Who wrote the book of revelation in the bible

The greek name of the bible book of revelation, apoka. Summary of the book of revelation story of the bible. Apr 15, 2019 according to new world encyclopedia, the traditional view is that the john who wrote the book of john and the john who wrote revelation are the same guy. This name indicates the meaning of revelation it uncovers matters that had been hidden and discloses events that would happen long after it was written.

Revelation has caused major divisions between denominations, churches and families. I always enjoyed these projects and studying about the various ways scholars make a connection to a certain author. From this fact, and from comparing the gospel of john with 1 john, 2 john, 3 john, and the book of revelation, we can be certain that the apostle john wrote the gospel of john. But, who was it that penned the word of revelation. Who wrote the book of revelation in the bible answers. Biblical scholar elaine pagels visits radcliffe, presenting a mad dash of.

The text of revelation states that john was on patmos, a greek island where, by most biblical historians. The apostle john wrote the book of revelation around the year ad 95 from his. The early church fathers, after disputing who this john really was, finally decided to include revelation in case the author was the apostle john, son of zebedee. The book of the revelation of jesus christ is a fascinating prophecy of the end times. In the same way that buildings contain clues that unveil the. Paul wrote many letters, john wrote a gospel, a letter and the book of revelation and luke wrote a gospel and the acts of the apostles. The teaching company shmoop helpfully rounded up some of the terrible things that happen to people unlucky enough to live in the world described by revelation. This summary of the book of revelation provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of revelation. The text of revelation states that john was on patmos, a greek island where.

Revelation 1 niv bible the revelation from jesus christ. This obviously lent a lot of weight to the final book of the bible, if someone as important as one of the original 12 disciples wrote it. Its purpose is to give encouragement and hope for all. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it. The book of revelation is the final book of the new testament, and. This article will conclude our series titled who wrote the new testament. In sharp contrast, the book of revelation provides ample internal evidence that it was written by a jew intimately acquainted with the historical events and locations he wrote about. The book of revelation was written by the apostle john revelation 1. His literary style is quite different to the writer of johns gospel, as is his image of god. Everyone has heard of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, but less well known are the horses of. 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 muratorian fragment, an early document listing most of the books belonging to the new testament, states that the apostle john wrote the apocalypse or revelation. Those holding an older view for the dating of revelation promote the late 60s as the time the book was written.

The name revelation comes from the first word of the book in koine greek. Apr 05, 2017 revelation was written before the temple was destroyed, before the events in the gospels happened. The book of revelation is the most controversial book in the bible. The literary genres of the book of revelation are an apocalypse, a prophecy, and an epistle or letter. The author names himself as john, but modern scholars consider it unlikely that the author of revelation also wrote the gospel of john. 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 revelation provides the clearest biblical portrait of the events of. Aug 02, 2001 we conclude the series with a look at archaeological and historical evidence relating to the last book of the bible, revelation. Ian boxall writes that revelation is no montage of biblical quotations that is not johns way but a wealth of allusions and evocations. The bible isnt the first book you might turn to for gratuitous violence, but its definitely in there.

The church does not have an official stance on who the author is. I was in the spirit on the lords day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, i am alpha and omega, the first and the. Dec 10, 2015 who wrote the bibles book of revelation. Note that this could have been in reference to the book of revelation being circulated widely seen by many, in reference to john still being alive last seen, or a reference to the dating of the book itself being written. Yes, revelation is physically the last book in the holy bible, but not the last book written in the bible. However, the view that the book was written later in the firstcentury, most likely in the late 80s or early 90s holds greater strength. The apostle john is the author of the book of revelation.

The author of revelation mentioned his name, john, four times throughout the book revelation 1. 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. Outside of revelation, examples of apocalyptic literature in the bible are daniel chapters 712, isaiah chapters 2427, ezekiel chapters 3741, and zechariah chapters 914. Brian chilton investigates the author of the book of revelation. The first blessing is in the first chapter of revelation in verse 3. The early2ndcentury writer, justin martyr, was the first to equate the author of revelation with john the evangelist. That is the internal evidence of the book and the external testimony of early church fathers. The writer of revelation identifies himself as john.

The first verse in the book of revelation does not say exactly who that particular john is, but it is naturally assumed to be john the apostle since it was the apostles that were given the authority by god to write scripture. The book of revelation is traditionally said to be written by john. What the modern reader or biblical scholar has to do is to try to read the text with. Revelation 1 new international version niv prologue. All these prophecies come together in the book of revelation. The book of revelation was written sometime around 96 ce in asia minor. The book of revelation by john the apostle bible probe. The apocalyptic book of revelation is a symbolic glimpse. Is this the same john who wrote the gospel account and three letters. While its authorship may continuously be a point of contention with modern historicalcritical scholarship, this has not been the case until recently.

Four times the author identifies himself as john 1. If you were a religious or political prisoner because the roman emperor disagreed with you, you were released when the emperor died. Victorinus late third century, author of the earliest commentary on the book of revelation, wrote. Book of revelation read, study bible verses online. The apocalyptic book of revelation is a symbolic glimpse into. An easyenglish study unit 2800 word vocabulary on the new testament from acts to revelation. The author or revelation wrote in order to resolve this crisis by clearly demarcating the. The book of revelation is the only book in the bible, that i know of, that has a blessing associated with it for those who will read itnot once but twice. The author of the book of revelation identifies himself only as john. The revelation of jesus christ was given to john by god to show his servants what must soon take place. John wrote revelation while a prisoner on the island of patmos, approximately 8595 a. Book of revelation overview insight for living ministries. He was a jewish christian prophet, probably belonging to a group of such prophets, and was accepted by the. Symbolic language, however, is one of the chief characteristics of apocalyptic literature, of which.

Posted by christian research institute apr, 2011 bible answers. Nov 20, 2015 the book of revelation is one of the most mysterious books in the bible but thats no reason not to read it because john writes, blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy. Various bible scholars have theories about who wrote the book of hebrews, for example. John and the book of revelation a bible study in easy. We conclude the series with a look at archaeological and historical evidence relating to the last book of the bible, revelation. Book of revelation mormonism, the mormon church, beliefs. Traditionally, this was often believed to be the same person as john, son of zebedee, one of the apostles of jesus, to whom the gospel of john was also attributed. Aug 14, 2018 the writer of revelation identifies himself as john. Apr, 2011 in sharp contrast, the book of revelation provides ample internal evidence that it was written by a jew intimately acquainted with the historical events and locations he wrote about. The only other clue to the authors identity is that he states he received his visions while on the island of patmos rev. This book is filled with mysteries about things to come. An apocalyptic letter, it relies on visions, symbols, and old testament references to reveal the ultimate fulfillment of gods promise given to abraham in genesis. A promise of blessing is made in the very first chapter of the book to those who read and hear the words of this prophecy.

The first verse in the book of revelation does not say exactly who that particular john is, but it is. From as early as justin martyr in the second century a. One of the projects i remember from bible college that came up often was to do research to show why it is believed that certain men wrote each book. Revelation was written before the temple was destroyed, before the events in the gospels happened.

Some writers, however, have advanced the preterist from a latin word meaning that which is past view, contending that the apocalypse was penned around a. Patmos was a quarry mine for the roman empire, and was home to many political and religious prisoners or slaves. Apostle john was supposedly exiled to the greek island. The book of revelation was the last text to be included within the formalized canon of the new testament, but on the basis of content rather than authorship. Nero was the first persecutor of christians when h. Only a handful of extremists today even countenance the possibility that revelation could have been written pseudonymously. While revelation holds mysterious and frightening images of the endtimes, the book of revelation was written to be an encouragement to christians of all times.

John wrote revelation when he was a prisoner on the isle of patmos for preaching about. Asked in the bible, bible statistics and history, new. John of patmos could be the author named as john in the book of revelation, the apocalyptic text forming the final book of the new testament. Modern religious scholarship attributes the book of revelation to john of patmos, who wrote the book of revelation around the time of the roman emperor. The book of revelation was likely written between a.

He wrote five books against marcion hippolytus 170235 a. The book of revelation was written to seven churches as both encouragement and challenge. For other books of the bible, it is uncertain who wrote them. It is the only biblical book that is wholly composed of apocalyptic literature. 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. This commentary has yet to go through advanced theological. December 10, 2015 richard ostling patheos explore the worlds faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality. The discipleapostle john, who followed jesus christ and witnessed his crucifixion, authored it. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant john, 2 who testifies to everything he sawthat is, the word of god and the testimony of jesus christ. The book of revelation, also called revelation to john or apocalypse of john is the last canonical book of the new testament in the bible. Advocates of a late date take it as proof of the book being written around 91ad but iraneaus never explicitly says so.

A word list at the end explains words with a star by them. Traditionally, the book of revelation has been dated near the end of the first century, around a. John, writer of the book of revelation revelation was written by someone called john, but it is not the same man as wrote johns gospel. The author of the book of revelation calls himself john rev. May 02, 2020 the description of the antichrist mentioned in daniel 9. John of patmos also called john the revelator, john the divine, john the theologian, and possibly john the apostle. As mentioned at the beginning of the article, revelation was not given to scare us. The book of revelation, a prophecy of warning and hope. 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. Patmos was a quarry mine for the roman empire, and was home to. In fact, the opening passage contains a blessing to everyone who reads, hears, and keeps the words of this prophecy. The apostle john, who wrote it under the inspiration of jesus christ revelation 1. The book of revelation is signed by a person called john but which john.