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New Testament · Apocalyptic prophecy

The Revelation to John: Author, Context and Complete Study

Revelation records the visions given to John on Patmos: the risen Christ, his messages to seven churches, and the judgments and victory that lead to a new creation. It calls believers to faithful endurance, because God reigns, the Lamb has conquered and Jesus is coming soon.

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What is Revelation about?

Revelation is the prophetic vision that the risen Jesus gave to John on the island of Patmos for seven churches of Asia (Revelation 1:1-11). After messages that praise, rebuke and encourage those churches (2-3), John sees God enthroned and the Lamb who was slain (4-5), cycles of judgment in seals, trumpets and bowls (6-16), the conflict with the dragon and the beasts (12-13), the fall of Babylon (17-18), the return of Christ and the final judgment (19-20), and the new heaven and new earth (21-22). Its message is that God reigns, the Lamb has conquered, and his people must stay faithful until he comes.

Author
John, who names himself four times and wrote from Patmos (Revelation 1:1, 4, 9; 22:8). Second-century tradition identifies him as the apostle John; some since the third century have proposed another John.
Date
Most date it c. AD 95, late in Domitian's reign; others c. AD 68-69, after Nero's persecution and before the temple fell in AD 70.
First readers
Seven churches in the Roman province of Asia (western Turkey), from Ephesus to Laodicea, facing persecution, pressure to join in idolatry and spiritual complacency (Revelation 1:11; 2-3).
Genre
Apocalyptic prophecy
Chapters
22 chapters
Key verse
Revelation 11:15

Historical context

Revelation was written to Christians in the Roman province of Asia, a prosperous region whose cities competed for imperial favor. Emperor worship was woven into civic life: Pergamum had a temple to Rome and Augustus from 29 BC, Smyrna won the right to build one to Tiberius in AD 26, and Ephesus dedicated a temple to the Flavian emperors under Domitian (AD 81-96). Trade guilds held feasts in honor of their gods, so refusing idolatry could cost a believer his livelihood. Some local synagogues opposed the believers (2:9; 3:9), a Christian named Antipas had been killed in Pergamum (2:13), and John himself was on Patmos because of his faithfulness to God's word and his witness to Jesus (1:9).

Most scholars follow Irenaeus, who wrote around AD 180 that the vision was seen near the end of Domitian's reign; later Roman writers remembered Domitian as wanting to be addressed as lord and god. Others date the book to the late 60s, after Nero's persecution of Christians in Rome in AD 64 and during the Jewish war that ended with the destruction of the temple in AD 70, pointing to the measuring of the temple (11:1-2) and the list of kings (17:9-11). Either way, the churches faced real pressure, along with the quieter dangers of compromise and complacency that the letters expose (2:4, 14, 20; 3:1, 17).

Geographical context

John received the visions on Patmos, a small rocky island in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Asia Minor (1:9). The seven churches lay in what is now western Turkey, and the order of the letters follows a natural route for a messenger: from the port of Ephesus north to Smyrna and Pergamum, then southeast to Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea (1:11). Local color fills the letters: Sardis had twice seen its citadel taken by surprise, and wealthy Laodicea, known for banking, wool and a nearby medical school, is told to buy true gold, white garments and salve for its eyes (3:17-18).

The visions also use symbolic geography: the great river Euphrates, the frontier beyond which Israel's invaders came (9:14; 16:12); Armageddon, named after Megiddo, site of famous battles (16:16); Babylon the great, seated on seven hills, which many interpreters identify with Rome (17:9); Mount Zion (14:1); and finally the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven (21:2).

Why does the book of Revelation exist?

Revelation was written to strengthen churches under pressure and to wake up churches that had grown comfortable. Some faced slander, prison and death (2:9-10, 13); others tolerated teachers who permitted idolatry and sexual immorality (2:14-15, 20), or had lost their first love, their life or their zeal (2:4; 3:1, 15-16). By opening a door into heaven (4:1), the book shows what is really happening behind the scenes of history: God is on the throne, the Lamb who was slain holds the scroll, and the powers that seem invincible are already judged.

The visions call believers to patient endurance and faithful witness (13:10; 14:12), to come out of Babylon's corruption (18:4) and to worship God alone (19:10; 22:9). Every letter promises a reward to the one who conquers (2:7; 3:21), and the book ends with those promises fulfilled in the new creation. For the whole Bible, Revelation is the closing chapter: the story that began in the garden of Genesis ends in a garden-city where God lives with his people forever (21:3; 22:1-5).

Outline of Revelation

  1. Chapter 1

    The risen Christ among the lampstands

    John greets the seven churches and announces that Jesus is coming with the clouds. On Patmos, on the Lord's day, he sees one like a son of man walking among seven golden lampstands, who tells him to write what he sees.

  2. Chapters 2-3

    Messages to the seven churches

    Christ addresses Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea, commending faithfulness, exposing compromise and complacency, calling them to repent and promising rewards to the one who conquers.

  3. Chapters 4-5

    The throne and the Lamb

    Through an open door John sees God enthroned and worshiped by the living creatures and the elders. No one is worthy to open the sealed scroll except the Lion of Judah, who appears as a Lamb that was slain, and all creation praises him.

  4. Chapters 6-7

    The seven seals

    The Lamb opens the seals: four horsemen bring conquest, war, famine and death, the martyrs cry out and the universe shakes. Before the seventh seal, God's servants are sealed, and a countless multitude from every nation praises God and the Lamb.

  5. Chapters 8-11

    The seven trumpets

    After silence in heaven, trumpets announce partial judgments on land, sea, rivers, sky and humanity, yet people do not repent. John eats a little scroll, two witnesses prophesy and are raised, and the seventh trumpet proclaims the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ.

  6. Chapters 12-14

    The dragon, the beasts and the Lamb

    The dragon tries to devour the woman's child and is thrown down by Michael. He empowers a beast from the sea and a beast from the earth that demands worship and a mark, while the Lamb stands on Mount Zion and angels announce the harvest of the earth.

  7. Chapters 15-16

    The seven bowls

    The victorious sing the song of Moses and of the Lamb, and seven angels pour out the bowls of God's wrath. The plagues recall Egypt, the kings are gathered at Armageddon, and at the seventh bowl a voice from the throne declares that it is done.

  8. Chapters 17-18

    The fall of Babylon

    John sees Babylon the great as a prostitute riding a scarlet beast, drunk with the blood of the saints. Her sudden fall is announced, God's people are called to come out of her, and kings, merchants and sailors mourn her ruin.

  9. Chapters 19-20

    The rider on the white horse and the thousand years

    Heaven rejoices and announces the marriage supper of the Lamb. Christ rides out as Faithful and True and defeats the beast and the false prophet. Satan is bound for a thousand years, released and finally defeated, and the dead are judged before a great white throne.

  10. Chapters 21-22

    All things made new

    John sees a new heaven and a new earth, where God dwells with his people and there is no more death or tears. The new Jerusalem shines with his glory, the river and the tree of life appear, and Jesus promises that he is coming soon.

Famous passages in Revelation

  • Revelation 1:12-18

    The vision of the Son of Man

    John turns and sees one like a son of man among seven golden lampstands, with eyes like fire, a voice like rushing waters and a face shining like the sun. When John falls as though dead, Jesus tells him not to fear: he is the first and the last, who died and is alive forever and holds the keys of Death and Hades.

    Study Revelation 1 →

  • Revelation 3:15-20

    Lukewarm Laodicea and the knock at the door

    Christ rebukes a church that is neither hot nor cold and thinks it is rich while it is poor, blind and naked. Out of love he disciplines it, and he stands at the door and knocks, promising to come in and eat with anyone who opens. The verse is often used in evangelism, though it was first addressed to a church.

    Study Revelation 3 →

  • Revelation 5:5-14

    The slain Lamb is worthy

    John is told that the Lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered, but he sees a Lamb standing as though it had been slain. The Lamb takes the scroll, and the living creatures, the elders, countless angels and every creature praise him, because by his blood he ransomed people from every tribe, language, people and nation.

    Study Revelation 5 →

  • Revelation 6:1-8

    The four horsemen

    As the Lamb opens the first four seals, riders on white, red, black and pale horses go out, bringing conquest, war, famine and death. Rooted in Zechariah's visions of horses (Zechariah 1:8; 6:1-8), the image has become a byword for catastrophe, but each rider acts only when the Lamb opens a seal and within the limits God sets.

    Study Revelation 6 →

  • Revelation 12:7-11

    War in heaven

    Michael and his angels fight against the dragon, the ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, and he is thrown down to the earth. A loud voice in heaven explains the real victory: believers have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony and by being willing to die.

    Study Revelation 12 →

  • Revelation 13:16-18

    The mark and the number of the beast

    The beast from the earth forces everyone to receive a mark on the right hand or the forehead, without which no one can buy or sell. John invites the wise to calculate the number of the beast, 666, the number of a man. Readers have proposed countless identifications; John's point is that worship of the beast and loyalty to the Lamb cannot be combined (14:9-12).

    Study Revelation 13 →

  • Revelation 20:1-6

    The thousand years

    An angel binds Satan for a thousand years so that he can no longer deceive the nations, and those who were faithful to Jesus come to life and reign with Christ. This is the only passage in the Bible that speaks of a thousand-year reign, and it is the basis of the different millennial views.

    Study Revelation 20 →

  • Revelation 21:1-5

    A new heaven and a new earth

    John sees the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven like a bride, and a voice announces that God's dwelling is now with his people. He will wipe away every tear, and death, mourning and pain will be no more. The one seated on the throne declares that he is making all things new.

    Study Revelation 21 →

Main themes

God's sovereign throne
The throne is the book's central image. Whatever emperors and beasts claim, the Lord God Almighty rules history, receives the worship of all creation and will complete his purposes (4:2-11; 11:17; 19:6).
The Lamb who conquers by sacrifice
Christ wins not by force but by his death: the Lion of Judah is a slain Lamb whose blood ransoms people from every nation (5:5-9). His followers share his victory in the same way, through faithful witness even to death (12:11; 17:14).
Faithful witness and endurance
John is a partner in tribulation and patient endurance (1:9). The book repeatedly calls the saints to endure, to keep God's commandments and to hold to the testimony of Jesus, refusing the mark of the beast whatever it costs (2:10; 13:10; 14:12).
Judgment and the call to repentance
The seals, trumpets and bowls show God's righteous judgment on violence, idolatry and injustice. They also call people to repent, though many refuse (9:20-21; 16:9, 11), and heaven declares God's judgments true and just (16:7; 19:2).
Babylon and the new Jerusalem
Two cities embody two loyalties: Babylon, the seductive city of luxury, idolatry and violence that falls in a single hour (18:10), and the new Jerusalem, the bride of the Lamb, where God dwells with his people (21:2-3). Believers are called to come out of Babylon (18:4).
Worship and the new creation
Heavenly hymns punctuate the book (4:8-11; 5:9-14; 15:3-4; 19:1-8). Its hope is not escape from creation but its renewal: a new heaven and earth without death, curse or tears, where God's servants will see his face (21:1-5; 22:3-4).

Main characters

John
The prophet who receives the visions on Patmos and calls himself a servant and a brother who shares the readers' tribulation (1:1, 9). He weeps, eats a scroll, is told to measure the temple and twice falls down to worship an angel and is corrected (5:4; 10:10; 11:1; 19:10; 22:8-9).
Jesus Christ
Called the faithful witness, the first to rise from the dead and the ruler over earth's kings (1:5). He appears as the glorious Son of Man (1:13-16), the slain Lamb (5:6), the rider called Faithful and True and the Word of God (19:11-13) and the bright morning star (22:16).
The One seated on the throne
God Almighty, described with light, precious stones and a rainbow rather than a detailed figure (4:2-3). He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Creator praised by heaven, who at the end makes all things new (1:8; 4:11; 21:5-6).
The living creatures and the elders
Heavenly beings around the throne. The four living creatures, like a lion, an ox, a man and an eagle, never stop proclaiming God's holiness, and the twenty-four elders cast their crowns before him; together they lead the worship of heaven (4:4-11; 5:8-14).
The two witnesses
Two prophets clothed in sackcloth who testify for 1,260 days with powers like those of Moses and Elijah. The beast kills them, but after three and a half days God raises them and takes them up to heaven (11:3-12).
The woman clothed with the sun
A woman crowned with twelve stars who gives birth to the male child destined to rule the nations and whom the dragon pursues into the wilderness (12:1-6, 13-17). Interpreters see her as the faithful people of God, Israel and the church; some also see Mary.
The dragon
The great red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, identified as the ancient serpent, the devil and Satan (12:3, 9). Thrown down from heaven, he makes war on the woman's offspring and gives his authority to the beast, until he is thrown into the lake of fire (12:17; 13:2; 20:10).
The beast and the false prophet
The beast from the sea, combining features of Daniel's four beasts, receives the dragon's authority and demands worship; the beast from the earth, later called the false prophet, deceives people and enforces the mark (13:1-18; 16:13). Both end in the lake of fire (19:20).
Babylon the great
A city pictured as a richly dressed prostitute riding the beast, drunk with the blood of the saints, who seduces the nations with luxury and idolatry (17:1-6, 18). Her sudden fall is mourned by kings and merchants and celebrated in heaven (18:9-19; 19:1-3).
The bride of the Lamb
The people of God, clothed in fine linen that stands for the righteous deeds of the saints (19:7-8), seen at the end as the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven, prepared as a bride for her husband (21:2, 9-10).

In-depth study of Revelation

Introduction

Revelation is the last book of the Bible and, for many readers, the most mysterious. It is full of strange creatures, numbers and colors, cosmic disasters and songs of praise. Some avoid it out of fear or confusion; others read it mainly to build timelines of the end. Yet it opens with a blessing on the one who reads it aloud and on those who hear it and keep what is written in it (1:3). It was meant to be understood and obeyed by ordinary believers in seven real churches.

At its center stands not a calendar but a person. The book is the revelation of Jesus Christ (1:1), and from the first vision to the last promise it shows who he is, what he has done and what he will do. Its beasts and plagues serve that purpose: to give persecuted and compromised Christians eyes to see that the Lamb who was slain shares the throne of God.

Who wrote Revelation and when?

John on Patmos

The author names himself John four times (1:1, 4, 9; 22:8). He does not call himself an apostle, but he writes with prophetic authority to churches that clearly knew him. Justin Martyr in the middle of the second century and Irenaeus a few decades later identified him with the apostle John, the son of Zebedee, who according to tradition spent his later years in Ephesus.

One John or two?

In the third century Dionysius of Alexandria noted that the Greek of Revelation is rougher than that of the Gospel and letters of John and suggested a different author with the same name. Defenders of the traditional view reply that the genre and subject are very different and that the books share striking features: both call Jesus the Word (John 1:1; Revelation 19:13), and both apply Zechariah 12:10 to those who pierced him (John 19:37; Revelation 1:7).

Two proposed dates

Irenaeus placed the visions near the end of Domitian's reign, about AD 95, and most scholars accept that date. A minority prefer about AD 68-69, noting that the temple still seems to stand (11:1-2) and that the seven kings of 17:10 may be counted from the first emperors. The earlier date matters especially for readings that relate much of the book to the fall of Jerusalem.

Literary style and structure

Three genres in one

Revelation calls itself an apocalypse, that is, an unveiling (1:1), and a prophecy (1:3; 22:7), and it has the greeting and closing of a letter (1:4; 22:21). Like Daniel, it communicates through visions, angelic guides and symbols. Like the prophets, it calls people to repentance and faithfulness. As a letter, it was written to be read aloud in real congregations.

Symbols and numbers

Some symbols are explained in the text: the lampstands are churches and the stars their angels (1:20), the dragon is Satan (12:9), the waters are peoples and nations (17:15). Numbers carry meaning. Seven speaks of completeness (churches, spirits, seals, trumpets, bowls), twelve of God's people (tribes and apostles, 21:12-14), and the period of 42 months, 1,260 days or a time, times and half a time describes a limited season of trial (11:2-3; 12:6, 14; 13:5), echoing Daniel 7:25.

Hearing and seeing

John often hears one thing and then sees another that interprets it: he hears of the Lion of Judah and sees a Lamb (5:5-6). Many interpreters think the same happens when he hears the number of the sealed and then sees a multitude no one can count (7:4, 9).

Cycles of seven

The central visions come in series of seven: seals (6:1-8:1), trumpets (8:2-11:19) and bowls (15:1-16:21). The judgments intensify, from a fourth of the earth (6:8) to a third (8:7-12) to the whole sea (16:3), and each seventh element brings the end into view (8:1; 11:15; 16:17). Many interpreters see the series as overlapping views of the same period rather than a strict sequence. Interludes (7:1-17; 10:1-11:14) pause the action to show God's care for his people.

Revelation in the story of the Bible

Revelation never introduces a quotation with it is written, yet it echoes the Old Testament more than any other New Testament book.

  • Genesis: the tree of life (2:7; 22:2; Genesis 2:9), the ancient serpent (12:9; Genesis 3:1) and the curse removed (22:3; Genesis 3:17).
  • Exodus: water turned to blood, frogs, hail, darkness, sores and locusts return in the trumpets and bowls; the victorious sing the song of Moses (15:3); God's people are a kingdom and priests (1:6; Exodus 19:6).
  • The prophets: Daniel's beasts from the sea and the son of man (Daniel 7:3-14); Ezekiel's living creatures, the scroll eaten, Gog and Magog and the river of life (Ezekiel 1; 2:8-3:3; 38-39; 47:1-12); Isaiah's threefold holy and the new heavens and new earth (Isaiah 6:3; 65:17); Zechariah's horses and olive trees (Zechariah 1:8; 4:2-14); and Jeremiah's word against Babylon, sunk like a stone in the Euphrates (Jeremiah 51:63-64; Revelation 18:21).

In the New Testament, Revelation develops what Jesus taught about wars, famines, persecution and his coming on the clouds (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21), and what Paul wrote about the man of lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2:3-12). It closes the canon by bringing the story of Genesis 1-2 to its goal: heaven and earth renewed and God dwelling with humanity.

Revelation and Jesus Christ

Revelation gives the fullest portrait of the exalted Christ in the New Testament.

  • The faithful witness, who loves his people and has released them from their sins by his own blood (1:5).
  • The Son of Man in glory, whose white hair recalls the Ancient of Days of Daniel 7:9 (1:13-16).
  • The Lamb who was slain, the book's favorite title for Christ, used more than twenty times; he stands at the center of the throne (5:6; 7:17; 22:1).
  • The Alpha and the Omega, a title God uses of himself (1:8; 21:6) and Jesus also claims, together with the first and the last (1:17; 22:13; Isaiah 44:6).
  • Worthy of worship. Angels refuse worship (19:10; 22:8-9), but the Lamb receives the same praise as the one on the throne (5:13-14).
  • The coming King, who comes with the clouds (1:7), rides out as Faithful and True, the Word of God, King of kings and Lord of lords (19:11-16), and promises three times in the last chapter that he is coming soon (22:7, 12, 20).

Interpretive challenges

Four ways of reading the book

  • Preterist: most visions describe events of the first centuries, such as the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70 or the persecution and fall of pagan Rome. It takes seriously that the book speaks of things that must soon take place (1:1). Most preterists still expect Christ's return, the resurrection and the final judgment.
  • Historicist: the visions trace church history from the apostles to the end, identifying symbols with nations, rulers and movements. It was popular for centuries, especially from the sixteenth to the nineteenth, and is less common today.
  • Futurist: from chapter 4 onward the book describes events still to come: a final tribulation, the rise of the beast, the return of Christ and the millennium. It is very widespread today.
  • Idealist: the visions portray the conflict between God and evil, the church and the world, that runs through every age until Christ's final victory.

Many teachers combine these approaches, reading the visions as addressed first to the seven churches, relevant to every generation and culminating in the return of Christ.

The thousand years

Revelation 20:1-7 mentions a thousand years six times. Premillennialists believe Christ returns before a reign on earth; early writers such as Papias, Justin Martyr and Irenaeus held a form of this view. Amillennialists see the thousand years as the present age, in which Satan is restrained so that the gospel reaches the nations (compare Matthew 12:29); Augustine gave this view wide influence in the fifth century. Postmillennialists expect Christ to return after a long era in which the gospel brings widespread righteousness and peace. All three affirm the return of Christ, the resurrection, the final judgment and the new creation.

The 144,000 and the great multitude

John hears the number of the sealed, 12,000 from each tribe of Israel (7:4-8), and then sees a countless multitude from every nation (7:9). Some read the 144,000 as Jewish believers sealed during a future tribulation, distinct from the multitude. Others see one people described two ways: the number symbolizes the complete people of God, and the multitude shows its true, worldwide size. The 144,000 appear again with the Lamb on Mount Zion (14:1-5).

The tribulation and the rapture

Among futurists, a further debate concerns when believers are caught up to meet the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:17) in relation to the great tribulation (7:14). Some place it before, noting that the word church does not appear between chapter 4 and 22:16 and that Christ promises to keep Philadelphia from the hour of trial (3:10); others place it at Christ's return (19:11-21), noting that saints are on earth throughout the visions (13:7). The word rapture does not appear in Revelation (the Greek verb for being caught up is used there only of the woman's child, 12:5), and believers who differ here share the same hope.

Little-known facts

  • Revelation, not Revelations. The title is singular, from the Greek word apokalypsis, unveiling, which opens the book (1:1).
  • Seven blessings. The book pronounces seven beatitudes (1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14).
  • Hallelujah only here. In the New Testament the word appears only in Revelation 19:1-6, four times; Handel's Hallelujah chorus draws on 19:6, 11:15 and 19:16.
  • A missing tribe. In the list of the sealed, Judah comes first, Joseph and Levi are included, and Dan does not appear (7:5-8).
  • A city that needed nothing. The historian Tacitus records that when an earthquake struck Laodicea in AD 60, the city rebuilt itself from its own resources without help from Rome, a background many see behind its boast in 3:17.

How to study Revelation

Read it whole, and read it aloud

The book was meant to be heard (1:3). Reading it aloud takes a little over an hour; do it once before studying the details, to feel its movement from crisis to worship to victory.

Keys for reading

  • Begin with chapters 1-5: the risen Christ, the churches and the throne frame everything else.
  • Look up the Old Testament background of each image before guessing its meaning.
  • Ask what the first readers in Asia would have understood and needed.
  • Separate what the book clearly teaches from details where faithful readers differ.

Teaching it in a class or small group

A twelve-week series works well: Christ among the lampstands (1); the churches (2 and 3, two weeks); the throne and the Lamb (4-5); the seals (6-7); the trumpets (8-11, two weeks); the dragon and the beasts (12-13); the Lamb and the bowls (14-16); Babylon (17-18); Christ's victory and the millennium (19-20); and the new creation (21-22). Present the views fairly, let the group discuss them without dividing, and end each session as Revelation does, with worship and the prayer Come, Lord Jesus (22:20).

Revelation chapter by chapter

Every chapter of Revelation with a summary, key verses explained, themes, people, questions with answers and application.

Frequently asked questions about Revelation

Who wrote the book of Revelation?

The author calls himself John, a servant of Jesus and a brother of his readers, who was on the island of Patmos (Revelation 1:1, 9). Second-century writers such as Justin Martyr and Irenaeus identified him with the apostle John, the son of Zebedee. In the third century Dionysius of Alexandria noted differences between the Greek of Revelation and that of the Gospel of John and proposed another John. Many still hold the traditional view.

When was Revelation written?

Most scholars date it around AD 95, near the end of the reign of Domitian, following Irenaeus, who wrote that the vision was seen at that time. Others date it to about AD 68-69, after Nero's persecution and before the destruction of the temple in AD 70, partly because the temple seems to be standing in 11:1-2. The date affects how some interpreters read its prophecies.

What is the main message of Revelation?

God reigns, and Jesus, the Lamb who was slain, has conquered evil by his death and resurrection. He will return to judge the world, defeat Satan and every power that opposes God, and make a new heaven and a new earth where God lives with his people. Until then believers must stay faithful, refuse idolatry and endure (Revelation 1:7; 5:9-10; 21:1-5; 22:20).

How many chapters does Revelation have and how is it organized?

Revelation has 22 chapters. Chapter 1 presents the vision of the risen Christ, and chapters 2-3 contain his messages to seven churches. From chapter 4 the scene moves to heaven: the throne and the Lamb (4-5), seven seals (6-7), seven trumpets (8-11), the dragon and the beasts (12-14), seven bowls (15-16), the fall of Babylon (17-18), Christ's victory and the final judgment (19-20) and the new creation (21-22).

What are the main ways of interpreting Revelation?

Preterists see most of the visions fulfilled in the first centuries, in the fall of Jerusalem or of pagan Rome. Historicists read them as a sequence covering church history up to Christ's return. Futurists see most of chapters 4-22 as events still to come, before and at the return of Christ. Idealists read them as symbolic pictures of the battle between God and evil in every age. Many interpreters combine elements of these approaches.

What is the millennium in Revelation 20?

Revelation 20:1-6 speaks of Satan being bound and of the faithful reigning with Christ for a thousand years. Premillennialists expect Christ to return before an earthly reign. Amillennialists see the thousand years as the present age between Christ's first and second comings. Postmillennialists expect the gospel to bring a long era of righteousness and peace before Christ returns. All agree that Christ will return and that evil will be defeated.

What does 666 mean?

Revelation 13:18 calls 666 the number of the beast and the number of a man. In ancient languages letters also served as numbers. The name Nero Caesar written in Hebrew letters adds up to 666, and a spelling without the final n adds up to 616, the reading of some early manuscripts that Irenaeus already knew. Others see 666 as a symbol of human imperfection that always falls short of seven, or expect a future figure.

What and where is Armageddon?

Armageddon appears only in Revelation 16:16, as the place where the kings of the earth are gathered for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. The name probably means mountain of Megiddo, a city overlooking the Jezreel Valley where famous battles were fought (Judges 5:19; 2 Kings 23:29). Some expect a literal final battle there; others see a symbol of the last confrontation between God and the powers of evil, which ends in Christ's victory (19:11-21).

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