Revelation Introduction & 1:1-3 "The Revelation Of Jesus Christ"

Lesson Handout

Introduction

• Important Term: Eschatology. Greek: "eschatos" means “last.” So then, eschatology is the study of “last things.” The Book of Revelation is almost entirely an eschatological book (from the 4^th chapter onward) because it deals with “last things” (the end of history).
• Basic Background
  • Author: John the Apostle (the son of Zebedee) and brother of James.
  • Date: A.D. 95-96 during the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian (A.D. 81-96) from the island of Patmos where he had been exiled by Domitian. Early church history asserts that after the reign of Domitian ended, John was released from Patmos and returned to Ephesus where he lived out his remaining days.

Verse-By-Verse Notes

• Verse 1
  • The title is Revelation (singular) not Revelations (plural) and comes from the Greek word “apocalypsis” meaning “unveiling” or “revelation.” It is where we get the word “apocalypse.”
  • The content of the Book of Revelation is the consummation of all of history according to the plan of God.
  • Robert Mounce: “History is not a haphazard sequence of unrelated events but a divinely decreed ordering of that which must take place. It is a logical and moral necessity arising from the nature of God and the revelation of his purpose in creation and redemption.”
  • Revelation points to the imminence of the end of history.
• Verse 2
  • John is the prophetic voice of the end of history. See Amos 3:7 For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.
• Verse 3
  • In John’s time, most of the population could not read, so the emphasis on reading “aloud” the “words of this prophecy” makes clearer sense in that context because the Old Testament Scriptures and New Testament writings of the Apostles would be read aloud in churches on the Lord’s Day (likely by the church’s elders). See below.
  • In 1^st century synagogues and churches, significant time was given to the reading of Scripture (1 Timothy 4:13; 2 Corinthians 3:14-15; Luke 4:16-17; Acts 13:13-15; Acts 13:27; Acts 15:21)