Faith & Reason Nexus

AUTHOR: John

TIME WRITTEN: A.D. 95 or 96

POSITION IN THE BIBLE:

• 66th and Last Book in the Bible
• HOLY BIBLE
• 27th and Last Book in the New Testament
• 1st and Only Book of Prophecy in the New Testament

CHAPTERS: 22

VERSES: 404

WORDS: 11,995

OBSERVATIONS ABOUT REVELATION:

• The author is the apostle John.
• The term “Revelation” comes from a Greek word meaning “to uncover” or “to unveil.”
• The island of Patmos:
• Located in the Aegean Sea, 24 miles west of Asia Minor.
• Measures 10 miles long and 6 miles wide.
• It is believed John was around 90 years old when he was exiled there.
• At the time of the revelation, Christians faced severe persecution by the Romans, who had initially regarded Christianity as part of Judaism. Once distinguished from Judaism, Christianity was deemed illegal.
• The central message of Revelation is that Satan and the world cannot prevail, while Christ and His church will ultimately triumph.
• The key to Revelation is found in Revelation 1:1: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place…”
• The symbolic language used was intended for the recipients to understand while remaining opaque to Roman authorities.

The Seven Churches of Asia:

• Letter to the church at Ephesus (2:1-7)
• Letter to the church at Smyrna (2:8-11)
• Letter to the church at Pergamum (2:12-17)
• Letter to the church at Thyatira (2:18-29)
• Letter to the church at Sardis (3:1-6)
• Letter to the church at Philadelphia (3:7-13)
• Letter to the church at Laodicea (3:14-22)

Sets of Sevens in Revelation:

• The Seven Churches of Asia (1:9-3:22)
• The Seven Seals (4:1-8:1)
• The Seven Trumpets (8:6-11:19)
• The Seven Bowls of Wrath (15:1-19:6)
• Strong external evidence suggests Revelation was written during Domitian’s reign (A.D. 81-96), an emperor known for persecuting Christians and demanding his worship while alive.
• Of the 404 verses in Revelation, approximately 278 contain allusions to the Old Testament.