken unto us by his son, whose we are by creation and by redemption.