Book of revelation study guide what does the bible. An introduction to the book of revelation, including issues in interpretation, ways to. Larry is professor of biblical studies at taylor university. Both testaments can be divided into history instruction prophecy revelation is the only book of prophecy in the new testament. 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. The discipleapostle john, who followed jesus christ and witnessed his crucifixion, authored it. With its vivid imagery of disaster and suffering the battle of armageddon, the four horsemen of the apocalypse, the hideous beast whose number is many have seen it as a map to the end of the world. Each page of scripture is from the king james bible, and is immediately followed by the meaning of that scripture. Another key to understanding the book of revelation, a very important key, is to accept the plain sense meaning of each passage. Sincere bible scholars, in fact, disagree about the meaning of some of the symbolic passages. Revelation made clear bible study in the book of revelation. Easyenglish is a system of simple english designed by wycliffe associates uk. An apocalypse is a very specific kind of literature with no modern equivalent. The book of revelation emphasizes both what he is doing and what he will do.
Like all books of the bible, revelation was written in a particular time and. This bible study is designed to highlight the major points of revelation in eight weeks. The book of revelation also called the revelation of john or the revelation of st. Revelation 2020 verse by verse ministry international. This revelation bible study page and free bible study outlines and teacher guides present a uniquely balanced, scholarly, and commonsense approach to the book. But revelation has a unique and very important place as it is the consummation and climax of gods revelation.
Book of revelation explained a testimony of jesus christ. Adventist international institute of advanced studies. Five different methods of interpretation are classified below. The book of revelation is the final book of the new testament, and consequently is also the final book of the christian bible.
Virtually every book of the bible will be consulted during our indepth course, leading many vbvm students to say that our revelation study is an attempt to teach the entire bible in a single course. Revelation made clear walks through the book of revelation looking for the clearest and most natural understanding of the book. Understanding revelations in the bible biblical archaeology society. John the divine is an example of apocalyptic writing a form that delivers a message using symbols, images and numbers. The literary genres of the book of revelation are an apocalypse, a prophecy, and an epistle or letter. The book of revelation bible, bible study, scripture. The key to bible interpretation, especially for the book of revelation, is to have a consistent hermeneutic. Revelation the last book in the bible was written to tell us about the futureespecially the final conflict between god and satan, and the triumph of jesus christover all. Unlike most books of the bible, revelation contains its own title. While the preterist confines the entire book of revelation to the first century period in which it was written, the historicist interprets it as a forecast of the course of history. Ten keys for interpreting the book of revelation digital commons. The interpreters of revelation are divided into three main schools. These four horsemen of the apocalypse appear to symbolically portray four disastrous occurrences that will take place before the second coming of jesus christ.
The book describes events which immediately precede the. Second, the bible says all scripture is profitable, meaning every book of the bible. A testimony of jesus christ is a commentary that explains some. Background information as to the setting, conditions, and purpose for the writing of the book of revelation by john the apostle. Outline for this study of the book of revelation pages 1, 2, and top of page 3.
On this page i will answer questions that students have frequently asked in my three decades of teaching revelation. Do not pay attention to the terms preterist, historicist, and futurist. It will prepare you for the rest of the material contained here. The interpretation of revelation has always been a subject of debate among bible interpreters. Then go into each of the twenty two chapters of the book of revelation one by one. In the study of any book of the bible or any topic of scripture, a certain amount of ground work is needed for understanding, orientation, and motivation. The book of revelation is at once one of the most important books of the. I encourage you, the participant, to maximize your learning by working through the study questions for each week prior to coming to class. Before we begin our study, i am going to encourage you with the same words that i always offer. Hes just a mildmannered christian guy living in exile whenpow.
Book of revelation biblical interpretations, pictures. A testimony of jesus christ is a commentary that explains some of the mysteries of revelation. Its title is derived from the first word of the koine greek text. Very important we note this and realize we cannot study revelation in the same way we study the book of romans. Scholars assign four basic schools of interpretation to the book of revelation. The book of revelation can be confusing to the modern reader because much of it was written using a symbolic style of language that is not used today. A bible study in easyenglish 2800 word vocabulary on the book of revelation. The purpose of this fivesession study is to provide a biblical understanding of what death is. Interpretive models for the book of revelation as a whole. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant john, 2 who testifies to everything he saw. Revelation was the last book accepted into the christian biblical canon, and.
The book of revelation, the last book of the bible, has fascinated and puzzled christians for centuries. Book of revelation for dummies cheat sheet dummies. It is most important to understand that the book of revelation does not list the scenes and events in the same order in which they will actually occur. Here are some tips for studying revelation from scott duvall, who. Understanding the end times and the book of revelation. You can choose to follow the videos or the mp3 audio teaching. The first one in our consideration is the historicist method of interpretation, apparently made much of by the reformers.
The bible s answer the greek name of the bible book of revelation, apoka. Many people think that the book of revelation cannot be understood. This needs to be kept in mind in a special way as we study the book of revelation even more than in the gospels. Interpretation bible studies ibs offers solid biblical content in a creative study format. The key to understanding the specific meaning of the ten horns and seven heads of the beast of revelation chapter is an image of the wild beast identified later in revelation a brightred beast that has seven heads. This is particularly so with the book of revelation or prophecy in general. Revelation greek apokalupsis means an uncovering, an unveiling, or a disclosure.
I encourage you, the participant, to maximize your learning by working through the study questions. Hermeneutics is the study of the principles of interpretation. The interpretation of the book revelation lamb and. But that should not keep us from reading it and understanding its main message. Book of revelation explained scripture by scripture. Key to understanding commentaries on revelations is knowing the position of the commentator. Interpreting the symbolism in the book of revelation. The versebyverse commentary on revelation introduction this commentary on revelation will prove, contrary to what most people think, that the revelation, the last book of the bible, is not difficult to understand if we will take a simple, facevalue, commonsense approach to interpreting it.
There are several other articles available on biblical interpretation. Futurism sees the visions with the exception of chapters as related to end times events still to come in the future. Historicism interprets the writing as a prophetic and panoramic overview of history, from the first century until the second coming of christ. The book of revelation brings to us great changes in the course of the history of the world. This is the word of god and the testimony of jesus christ. A second approach to the interpretation of the revelation is the historicist view. The book of revelation in the bible is one of the more difficult books of the bible to understand. The book of revelation is full of mystery and wonder. The bible as a whole tells us what he has done, what he is doing, and what he will do. Lets look at the characteristics of each horsemen and how they all play an important role in the end times from the bible book of revelation. Parts of the old testament, particularly in the book of daniel, are also written in the apocalyptic genre.
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. Twelve has always been an important number in the bible because there were twelve tribes. The radical discipleship interpretation asserts that the book of revelation is best understood as a handbook for radical discipleship. The book of revelation is the book in the bible that is considered to be shrouded in mystery. Youll find four major interpretive approaches to the book of revelation that can help you read, understand, and figure out the apocalyptic letter of john. The book of revelation, a prophecy of warning and hope. Even if you dont understand it, the best rule of thumb is to just accept the plain sense meaning. The real meaning of the bible s book of revelation is a popular, ongoing debate. Forged in the tradition of the celebrated interpretation commentary series, ibs makes the same depth of biblical insight available in a dynamic, flexible, and userfriendly resource. Appreciate the imagery and enjoy the drama as it unfolds in the book. Revelation is a book that has been called everything from a hodgepodge. Designed for adults and older youth, ibs can be used in small groups. In other words, it is the way you interpret scripture.
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