Book of Revelation

The Book of Revelation, or Apocalypse is the final book of the New Testament, written by John of Patmos. The title came into usage from the first word of the book in Koine Greek: ἀποκάλυψις, romanized, apokalupsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation" – the author himself not having provided a title.

Quotes

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
- 1:1-3

Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
- 1:7

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
- 1:8

ἀλλὰ ἔχω κατὰ σοῦ ὅτι τὴν ἀγάπην σου τὴν πρώτην ἀφῆκες.
- I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love (agape) you had at first.
- NIV, 2:4, KJV

And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
- 2:8-9

Οἶδά σου τὰ ἔργα, ὅτι ὄνομα ἔχεις ὅτι ζῇς, καὶ νεκρὸς εἶ. γίνου γρηγορῶν, καὶ στήρισον τὰ λοιπὰ ἃ ἔμελλον ἀποθανεῖν·
- I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die.
- NIV, 3:1-2, KJV

Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
- 3:9

You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.
- NKJV, 4:11, KJV

I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "Two pounds of wheat for a day's wages, and six pounds of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!"
- NIV, 6:6, KJV

And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
- 6:10-11

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.
- 7:9

And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
- 10:8-11

And when they [the two witnesses] shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
- 11:7-13

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
- 12:7-12

καὶ ποιεῖ πάντας, τοὺς μικροὺς καὶ τοὺς μεγάλους, καὶ τοὺς πλουσίους καὶ τοὺς πτωχούς, καὶ τοὺς ἐλευθέρους καὶ τοὺς δούλους, ἵνα δῶσιν αὐτοῖς χάραγμα ἐπὶ τῆς χειρὸς αὐτῶν τῆς δεξιᾶς ἢ ἐπὶ τὸ μέτωπον αὐτῶν,
καὶ ἵνα μή τις δύνηται ἀγοράσαι ἢ πωλῆσαι εἰ μὴ ὁ ἔχων τὸ χάραγμα, τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θηρίου ἢ τὸν ἀριθμὸν τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ.
Ὧδε ἡ σοφία ἐστίν· ὁ ἔχων τὸν νοῦν ψηφισάτω τὸν ἀριθμὸν τοῦ θηρίου· ἀριθμὸς γὰρ ἀνθρώπου ἐστί· καὶ ὁ ἀριθμὸς αὐτοῦ χξϛʹ.
- And he [the Beast] causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark (χάραγμα) in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
  And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, [Nero], or the number of his name.
  Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is 666.
- 13:16–18

I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
- 14:14-15

And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
- 17:5

And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. …
How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. …
Thy merchants were the great men of the earth; by thy sorceries (φαρμακεία) were all nations deceived.
And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
- The fall of Babylon, Chapter 18

And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
- 19:19-20

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
- 21:1-7

Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
- 22:7

And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
- 22:12-14
- Variant translation: Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life, and may enter the city by the gates.
  - 22:14, NASB

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires, take the water of life without cost.
- NASB, 22:17, KJV

He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
- 22:20-21

Quotes about Revelation

REVELATION, n. A famous book in which St. John the Divine concealed all that he knew. The revealing is done by the commentators, who know nothing.
- Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary (1911).

The juxtaposition of buying and selling with the mark of the beast refers to the fact that Roman coins normally bore the image and name of the current emperor. The inability to buy or sell would then be the result of the refusal to use Roman coins. Such a refusal is analogous to the Zealot refusal to carry, look at, or manufacture coins bearing any sort of [graven] image.
- Adela Yarbro Collins, Crisis and Catharsis: The Power of the Apocalypse (1984)

In a climate-controlled cabinet in one corner was the original scroll in the shaky handwriting of St. John the Divine of Patmos, whose "Revelation" had been the alltime best seller. Aziraphale had found him a nice chap, if a bit too fond of odd mushrooms.
- Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, in Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (1990)

Revelation is a call to have faith in God rather than empire.
- Wes Howard-Brook and Anthony Gwyther, Unveiling Empire: Reading Revelation Then and Now (2000), p. xxiii

It is between fifty and sixty years since I read it, and I then considered it merely the ravings of a maniac, no more worthy nor capable of explanation than the incoherences of our own nightly dreams. … what has no meaning admits no explanation.
- Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to General Alexander Smyth, (17 January 1825)

Although John held all emperors in contempt, he apparently chose Nero - who was said to have burned Jewish followers of Jesus alive to illuminate his garden — to epitomize "the beast" that was Roman rule. To make sure that no one missed his meaning, he offered this telling clue: "This calls for wisdom: let anyone with understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a person. Its number is six hundred sixty-six”.
Historians familiar with the numerological system Jews called gematria, which assigns a numerical value to each letter and calculates the relationship between the numbers, have offered various suggestions to interpret this mysterious number. Some still debate its meaning, but many now agree that the most obvious calculations suggest that the "number of the beast" spells out Nero's imperial name.
- Elaine Pagels, Revelations: Visions, prophecy, & politics in the Book of Revelation (2012) p.33

Besides separating from outsiders socially and sexually, some Essenes sought to separate financially as well, or at least to limit their financial dealings with them. John, too, associates commerce with idolatrous worship and savagely caricatures "the beast from the land” for trying to force everyone to worship its master and to require that everyone who buys or sells bear the mark of the beast—that is, "the name of the beast, or the number of its name." We do not know exactly what John had in mind. This mark may have been an imperial stamp required on official documents, or perhaps a tattoo (στίγμα) on the body authorizing people to engage in business or participate in trade guilds that required members to pour libations to the gods or offer grain to their statues. John might also have had in mind the images and names of Roman emperors and gods stamped on coins, which he and other devout Jews bitterly resented. Some refused to handle or touch such coins, insisting that even looking at such demonic images implicated one in idolatry.
- Elaine Pagels, Revelations: Visions, prophecy, & politics in the Book of Revelation (2012) pp.51-52

Sir Isaac Newton, having perhaps the greatest scientific mind of all time, accepted the books of Book of Daniel and Revelation as revelations from God, being very detailed and accurate representations of the history of the world's dominating kingdoms, and prophesying both the first and second coming of Christ. He understood that the scriptures taught that the true Church of Jesus Christ had been lost, and he awaited three separate future events: 1) the restoration of the gospel by an angel, 2) the re-establishment of the true church, and 3) the rise of a new world kingdom led by the Savior himself, which will crush the kingdoms of the world as the stone pulverized the statue to powder. He saw the whole purpose of these revelations is not to satisfy man's curiosity about the future, but to be a testimony of the foreknowledge of God after they are all fulfilled in the last days. He proposed that the revelations can be understood by discovering rules governing their consistent imagery, but only after they have been fulfilled, unless an interpretation is given with the revelation. Truly Newton's genius was remarkable, and we could learn much from his insights and systematic methods.
- John P. Pratt, in "Sir Isaac Newton Interprets Daniel's Prophecies" in Meridian Magazine (11 August 2004)

Those who have internalized their oppression, who are awed by the Beast and its powers into passive obedience, and who worship its show of might, provide it all the permission it needs to continually extend its power. What is so exhilarating about the revelations that came to John is their capacity to disenthrall, to awaken, to unlock what William Blake called "the mind-forg'd manacles" and set people free.
- Walter Wink, Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination (1992), p. 103
Some modern Christian biblical scholars, such as Delbert Hillers (Johns Hopkins University) of the American Schools of Oriental Research and the editors of the Oxford Study Bible and HarperCollins Study Bible, contend that the number of the beast in the Book of Revelation is a code for Nero, a view that is also supported in Roman Catholic biblical commentaries. The claim is in regard to the "Babylon" mentioned in Revelation 17:1–18, which, according to Scott G. Sinclair, in the period of the book's authorship, referred to Rome (e.g., 1 Peter 5:13).
- Wikipedia, Nero, Antichrist

Composition and interpolations

I argue that the Apocalypse is a Jewish and not a Christian document. …
The results of these investigations will suggest that the Apocalypse was written in 69 or 70 CE with echoes back to the reign of Nero which set the framing narrative, (“I was on Patmos . . .”) in that time.
- John W. Marshall, Parables of War: Reading John’s Jewish Apocalypse (2001), pp.2, 89

Irenæus introduced an opinion that the Apocalypse was written in the time of Domitian. … Epiphanius represents the Gospel of John as written in the time of Domitian, and the Apocalypse even before that of Nero. Arethas in the beginning of his Commentary quotes the opinion of Irenæus from Eusebius, but follows it not: for he afterwards affirms the Apocalypse was written before the destruction of Jerusalem …
With the opinion of the first Commentators agrees the tradition of the Churches of Syria, preserved to this day in the title of the Syriac Version of the Apocalypse, which title is this: The Revelation which was made to John the Evangelist by God in the Island Patmos, into which he was banished by Nero the Cæsar. …
This opinion is further supported by the allusions in the Apocalypse to the Temple and Altar, and holy City, as then standing; and to the Gentiles, who were soon after to tread under foot the holy City and outward Court. 'Tis confirmed also by the style of the Apocalypse itself, which is fuller of Hebraisms than his Gospel. For thence it may be gathered, that it was written when John was newly come out of Judea, where he had been used to the Syriac tongue; and that he did not write his Gospel, till by long converse with the Asiatick Greeks he had left off most of the Hebraisms.
- Isaac Newton, Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel, and the Apocalypse of St. John, Part II, Ch. 1: Introduction, concerning the time when the Apocalypse was written (1733), p.235-237

According to ecclesiastical tradition, the Book of Revelation was written by the apostle John, the son of Zebedee, about the year 95, during his exile in Patmos, shortly before writing the fourth gospel in Ephesus. Most scholars support this late dating (last days of Domitian’s reign), but the early dating (between the years 64 and 70) has the support of many important authors¹
- [1] Cf. J.A.T. ROBINSON, Redating the New Testament (London 1976), with bibliography (chap. VIII); K.L. GENTRY, Before Jerusalem Fell. Dating the Book of Revelation. An Exegetical and Historical Argument for a Pre-A.D. 70 Composition (Tyler, TX 1989), with bibliography (17-18, 24-38); R.B. MOBERLY, “When was Revelation Conceived?”, Bib 73 (1992) 376-393; J.C. WILSON, “The Problem of the Domitianic Date of Revelation”, NTS 39 (1993) 587-605; T.B. SLATER, “Dating the Apocalypse to John”, Bib 84 (2003) 252-25
- Gonzalo Rojas-Flores, The Book of Revelation and the First Years of Nero’s Reign, Biblica, Vol. 85 (2004) 375-392

James D. Tabor describes his view that the textus receptus of Revelation (i.e., the book of Revelation in the form we have it now) is comprised of an earlier Jewish apocalyptic work. According to this theory, the proto-Revelation had nothing at all to do with Jesus until a later redactor grafted on sporadic references to him, effectively assimilating the text into his own Jewish-Christian worldview.¹ …
Another scholar, Josephine Massyngberde Ford, who wrote a full commentary on Revelation in 1975,² makes the case that the core text of Revelation was the product of John the Baptist’s disciples, whose ideology she likens to that of the Qumran sectarians [Essenes]. In her judgment, practically all of Revelation’s first three chapters — the appearance of one like the Son of Man and the letters to the seven churches — are later Christian interpolations.³ We might add to this the scattered references to the “faith of Jesus” found in other chapters, as suggested by Tabor.
- [1] James D. Tabor, “Can a Pre-Christian Version of the Book of Revelation Be Recovered?” Taborblog: Religion Matters from the Bible to the Modern World (February 22, 2017)
  [2] J. Massyngberde Ford, Revelation (Garden City: Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1975)
  [3] Ford breaks the composition of Revelation into three stages. Chapters 4-11 comprise the initial material written around the time the Baptist was still alive and before he came to view Jesus as the Christ. Chapters 12-22 were written by disciples of John shortly before the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE. At a still later date, the Christian editor added Chs. 1-3 and Ch. 22 vs. 16a, 20b, and 21.
- Matthew N. Morales, Revelation Unredacted: How a Christian Interpolator Fooled Us All (Aug 7, 2022)