This essay argues that the eschatology of the Book of Revelation is an integral part of John’s attempt to form a literary world in which the forms, figures, and forces of the earthly realm are critiqued and unmasked through the re-focalization of existence from the perspective of heaven. It attempts to show that, in response to the social, political, religious, and economic circumstances of his readers, the Book of Revelation forms a counter imaginative reality. Through drawing upon an inaugurated sense of eschatology and evocative imagery, John pulls the reader in and shows them the true face of the imperial world and consequences of its ideology, forcing the reader's allegiance to fall with either ‘Babylon’ or the New Jerusalem. Before beginning this essay proper, it is important to first comprehend some of what is meant by the term eschatology, and how it is understood in the Book of Revelation. Eschatology is that part of theology which deals with conceptions of the ‘end times’ and of the final things of the world and humanity. Within it sit many concepts, such as heaven and hell, divine judgment, the second coming, the defeat of evil and the new creation, among other things. As such, it encapsulates any discussion about the ‘end times’. This is certainly an apt title for much of the Book of Revelation then, with so much discussion of divine judgment on the first earth, the second coming of Christ and the coming of the New Creation. Within the pages of this text, however, a more complex eschatology is portrayed. While in the grander literary scheme of the text, we see the ultimate destruction of death and hades and their throwing into the lake of fire, the text also portrays a more nuanced view of eschatology. Works Cited: Aune, David E. Revelation 1-5. Word Biblical Commentary 52A. Dallas, TX: Word Books, 1997. Bauckham, Richard. The Theology of the Book of Revelation. New Testament Theology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993. Beale, G.K. The Book of Revelation. The New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1999. Boxall, Ian. Revelation: Vision and Insight. London: SPCK, 2011. Caird, G.B. The Revelation of St. John the Divine. Black's New Testament Commentary. London: A & C Black, 1966. Charles, R.H. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Revelation of St. John. International Critical Commentary. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1920. Collins, Adela Yarbro. Crisis and Catharsis: The Power of the Apocalypse. Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press, 1984. Ford, J. Massyngberde. Revelation. Anchor Bible 38. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1975. Gentry, Kenneth L. Jr. Before Jerusalem Fell: Dating the Book of Revelation. Tyler, TX: Institute for Christian Economics, 1989. Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation. Revised. New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1997. Osborne, Grant R. Revelation. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002. Pate, C. Marvin. Four Views on the Book of
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.
Aquinas, St. Thomas. COMMENTARY on SAINT PAUL'S EPISTLE to the GALATIANS. Trans. F. R. Larcher. Albany: Magi Books, 1996.
...yne A. The HarperCollins Study Bible New Revised Standard Edition . New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1993. 1645-1722. Print.
Harris, R. L., Harris, R. L., Archer, G. L., & Waltke, B. K. (1999). Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed.) (566). Chicago: Moody Press.
... Print. The. 2003 Hartman, Louis F. & Lella, Alexander A. The Anchor Bible, The Book Of Daniel. New Haven & London: Yale University Press. Print, 1978 Cook, Stephen L. Apocalyptic Literature.
...ht and the damnation of the Children of Darkness. Much like the eschatological traits found in John, this message is one of hope and perseverance. Where John emphasizes the role of hope for the near future in which salvation was within reach, the War Scroll focuses on perseverance in the hope for the dawning of the battle between the Sons of Light and Sons of Darkness culminating in the abolition of evil and dualism. These thematic parallels are of significant value to the understanding of the influence of the community at Qumran on the author of the Fourth Gospel; so impressive are these parallels that they can not simply be attributed to the concept of a common Jewish milieu of late Second Temple Judaism. In eschatological terms, the corresponding ideals of the two communities are suggestive of a Johannine author who was influenced by the society at Qumran.
New Revised Standard Version. New York: American Bible Society, 1989. Print. The. Russell, Eddie.
Wenham, G.J., Moyter, J.A., Carson, D.A. and France, R.T., eds. New Bible Commentary. Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1998.
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.
LaHaye, Tim F., and Edward E. Hindson. The Popular Encyclopedia of Bible Prophecy. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2004.
Carson, D, & Moo, D. (2005) An introduction to the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
As stated in the text, Revelation translates the Greek term apocalyptic, which means uncover because they claim to reveal new vision of reality. Some of the characteristics of the literature is Universality which focuses on universal scope. Cosmic Dualism have ideas about the parallel worlds of matter and spirit. Chronologic Dualism divides the universe into two opposing domains of physical matter and ethereal
The book of Revelation is and has for a very long time been known as one of those books people just do not waste their time picking through - much less reading. Yarbrough considers this a great loss when he states, "From the early days of the church this book was turned to in times of persecution as a source of strength and encouragement" (Yarbrough, 358). This book is known as "the book about the end times." And rightfully so - it truly is about the times before Jesus makes His final return. While John was in exile on the Island of Patmos, Jesus sent him a series of visions - the book of Revelation is really just a series of over sixty visions all blended into one long book. John wrote this book in a very apocalyptic form. Meaning - he spoke
This book report is about the book “Prophecy’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by the author Stephen Bohr. The book starts out laying down the foundation for all of its main points by taking a look at the prophecies in Revelation and Daniel. Bohr compares the two, listing the sequence of events leading to the enforcement of the mark of the beast and the “little horn” being restored to power. The author describes Papal Rome’s four stages and when they each come to power, by carefully comparing scripture and finding patterns in real life that match prophecy. After making these connections and teaching basic concepts about Bible prophecy, Bohr states seven “Crucial Questions” to be answered by the end
One recognizes that the style of this work is extremely aggressive and graphic. Edward’s word choice is quite negative, yet always followed by a “positive-to-come’’ or “resolution” to his negativity. The repetition that Edward’s uses in his writing style emphasizes the seriousness and importance of the subject as shown in the phrase, “…the fearful danger you are in: it is a great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of that God whose wrath is provoked….” In addition, the graphic imagery creates inescapable illustrations in the mind. For example, the passage, “If God should only withdraw his hand from the floodgate, it would immediately fly open, and the fiery floods of the fierceness and wrath of God, would rush forth with inconceivable fury…” shows the almighty, all powerful, and all controlling might of the wrath of God. The sentence structure is lengthy; however, it is quite comprehendible. The excited punctuation grabs the attention of the reader and emphasizes the severity of their positions, as in the expression, “O sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in….”