Introduction to the Book of Revelation

Author & Date

     The apostle John wrote the book of Revelation while exiled on the island of Patmos by the Emperor Domitian (A.D. 81-96). “Some of the early church fathers (Clement of Alexandria, Eusebius, Irenaeus, and Victorinus) wrote that the Apostle John experienced exile on the island of Patmos during Domitian’s reign.”[1] Accepting their testimony helps to date the book around A.D. 95-96.

Audience

     John wrote the book of Revelation to seven churches that resided in Asia (modern day Turkey). These churches are listed in Revelation chapters 2-3.

Interpretive Approaches

1. The nonliteral or allegorical approach – this view lets the reader make the text say whatever he/she wants, but primarily sees it as an allegory in which good triumphs over evil.
2. The preterist approach – The word preterist comes from the Latin word praeter, which means “past.” The preterist view regards the book of Revelation as already fulfilled in the first century—some say up to the third century—and contains no future prophecy.
3. The historical approach – this view sees the book as being fulfilled throughout church history, from the time of the apostle John until the second coming of Jesus (common among the Protestant reformers). “It holds that the book has been in the process of being fulfilled throughout the whole Christian era.”[2]
4. The futurist approach – this view interprets the book of Revelation in a consistent, literal manner while recognizing the use of types and symbols throughout (i.e. lampstands, the number seven, etc.). It sees the seven churches of Revelation 2-3 as representative of all types of churches throughout church history, and views Revelation 4-22 as future.

     This author will follow a normal, grammatical, historical approach to the book of Revelation. This approach considers words and phrases within their context, and reads them according to their normal meaning, unless something within a passage indicates it should be interpreted otherwise. There are symbols used throughout the book of Revelation; however, many of those symbols are either interpreted within the passage itself, or can be interpreted by similar passages that provide understanding. For example, the seven stars are angels (Rev. 1:20), the great dragon is Satan (Rev. 12:9), and the leopard, bear, and lion (Rev. 13:2) resemble the animals mentioned in Daniel (Dan. 7:4-6).

Purpose of the Book

     The purpose of the book is to reveal Jesus Christ, His authority over the church and the world, and the establishment of His kingdom on earth after His Second Coming.

Outline

     The outline of Revelation is given within the book. The Lord Jesus told John, “Therefore write [γράφω grapho – aor/act/imp] the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things [μετὰ ταῦτα meta tauta – Rev. 4:1]” (Rev. 1:19).

1. The things which have been – Chapter 1
2. The things which are – Chapters 2-3
3. The things which shall be – Chapters 4-22

[1] Tom Constable, Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Jud 25.

[2] Charles C. Ryrie, Revelation-Everyman's Bible Commentary (Chicago, Ill. Moody Publishers, 1996), 6.