The Book of Revelation Overview: Prologue [cf. Rev. 1:1-3]

THE BOOK OF REVELATION Overview: Prologue
This is a clip from the Bible Study - The Book of Revelation Overview: Week 1. To watch the whole session please go to this link: https://youtu.be/6HOtiLXMgGEShow more

The book of Revelation (also known as the Apocalypse) are the visions that the Apostle John the Beloved Disciple receives from Christ and his angel that show forth the whole plan of salvation, focusing primarily upon the passing of the Old Covenant community and the definitive establishment of the New Covenant—the Church.

PROLOGUE [cf. Rev. 1:1-3]
The sacred author proclaims that this document is “the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him, to show his servants what must happen soon.” The term for “revelation” is apokaleupsis in Greek which means ‘unveiling.’ Apokaleupsis has a specific cultural meaning in describing when the wife ‘un-veiled’ herself completely to unite with her husband. The word is an intimate, marital term. It always refers to a disclosure of something that was previously unknown but is now made known in the present. The book of Revelation “removes the veil from God’s plan…drawing back the curtain that hides Christ’s glory, kingship, and control over history from the naked eye.” In the same way, the phrase “he made it known” is semaino in Greek which literally means ‘to signify,’ meaning that the entire book of Revelation is a symbolic vision of salvation history.

The message is divine, coming from YHWH Himself, and not of human origin. Although the earthly Jesus did not know the timing of the tribulation, the glorified Risen Christ does by virtue of his divine identity. There is a chain of transmission of this divine revelation as the description of the process given by the Sacred author. The Father revealed it to the Son (= “God gave it to him”) who sent “his angel to his servant John” who, in turn, is to communicate it “by reporting what he saw” to seven churches in the Roman province of Asia:

God  Jesus Christ  angel  Saint John  seven churches

By preaching this divine revelation to others John “gives witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ.” So powerful is the message of this book that it comes with a blessing: “Blessed is the one who reads aloud and blessed are those who listen to this prophetic message and heed what is written in it.” These are the first of seven (7) beatitudes that occur throughout the book of Revelation.

Saint John is clear that his message is referring to things that will be occurring imminently to the churches whom he is communicating with. The things revealed by the angelic servant of Jesus the Christ “must happen soon…for the appointed time is near.” Seven times throughout the book of Revelation is it indicated that the Lord’s return is coming quickly.