Includes
letters to seven churches in Asia, and
visions of the end times including the
new Jerusalem.
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Jesus sent his angel with testimony for
the churches
(Rev 22:16)
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The book of Revelation
is actually a letter. Written by a Christian leader named John who had
been exiled to the island of Patmos, it was sent to seven congregations
in Asia Minor (1). The book begins by describing conditions in each of
the seven churches. Some were challenged by persecution, others by complacency,
and still others by teachings that approved of eating meat offered to
idols and practicing immorality. Then presents readers with a scene in
which the heavenly hosts worship God on the throne and Christ the Lamb
who was slain (4-5). The book does not provide a linear description of
the end times, but presents several cycles of visions that warn about
coming tribulations. The adversaries of God's people are depicted as a
Beast and a Harolot, who are finally destroyed. At the end of each cycle
the readers return to the heavenly throne room (7:9-17; 11:15-19; 15:2-4;
19:1-8). The final chapters culminate in the new Jerusalem, the city of
God (21:1-22:5). Through its warnings and promises the book seeks to bring
readers to renewed faith in God and the Lamb, who are the Alpha and the
Omega, the beginning and the end (1:8; 22:13).
Rev
5:6-14 - The Lamb of God
Rev
13:1-8 - The Beast
Rev
19:11-21 - The Battle
Rev
21:1--22:5 - New Jerusalem
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