Discussion Guide: May 14, 2017 Introduction to Revelation
Revelation 1:1-20 In studying to understand the meaning of Scripture we must ask the same basic questions that
we ask when learning about anything (Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How). These are all
given to us in the first chapter of Revelation. Take some time to explore from the first chapter of
book of Revelation itself the things that you must know in order to proceed with understanding
the book.
Who wrote it? Who is receiving it? As a conservative believer that each and every word of the Bible is the Word of God, books that
contain symbols often present problems of understanding to me. I want to take each word
literally and at face value so that the most natural reading of Scripture is the correct meaning of
Scripture. Reading the Bible literally, however, is not the same as reading the Bible correctly.
We must understand the genre of Scripture as well as the context before we can understand
what it actually means. If a section of Scripture says it is one thing, we must interpret the words
that follow according to what the Scripture has already said about itself. If, for example, Jesus
gives a parable and then tells the disciples what the parable means, we are obligated to
interpret the parable according to the way Jesus said it should be interpreted.
In the first chapter of Revelation we are told a few things upfront that give us context clues for
the entire book. Revelation 1:1 says “The revelation of Jesus Christ.” The title is given to us in
the very opening words. The greek word here is αποκαλuψις, which is transliterated as
apocalypse. When we think of apocalypse today, we think that it refers to some cataclysmic
event. In the first century, however, there was a widely-known genre of writing called
apocalyptic literature. John is identifying this book with that genre from the outset. The
American Bible Society published a very succinct article help to help you understand the
characteristics of apocalyptic literature
http://bibleresources.americanbible.org/resource/apocalyptic-writing​. That article says,
“Apocalypses are stories that use symbols and visions to describe how people received
understanding of spiritual realities from heavenly beings.”
There was precedent both inside and outside of Scripture to help people understand the book
as apocalypse. In our study guides we will mostly focus on the precedents within the Old and
New Testaments (since this was the last book in the Bible to be written, it is fair to assume that
the original readers knew the Gospels and the Epistles of Paul and accepted those as
Scripture).
1 More study helps at www.daretoventure.org Discussion Guide: May 14, 2017 The second major context clue comes when Revelation 1:3 identifies this book as prophecy.
Prophecy has a long OT tradition to which John is almost certainly referring. A prophet had two
roles: to foretell and to forth tell. We tend to only think that a prophet’s job was to tell what
would happen in the future. That is certainly part of a prophet’s job and is the standard by which
a prophet is judged (Deuteronomy 18:22), but the bulk of the role of prophecy is to call people to
faithfulness to God. The heart of Revelation is to call God’s church to remain faithful to Jesus in
the midst of pressure.
Finally, Revelation 1:20 tells us that this will be a book of symbols. The stars and the
lampstands that John sees in the opening vision are said to represent the angels of the seven
churches and the seven churches.
For the group discussion: Describe from the American Bible Society article the basics of
apocalyptic literature. If time allows, have folks in the group read some excerpts from Daniel 7,
Daniel 10, Isaiah 6, Ezekiel 1, Joel, Zechariah, Matthew 24:29-31, Mark 13, Luke 21, 1
Corinthians 12:1-10, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17.
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2 What things do you see in Revelation 1 that are common to other apocalyptic
Scriptures?
More study helps at www.daretoventure.org Discussion Guide: May 14, 2017 (Map is from https://www.ccel.org/bible/phillips/CPn27Revelation.htm)
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Where was the writer of Revelation?
Where are the readers?
Where are the things being described?
Most the early church evidence points to John the Revelator as the apostle John, known in the
fourth Gospel as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” One of those who gives this testimony in the
second century, Irenaeus, was personally discipled by John. John was the last living apostle of
Jesus and the only apostle who did not meet an early death by martyrdom. Some scholars
believe John could have written Revelation before 70 AD during the persecution of Nero, but
most believe it was written around 95 AD during the persecution of Emperor Domitian (Irenaeus
testifies to this). This means that John would have been at least eighty years old when he wrote
Revelation.
Revelation 1:3 makes a statement that gives us great insight into the thinking of the early church
“for the time is near.” The overwhelming testimony of Scripture is that the NT church expected
the return of Christ to be imminent (any moment). The term “last days” is often used to speak of
the present. Two thousand years later, the return of Christ is still imminent and we still live in
3 More study helps at www.daretoventure.org Discussion Guide: May 14, 2017 “the last days.” Could John be wrong? Would the early church lose faith by being disappointed
that Christ had not returned? Or is there a theological truth to be contemplated? 2 Peter 3
answers the church’s concern that the Day of the Lord had not yet occurred. The obvious
answer is that the timing of Revelation is not as important as the content, and it remains as
pertinent to the church today as it was to the original seven churches of Asia Minor.
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4 When was this written?
When do the events described take place (very soon)?
How do you fight impatience with God’s timing in your own life?
More study helps at www.daretoventure.org