The Book Of Revelation ..
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Firstly, welcome to CC. 
Secondly, congrats on finishing reading through the Bible.
Thirdly, Revelation is the most difficult book to understand. There are four major approaches to interpreting it:
Preterist, which views significant portions if not most of if as having been fulfilled in the first century AD;
Historicist, which views it as being fulfilled across the breadth of the last 2000-odd years;
Futurist, which puts most if not all of it in the yet-future; and
Idealist, which views it as primarily symbolic.
There are two major views as to the date of its writing: prior to 70 AD, and about 95 AD. There is evidence for both.
How about you share some of your thoughts?
Secondly, congrats on finishing reading through the Bible.
Thirdly, Revelation is the most difficult book to understand. There are four major approaches to interpreting it:
Preterist, which views significant portions if not most of if as having been fulfilled in the first century AD;
Historicist, which views it as being fulfilled across the breadth of the last 2000-odd years;
Futurist, which puts most if not all of it in the yet-future; and
Idealist, which views it as primarily symbolic.
There are two major views as to the date of its writing: prior to 70 AD, and about 95 AD. There is evidence for both.
How about you share some of your thoughts?
its the most difficult to understand ?
hmmm, really ?
i found the text fairly reasonable to read.
my difficulty was what everything would look like.
so, regarding preterist, historicist, futurist and idealist, what of all that is literal, metaphoric, or otherwise ?
my thoughts ?
ok, well, firstly, i don't think America has much of a role in the very end times.
i say that because people seem to think that America is the false or related to that.
for me the false prophet is the catholic church.
whats with the beast entering from the sea?
and, why is satan released before being thrown into the lake of fire for all time?
and one more, who is the "whore" ?
hmmm, really ?
i found the text fairly reasonable to read.
my difficulty was what everything would look like.
so, regarding preterist, historicist, futurist and idealist, what of all that is literal, metaphoric, or otherwise ?
my thoughts ?
ok, well, firstly, i don't think America has much of a role in the very end times.
i say that because people seem to think that America is the false or related to that.
for me the false prophet is the catholic church.
whats with the beast entering from the sea?
and, why is satan released before being thrown into the lake of fire for all time?
and one more, who is the "whore" ?
Here's what I would point out as one of the first things to notice about the Book of Revelation:
Revelation 1:1 - [22:6]
"The revelation of Jesus Christ, WHICH GOD GAVE TO HIM [to Jesus] TO SHOW UNTO His bond-servants things which must come to pass [<--comp. with 1:19c and 4:1!] IN QUICKNESS [NOUN]. [...]," (Note: NOT things which would unfold over the course of some 2000 yrs, or unfold immediateLY or soon [which are 'adverbs'!] This is in distinction to "the things WHICH ARE" [Rev1:19b] which are NOT said to be "things which must come to pass IN QUICKNESS [NOUN]," BY CONTRAST!)
[secondly... that Revelation has numerous connections to other Scriptures which should then be taken into account when studying this book]
Welcome to CC! Hope to see you around the boards! = )
Revelation 1:1 - [22:6]
"The revelation of Jesus Christ, WHICH GOD GAVE TO HIM [to Jesus] TO SHOW UNTO His bond-servants things which must come to pass [<--comp. with 1:19c and 4:1!] IN QUICKNESS [NOUN]. [...]," (Note: NOT things which would unfold over the course of some 2000 yrs, or unfold immediateLY or soon [which are 'adverbs'!] This is in distinction to "the things WHICH ARE" [Rev1:19b] which are NOT said to be "things which must come to pass IN QUICKNESS [NOUN]," BY CONTRAST!)
[secondly... that Revelation has numerous connections to other Scriptures which should then be taken into account when studying this book]
Welcome to CC! Hope to see you around the boards! = )
Learning what the symbolic words means is a lot of under standing Revelation. and some of them is in Daniel. Like a Woman in prophecy is A CHURCH. A beast is A nation, Daniel, Beast also is the Papacy, The woman riding the beast, was the Catholic church that ruled over Rome or Europe, The woman the is with child is the old testament church that brings christ into the world'
I think the dominate message of Revelations is that God is Holy, God is good, and God will prevail so we need not be afraid of the evil in the world.
In the old testament, when they only had the old covenant, scripture used symbolism to explain the spiritual truths. To understand Revelations we need a thorough knowledge of scripture and the spiritual meaning of all the symbolism.
Much of Revelation is prophecy. If we exam the prophecy that has been fulfilled, we see a pattern. God tells us the overall results of a happening, but no prophecy has ever told the step by step way that God used to produce these results. Always, people believed they understood, but the reality of how God did it was always different from how the scholars told God would do it. That is why they did not recognize Christ.
One way of understanding Revelations is to exam the fall feasts that the Lord gave us. The spring feasts are about Christ's work for us, then we have the middle about the law, and the fall feasts tell of the return of Christ, as the book of Revelation tells us. It is a clearer picture of a step by step way of the return of Christ. Also, we can learn that Christ came to us in the spring, and will return in the fall.
In the old testament, when they only had the old covenant, scripture used symbolism to explain the spiritual truths. To understand Revelations we need a thorough knowledge of scripture and the spiritual meaning of all the symbolism.
Much of Revelation is prophecy. If we exam the prophecy that has been fulfilled, we see a pattern. God tells us the overall results of a happening, but no prophecy has ever told the step by step way that God used to produce these results. Always, people believed they understood, but the reality of how God did it was always different from how the scholars told God would do it. That is why they did not recognize Christ.
One way of understanding Revelations is to exam the fall feasts that the Lord gave us. The spring feasts are about Christ's work for us, then we have the middle about the law, and the fall feasts tell of the return of Christ, as the book of Revelation tells us. It is a clearer picture of a step by step way of the return of Christ. Also, we can learn that Christ came to us in the spring, and will return in the fall.
Yeah, keep reading Revelation over and over and over and over and over ..........
Read also Daniel which is what I call a sister book to Revelation. Matthew 24 is a very summarized version of Revelation.
The purpose of the book of Revelation can be found right in the first verse:
"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants what things must take place in quickness"
So, the purpose of the book is to show the the things (events) which must take place. The reference to them taking place in quickness, is not in regards to when these events would take place from the time the book was written, but rather how those events themselves would take place, which will be in quickness.
The majority of the book of Revelation from chapters 6 thru 18, is focused on those things which must take place, namely, the seals, trumpets and bowl judgments and all related information, which is the wrath of God.
In Daniel 2, Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the enormous statue with the head of gold, chest and arms of silver, legs and belly of bronze, the legs of iron and the ten-toes made of iron and partly baked clay, which represents all human government to the end of the age. Then the Rock (Jesus) falls on the feet of the statue smashing it to pieces like chaff on a threshing floor, with the wind blowing it away without leaving a trace, which is in indicative of the end of human government.
Then, the Rock which will have fallen on the feet of the statue will become a huge mountain and will fill the whole earth, which is symbolically referring to Christ's reign on earth during the millennial kingdom. (Daniel 2:31-45)
By the time the seals, trumpets and bowl judgments will have completed, the majority of the earths population will have been decimated and all human government dismantled.
Read also Daniel which is what I call a sister book to Revelation. Matthew 24 is a very summarized version of Revelation.
The purpose of the book of Revelation can be found right in the first verse:
"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants what things must take place in quickness"
So, the purpose of the book is to show the the things (events) which must take place. The reference to them taking place in quickness, is not in regards to when these events would take place from the time the book was written, but rather how those events themselves would take place, which will be in quickness.
The majority of the book of Revelation from chapters 6 thru 18, is focused on those things which must take place, namely, the seals, trumpets and bowl judgments and all related information, which is the wrath of God.
In Daniel 2, Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the enormous statue with the head of gold, chest and arms of silver, legs and belly of bronze, the legs of iron and the ten-toes made of iron and partly baked clay, which represents all human government to the end of the age. Then the Rock (Jesus) falls on the feet of the statue smashing it to pieces like chaff on a threshing floor, with the wind blowing it away without leaving a trace, which is in indicative of the end of human government.
Then, the Rock which will have fallen on the feet of the statue will become a huge mountain and will fill the whole earth, which is symbolically referring to Christ's reign on earth during the millennial kingdom. (Daniel 2:31-45)
By the time the seals, trumpets and bowl judgments will have completed, the majority of the earths population will have been decimated and all human government dismantled.
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The Revelation of Jesus Christ was given to the churches so that the people of God (the children of God) would know what to expect between the first and second comings of Christ, and what would follow until the establishment of the New Heavens and the New Earth.
Genuine Christians [who take Revelation in its plain literal sense (making full allowance for the symbols therein)] -- have the privilege of knowing that God is sovereign over the affairs of men, and that eventually Christ will establish the Kingdom of God on earth so that there is universal peace and righteousness on earth, and all the wicked and evildoers are confined to the Lake of Fire.
It is noteworthy that God the Father gave these revelations to His Son, and His Son gave them to an angel, who then gave them to the prophet-apostle John, who then gave them to Christians for all ages.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to shew unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John: Who bare [bore] record of the Word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. (Rev 1:1,2)
When God says "things which must shortly come to pass" it is stated from God's perspective. For God 2,000 years are equivalent to two days. Many people have stumbled over this, and vainly imagined that the prophecies of Revelation were all fulfilled by 70 AD. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Genuine Christians [who take Revelation in its plain literal sense (making full allowance for the symbols therein)] -- have the privilege of knowing that God is sovereign over the affairs of men, and that eventually Christ will establish the Kingdom of God on earth so that there is universal peace and righteousness on earth, and all the wicked and evildoers are confined to the Lake of Fire.
It is noteworthy that God the Father gave these revelations to His Son, and His Son gave them to an angel, who then gave them to the prophet-apostle John, who then gave them to Christians for all ages.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to shew unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John: Who bare [bore] record of the Word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. (Rev 1:1,2)
When God says "things which must shortly come to pass" it is stated from God's perspective. For God 2,000 years are equivalent to two days. Many people have stumbled over this, and vainly imagined that the prophecies of Revelation were all fulfilled by 70 AD. Nothing could be further from the truth.
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Good thread <--if my opinion were to be asked. I like how people are on topic so far.
When I started reading the bible all the way through, I started with Revelation 22 and read 'backwards' by chapters 22...21...20...19 etc because I wanted to know how things ended, then see how it came to be that way.
I personally find Revelation to be "heavy" at times. Meaning I don't often set my audiobible to read it to me when I'm going to bed at night. (I'd rather hear the gospels or Psalms.) And I find it best to read Revelation with plenty of time to think and reread each portion.
Thanks for starting the thread.
Love in Jesus,
Kelby
When I started reading the bible all the way through, I started with Revelation 22 and read 'backwards' by chapters 22...21...20...19 etc because I wanted to know how things ended, then see how it came to be that way.
I personally find Revelation to be "heavy" at times. Meaning I don't often set my audiobible to read it to me when I'm going to bed at night. (I'd rather hear the gospels or Psalms.) And I find it best to read Revelation with plenty of time to think and reread each portion.
Thanks for starting the thread.
Love in Jesus,
Kelby
John gives us the answer to your question in Revelation 1:9
"I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance that are in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and my testimony about Jesus.
So, John was banished to Patmos because of His preaching the word of God and his testimony about Jesus. It was during the reign of Domitian who ruled from 81-96 ad, that John was banished because of his faith. However, the scripture does not say that John was in prison on the island, but just exiled to it.
"I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance that are in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and my testimony about Jesus.
So, John was banished to Patmos because of His preaching the word of God and his testimony about Jesus. It was during the reign of Domitian who ruled from 81-96 ad, that John was banished because of his faith. However, the scripture does not say that John was in prison on the island, but just exiled to it.
On what do you base this assumption?
As already mentioned, to understand the Revelation of Jesus Christ you need to understand the visions of Daniel, and to understand the visions of Daniel, you need to understand the Revelation of Jesus Christ...Both are vitally interconnected last day prophetic truth!
The main catalyst for understanding these two books of the Bible is prayer, for every hour of study of these two books I recommend 10 hours of prayer, as these books should not be studied at a desk, but "on your knees."
As already mentioned, to understand the Revelation of Jesus Christ you need to understand the visions of Daniel, and to understand the visions of Daniel, you need to understand the Revelation of Jesus Christ...Both are vitally interconnected last day prophetic truth!
The main catalyst for understanding these two books of the Bible is prayer, for every hour of study of these two books I recommend 10 hours of prayer, as these books should not be studied at a desk, but "on your knees."