Book of Revelation

The Book of Revelation, otherwise known as "The Apocalypse of John" is the last book of the New Testament and hence it is also the last book of the Bible. Revelation describes the events of the apocalypse which include the return of Jesus Christ, the defeat of Satan by God and the re-creation of Earth and Heaven as new. It was written by the Apostle John during his exile on the Island of Patmos.

All of the book's end-time descriptions are through a vision in which John received. Almost of all the visions are left uninterpreted by the book and are heavily symbolic and cryptic.

Authorship
The prophecy of the Apocalypse is given to John by Jesus Christ through an angel of the Lord, while he was exiled on the island of Patmos. The reader learns that John is writing it down when he reveals that some of it was not to be written down. In identifying himself as "John" the author provides evidence that helps identify the other books that have been given his name. When John writes that Jesus is called "the Word of God ," it leaves little doubt that the writer of the gospel, with its prologue about the Word, was written by the same person.

The author calls himself "the elder" in second and third letters, which show clear similarities to the language in the longer first letter. First John, with its references to "light" and "life" points back to the gospel of John. The internal evidence that this body of literature — called Johannine — is written by "the beloved disciple".

Though the Bible does not spell it out, early tradition has John in Ephesus, the first of the churches to whom the Revelation was written (Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea). The towns to which he wrote formed a crescent circuit in the Roman Province of Asia across from Greece. The island of Patmos was offshore near Ephesus. John had received "messengers" (Gr.: angels) from the churches and was sending the whole revelation to them. Most of the first three chapters is individual messages for their particular situations.

Recipients
Revelation was intended primarily for believers to be a prophecy of the end times. The book was meant to be heard and read. Specifically, the book was sent to each of the seven churches that received letters. Since all of the letters are included in the book, all of the churches would have received the others' letter. An appeal is made to those who have "ears" to hear the Spirit's messages for the churches, in other words a call to obedience of the believing readers. There are two other appeals to those who "can hear": to endure the providence and destiny of God and to come to Salvation

There are many direct appeals to the recipients of the book. Readers and hearers of the book are called blessed. A warning is made to listeners of the book to not alter any of it's content, or else, not have access to the Tree of Life in Heaven (subsequently means they would not have Salvation, this does not mean a certain sin can cause loss of Salvation). An appeal of rejoicing for the marriage feast of the Lamb is made A second person possessive is used to include the author and the audience together. A call to "the one" who has understand is made for the interpretation of the mark of the beast.

Letters
Though Revelation is largely prophecy, it begins with seven letters from John to churches in western Asia. The message was directly from Jesus, though penned by John. In effect, the whole book of Revelation is a letter to the seven churches in Asia.

Prophecy
The book of Revelation is prophecy revealed to John by Jesus and His angels. Following the example of great prophets in the Old Testament, John faithfully records the visions and teachings that he is shown and told. The key to understanding the symbolism comes from a thorough understanding of the whole Bible that comes before it, especially the prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and Habakkuk.

Poetry
As the scenes move to glimpses of heaven, the Revelation reveals the songs of both martyred saints and angels. Songs by nature are poetical.