Interpretation

By David Maas
{BACKGROUND AND INTERPRETATION}

[Click on the title below to open an article]
  1. Unsealing Daniel - {PDF Copy} - (Daniel was commanded to “seal the scroll,” whereas, in Revelation, John was commanded NOT to seal the scroll)
  2. Introduction to Revelation - {PDF Copy} - (The book of Revelation is an account of the visions received by John while in exile on the Isle of Patmos)
  3. Fourfold Division of Revelation - {PDF Copy} - (The book has four major literary divisions marked by John finding himself "in the spirit")
  4. Patmos - {PDF Copy} - (Revelation 1:9 - John was exiled to the Isle of Patmos on account of his testimony for Jesus)
  5. Common Errors of Interpretion - {PDF Copy} - (The real-life relevance of Revelation is easily lost if we approach the book with incorrect presuppositions)
  6. Interpretations Provided - {PDF Copy} - (Revelation communicates symbolically and provides many important interpretations of its images)
  7. Recipients of the Book - {PDF Copy} - (In its entirety, Revelation is addressed to  the seven real churches located in the Roman province of Asia in the first century)
  8. Call to Persevere - {PDF Copy} - (Through a series of seven “beatitudes,” Revelation summons believers to faithfulness despite hostility and persecution)
  9. Unlocking Prophecy - {PDF Copy} - (The interpretive key to understanding the book of Revelation is Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb)
  10. Literal and Nonliteral Language - {PDF Copy} - (Often, there is a false dichotomy between "literal" and "non-literal" interpretation in Bible interpretation)
  11. Linear Chronological Sequence? - {PDF Copy} - (Are Revelation’s visions presented in chronological sequence?)

{INDIVIDUAL TOPICS}
  1. These Last Days - {PDF Copy} - (The new era of fulfillment began with the death, resurrection, and exaltation of the Son of God, Jesus)
  2. John, A Fellow-Participant in the Kingdom - {PDF Copy} - (John functions as a surrogate for faithful believers, especially the seven churches of Asia)
  3. The Missing Seventy Weeks of Daniel - {PDF Copy} - (The book of Revelation never refers to the "Seventy Weeks" prophecy; a glaring omission)

Photo by Alex Rhee on Unsplash
Great Ocean Road, Australia, by Alex Rhee on Unsplash

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