Book of Revelations John introduces Revelation as a letter to the seven Christian churches of Asia Minor. A letter of several paragraphs is addressed to each of the seven churches. Each message praises the church community for its strengths and urges community members to correct their weaknesses. Prediction of Current and Future Events Over the centuries, there have been countless fanciful interpretations of Revelation. Many fascinating books, essays, and sermons have tried to equate the cataclysmic images in Revelation to world events and to predict when or how the end times would come. But the fact that none of those countless predictions has come true demonstrates the futility of trying to predict things known only to God (Matthew 24:36-50, Luke 12:40, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3). In recent years, some people have understood the allusions in Revelation as references to modern events and modern nations, particularly Israel and the United States. However, most Bible scholars say the symbols in Revelation refer to events and places familiar to its intended audience - the first century Christians in Asia Minor. The book, itself, states that its message is directed at the first century Christians in Asia Minor, and that the events it describes would happen soon (Revelation 1: 1-4, 1:9-11, 22:10). Revelation in Popular Culture The book of Revelation, the Rapture and related Bible prophecies have spawned a whole industry in recent years. Hal Lindseys 1970 book The Late Great Planet Earth and the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins have been at the forefront. Besides the many books, there are websites, TV evangelists, lecture series, movies and videos. Some of these feature imaginative and vivid embellishments of Bible prophecies mingled with contemporary political and social theories. Most of these works go well beyond anything revealed in the Bible and are properly classified as fiction - not as Bible prophecy. Revelation as Propaganda Some have tried to turn Revelation into propaganda by associating its evil symbols with various modern nations, churches, religious leaders, political leaders or other people. However, such interpretations seem to be based on little more than prejudice and hatred. The evil symbols in Revelation almost certainly referred to the ancient Roman Empire and its emperors.
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 02:15:09 +0000
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