Please read the first 12 chapters of Revelation for Thursday's class.Do you find Revelation a difficult book? A beautiful book? Something of both? Cite a verse or two from the first 12 chapters that particular shows either the beautiful side or Revelation or the difficulties of figuring out this book.
21 comments:
The book of Revelation was one that I have studied before and I have a few unanswered questions about it.
I will agree this is a beautifully written book. The use of imagery is different than any other book ever written. John used seven seals to explain the visions; however the illustrations he uses were more for “spectacular imagery” (apocalyptic). I also believe that John purposively used seven to invest Jews into the picture. The idea of seven churches shouldn’t there be more churches or why do they only make note of these? Could this be more of the mystery of the book?
I also want to question the time this book was written. Could this book have been written earlier in the time of Nero’s rule and the destruction they are talking about is Jerusalem by the hands of Titus as well as the death of Nero himself? Could it also be the fall of the Roman Empire? This book will cause conflict as much as the description of conflict mentioned in the book.
The absolute best thing about Revelations is very trivial. It almost hit like lighting from the heavens the mention of the number twenty four. 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. The number 24 translates into “to be read” which is what the book of Revelations is all about.
Verses that I think best describes the book is: 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
This is Christianity we ride the fence. This could be because of political, environmental, or whatever kind of reason. This is us!
There isn’t just one passages of the Book of Revelations that is difficult – it is all difficult. It is one of the most violent books I have ever sat down and read. Essentially, this is God raining down his wrath on the world. How can a person even begin to wrap their minds around this? There is famine, disease, and natural disasters that were spread across the known world. So many of these heavenly and celestial events that occur are hard to fathom, especially when Jesus comes down and kills a bunch of people. I don’t know about the rest of you, but typically, when I think of Jesus that is not how I picture him. Basically, this world seems inverted, strange, and abstract.
The wrath of the Lord is to be terrible, just, and beautiful all at the same time.
But I fail to understand the variety of punishments to be inflicted upon the earth.
Is it because of the accumulation of different sins that we have the Horsemen wiping out many, angels sounding off trumpets and doom, and an army of locusts consuming everything left?
I think I understand why the dragon and his followers are to be thrown down to the earth and denied future entry into the court of heaven; the Lord and his angels want to see if he can attract more to his cause and thin the herd out for them, but for the rest, the plagues, earthquakes, floods, and stars falling, it seems so much easier for an all-powerful Lord to simply banish them to their respective punishments than to tear the world apart to teach a lesson.
Annie Merkel
I would have to agree with Mr. Cowan - this is a violent book! I do not find anything beautiful about the book.
For example, I was thinking that Chapter 9 might contain some beauty, but instead it is the complete opposite. Revelation 9:1-6 "And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was fiven the key of the shaft of the bottomless pit; he opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth; they were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green growth or any tree, but only those of mankind who have not the seal of God upon their foreheads; they were allowed to torutre them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torture was like the torture of a scorpion, when it stings a man. And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death will fly from them."
I thought that this passage might have actually been beautiful, but instead I find it disturbing.
In general, I think that the Book of Revelation could have possibly been written by a drunk man who was having hallucinations. Some of the stories that are written in here can only come from someone who is not sober. Overall, I find this book very confusing - but definately not beautiful.
Brian Johnson
I think it can be properly described as beautiful, but it definitely has it's difficult sections.
For example, I found Revelation 7: 4-8 to be a hard set of verses to understand.
I know that these verses have caused some debate among various religious sects. I know that certain religions use these verses to claim that there are only 144,000 who will be saved, while others claim that is not the case.
I am interested in hearing a good explanation of the verses.
The book of Revelations is both beatifullly written as well a difficult one to fully understand when reading it. One of the first things you immedietaly notice is the reference to the number seven which means complete. Throughout this book we see this words used, 72 times to be exact. We see how important John as well as God thought this connection was.
Another one of the beatiful things we see in Revelations is the verse 3:15 about being a christian, or being a lukewarm christian. This speaks to everyone and the decision that they must make in their lives upon the type of life we choose to live. You are either all in or you are all out. You can not play both sides of the fence in anything you do. There is black and a white. God tells us to identify the side we are on and live in the manner in which glorifies and serves him.
One could argue that the book of Revelation is both difficult and beautiful. The beauty of the book is not in the way it is written but in the message. God's justice will be meted out and Satan will be defeated.
Any honest person would say this book is difficult. Chapter twelve deals with a woman giving birth and Satan thrown out of heaven. Why is this in chapter twelve? It does not appear to be written in chronological order.
John is being shown these mysterious things and writing them down but when the seven thunders utter their voices in 10:4 he is told not to write down what they said. Why?
Is symbolism being used in a large portion of this book? I like to believe that it isn't but I really don't have an answer for this question. However, on that day all will be known. What a relief that will be.
Rv 3, 20-22
This is a beautiful thought…Jesus knocking patiently, waiting for us to ‘open the door’ of our hearts. Now, if we could all do this all the time, this world would be a much better place. Jesus will not force his way into our lives. He seeks a close friendship with us, and real friendship – real love – always involves a free choice. No one can choose to open the door but each of us.
Amanda Imberi
Honestly I find the book not so much difficult as more contradictory and slightly disturbing.
It seems to me that Jesus message is no longer loving but hateful to his followers. As if he doesn't care about his followers true love and dedication to him, that none of them could ever meet his standards and none of their efforts towards him are meaningful.
Ch. 2:2-4 "I know your works, your labor, your patience,and that you can not bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have perserved and have patience and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you.
Everywhere else we see that Jesus is loving, caring and understanding. Here I find him contradicting himself. He is angry that people have loved him and dedicated their whole lives to him. But in the end I can find believers confused in what to do and this in my opinion is just crazy. People need stability in their beliefs and this is hard for them to follow.
The book of Revelations in a way is a beatiful book, but it also shows us some pretty violent things that are going to happen. The beauty seems to be in the message that Revelations is trying to get across.
Yes, all these bad things are going to happen as the book points out and even if you are going to heaven you will most likely have to prove yourself worthy by being tested. In Chapters 2 and 3 these is a lot of this in the letters to each of the Churches as there are called, but if you can pass the test or tests and stay true to God you will be able to be with him in heaven and that would be something truely beautiful.
Eric Bengs
I think the book of Revelation is one of the most confusing books in the Bible, if not the most confusing. I think that the main reason this book is so much harder to understand than any others is because John uses a lot of imagery and figurative language, and it is hard to sort that out from the literal meanings. For example, in the first 8 verses of chapter 7 John tells us that only 144,000 will be saved. This is NOT a literal number, instead it is a figurative number meaning all believers. It is a combination of 12X12X10X10X10. These are all significant numbers in Christianity. 12 is the number of apostles and also the number of tribes in Israel, so the 12X12 is talking about the entire church, aka all believers, and the 10X10X10 is the repetition of the number of completion, 10. So it is reiterating the idea of everyone being saved. This is just one of the areas in Revelation where people can easily be confused and take the wrong idea.
John Rawerts
Joe Adam
The Apocalypse 4:1-6
I think that this description of the throne of God is beautiful. The description of the throne of god suites him well and that is perfect. Later the book starts to talk about the four living creatures. After they are introduced they give homage to God.
Zach Anderson
The Book of Revelation is a very beautiful book, but it is also difficult. One does not know what is meant and how much should be taken literally, is it every thing or is this a clever piece of political theatre staged to end the tyranical rule of Roman authorities within Jerusalem.
2:18-19 "To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are burnished
bronze. I know your deeds, your love and faith your service and perseverance, and that you are doing more than you did at first."
The Jesus protrayed in Revelation is much of the same especially with this verse here. However, he does seem to be a little more aggresive ready for him and those loyal to him to move and restore his Father's kingdom on earth. This book seems to close the Bible with a bang by showing that the world was going to be forever changed, and it was after Christ the world has never been the same. I personally feel that is the theme here Christ began the end times but we will continue to live in them, but this does not mean the world ends but it will be permanantly changed, and be restored to Gods image.
2:17 "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me saying, 'Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one I died, and behold I am alive for evermore and I have the keys of Death and Hades."
I believe that his passage shows the true beauty of the book of revelations. It shows that the lord is always with us and that only he can take us to paradise or to cast us into hell.
Jon Adam
I would have to agree with Jade that this book is very difficult, but very crude. For example, To Pergamum. " The one with the sharp two-edged sword says this: I know that you live where Satan's throne is, and yet you hold fast to my name and have not denied your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was martyred among you, where Satan lives."
This story is to the angels of the church in Pergamum, but it seems to be very violent, and it seems to me that most of the other books are like this too.
Sam Merkel
I would have to agree with most of the postings. There doesn't seem like there is much that is beautiful in the story. It seems to be more terrifying that beautiful I thought. I also found it hard to follow at times. Plus it was hard to think that God would do such a thing like that when most of the time we hear about how wonderful and gracious he is. The stories that were told just seemed to be unreal.
The Book of Revelation is certainly a part of the Bible that can be labeled as a new prophecy. In the Old Testament, the prophecy foretold the coming of Jesus as the Savior of the World. The New Testament prophecy tells of the second coming of Jesus.
At first, the book of Revelation is one that is easy to understand. It sums up the power of God the Father (also God the Creator). One such verse:
"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."
Rev 1:8 (KJV)
Another synonym for Alpha and Omega could be Genesis and Revelation. God showed his power in the first book of the Bible, and he still shows his power in the last book. This verse can make Revelation easy to understand. God proclaims that he is still around, and that there will be a new change of time.
Revelation sums up the power of God the Creator. All of that is foretold in Revelation is by his will.
Ruth Wilson
I love the imagry of this book. I often wonder if it is litterally going to happen or figurativly, even if it already has. So I suppose it hits on both aspects of this question. What are the seals and what will they feel like to live through, ect.
Although the Book of Revelation may be crude to some people, I feel that is as a very beautiful message as well.
In Revelation chapter 4, it talks about the vision of heavenly worship. The Book starts off with John having stated he visions heaven with an open door and a voice telling him to come him.
This alone I think is very warming because it shows that if you do what God asks of us, heaven is waiting for you. Even though this book talks mostly about the apocalypse and death and destruction, knowing that heaven is a viable option makes this book to me very beautiful.
1After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
2And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
3And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
It is both... It is beautiful and confusing. This was the most exciting book in the bible I think. It goes into some details but not explicit and sometimes confusing details about the end of times. I think that the book is written beautifully and it has the best graphic imagery of any book ever written.
I find Revelations to be a very difficult book to understand. I would guess that I am not the only one. I am willing to bet that biblical scholars differ on their interpretations of this book. There is so much imagery and symbolism that it is difficult to understand what it all means. Is this a literal interpretation of the final days, or is it all symbolism. The passages on the opening of the "seals" are difficult to grasp. Verse 7 is difficult for me to understand with the number 144,000 that will have the mark. Is this just Jews that will be marked for Heaven?
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