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				Brief Overview of The Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation is extremely dramatic, and forms a wonderful climactic conclusion to the Bible, but it is probably the most obscure book in the Scriptures. It falls into the category of ‘Jewish Apocalyptic Writing’ and also into the category of ‘Prophecy’. Both these styles of writing can be very strange, and Revelation is a combination of both of these! However, much of the book can be demystified. And to do that logically, and understand the book for what it is, it needs to be seen in its cultural and historical setting rather than becoming entangled in weird and sensationalist ideas that, now and again, become attributed to this book. The writing is dated at around AD 95, during the latter part of Roman Emperor Nero’s reign, and was written in Jewish symbolic picture language that would have been meaningful to the early Christians (who were, at that time, suffering intense persecution), but would have largely eluded the understanding of their persecutors. The book describes various symbolic sequences of events depicting the lead up to the end of the world. These sequences portray different aspects of a central theme: ie That God is in control. That in the last days, through the mighty power of Jesus, God will completely defeat all who oppose him, and utterly destroy all vestiges of evil. The earth, as we know it, will be destroyed, and one day God’s faithful people will be rewarded and dwell in God’s peaceful kingdom of the New Heaven and New Earth. However, in attempting to understand and enjoy the intriguing sequences described in the Book of Revelation, it is important to remember that Jewish apocalyptic writing contains many words and numbers that had a particular symbolic meaning at that time. These are intensely interesting, and need to be carefully considered while studying the book. If you intend to make a study of Revelation, I have developed a chart showing the sequences (together with all the sevens!) which you may find useful. And . . . that is it . . . in a nutshell. Obviously this is a vast over-simplification (as the rush through the rest of the Bible has been)! But I hope you have found these overview pages of each section helpful in seeing the big, general, over-all picture. It is also my hope that you will continue the journey of discovery because every step becomes more fascinating than the last. Don’t stop here. May God bless you.
Old & New Testament Links * The Bible Intro * The Pentateuch * The History * Poetry & Wisdom * The Prophets * The NT Intro * The Gospels * The Book of Acts * The Letters * Revelation
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Revelation Chart showing the sequences
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