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Revelation Introduction and Outline Author There are many internal and external evidences that identify John as the author of Revelation. Date Most biblical scholars propose there are two main dates to consider when dating the book of Revelation. Some have suggested that John wrote Revelation during the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero (ca. A.D. 68). Others have suggested that John wrote Revelation at a later date, during the time of the Roman Emperor Domitian (ca. A.D. 96). 1. Irenaeus (2nd Century ECF) stated of John “…who beheld the apocalyptic vision” that he received “almost in our day, toward the end of Domitian’s reign” (Against Heresies 5.30.3). 2. Victorinus (3rd Century) stated: “When John said these things, he was on the Island of Patmos, condemned to the mines by Caesar Domitian” (Commentary on Revelation 10:11). 3. John did not arrive in Asia Minor from Palestine to become head of the church until after the Jewish revolt against Rome (A.D. 66-70). These as well as the many more evidences demonstrate that the later date (ca. A.D. 95-96) is to be preferred as it would of necessity, exclude the destruction of Jerusalem as the prophetic fulfillment of John’s letter. Genre or Style Revelation is a letter. It contains vast amounts of symbolic and apocalyptic literature that can be related directly to Old Testament apocalyptic revelation. As such, reading and interpreting Revelation in view of its plain meaning gives the reader a sensible view of the future that is in harmony with the rest of the Scripture. Interpretation Historically, there are four predominate methods of interpreting Revelation. These are included on the following chart: 1. Preterism – Preterist is a term that means “past in fulfillment.” 2. Historicism – This interpretive approach views Revelation as a panoramic view of church history, to include the present. 3. Idealism – This interpretive approach appears to be the weakest, in that it sees no predictive prophecy in the book of Revelation. 4. Futurism – This interpretive approach views the book, particularly chapters 4 – 22 to be a collection of future events. a. John was told these things would occur after his time (1:19). b. Overwhelming evidence shows the book being written after A.D. 70, c. Events must still happen that never happened in the first century: Audience The book’s original audience included Christians in the seven churches in Asia Minor: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea (1:11). By extension, one could also state that the book is written to all the Church and to the saints of all ages. Purpose There are many reasons why Revelation was written: to communicate the person, work, and dominion of Jesus Christ (1:1), to comfort the persecuted saints (1:9), to condemn the agents of Satan and this world’s unbelieving systems (Chaps. 17–20), to complete God’s redemptive plan of Scripture (22:18–19), to encourage unbelievers to repent and believe in Christ (22:11), and to ensure the world that Jesus’ return is certain (22:12). Basic Outline The book of Revelation can be divided into three sections: I. The Person of Christ – His Character (Ch. 1) II. The Possession of Christ – His Church (Chaps. 2–3) III. The Program of Christ – His Coming (Chaps. 4 – 22)