Revelation 18:1-17

514 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Brief History of the book of Revelation

Revelation, the last book of The New Testament, is believed to have been written by the Apostle John circa 95-96 AD. The writings in Revelation revolve around the idea of the end of time, the second coming of Jesus, and the time of judgment. Revelation is believed to have more symbolism than most of the other books in The New Testament. Revelation 18:1-17 can be interpreted in a number of ways, but the most likely, when viewing this in a historical context, is that it is referencing the corruption of Babylon throughout time. This means that the author was not simply talking about what was occurring within Babylon at that time of the writing, but also what has previously occurred. By looking at what was occurring in the city during the time in which it was likely to have been written and other references to Babylon within the New Testament, it is obvious that the author’s discussion of corruption within the city was referencing more than what was happening at the time. Although some readers may interpret the text to be symbolic in meaning, Revelation should be read with a critical min...

Show More
Related

  • Symbolic Passages in the Book of Revelation

    1127 Words  | 3 Pages

    Much of Revelation is the source of debate. Many passages are symbolic in nature, and the exact meaning of the symbols can be difficult to determine. Some passages can be interpreted in various ways. The identity of the Four Horsemen, the 144,000, and Babylon the Great in particular are points of contention. Nevertheless, proper hermeneutics and careful study can illuminate these difficult passages.

    Read More

  • Summary of the Preterist View

    2133 Words  | 5 Pages

    Kenneth Gentry begins with a quote, “The closer we get to the year 2000, the farther we get from the events of Revelation.” This sentence summarizes the Preterist view nicely. The Preterist places weight on the historical aspect of Revelation by relating it to its original author and audience. The author was mainly concerned with the seven churches of Asia Minor who were facing difficulties during that time. John’s target audience was neither churches nor the 21st century. As most evangelical scholars would affirm, Revelation contains prophecies which were fulfilled in John’s near future. Their manifestation might not have been as graphic or literal as one might imagine, because John uses “poetic hyperbole,” yet these events were actually fulfilled in history. He argues that the use of highly figurative speech and symbolism is “not a denial of historicity but a matter of literary genre.” These were events that were to take place soon because the time was near. Then Gentry uses study of Greek language to support this. He argues that lexicons and modern translators agree that these terms indicate temporal proximity indicating that they expected to see the events in their lifetime. As much as a word study can be helpful, it can also be limiting. One certainly cannot base interpretation of the whole book on a loosely used term. Similarly, while the Apostle Paul spoke to the Thessalonians with urgency in plain language, we know that the Second Advent is yet to happen.

    Read More

  • Ezekiel

    1076 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ezekiel lived in a time of international crisis and conflict. Assyria was the world power in the area under the rule of Tiglath-pilesar III. In 724 B.C Israel raged war upon Assyria, and Israel was no match for Assyria. In 627 B.C the last of the able Assyrian ruler, Ashurbanipal died. Right after the death of Ashurbanipal, Babylon under Nabopolassar wanted independence from Assyria. In 612 B.C the Assyrians under Nineveh surrendered to the rising Babylonians. In 605 B.C the Babylonians were at war against the Egyptians. The Babylonians won and they established themselves as the leading power in the area. During all of this Judea allied with the Babylonians and with this Judea kept her independence. During the last century before Judea was destroyed it was ruled by four rulers and of those rulers, all but Josiah were wicked. Josiah was committed to God and led Judea to him. All the others did not heed the warnings of Ezekiel and Jeremiah from God, and the rulers of Judea chose to rebel against God. God punished Judea by sending Nebuchadnezzar’s army to crush the nation of Judea and flatten the city of Jerusalem.

    Read More

  • The Road by Cormac McCarthy: Is There a Quest For God?

    1226 Words  | 3 Pages

    Biblica Incorp. "Bible Gateway Passage: Revelation 1:17 - New International Version." Bible Gateway. Bible Gateway, 2011. Web. 10 May 2014. .

    Read More

  • Before Armageddon Comes Psalm 83

    580 Words  | 2 Pages

    America is threatening military intervention into Syria because of the recent chemical attacks. Every time there is talk of sending troops to the Middle East I get questions about the possibility of Armageddon being only weeks away.

    Read More

  • Revelations and Rebirth

    1035 Words  | 3 Pages

    New flowers blooming, baby animals, and the cold giving way to warmth, the season of spring embodies the idea of rebirth. Like nature, people have the ability to be reborn, becoming someone completely different than who they were before. In the novel, The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver, the theme of rebirth is prominent throughout the story, allowing the characters to develop into who they are supposed to be.

    Read More

  • The Two Witnesses of Revelation

    725 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the 11th chapter of the book of Revelation, two mysterious witnesses are introduced. (Revelation 11:3-6) Who are these “who witnesses” that God empowers at the end of time to do his bidding? Some believe that Elijah and Enoch, who were miraculously “taken away” by God (2 Kings 2:11; Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5) will return from heaven to prophesy for three and a half years. Others think that it will be Elijah who stopped the rain in Israel for three and a half years (1 Kings 17:1; James 5:17) and Moses who turned water to blood and brought plagues on Egypt (Exodus 7-12) will antagonize the Beast during the 42 months of his reign. Some religious institutions believe that the two witnesses will be called from within the ranks of their ministry to perform this task. Another theory is that the Old Testament and the New Testament symbolically represent these two witnesses. But the most popular theory is that the two witnesses are the two houses of Israel which are made up by the 144,000. This is the theory that is discussed.

    Read More

  • Bible: The Book of Daniel

    2250 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Book of Daniel is the only full-blown apocalyptic book in the Protestant recognized version of the Canon. A literary device divides the book into two halves. Chapters 1-6 are a collection of stories that introduces the reader to Daniel and three other Israelites as unwilling guests of the Babylonia Empire ruled by Nebuchadnezzar. The second half, Chapters 7-12 consists of apocalyptic imagery of deformed beasts and the heavenly court. The focus of this paper will be on chapter 7, which serves as a bridge of the two halves. Chapter 7 is the earliest of the visions as it identifies with the genre of 8-12 while through language and content it reverts to Daniel chapter 2. The linguistic break down is not as neat as the literary divide in that Dan. 2:4b-7:28 was written in Aramaic while other portions of the book is written in Hebrew.

    Read More

  • Prophet Exegesis: Habakkuk

    1421 Words  | 3 Pages

    Correspondingly, other canonical prophetic books interpret Yahweh’s will during periods of social or political crisis.4 Many minor prophets wrote during one of the three critical periods: the Assyrian Crisis, the Babylonian threat, or the postexilic readjustment.5 During the Babylonian threat of the late-seventh century, Habakkuk served as a link between God and humanity. The Assyrian kingdom, led by Shalmanasar V, forced the people of Judah into harsh conditions through a heartless deportation. In time, political drama spread throughout the region. After 612 B.C.E. when Assyria fell to Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Habakkuk wrote his prophetic book, focusing on the agony of humankind’s struggle to progress in such a wicked world. His message of faith and morality transcended the evil within society, ultimately revealing to the Israelites that justice would prevail.

    Read More

  • The Rough Road of Rapture

    582 Words  | 2 Pages

    No one ever said love was easy, they just said it was worth it. If someone did say it was easy, they were lying. You can be sure of that. Love is probably the hardest thing you will ever go through in your life. Sure, love can be fun and silly, but there are times when you have to make sacrifices and let go of things you want to keep. Love is not gratuitous. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Lysander says, “The course of true love never did run smooth,” which has many meanings.

    Read More

  • Matthew 5:7- 12

    3706 Words  | 8 Pages

    The second half of the Beatitudes focuses on our relationships with each other. The first three of these deal with how to live like Christ. Verses 10 through 12 show what results from that kind of living. The second half of the Beatitudes also reflects the spiritual growth that is produced by the first half. When we are poor in spirit and place our trust in God's mercy (verse 3), the next step is to give His mercy to others, and this results in the blessing of receiving even more of God's mercy (verse 7).

    Read More

  • Revelations

    1674 Words  | 4 Pages

    There are two kinds of revelations: (1) universal revelations, which are contained in the Bible or in the depositum of Apostolic tradition transmitted by the Church. These ended with the preaching of the Apostles and must be believed by all; (2) particular or private revelations which are constantly occurring among Christians (see CONTEMPLATION). When the Church approves private revelations, she declares only that there is nothing in them contrary faith or good morals, and that they may be read without danger or even with profit; no obligation is thereby imposed on the faithful to believe them. Speaking of such revelations as (e.g.) those of St. Hildegard (approved in part by Eugenius III), St. Bridget (by Boniface IX), and St. Catherine of Siena (by Gregory XI) Benedict XIV says: "It is not obligatory nor even possible to give them the assent of Catholic faith, but only of human faith, in conformity with the dictates of prudence, which presents them to us as probable and worthy of pius belief)" (De canon., III, liii, xxii, II).

    Read More

  • Revelation

    722 Words  | 2 Pages

    Literalist fundamentalists read Revelation’s multivalent visions as predictions of doom and threat, of punishment for the many and salvation for the elect few. Scholarly scientific readings seek to translate the book’s ambiguity into one-to-one meanings and to transpose its language of symbol and myth into description and facts. In Elisabeth Schûssler Fiorenza’s The Book of Revelation: Justice and Judgment, a third way of reading Revelation is depicted. The collection of essays in this book seeks to intervene in scholarly as well as popular discourses on the apocalypse from a liberationist feminist perspective.

    Read More

  • Destruction of Jerusalem in the Book of Lamentations

    1359 Words  | 3 Pages

    The kingdom of Jerusalem is one of the most important Kingdoms in the bible, thats why it was so important when it fell to the Babylonians. The beginning of the book is describing in first person from Jeremiah the prophet the destruction of Jerusalem and how sad it is of a site to see. In chapter two of the book Jeremiah is talking about the how mad the lord is at his people, and how he brought judgement to the wicked land. God is showing in chapter two how mad he is and he cut off the power of Israel, but in chapter three he Jeremiah tells us that he is faithful to us and he will restore the land. Even though he to is very sad from his city being taken and destroyed he remembers what the lord has told him. He then explains that the people of the kingdom of judah and the kingdom of Jerusalem need to fall back to the lord and get rid of those false gods. For the love and kindness of the lo...

    Read More

  • The Nature of the Millennium: Revelation 20:1-6

    2500 Words  | 5 Pages

    The term millennium does not appear anywhere in Scripture. The idea originated from a thousand year period of time that characterizes the reign of the Messiah. In fact, the phrase “thousand years” is stated six times in Revelation 20. There are three main schools of thought based upon one’s view of the thousand-year reign of Christ. These views are: Amillennial, Postmillennial and Premillennial. Over the centuries these prophetic differences have caused conflict within the body of Christ and are still currently widely debated. Instead of the book of Revelation being the basis of comfort (1 Thess. 4:18) among Christians it has become a bone of contention. However, this controversy should not deter Christ’s disciples from receiving the blessings that Revelation has to offer (Rev. 1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14). Rather, one should study prophecy under the Spirit’s guidance and look at the data provided within the full context of the Word assessing each of the views for correct motives and presuppositions. Therefore, this paper will examine the nature, timing, and duration of the millennium as well as the occupants of the millennial kingdom and the relationship of Israel and the Church to the millennial kingdom. The aim of this paper is to address “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place” (Rev. 1:1, ESV).

    Read More

More about Revelation 18:1-17

Open Document