Revelation

About Revelation

Revelation is a vision-filled letter to seven churches in Asia Minor, written to encourage believers under pressure from a hostile empire. Through dramatic symbols of beasts, plagues, and a slain-yet-standing Lamb, it pulls back the curtain to show that Jesus, not Caesar, rules history and will set everything right. As the Bible's final book, it gathers up the whole story, from Eden's lost garden to a new heaven and new earth where God dwells with his people forever.

Written by

The book names its author as John, a prophet exiled on the island of Patmos; tradition identifies him as the apostle John, though some early Christians and many modern scholars think he was a different John.

When

Most scholars date it around AD 95, during Emperor Domitian's reign, though some argue for the late 60s under Nero.

Themes

• Jesus the reigning Lamb
• Faithfulness under persecution
• God's judgment of evil
• Worship in heaven and on earth
• New creation

Key verses

• Revelation 1:8I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
• Revelation 5:9-10And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
• Revelation 21:3-5And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.