The Book of Revelation

SOLUSI UNIVERSITY
A CHARTERED SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST INSTITUTION
OF HIGHER LEARNING
FACULTY OF THEOLOGY AND CHAPLAINCY
An Assignment Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the course requirements
RELB 263 APOCALYPTIC STUDIES
READING REPORT 2 : The book of Revelation
WATSON MSIMANGA: #SU200028W
LECTURE: W MBIRIRI
1st SEMESTER 2021 HARMONIZED

The book of Revelation
One of the most fascinating and beautiful, yet daunting, book of the Bible, that tells about the
end of God’s divine plan, culminating in the judgment of the wicked, victory over Satan, the
restoration of all creation, and the reunion of God and his people is the last book of the bible
known as Revelation. In his grace, God has seen fit to reveal to us his sovereign purpose and
plan for all creation. From the opening pages of Genesis to the final verse of Revelation 22, God
has given us his revealed word in entirety. Of paramount importance to note is the fact that the
book of Revelation compliments the book of Daniel. So when you hear or read about “Babylon,
the great city that is fallen in Revelation 14 and 18,” it is linked with the history of the city of
Babylon that is mentioned in the book of Daniel not symbolically but literally. That is the same
kingdom that fell is mentioned symbolically in the book of revelation.
Name of the text
The title of the book, Revelation, comes from the Greek word for apocalypse and refers to an
unveiling or a disclosure of something as yet unknown. This title is certainly appropriate for the
book, a work so interested in making known the events of the future. The book of revelation has
the form of a letter, the longest letter in the New Testament (1:4--22:21). But the title, or heading
prefixed to the letter, makes it clear from the start that this is not an ordinary letter from a
Christian leader to a group of churches. It is a letter sent from heaven, a prophetic revelation
from God. While the voice that speaks in the letter is John's voice, one will discover that right
from the beginning its clear that John was just an instrument to pass this letter to the servants of
God ( Revelation 1:1-3).
Authorship
The author identifies himself and is identified as john (Revelation 1:1). According to the Book,
John was on the island of Patmos, not far from the coast of Asia Minor. It is because of the word
of God and the testimony of Jesus that seemingly inspires John to write the book (Rev. 1.10).
John had been taken to exile in Patmos as a martyr for his Christian faith. Some scholars,
however, have suggested that it might have been a regular stop on a preaching circuit. Next, the
author says, "I was in the spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a
trumpet" (Rev. 1.11), and this voice told him to write what he was about to see. This begins the
"revelatory" vision that is at the center of the book.
Audience
While John addresses his words specifically to the believers in seven churches, his broader
audience is anyone who will one day read or hear his words and take them to heart. This makes
sense, as this apocalyptic book is a prophetic warning about things that will come to pass in the
last days before things on earth will change forever and Jesus will return to reign on earth. This
is clearly articulated in chapter one verse three where the write brings to the attention the fact
that blessed is he who reads and they that hear the words contained in the prophecies. So this
alone testifies to the fact that the book was not only written to the seven churches but was written
to all who are going to read and understand and do all that is contained in the book. This book
contains the final words of the New Testament, written in approximately AD 95—96. Some
argue for an earlier date in the 60s, though John would not have been on Patmos at this time.
Adventists believes that the end time prophecies that are contained in the book of Revelation
are for the remnant church or God’s last church that is ready for the coming of Jesus and they
emphasize that the book of revelation is to be read, understood and explained so that people may
hear and understand and repent.
An overview of the book
The book contains twenty-two chapters that are built around the three periods that are noted in
Revelation 1:8. The first segment consists of the introduction (Revelation 1:1–8) John
experiences a vision of the glorified Jesus (Revelation 1:8–18) who tells him to write down
messages to the churches and what will take place in the future (Revelation 1:19–20). Then he
focuses on the things that he has seen (Revelation 1:19).
The second section addresses the current state of various churches (Revelation 2—3). Each of
the seven churches is addressed, some with positive traits, or negative traits, or both, ending with
the lukewarm church of Laodicea in Revelation 3:14–22.
The third section addresses the future (Revelation 4-22). John is taken to a worship experience in
heaven (Revelation 4—5). A long section of the book addresses aspects of a future tribulation
(Revelation 6—18). Chapter 19 describes the second coming of Jesus to defeat His enemies.
After this time, Jesus rules on the earth in a one thousand year millennial kingdom (Revelation
20:1–6). After one final battle against Satan and those with him (Revelation 20:7–10), the great
white throne judgment is described (Revelation 20:11–15). The final two chapters (Revelation 21
—22) describe the eternal state consisting of God's eternal presence in a new heaven, new earth,
and New Jerusalem.
Central themes
This book is the revelation of Jesus Christ given to the Apostle John on the island of Patmos
through an angel. It portrays Christ as the triumphant king and tells us of His complete and
eternal victory over Satan. We see in this book the tremendous results of the cross, twenty six
times do we see Christ’s sacrificial title “Lamb.”
The book of revelation centers around Jesus Christ the first chapter informs that the revelation is
of, and about Jesus. In chapter one the term Jesus Christ is mentioned five times. and Jesus
becomes the prominent figure in the book of Revelation he is portrayed as the creator , the king
of kings , the judge , the resurrection and life , the faithful witness , the redeemer of the world
,the intercessor , he is Michael the arch angel .
In the last chapter of the book of Daniel, we see Jesus with the title Michael which is a title that
he uses when he engages in a war to fight for his people, so will discover that as the book of
Daniel ends, Jesus stand to protect in contrast to revelation we see the effects of his standing that
has been articulated in the book of Daniel .
What John has seen is the risen glorified Christ in chapter one .the description of the risen Christ
, white woolen hair, eyes like fire, voice like the sound of rushing waters , out of His mouth
came a sharp double edged sword and His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance is
pictured in the book . This is a picture of the future Christ which every knee will bow too – for
here he is presented to the world as judge.
Next section of the book is about the things which are. This section talks about the church and
seven letters which Jesus wrote to the seven churches. These seven churches were literal
churches in Asia in John’s day, these letters also portray the entirety of church history and they
are also a sign to every church today. In the next section of the book we see a vision of the things
which shall be, from revelation 4:1-22:21. This includes the things that will happen during the
great tribulation period a period of seven years when God pours out His wrath on a Christ
rejecting world.
The book ends however with hope and joy as Christ’s kingdom is ushered in, after the millennial
reign the final destiny of Satan is revealed and eternity begins. Therefore one can testify to the
fact that with all the symbols encountered in the book of revelation Christ is the centrality of the
entire book he becomes the most prominent figure of which everyone has to look to him for
salvation and deliverance from all the snares of the evil one
Themes in the book
Creation
God is portrayed as the creator not of planet earth in the book of revelation but he is revealed as
the creator of the cosmos and of the heavens this is articulated in chapter 1:6, chapter 4:1, 11 and
many other references. He is declared as the alpha and the Omega chapter 1:8 which is a
borrowed concept from the Greek alphabetical order that portrays God as the fist and the last
Faithfulness
Faithfulness is described as steadfast in affection or allegiance , firm in adherence to promises or
in observance of duty , given with strong assurance and being true to the facts, to a standard, or
to an origin. Christ is portrayed not only as faithful, but as a faithful witness.
Second Advent of Jesus
The seventh verse in the first chapter reminds the church that Jesus is indeed coming again and
this is one of the most fascinating themes of the book of revelation. for throughout the chapter
the issue is about the second advent of Jesus which calls for examination of one’s life so that if
ever there are defects of character that can be looked into so that when he appears a second time
everyone is ready for him to meet him and be with him forever amen
Condition of the church
From chapter 2to chapter 3 we are given insights on the condition of the church and the stages
that the church will grow, God’s expectations about his church and the love that he has about his
church. We have the seven stages that the church will go through of paramount importance to
note is the statement be faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life.
Worship
The book articulates the issues of worship , how it should be done , why it should be done and
what it does to one’s life , the impact of worship , the battle in worship as to who should be
worshipped and the chapter 4:11 says you are worthy oh lo Lord to be worshipped
The great controversy
One of the themes of the book is the controversy between Christ and Satan, good and evil, God’s
church and the church of Satan. In this theme is pictured Christ fighting for the church and his
promise on how to overcome in this battle
The beast
A significance of the kingdom and their activities, the roles that they play in the history of
salvation of humanity
The mark of the beast
Chapters 13 and 14 gives some insights on how to avoid receiving the mark of the beast, this is
contrasted with the mark of the Lord
The three angel’s messages
This contains the duty that has been bestowed upon the church, the essence and importance of
these messages and the speedy that these messages has to travel with thus where seventh day
Adventist church in the territory of Zimbabwe West Union Conference derives its mission
statement
Judgment
Christ is pictured as the judge who will pronounce sentence to those who have denied him.
Sentence for Satan in the book of revelation is also given. There is no fear for judgment because
we have an intercessor
We also have millennium and the end of sin, hell, great tribulation the seal of the living God and
salvation. All these and many more consists of the themes articulated in the book of revelation
Imagery and metaphor dominates in the book of Revelation and in particular, John uses the
metaphor of sevens to signify or describe the nature of the Holy Spirit. In chapter Revelation 1:4,
the seven spirits are a reference to the fullness of the Holy Spirit before God’s throne. Ministers
of the Word must pay particular attention to the role, place, and function of the Holy Spirit in
Revelation and to lose sight of that is to miss the meaning of this book. John uses the dynamic
imagery of the Holy Spirit to stress the active presence and power of the Spirit in and among the
congregation’s seven congregations of Asia Minor and consequently the presence and power of
the same Spirit in the Universal Church. Both the “Lion of the tribe of Judah,” and the Spirit are
given central place, role and function in the book of Revelation and these two aspects of the
trinity have authority over creation’s destiny. In relation to God the Father, Jesus Christ through
his life, death, and Resurrection is the main source of grace, peace, and life (Revelation 1:5).
What readers may ask is the question about John’s role in trying to clarify the purpose of
Revelation.
The other lesson is that Christ followers are on a journey and along this journey; they will
encounter the dragon and beast in the form of cancer, death, hunger, wars, terrorism, and
HIV/AIDS, Covid and will be tested with idolatry imageries. At times they will be tempted to
settle for mediocrity or compromise with globalism but with faith and trust in God, the Lamp
will lead them into the New Jerusalem or a place where God dwells.
Above all, God is in absolute control of all things and this same God has the first and final word
in creation.

The Book of Revelation

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Book of Revelation

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Book of Revelation

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

SOLUSI UNIVERSITY

A CHARTERED SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST INSTITUTION

FACULTY OF THEOLOGY AND CHAPLAINCY

An Assignment Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the course requirements

RELB 263 APOCALYPTIC STUDIES

READING REPORT 2 : The book of Revelation

WATSON MSIMANGA: #SU200028W

1st SEMESTER 2021 HARMONIZED

You might also like