Authenticity of the book of Revelation

[Guest emtmedgrl]

Hey guys, this is my first post on this message board. Hopefully I posted this in the right place. I was sitting down with a friend of mine last weekend discussing the Bible and she thought I was nutty because I believe Revelation was still to come. She said that the Book of Revelation should not be focused on because there were questions as to whether they were even going to add it to the Bible when the Bible was being put together. I don't know any history about the book of Revelation. All I know is I believe it but once she said this I realized that maybe I needed to find out a little bit more information. Could someone please respond who has knowledge regarding the Book of Revelation? Thanks a bunch. Also I have heard alot of different people say that they believe that the prophecy in Revelation has already taken place in 70 A.D. If that were true then where would that leave us today. Any info you can pass my way would be very helpful.

Thanks a bunch,

Amanda

[GoodSamaritan]

She said that the Book of Revelation should not be focused on because there were questions as to whether they were even going to add it to the Bible when the Bible was being put together.

If this was her sole standard, she'll need to stop focusing on many other books that are in the canon. For example, Hebrews was another such book. There were books which were questioned that made the canon(3 John, 2 Peter, Philemon) and others which were questioned (Enoch, Gospel of Peter, Didache) which did not. I would recommend that your friend use a different standard for determining which books 'to focus on'. If they're part of the 73 original books, focus on them.

Furthermore, using this standard, nearly EVERY book of the OT would have to 'not be focused on' as there were 3 different canons with disagreement/questions regarding nearly every book!

IMO, Revelation is the hardest book to understand because of all the imagery and all the factors/variables therein. I have studied the book but prefer to try to do what Peter suggested:

2 Peter 3:10-15 - in the meantime, we wait for the Lord's coming with zeal, avoiding sin, and being at peace, in the hope of our salvation.

Welcome!

GS

Edited July 16, 2004 by GoodSamaritan

[Old Timer]

Hello, emtmedgrl, welcome to the forum.

I can provide some information and more later if no one else fills in the wide gaps I will leave.

The date is generally accepted to be between 81 and 96 AD. The authorship by the Apostle John has been questioned because the writing does not match those of John

[stevehut]

I have no problem with the authenticity of Revelation. I just think we'd better be careful about how we interpret it - just like any other book of the Bible.

[ted]

As with alot of other prophecies of the Bible, Revelation probably reveals a dual set of circumstances. Things that were happening at that point in history, but also revealing things in the future.

Revelation differs from the Gospel of John in one sense because the Gospel showed what John recorded as seen by him in his time with Jesus. Revelation is what John recorded as shown to him in visions. So, much of Revelation is not John's first hand account, but rather, John simply recording what was being given to him.

Your own understanding of eating a steak would differ between you actually eating it and writing down what someone told you about the experience. Especially if the steak wasn't even eaten yet.

All of this mumbo jumbo is my way of expressing the point, so I probably did a bad job of it and will yeild to those here that can do it better.

But, yes, we can trust the book of Revelation.

t.

[BobTriez]

Hi emtmedgrl & Welcome to Worthy Boards!

I'm going to move this thread to the Doctrinal Questions Forum as I think that's a better place for it & hopefully you'll get some more responses there

God Bless,

Bob

[Guest shadow2b]

-Rev 1.vss.1 thru.3

-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.

-:9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 

Rev 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 

Rev 1:11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send [it] unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

-John was in the "SPIRIT"praying- the LORD told him to write down in a book the things he SAW---so is this a "spiritual-vision"??-

-Rev 1:vs.19--------

-Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things

-which shall be hereafter;

-IT is also clear{I hope}that john SAW things of the PAST{the things thou "hast"seen}"the things that are" {currently happening in regard to johns time on earth} & things that would happen in the future{things which shall be hereafter}

[ted]

Ahh,

Clarification.

Yes, John was taken up in spirit and shown these things and then told to write them down, but I don't believe they actually happened yet. I think he was told to write them down and send them as warnings of things to come, just as he saw them while in the spirit.

t.

[Trinity]

I believe the book of Enoch to be a lie, Because it say that the angels saw the women of the earth and the wanted to marry them. It also says that there Angels Children where Gaints.

Enoch 6

1

And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto

2

them beautiful and comely daughters. And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: 'Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men

3

and beget us children.' And Semj

[nebula]

I was sitting down with a friend of mine last weekend discussing the Bible and she thought I was nutty because I believe Revelation was still to come. She said that the Book of Revelation should not be focused on because there were questions as to whether they were even going to add it to the Bible when the Bible was being put together.

I heard the argument before that the dragon in Revelation was the Roman Empire. I was in a Christian college hearing this from my Bible teacher. I was like .

Liberal theologians don't like to believe that prophecy is real. Of course, I always wondered what kept them Christians - the whole life of Jesus on Earth was a fulfillment of prophecy.

IF your friend is a Christian, you should challenge her on where her faith stands - if she doesn't believe in prophecy.