Why, then, do so many people consider it to be so difficult. The book of revelation had its origin in a time of crisis, but it remains valid and meaningful for christians of all time. Book of revelation explained a testimony of jesus christ. The uniqueness of my interpretations, and especially the fact that i interpret scriptures the lds church has declined to interpret, motivate me to explain why i presume to venture into this doctrinal territory. We are to understand that it contains the revealed will, mysteries, and the works of god. Jun 14, 2019 in other words, if the existence of modernday prophets in the lds church brings with it the revelation of new post book of mormon scriptures, questions necessarily arise as to why the scriptures thus produced are so faulty. John wrote revelation while a prisoner on the island of patmos, approximately 8595 a. The bible dictionary of the lds edition of the king james bible places the. In the book of revelation, the apocalyptic hopes of the early christian community find their clearest and most complete expression. Listen to this report filed by john in the seventh chapter of revelation. In revelation, johns visions reveal that jesus has overcome evil by. He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant john. Elder scott says a lot about revelation in his talk, called how to obtain revelation and inspiration for your personal life. Religious studies center, brigham young university, 2009, 27189.
The lds worldview is an anthropological and sociological study of the worldview of the latterday saints mormons. The greek name of the bible book of revelation, apoka. Prayerful study of this book can bring you a deeper understanding of the. The prophet joseph smith said, the book of revelation is one of the plainest books god ever caused to be written.
He told the whole world the difference between revelation and inspiration during general conference back in april, 2012. It is the final expression of and complement to the prophecies of the jewish prophets. This is a verse by verse breakout of how the jst joseph smith translation rewords the same versus found in bible that contains the book of revelation. The apocalypse, or revelation to john, the last book of the bible, is one of the most difficult to understand because it abounds in unfamiliar and extravagant symbolism, which at best appears unusual to the modern reader. If you want to better understand the book of revelation and the end times. The aml is a nonprofit that promotes fellowship among scholars and writers of latterday saint literature. Revelation is a glorious book but is frequently obscure and difficult for. Revelation is first and foremost a revelation about jesus christ 1. The revelation of john is the one book in the new testament that claims john as its author. One example should demonstrate his point convincingly.
This begins the final section of the book describing the events that follow the church age. The book of revelation, also called revelation to john or apocalypse of john is the last canonical book of the new testament in the bible. Historicist interpretations of the book of revelation. Even though nations may agree on few things, they unite in their determination to maintain their authority rather than submit to the rule of gods kingdom. God delivered his messages in the form of images housed within discrete visions, with each symbol explaining, exposing, or emphasizing various aspects of the message conveyed. The historicist view follows a straight line of continuous fulfillment of prophecy. Since its humble beginnings, the mormon church has grown to over nine million members internationally. Dec 14, 2016 watch our overview video on the book of revelation, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Continuous revelation provides individual latter day saints with a testimony, described by richard bushman as one of the. Reading the book of revelation is like stepping inside a red corvette, strapping on the seat belt, and holding on for dear life as the car drives itselfroaring up precipitous ascents, flying down steep hills, accelerating through short, bumpy straightaways, and banking sharply on an endless series of tight corners.
Latterday saints are often accused of adding scripture, when the book of revelation so obviously reviles against that possibility. The wild beast with seven heads introduced at revelation. Its meaning is positive, not fearful or terrifying to those who serve god. How do mormons interpret the warning in revelation about. Joseph smith said, the book of revelation is one of the plainest books god ever caused to be written. Rationales for focusing on the book of revelation with or without lds church help. So, the book of mormon, brought forth through the prophet joseph smith. Jun 17, 2018 the book of revelation explained takes you on a easy to understand and eyeopening journey through the book of revelation. The book of revelation explained takes you on a easy to understand and eyeopening journey through the book of revelation. Draper, understanding images and symbols in the book of revelation, shedding light on the new testament. Mar 19, 2019 the book of revelation starts with this is a revelation from jesus christ, which god gave him to show his servants the events that must soon take place. The door signifies entrance by way of revelation into heaven. The seven trumpets are the contents of the seventh seal judgment, in that the seventh seal summons the angels who sound the trumpets revelation 8. The key to bible interpretation, especially for the book of revelation, is to have a consistent hermeneutic.
Hermeneutics is the study of the principles of interpretation. He states that if you havent got the imagery in mind from daniel, then you wont understand the book of revelation. In this new study guide, the authors examine the book of revelation phrase by phrase, including the actual scripture passages and revealed corrections from the joseph smith translation. Understanding the book of revelation and the book of. An overlybroad interpretation of the warning at the end of revelation would invalidate the most beautiful and profoundly spiritual of the four gospels. Apocalypticism was not a new phenomenon among christians. We suppose that many of these things are preserved on the brass plates, and we know that when the sealed portion of the book of mormon comes forth, all things.
While these scriptures likely also apply to the last days, this particular evangelical christian was explaining how the 7 trumpets could be giving specific details about the fall of the roman empire. The book of revelation is the last book of the bible in our canon for good reason. Revelation is apocalyptic, a kind of writing that is highly symbolic. The book of revelation encourages followers of jesus christ to remain faithful in the. Yet the book of revelation need not remain closed, at least for latterday saints who accept modern revelation. What are we to understand by the book which john saw, which was sealed on the back with seven seals. Going it alone in interpreting the book of revelation. The literary genres of the book of revelation are an apocalypse, a prophecy, and an epistle or letter.
Christians outside the mormon church often quote the following scriptures to condemn lds doctrine and open scripture. The book of revelation, a prophecy of warning and hope. This is not a search of the book of revelations nor is it a study of the book of revelation. The book of revelation in the bible is one of the more difficult books of the bible to understand. This name indicates the meaning of revelation it uncovers matters that had been hidden and discloses events that would happen long after it was written. Numerous verses in the book of mormon and the doctrine and covenants aid our understanding of the apocalypse. Knowing the difference between revelation and inspiration. Symbolic language, however, is one of the chief characteristics of apocalyptic literature, of which. The whole book was to be received with all its fearful truths as a revelation from god. Historicism, a method of interpretation in christian eschatology which associates biblical prophecies with actual historical events and identifies symbolic beings with historical persons or societies, has been applied to the book of revelation by many writers. In the face of apparently insuperable evil, either from within or from without, all christians are called to trust in jesus promise, behold, i am with you always, until the end of the age mt 28. Examples of how latterday revelation helps us better understand the book of revelation. Book of revelation explained scripture by scripture. The phrases after this and things which must be hereafter move to the future, beyond the age of the church.
This book is an unveiling of the lord jesus christ and a revelation of his. The first seal contains the things of the first thousand years, and the second. By the time the writings that are now included in the new testament were assembled in their present form, three letters and one gospel were also attributed to john. For an adequate understanding of revelation, the reader must recognize that it is a distinct kind of literature. While many associate the word apocalypse with great disaster, the book of revelation begins and ends by saying that those who read, understand, and apply its message would be happy for doing so. The revelation of john the apostle byu new testament commentary. Revelation chapter 4 explained book of revelation each. Reviewed in the united kingdom on december 7, 2012.
Seeing the book of revelation as a book of revelation. For some parts of the book of revelation, joseph smith, first prophet of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, often inadvertently called the mormon church, went to the lord with direct questions. Watch our overview video on the book of revelation, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In other words, if the existence of modernday prophets in the lds church brings with it the revelation of new postbook of mormon scriptures, questions necessarily arise as to why the scriptures thus produced are so faulty. I was watching some youtube videos and i was fascinated at an amazing interpretation of the 7 trumpets in the book of revelation in the bible. During the end times, sevenyear tribulation god will pour out his wrath as judgment for the worlds sin and as a final call for humanity to repent and worship him. The discipleapostle john, who followed jesus christ and witnessed his crucifixion, authored it. God gave john a vision of this time, which he recorded in the book of revelation. So, the divine author of revelation is jesus christ and the human author is the apostle john. Interpretive models for the book of revelation as a whole. Section 77 is ofttimes referred to as the key to interpreting the book.
Although its visions often seem bizarre to the western reader, fortunately the book provides a number of clues for its own interpretation e. Today i want to talk about some presuppositions we bring to reading scripture, as background to the issues of the interpretation of genesis, opposition to evolution and youngearth creationism. This commentary presents a comprehensive analysis of johns book through the lens of the lds doctrine and mormon experience. The book of revelation was written in the first century a. Revelation 11 is part 1 in a series exploring connections between the two prophets in revelation 11 and two of the greatest prophets to ever live on this earth. Eventually, the founder of the church, joseph smith, named it the church of jesus christ of latterday saints in 1838. Book of revelation for dummies cheat sheet dummies.
Joseph smith said, the book of revelation is one of the plainest books god ever. Book of revelation mormonism, the mormon church, beliefs. Revelation reveals the events of the day of the lord revelation 1. A testimony of jesus christ is a commentary that explains some of the mysteries of revelation. The revelation of john the apostle byu new testament.
Book of revelation overview church of jesus christ. Prophets of the church of jesus christ of lds have. The historicist view follows a straight line of continuous fulfillment of prophecy which starts in daniels time and goes. In other words, it is the way you interpret scripture. In addition, john wrote the gospel of john after he wrote revelation.
My current book manuscript just on genesis chapter 1 is at 215 pages, so the detail is forthcoming. As the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth 1. A need exists for good, ldsoriented commentaries on the scriptures, especially biblical texts, and these two volumes begin to meet that need. It is the only biblical book that is wholly composed of apocalyptic literature. Michael wilcox helps open our minds and our hearts to understand the eternal message of this supernal book of scripture. Filled with scores of symbols and images, johns glorious vision, as set forth in the book of revelation, is often a bewildering vision at that. Rns what the lds curriculum attempts to do with revelation. What the lds curriculum generally attempts to do with revelation is a fascinating reflection of our own mecentered, therapeutic era. It rules over every tribe and people and tongue and nation, so it is greater than a single national government. There is no scriptural book called revelations but the church of jesus christ of lds views the new testament book revelation to be scripture, which is the same view as the rest of christianity. Additional passages of scripture located in the book of mormon and the doctrine and. Historicist interpretations of the book of revelation wikipedia. Going it alone in interpreting the book of revelation, part 1.
The book of mormon affirms that john was foreordained to write the things. Studying the book of revelation can help you gain a deeper understanding of the. Latter day saints teach that the latter day saint movement began with a revelation from god. Consequently, there are a wide variety of interpretations about the meaning of the book, particularly in the traditional christian world.
The book of revelation is one of the plainest books god ever caused to be written. This is perhaps the single most important commentary we have about the book of revelationon 1 march 1832, the prophet recorded, about the first of march, in connection with the translation of the scriptures i. If youre befuddled by the book of revelation in the bible, dont fret. Today i want to talk about some presuppositions we bring to reading scripture, as background to the issues of the interpretation of genesis, opposition to. The best example of joseph smiths providing an explanation of the book of. Take a look at the basic structure of the book of revelation. Misleading claims of revelation within the lds church. Does the book of mormon corroborate lds church claims of. They also teach that revelation is the foundation of the church established by jesus christ and that it remains an essential element of his true church today.
Oct 04, 2019 the uniqueness of my interpretations, and especially the fact that i interpret scriptures the lds church has declined to interpret, motivate me to explain why i presume to venture into this doctrinal territory. Of all the books in the bible, the book of revelation is one of the most difficult to understand. For those parts which are prophetic, it will be much easier to see meaning after the events have transpired. The book of revelation starts with this is a revelation from jesus christ, which god gave him to show his servants the events that must soon take place. Its purpose is to give encouragement and hope for all. Deseret book stories that won hearts and awards this year from the association for mormon letters lds living the association for mormon letters aml awards were presented online on saturday, may 2. According to ladd, theology, 671, the preterist interpretation rests partly on the assumption that the genre of revelation is very similar to other jewish apocalyptic literature such as the apocalypse of enoch, the assumption of moses, 4 ezra and baruch and is therefore interpreted similarly. The 144,000 in the book of revelation david jeremiah blog. Visions of blessings from god for heaven and earth.
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