Author
Some early church fathers ascribed the authorship of Revelation to John the apostle. Beginning with this early tradition, the John who wrote the Book of Revelation has been identified as John the apostle (Rev. 1:1, 4, 9; 21:2; 22:8). No solid evidence refutes this view. The language and style of Revelation differ from that of the Gospel and Epistles of John. However, these differences could be due to the literary nature of the Book of Revelation as apocalyptic writing (see Introduction: Literary Characteristics). Revelation’s description of Jesus as the “Word” and the “Lamb of God” mirrors those within the fourth gospel, adding weight to the argument that the apostle John was the author. He identified himself as a servant of Jesus (Rev. 1:1) and as a brother and companion to the recipients of his letter (Rev. 1:9). Some scholars maintain that Revelation 1:2 is not only a reference to the visions of the book but also an apostolic claim.
The John of Revelation witnessed “the word of God” and “the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw,” suggesting that the author was the apostle (Rev. 1:2). A primary criterion for apostolic authority was to be an eyewitness to the message, ministry, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ (see Acts 1:21, 22).
Date
Revelation was written during a period of impending persecution for Christians. The Roman emperor Nero officially sanctioned the torture and extermination of Christians, whom he blamed for the great fire in Rome in A.D. 64. Following his suicide in A.D. 68, emperor worship grew, reaching its peak during the reign of Domitian (A.D. 81–96). During this time, the persecution of Christians intensified. Early church tradition strongly favors the latter part of Domitian’s reign (A.D. 90–96) as the date for Revelation.
Background
Setting
Augustus, who succeeded Julius Caesar as emperor of Rome, encouraged his subjects to regard emperors as “gods.” Caligula reinforced this concept, and from the time of Nero to Domitian “the cult of the emperor” gained greater and greater influence. Citizens and subjects of the empire who refused to confess that the emperor was divine and to worship him were tortured, executed, or exiled as traitors.
John was exiled to the island of Patmos, a prison island that may have been used to quarry rock. He wrote the Book of Revelation during his exile there.
Purpose
John received his revelation about the victory of God in the face of terror and evil during a period of great persecution for the church. In the Book of Revelation, God’s impending judgment of the wicked Roman Empire is a prelude to His judgment at the end of time. John’s message is that God has already triumphed over evil and that He will totally destroy all evil at the end of time. John wanted the Christians in the churches of Asia to let the knowledge of God’s ultimate victory encourage them to perseverance and faith in the midst of persecution.
Audience
Revelation is addressed to seven churches located in seven cities of the Roman province of Asia, an area now known as Turkey (Rev. 1:4). The cities were situated in a circular pattern (see map, The Seven Churches of Asia Minor). They may have served as centralized postal centers for surrounding geographical regions. Likely the entire Book of Revelation was circulated to all the churches in the province.
Literary Characteristics
Revelation is an example of apocalyptic literature, which flourished during the last two centuries B.C. and the first century A.D. An apocalypse is a revelation or unveiling made by an angel or other celestial being. The message is expressed in vivid, and sometimes picturesque, symbols. The apocalyptists were pessimistic about human efforts to overcome evil. They expressed the conviction that God would intervene and forcibly destroy the evil forces that oppressed His people. Often, this deliverance was associated with the coming of the Messiah, who would inaugurate the kingdom of God.
Revelation differs from traditional apocalyptic literature in several ways. Apocalypses were usually pseudonymous, written in the name of some illustrious figure of the past. But John emphasized that he was writing what had been personally revealed to him (Rev. 1:1, 4, 9; 21:2; 22:8).
John’s apocalypse was optimistic. Although it portrayed the massive struggle between good and evil, John was confident that a decisive victory was at hand: God’s Messiah, Jesus, had already come, had already conquered, and would come again to complete His work. Finally, John repeatedly called his writing a prophecy (Rev. 1:3; 22:7, 10, 18, 19). Apocalypses were traditionally written to recount past historical events. John, on the other hand, took the stance of a prophet, looking resolutely to the future and the return of Christ.
Themes
The primary emphasis of the Book of Revelation or the Apocalypse (Gk. apokalupsis, lit. “unveiling”) is the triumphant Christ who is unveiled in His glory. Many refer to the book as eschatology (Gk. lit. “study of the last”). Eschatology is not merely a study of the end times but the historic completion of the revealed purposes of God. The book unfolds into natural divisions (Rev. 1:19): “the things which you have seen” or John’s vision of the resurrected and glorified Christ (Rev. 1); “the things which are” or a description of the churches (Rev. 2; 3); and “the things which will take place after this” or a prophetic unfolding of future events (Rev. 4–22). The central event is the return of Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:7).
Outline
Introduction (1:1–3)
I. John’s Letters to the Seven Churches (1:4–3:22)
A. General greetings and comment (1:4–20)
B. The letter to the church at Ephesus (2:1–7)
C. The letter to the church at Smyrna (2:8–11)
D. The letter to the church at Pergamos (2:12–17)
E. The letter to the church at Thyatira (2:18–29)
F. The letter to the church at Sardis (3:1–6)
G. The letter to the church at Philadelphia (3:7–13)
H. The letter to the church at Laodicea (3:14–22)
II. A Description of the Heavenly Throne (4:1–5:14)
A. The throne (4:1–11)
B. The seven-sealed scroll (5:1–14)
III. The Seven Seals (6:1–8:6)
A. The first seal: the white horse (6:1, 2)
B. The second seal: the red horse (6:3, 4)
C. The third seal: the black horse (6:5, 6)
D. The fourth seal: the pale horse (6:7, 8)
E. The fifth seal: the souls under the altar (6:9–11)
F. The sixth seal: the great earthquake (6:12–17)
G. The sealing of the 144,000 (7:1–8)
H. The great multitude (7:9–17)
I. The seventh seal: silence (8:1–6)
IV. The Seven Trumpets (8:7–11:19)
A. The first trumpet: hail and fire mixed with blood (8:7)
B. The second trumpet: a mountain thrown into the sea (8:8, 9)
C. The third trumpet: the star Wormwood (8:10, 11)
D. The fourth trumpet: darkness (8:12, 13)
E. The fifth trumpet: the plague of locusts (9:1–12)
F. The sixth trumpet: the release of four angels (9:13–21)
G. The voice of seven thunders (10:1–7)
H. The bittersweet scroll (10:8–11)
I. The two witnesses (11:1–14)
J. The seventh trumpet: judgment and reward (11:15–19)
V. An Interlude of Events (12:1–14:20)
A. The woman, the Child, and the Dragon (12:1–17)
B. The Beast from the sea (13:1–10)
C. The beast from the earth (13:11–18)
D. A message of victory, warning, and judgment (14:1–20)
VI. The Bowls of Wrath Judgments (15:1–16:21)
A. The prelude (15:1–16:1)
B. The first bowl: ugly and painful sores (16:2)
C. The second bowl: sea turning to blood (16:3)
D. The third bowl: rivers and springs of water turning to blood (16:4–7)
E. The fourth bowl: sun scorching people with fire (16:8, 9)
F. The fifth bowl: darkness (16:10, 11)
G. The sixth bowl: the drying up of the Euphrates River (16:12–16)
H. The seventh bowl: a tremendous earthquake (16:17–21)
VII. The Scarlet Woman and the Scarlet Beast (17:1–18:24)
A. The meaning of the woman and the Beast (17:1–18)
B. The fall of Babylon (18:1–24)
VIII. The Return of Christ (19:1–22:5)
A. The wedding of the Lamb (19:1–10)
B. The return of Christ (19:11–21)
C. The millennium (20:1–10)
D. The Great White Throne Judgment (20:11–15)
E. The new heavenly kingdom (21:1–22:5)
Conclusion (22:6–21)