The authorship of the johannine worksthe gospel of john, epistles of john, and the book of revelation has been debated by scholars since at least the 2nd century ad. Speaking of the apocalypse from the previous post giving that odd video. It is the only book of the new testament classified as apocalyptic literature rather than didactic or historical, indicating thereby its extensive use of visions, symbols, and allegory, especially in connection with future events. John, the revelation to also called the apocalypse. He explains that, for those students willing to examine the historical background to the new testament, the book of revelation actually summarizes the central doctrines of faith. Is the author of the gospel of john the same john from the. Someone recently asked me if the same author could have written both the book of revelation and the gospel of john. Army hospital hard to view when this book was written but we can assume that it occurred prior to the destruction of jerusalem of 70 ad as that is noted as a fact in the book of revelations as is the case of all the other gospel records. The greek of the fourth gospel is simple but correct.
Still further, the ideas of the two books are different. To unlock the symbols in the book, other parts of gods word need to be studied. This has been a question at the back of my mind for some time and its great to hear your reasons for believing john to be the author. The main debate centers on who authored the writings, and which of the. The book of revelation, a prophecy of warning and hope. You and your family are a blessing beyond description to us and so many others.
Revelation to john, also called book of revelation or apocalypse of john, last book of the new testament. Four times the author identifies himself as john 1. The writer of the gospel wrote simple but correct greek. John the divine is an example of apocalyptic writing a form that delivers a message using symbols, images and numbers. The book of revelations, a gnostic gospel excommunicate. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. Traditionally, the book of revelation has been dated near the end of the first century, around a. So it is extremely unlikely that the same person wrote all of these books. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. Everyone has heard of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, but less well known are the horses of. Who wrote the book of revelation in the bible answers. Who wrote the book of revelation and the fourth gospel.
Thank you very much for your recent post about whether the apostle john was the author of the gospel of john. He begins the body of his book by saying that it is from john to the seven churches in asia rev. For those who take a premillennial view of scripture the prophetic events of revelation are to happen in the future, in particular the prophecies of the beast antichrist. Discovering the message to the original audience is the top priority with any book of the bible, but. In the evangelists history, he indicated that what motivated him to write his gospel was his desire to preserve all that jesus began both to do and to teach acts 1.
The issue of the dating of revelation has a bearing on ones interpretation of it. Gospel according to john, fourth of the four new testament gospels and the only account not. The elder, the seer, and the apostle bible odyssey. The book of revelation was written before ad 70 hubpages. Knowing god an extraterrestrial message chuck missler.
The book of revelation is the last book of the bible in our canon for good reason. The authorship of the johannine worksthe gospel of john, epistles of john, and the book of revelationhas been debated by scholars since at least the 2nd century ad. Authorship, occasion, and date the opening verses of the book of the revelation plainly claim the book was written by john, identified almost universally in the early church as the apostle john. Readers of this blog might be interested in reading the fourth gospel, a recent book written by john shelby. The book of revelation is an amazing message from jesus to his followers. The revelation to john new international version the prologue 1. The end of time in revelation and the gospel of john the. The gospel of john is the fourth of the canonical gospels.
The book of revelation explained volume 3 gospel trumpeter. The very fact that the author of the apocalypse simply calls himself john is a dead giveaway that he was well known throughout the churches in asia minor. Chapters 15 address seven established christian churches in asia minor. Aug 04, 2009 revelation the dragon pursuing a woman, from the bamberg apocalypse. Try to discover the message to the original readers. According to this approach, much of the book deals with the apostasy of the roman catholic church, followed by the reformation and the restoration. Then i heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, come.
So, the divine author of revelation is jesus christ and the human author is the apostle john. John the apostle however is a different person than john the baptist. It does not seem to have been the lords purpose to arrange every aspect of the book of revelation in strict chronological order. Did the same john write the fourth gospel and revelation. Revelation 6 new international version niv the seals. One gigantic correlation between the gospel of john and revelation is johns disciple johns record of jesuss encounter with john the baptist. Book of revelation overview insight for living ministries.
Dionysius challenged the traditional view that john the. Hahn demonstrates why this littlestudied book contains many of the keys to understanding the gospels. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. However, most revelations to leaders and members of the. A summary of the revelation to john revelation in s bible. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of bible. In addition, the majority of the endtime puzzle pieces are appearing and its just a matter of. And so irenaeus appears to distinguish john, the author of the fourth gospel. Parts of the old testament, particularly in the book of daniel, are also written in the apocalyptic genre.
Because the guy who wrote that gospel interviewed some of the members in the community john had founded. Book of revelation mormonism, the mormon church, beliefs. All realize that at the time john wrote the book of revelation the principal world empire was rome. Here are some musings on it, the first part taken from my textbook on the new testament. Many of the older brethren, and older commentaries, took this view. It is a book of sign and symbol showing events which would occur from the 1st century right up until our day and beyond. To unlock the symbols in the book, other parts of gods word. The messages contained in the book of revelation are taught in the church of jesus christ of latterday saints gospel doctrine classes in sunday school as part of the new testament study year. This book cracks the mystery of the elaborate, and highly formulaic procedure john used, and gives readers the opportunity to observe how the book of revelation was written, line by line, as though they were peering. John knox, 1976 1415, following fortna, kysar thinks that the statement belonged to a signs source but becomes inadequate as a description of the whole book. The chapters of these volumes are designated in this manner for ready reference sake.
John, the disciple of the lord, wishing to set forth the origin of all things, so as to explain how the. John does not merely present the story of john 4 to the reader but. This article will conclude our series titled who wrote the new testament. It starts out simply enough, it is a revelation in greek, apocalypse from jesus christ, it is a prophecy, and it comes as a letter to seven churches.
John of patmos also called john the revelator, john the divine, john the theologian, and possibly john the apostle. In the face of apparently insuperable evil, either from within or from without, all christians are called to trust in jesus promise, behold, i am with you always, until the end of the age mt 28. Book of revelation explained scripture by scripture. For 1,700 years scholars have struggled with a quotation of papias given by eusebius. It is written anonymously, although it identifies an unnamed disciple whom jesus loved as the source of its. Different sections were written at different times. However, below are a few things that have occurred. When it comes to the book of revelation, however, a late date is much more plausible. For example, chapters 15 were written at a later date than chapters 614. No one signed the gospel now known as johns gospel and it was not even. The book of revelation, the last book of the bible, has fascinated and puzzled christians for centuries. It is a curious book unlike any other account in the bible.
The book of revelation is traditionally said to be written by john. It is written anonymously, although it identifies an unnamed disciple whom. The vision which opens the book and the verse that organizes it. Concerning the author and historical truth of the fourth gospel. Charles has commented that it is unlike any greek that was ever penned by mortal man. The author names himself as john, but modern scholars consider it unlikely that the author of revelation also wrote the gospel of john. The beast i saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of. The author of revelation mentioned his name, john, four times throughout the book revelation 1.
One gospel, three letters, and the book of revelation are all attributed to john. A second objection raised is that the level of differences between the fourth gospel and the book of revelation are alleged to be insurmountably substantial. Pius x addressed the question of the authorship of the fourth gospel. Revelation reveals the events of the day of the lord revelation 1.
Three angels broadcasting network 3abn 3,010,954 views 58. We do know that someone called john wrote the book of revelation because he. The manual states, john was one of the saviors original apostles. Tradition has long held that john the apostle, whom we have seen penned the fourth gospel and the three letters attributed to him, wrote. When was the revelation written, and when was the fourth gospel written.
Nov 14, 2017 this article will conclude our series titled who wrote the new testament. G if ts, oce and t hepera on of t new testamen church how to study ident ifying the beasts of revelat on jud e, t h ac t s of t po a, volume 1 sunday school quarterly jud e, t h ac t s of t po a, volume 2. Many today conclude this second john also wrote johns gospel. Some writers, however, have advanced the preterist from a latin word meaning that which is past view, contending that the apocalypse was penned around a. The book of revelation explained volume 4 other publications by the author dan iel and rev at on texts exam ned depressi on did j esu d c nd i to h ll. Further, the writer of the fourth gospel studiously avoids any mention of his own name. The book of revelation also called the revelation of john or the revelation of st. The author wrote, these are written, that ye might believe that jesus is the christ, the son of god fourth gospel 20. Was the book of john written first or the book of revelation. There may have been a single author for the gospel and the three epistles. Did the same person write the gospel of john and the book. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant john, 2 who testifies to eve rything he sawthat is, the word of god and the testimony of jesus christ. For whom was the book of revelation written and why.
We read about several johns in the new testament, including john the baptist. To jerry and sherry roberts thank you for your faithful friendship and love for our lord and my family. Finally this book will challenge the way the fourth gospel has been used in christian history as the guarantor of what came to be called christian orthodoxy or creedal christianity. Traditionally, both books have been identified as coming from the same person, john the son. Biblical literature biblical literature the fourth gospel. Early tradition unanimously identified him as john the apostle, author of the fourth gospel and three epistles. For example, john wrote in the book of revelation that five rulers had already ceased to have power and that a sixth was then within his sovereignty revelation 17. Referencing the fourth gospels author, early church father irenaeus c. Twopage spread from johannes gutenbergs 42line bible, c. It is hard to show this without appealing to issues related to the greek language in which both books were written, so let me just put it like this. And with the help of nasa we understand the exact dates of yeshuas ministry. It is the final expression of and complement to the prophecies of the jewish prophets.
If we did not realize already that it takes a lifetime to understand the bible and thats a good thing, the point is driven home when we get to the last book in the biblerevelation. John is the last gospel and, in many ways, different from the synoptic gospels. The gospel of john, the three johannine epistles, and the book of revelation. He was a jewish christian prophet, probably belonging to a group of such prophets, and was accepted by the. To begin with, there can really be no doubt that whoever wrote the book of revelation, it was not the author of the gospel of john. Revelation niv bible the dragon stood on the shore of.
The question in the synoptic gospels concerns the extent to which the divine reality broke into history in jesus coming, and the answers are given in terms of the closeness of the new age. Chapters 48 cover the truths preceding the seal series and the opening of the seven seals and are explained in the book of revelation explained, volume 2. He begins by saying that god sent the visions he is going to relate to his servant john rev. So how did those who attributed the gospel, letters, and revelation to john expect. Even though the book of revelation was finally included in the new testament canon because christian leaders came to think it had been. The scriptures tell of different types of revelation, such as visions, dreams, and visitations by angels. The greek name of the bible book of revelation, apoka. Hinds who wrote the gospel advocate commentary on revelation held this view. Through such channels, the lord has restored his gospel in the latter days and revealed many truths. He was a leader in the early church, and he probably wrote his documents after most of the other new testament books were already written.
The 3rd thing we may deduce from the clumsy greek of the text of the book of revelation full of grammatical howlers in the greek to quote my old professor dr. The book of revelation explained volume 4 1 introduction to the revelation revelation 1. Eusebius asserted papias referred to two johns and the second wrote revelation. I have been arguing that the author of the fourth gospel and the author of the book of revelation could not have been the same person, and in looking back at my posts i realize that i have left out an important point, one of the strongest arguments that we are dealing with two different people. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. This discovery was made to john, and in this chapter he, i. Aug 14, 2018 the writer of revelation identifies himself as john. Revelation is traditionally attributed to the apostle john, who also wrote a gospel and three new testament letters. This is because it is one of the only gnostic gospels that actually made it into the bible. Apr 24, 2016 22 revelations mark of the beast exposed revelations ancient discoveries duration. Over time the bible has been edited and passages and books have been stricken from the collective christian book. The bible isnt the first book you might turn to for gratuitous violence, but its definitely in there. Is this the same john who wrote the gospel account and three letters. The fourth gospel is ascribed to the apostle john and so is the book of revelation or apocalypse.
While there were skeptics, even early on, about the authorship of the text most. Revelation to john appears to be a collection of separate. This revelation was given to him by god the father, and it was communicated to the apostle john by an angel 1. The book of revelation had its origin in a time of crisis, but it remains valid and meaningful for christians of all time. Thats because the writing styles are massively different. The comparison of greek between the fourth gospel and revelation is very different. The first verse in the book of revelation does not say exactly who that particular john is, but it is naturally assumed to be john the apostle since it was the apostles that were given the authority by god to write scripture. The thoughts and ideals are very different by the two writings. How john wrote the book of revelation is a behind the scenes look at the literary process used to create the book of revelation. Remember, members of the body of christ know that all scripture was written for the body of christ, but not all scripture was written to the body of christ. Christians throughout history have given almost unanimous affirmation to the identity of the books author as john the apostle, who had been exiled to the island of patmos by the authorities for preaching the gospel in asia. Finally, while there is little to commend the notion that a shadowy figure named john the elder wrote the book of revelation, there is ample evidence that it was written by john the apostle.
He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant john. Like a master teacher who digresses from his presentation with brief interludes to further clarify or expand what. Sometimes called the apocalypse which is a transliteration of the greek word for revelation. If so, john penned much of the new testament, with only paul and luke writing more than him. The book of revelation explained volume 4 gospel trumpeter. Revelation 4 commentary matthew henry commentary on the. The apostolic authorship of the book has, nevertheless, been questioned ever since the time of dionysius of alexandria in the third century.
The gospel of luke is the story of what jesus began to do. Jun 25, 2008 why then was the fourth gospel entitled with the name of john. There is not just one place in the book of revelation to accurately pinpoint exactly where we are. I was also wondering about the authorship of the book of revelation. Ive been asked about who wrote the book of revelation. Revelation 6 the seals i watched as the lamb bible. The teaching company shmoop helpfully rounded up some of the terrible things that happen to people unlucky enough to live in the world described by revelation. Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.
It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. Apr 05, 2017 revelation was written before the temple was destroyed, before the events in the gospels happened. For more on the question of johns historical reliability, see d. Did the same john write the gospels and revelation. The book of revelation was not written at one time by a single author. I have written previously on the authorship of the first gospel, but today i want to quote from an outstanding blog post written by timothy mcgrew which makes a compelling case that the author of the fourth gospel is indeed the disciple john. Some general comments about the book of revelation and its uniqueness. Tradition has long held that john the apostle, whom we have seen penned the fourth gospel and the three letters attributed to him, wrote the last book of scripture. The book went through two to three stages, or editions, before reaching its current form, at the latest, around ad 80100. In revelation, john finishes what luke set out to do in acts.
514 996 26 263 1022 92 987 1254 540 368 675 170 182 21 535 1170 267 474 40 1300 560 1081 1274 6 1408 630 78 129 379 713 637 222 148 960 1328 315