The book of revelation was written by the apostle john revelation 1. Information about the book of revelation apocalypse that was written by saint john in patmos island, dodecanese, greece. The holy bible book 66 revelation kjv dramatized audio. Perhaps as much as any other nt book, we have evidence for an early, widespread, and consistent reception of revelation. It was written by the apostle john through revelation from god. The book of revelation has been traditionally dated by scholars to have been written in or about 96 ad. Nov 14, 2017 those holding an older view for the dating of revelation promote the late 60s as the time the book was written. John the divine, although the godgiven title is at the very beginning of the text, the revelation of.
The book of revelation was likely written between a. Historically, though, many thought it was written earlier than that, and there is a surprisingly strong case that the book was written in the late a. If the book of revelation is a book of prophecy as it claims to be rev. In the book of revelation, the apocalyptic hopes of the early christian community find their clearest and most complete expression.
They point out incorrectly that revelation was written in 95 or 96 a. I have come to understand that the majority of the book of revelation was written regarding events that took place at the destruction of jerusalem in ad 70. As with acts, revelation shows how the lord works with and through his servants. That is the internal evidence of the book and the external testimony of early. The very fact that the author of the apocalypse simply calls himself john is a dead giveaway that he was well known throughout the churches in asia minor. The book of revelation was written to warn the jews in israel and throughout the middle east what was going to happen to them during the end times age which started at the resurrection of jesus christ, and really starts ramping up in 70 ad when rome levels jerusalem, as jesus speaking about the jews foretold in matthew chapter 24. That is the internal evidence of the book and the external testimony of early church fathers. Sep 30, 2015 this book is written as an aid for pastors who want to preach through the book of revelation it might make a good gift for your pastor or your church library. Even though the book of revelation was finally included in the new testament canon because christian leaders came to think it had been written by jesus disciple, john the son of zebedee, there were outspoken dissenters against its inclusion. The revelation of jesus christ was given to john by god to show his servants what must soon take place.
Jun 04, 2018 here i will share ten evidences that revelation was written before ad 68. It is important to date the times of composition of the various new testament books because this is the first step in providing a benchmark to help determine when the final canonization took place. The scope of the book in your hands is not able to adequately address this topic. Here i will share ten evidences that revelation was written before ad 68. The fact is the book of revelation was written before before jerusalem fell as hyper creedalist ken gentry shows in his book. Four times the author identifies himself as john 1. Was revelation written before or after the destruction of. Victorinus late third century, author of the earliest commentary on the book of revelation, wrote. The secondcentury syriac version, called the peshitto, says the following on. The book is also written to all believers everywhere. The author was probably a christian from ephesus known as john the elder. Its purpose is to give encouragement and hope for all. Revelation to john, last book of 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.
If the book was written in the 90s, then the immediate background for the book is persecution of christians under domitian. It presents the book as a revelation which god gave. The book of revelation is written by the apostle john after christ appeared to him and gave him a revelation of the things to come in the end times. 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. Was revelation written before or after the destruction of the. John was the youngest disciple of the twelve disciples of jesus who became an apostle of the church.
Was the book of john written first or the book of revelation. The syriac we have the witness of one of the most ancient versions of the new testament, called the syriac. Apr, 2011 finally, while there is little to commend the notion that a shadowy figure named john the elder wrote the book of revelation, there is ample evidence that it was written by john the apostle. The book of revelation lions leopards and bears oh my. Apr 07, 2018 perhaps more than any other new testament book, the date for the writing of revelation is important for interpreting the book. The literary genres of the book of revelation are an apocalypse, a prophecy, and an epistle or letter. The inscription to the book of revelation, in the syrian version, first published by deuteronomy dieu, in 1627, and, afterwards in the london polyglot, is the following, the revelation which god made to john the evangelist, in the island of patmos, to which he was banished by nero caesar. John the divine, although the godgiven title is at the very beginning of the text, the revelation of jesus christ, which god. The book of revelation was not written at one time by a single author. This distrust of the book of revelation persisted in the east through the 15th century. Those churches were in ephesus, smyrna, pergamum, thyatira, sardis, philadephia, and laodicea.
As mentioned at the beginning of the article, revelation was not given to scare us. To whom was the book of revelation written for answers. Do you hold that revelation was written before 68ad. Different sections were written at different times. This study is being researched and written in an effort to try and bring to light the evidence which is available to help in the dating of this book. For whom was the book of revelation written and why. Book of revelation apocalypse written on patmos island greeka. Hendricksens statement that the book of revelation was written around a. The discipleapostle john, who followed jesus christ and witnessed his crucifixion, authored it. John was exiled on the island of patmos at the time he wrote the book of 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. Apocalypticism was not a new phenomenon among christians. The book of revelation is considered by biblical scholars to be the last book of the bible written. The revelation of john is the one book in the new testament that claims john as its author. Dionysius 248 ad, bishop of alexandria and disciple of origen, wrote that the book of revelation could have been written by cerinthus although he himself did not adopt the view that. The book of revelation is addressed to believers, his servants, of the churches in seven cities of the roman province of asia. Book of revelation read, study bible verses online. Certainly to god, or to john the apostle, or even to joseph smith, revelation was a plain book. Most scholars today think that the book of revelation was written around the year a. However, johnsons book also serves as an excellent commentary and devotional book in its own right. The book of revelation is one of the plainest books god ever caused to be written. Advocates of a late date take it as proof of the book being written around 91ad but iraneaus never explicitly says so. Now, if revelation was written in ad 9596, john would have been over 90 years old and it would have been very difficult for him to travel to the various nations andmany kings and preach.
From as early as justin martyr in the second century a. Apr, 2011 finally, new testament documentsincluding the book of revelation speak of jerusalem and the jewish temple intact at the time they were written. Why was the book of revelation written later than the rest. John was the only one of the original apostles not killed for his faith in jesus christ. The book of revelation is cardinal to the whole issue. This book is written as an aid for pastors who want to preach through the book of revelation it might make a good gift for your pastor or your church library. For example, chapters 15 were written at a later date than chapters 614. 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. Obviously this date would completely prevent anyone from accepting the preterist theory that the events described in revelation took place some 25 years earlier in 70 ad.
Historically, though, many thought it was written earlier than that, and there is a surprisingly strong case that the. Dating the book of revelation church of christ articles. Feb 22, 2014 book of revelation holy bible, john the apostlejohn of patmos king james version audiobook duration. The introductory verse betrays the complicated character of the whole work. Remember, members of the body of christ know that all scripture was written for the body of christ, but not all scripture was written to the body of christ. The greek name of the bible book of revelation, apoka. Thank you for submitting this question, and driving us to search the bible for any clues regarding the penning. A proverbs 31 woman mothers day scripture jeremiahjw on. Perhaps more than any other new testament book, the date for the writing of revelation is important for interpreting the book. Jan 12, 2019 the book of revelation is written by the apostle john after christ appeared to him and gave him a revelation of the things to come in the end times. In this case, the revelation and 4 ezra were both drawing on a bythen traditional. The book of revelation dramatized version and written. Feb 15, 2015 in this message we look at to whom was the book of revelation actually written. Furthermore, those who hold that the book of revelation was written.
John wrote revelation while a prisoner on the island of patmos, approximately 8595 a. The secondcentury syriac version, called the peshitto, says the following on the title page of the book of revelation. John the divine is an example of apocalyptic writing a form that delivers a message using symbols, images and numbers. 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 book of revelation is the revelation of jesus christ to apostle john thus to us christians. Nov 19, 2012 this is the holy book of revelation, known as the revelation of st. The book of revelation was written sometime around 96 ce in asia minor. Since there is strong tradition that the apostle john lived till the end of the 1st century and that he wrote. Those holding an older view for the dating of revelation promote the late 60s as the time the book was written. Today most scholars date the book of revelation to late in the first century, during the reign of the emperor domitian. The fact is the book of revelation was written before before jerusalem. The book of revelation dramatized version and written kjv. This book is filled with mysteries about things to come. 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.
The last book in the new testament canon, yet in fact one of the oldest. There is considerable disagreement among students of revelation as to when it was written. Traditionally, the book of revelation has been dated near the end of the first century, around a. The book was written around 96 ad by apostle john when titus domitian was the emperor of the roman empire. As a preterist, the internal and external evidence places the true date of the writing of this epistle to the 7 churches of asia just prior to june 68 a. Parts of the old testament, particularly in the book of daniel, are also written in the apocalyptic genre. First, if the apostle john were indeed writing in ad 95long after the. In this message we look at to whom was the book of revelation actually written.
However, with revelation written earlier, john would have been in his mid 60s and at that age, his traveling would have been more feasible. This is known as the quick fix of 96 for if revelation was written under domitians reign then the preterist view has a problem. The book of revelation was written before ad 70 hubpages. Book of revelation chronological order pursuing intimacy. Oct 24, 2019 things are not always as they appear to be. Some writers, however, have advanced the preterist from. I find this topic brought up in a lot of threads, but it is such a big question, that it can derail a forum and most likely needs its own thread. The author of this book, who was not a christian, also symbolizes the davidic messiah as a lion. By the time the writings that are now included in the new testament were assembled in their present form, three letters and one gospel were also attributed to john. Most definitely the gospel of john was written before the destruction of jerusalem ad 70 as references are made within the book to structures existing before that siege of jerusalem.
This is the holy book of revelation, known as the revelation of st. Chapters 15 address seven established christian churches in asia minor. Conventional understanding until recent times was that the book of revelation was written to comfort beleaguered christians as they underwent. Historically, though, many thought it was written earlier. How to study the book of revelation christian truth center. Book of revelation holy bible, john the apostlejohn of patmos king james version audiobook duration. The book of revelation, a prophecy of warning and hope. Was revelation written before or after the destruction of the temple. Irenaeus says that revelation was written near the end of domitians reign, and since domitian ruled as caesar after a.
Thus, revelation was not just for john and the saints of the seven churches but for other saints then and now. The book of revelation also called the revelation of john or the revelation of st. Why was the book of revelation written later than the rest of. Book of revelation apocalypse written on patmos island. Right around the same time as the revelation, another jewish apocalypse, 4 ezra, was written. Only a handful of extremists today even countenance the possibility that revelation could have been written pseudonymously. The church of today will not be on the earth during the time. Finally, new testament documentsincluding the book of revelation speak of jerusalem and the jewish temple intact at the time they were written. Indeed, as we will see, the book speaks to our period even more than that of the seven churches. 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. The book of revelation is doctrinally written to seven churches that will be on the earth during the time of the great tribulation. If revelation was written before ad 70, it is reasonable to assume that the vision given to john was meant to reveal the apocalyptic events surrounding the destruction of jerusalemevents that. When people write about the dating of the books of the new testament they often reveal much about their theological position in relation to those.
1173 1253 971 1418 1375 1153 867 166 1287 871 94 738 1034 213 950 1365 413 835 828 774 98 722 459 386 227 1501 768 1076 1175 512 578 744 1046 327 81 762 1103 1019 1362 1213 1252 589 523