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| Hurricane Katrina), and the rise to power of an evil dictator, called the Antichrist.Antichrist, the conqueror, on a white horse; war, on a red horse; economic depression, on a black horse; and death rides a pale horse, and hell rides with him.The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are said to ride as the Antichrist rises to power.The main events in Revelation:
Chapter 1: John, on the island of Patmos near Greece, sees the Angel, Christ himself, as he is exiled on this island after
the death of Christ.Greek represents the number 1, and Omega represents 800, this gives us a number of 801.If Scorpio is considered to be the Eagle, and Aquarius the man, then we have the four beasts seen in Revelation 4 that sit at the throne in heaven, that have the faces of an eagle, a man, a lion, and a calf.The third rider on a black horse
is holding scales, this is economic chaos.Elsewhere on this site I have an Astrology interpretation
of the four horsemen.There are seven angels with seven trumpets, and the disasters hit earth
as the angels blow their trumpets.This chapter also seems to describe missles being launched, in Revelation 9:17.The Antichrist and the false prophet, the two sons of Satan, form an unholy
trinity with their father satan the dragon, as they rise to world power.Iran, Islam, and Mohammed may be the False Prophet.In 16:2, those who have received the Mark of the Beast, the seal of the Antichrist,
and worshipped the Antichrist, are inflicted with a painful sore.In 16:8 the sun becomes brighter and scorches the earth.Note that this river in Iraq is drying up, because of dams upstream, increased water supply use, and climate change).Antichrist to cause the world's leaders to send them to the Battle of Armageddon, which is World War 3.Europa, representing Europe, note on this page how Europe is sitting on the Muslim serpent.Armageddon), Satan is loose on earth again, and another Armageddon occurs.Armageddon, followed by another Armageddon.This page has some banners you can use as links.Return to the main page of Revelation13.This article is about religions based on revelation.For the book in the Bible, see Book of Revelation.For other uses, see Revelation (disambiguation).Revelation is an uncovering or disclosure via communication from the divine of something that has been partially or wholly hidden or unknown, "which could not be known apart from the unveiling" (Goswiller 1987 p.In monotheistic religions, revelation is the process, or act of making divine information known, often through direct ontological realization which transcends the human state and reaches into the divine intellect.Revelation in a religious sense is that which God, a god, or other supernatural being such as an angel makes known about divine will, principles, laws and doctrines, although the realized principle can also be interpreted as the realizing principle.There are a number of ways that religious thinkers have traditionally approached this topic; many widely differing views have been proposed.Faith, Latter Day Saints (Mormon), and others.Divine revelation in Christianity
3.Views on revelation of some branches of Christianism
3.Current controversies and criticisms
3.Divine Revelation in Islam
4.Faith
6 Latter Day Saint concept of revelation
6.Divine revelation in the Jehovah's Witnesses concept
7.Please improve this article if you can.Biblical Hermeneutics refers to methods of interpreting the Bible.This does not mean that it is of no relevance to those who do not consider themselves to be part of that community, but rather that it is an issue that arises out of the particular needs of that community.It became known from one group of texts, numbering some hundreds, among the Dead Sea Scrolls.The pesharim (plural of Pesher) take a book of the Hebrew Bible, often from the prophets, such as Habakkuk, Nahum, or from the Psalms, quote it phrase by phrase, and after each quotation insert an interpretation, preceded by "its Pesher is".In addition to this revealed law, Jewish law contains decrees and enactments made by prophets, rabbis, and sages over the course of Jewish history.However, Conservative Jews tend to regard the authors of the Torah as divinely inspired and many regard at least portions of it as originating with Moses.Accordingly, Progressive Judaism, Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism, believe that the Torah is not entirely a direct revelation from God, but is a document written by human ancestors, carrying human understanding and experience, and seeking to answer the question: 'What does God require of us?They believe that God's will is revealed through the interaction of humanity and God throughout history, and so, in that sense, Torah is an important part, but only a part, of an ongoing revelation.The Prophets
The Nevi'im, the books of the Prophets, are considered divine and true.This does not imply that the books of the prophets are always read literally.There exists a wide range of commentaries explaining and elucidating those verses consisting of metaphor.Rabbinic Judaism regards Moses as the greatest of the prophets, and this view is one of the Thirteen Principles of Faith of traditional Judaism.Consistent with the view that revelation to Moses was generally clearer than revelation to other prophets, Orthodox views of revelation to prophets other than Moses have included a range of perspectives as to directness.For example, Maimonides in A Guide for the Perplexed said that accounts of revelation in the Nevi'im were not always as literal as in the Torah and that some prophetic accounts reflect allegories rather than literal commands or predictions.In his work God in Search of Man, he discussed the experience of being a prophet.That is why all the Bible does is to state that revelation happened.How it happened is something they could only convey in words that are evocative and suggestive."Christianity regards the Bible, a collection of canonical books in two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament, as authoritative: written by human authors under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and therefore the inerrant Word of God.The Old Testament contains the entire Jewish Tanakh, though in the Christian canon the books are ordered differently and some books of the Tanakh are divided into several books by the Christian canon.The Catholic and Orthodox canons include the Hebrew Jewish canon and other books (from the Septuagint Greek Jewish canon) which Catholics call Deuterocanonical, while Protestants consider them Apocrypha.The first four books of the New Testament are the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), which recount the life and teachings of Jesus.The first three are often called synoptic because of the amount of material they share.The rest of the New Testament consists of a sequel to Luke's Gospel, the Acts of the Apostles, which describes the very early history of the Church, a collection of letters from early Christian leaders to congregations or individuals, the Pauline and General epistles, and the apocalyptic Book of Revelation.Basis on the divine origin of the Bible
In a number of passages the Bible claims divine inspiration for itself.Biblical Theology is a discipline within Christian Theology which studies the Bible from the perspective of understanding the progressive history of God revealing himself to Man following the Fall and throughout the Old Testament and New Testament.Biblical Theology is sometimes called the "History of Special Revelation" since it deals with the unfolding and expanding nature of revelation as history progresses through the Bible.God's monotheistic nature, the fact of human accountability before God on the Final Day.The Christian model within Biblical Theology sees the concept of progressive revelation as progressive revelation of new truth which supports, expands and stands upon former revelations of God's truth like brick laying.This progressive revelation ultimately climaxes in Christ, and ends with the New Testament Acts of the Apostles under the direction of the Holy Spirit awaiting the second coming of Christ.Inherent to a system of theological thought is that a method is developed, one which can be applied both broadly and particularly.Significant systematic theologians are:
Thomas Aquinas, Roman Catholic, who believed in two types of revelation from God: general revelation and special revelation.General revelation occurs through observation of the created order.Such observations can logically lead to important conclusions, such as the existence of God.Though one may deduce the existence of God and some of God's attributes through general revelation, certain specifics may be known only through special revelation.In Aquinas's view, special revelation is equivalent to the revelation of God in Jesus Christ.Special revelation and natural revelation are complementary rather than contradictory in nature.Note here that the Bible is not The Revelation; rather, it points to revelation.In Barth's theology, he emphasizes again and again that human concepts can never be considered as identical to God's revelation.It cannot be considered as identical to God's revelation.However, in His freedom and love, God truly reveals Himself through human language and concepts.God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) share a single Divinesubstance.The Catholic Church teaches that it is the continuation of those who remained faithful to the apostolic and episcopal leadership and rejected false teachings.In Catholic, Orthodox, and some Anglican theology, this indwelling in received through the sacrament called Confirmation or, in the East, Chrismation.Saints sets itself apart from most other faiths claiming salvation through Jesus Christ in regards to revelation.The church has claimed constant revelation by the leaders and members of the church ever since that occation.Saints take as their doctrine that revelation continues to flow from heaven to the church's leaders, and that the president of the church receives revelation directly from God for the direction of the Church.Saints is also confirmed a member of the church following baptism and given the "gift of the Holy Ghost" by which each member is encouraged to develop a personal relationship with that divine being and receive personal revelation for their own direction and that of their family.Jesus existed and have aimed at reconstructing the historical Jesus.See also Pauline Christianity.Adherents of Judaism generally believe that followers of Christianity misinterpret passages from the Old Testament, or Tanakh.See also Christianity and Judaism.Muslims believe that the Christian doctrine of the Trinity is incompatible with monotheism, and they reject the Christian teaching that Jesus is the Son of God, though they affirm the virgin birth and view him as a prophet preceding Muhammad.Muslims also dispute the historical occurrence of the crucifixion of Jesus.This section needs additional citations for verification.The Tanakh includes the Torah (first five books of Moses), Nevi'im (the Prophets) and Ketuvim (the Writings)."The five books of Moses".Compendium of Histories), ca.Divine Revelation plays a very important role in the Muslim faith.The Qur'an is therefore, no doubt, a milestone in the development of revelation literature, and historically being so recent that its authenticity is not seriously questioned.Islam knows different forms and degrees of Divine revelation.The revelations Muhammad preached form the holy book of Islam, the Qur'an.The Qur'an is believed to be the flawless final revelation of God to humanity, valid until the day of the Resurrection.God to humanity since Adam.From an Islamic point of view, Islam is the oldest of the monotheistic religions because it represents both the original and the final revelation of God to Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad.Members of all sects of Islam believe that the Qur'an codifies the direct words of God.Jewish and Christian sacred books (Tanakh, Bible) and devotional literature (Apocrypha, Midrash), although it differs in many details.Muslims believe the common elements or resemblances between the Bible and other Jewish and Christian writings and Islamic dispensations is due to the common divine source, and that the Christian or Jewish texts were authentic divine revelations given to prophets.Due to the rise of Islamic terrorism, the need to understand the motives of suicide bombers has become important to many.In response to criticism, it is generally argued that critics have taken verses out of context.Robert Stockman and Juan Cole and Numbers and Classifications of Sacred Writings texts by Universal House of Justice.Main article: Revelation (Latter Day Saints)
See also: Prophet, seer, and revelator
The Latter Day Saint concept of revelation includes the belief that revelation from God is available to all those who earnestly seek it with the intent of doing good.Abraham, Moses, Peter, and other ancient prophets and apostles did.It also teaches that everyone is entitled to personal revelation with respect to his or her stewardship.Thus, parents may receive inspiration from God in raising their families, individuals can receive divine inspiration to help them meet personal challenges, church officers may receive revelation for those whom they serve, and so forth.The important consequence of this is that each person may receive confirmation that particular doctrines taught by a prophet are true, as well as gain divine insight in using those truths for their own benefit and eternal progress.In the church, personal revelation is expected and encouraged, and many converts believe that personal revelation from God was instrumental in their conversion.Smith, the sixth president of the LDS Church, summarized this church's belief concerning revelation by saying, "We believe...Christ is the head of his Church and not man, and the connection can only be maintained upon the principle of direct and continued revelation.God and obedience to his laws and commandments.Two recent important revelations presented to the LDS Church by the president of the church are the revelation announcing a Perpetual Education Fund for fostering educational opportunities among the poor, and The Family: A Proclamation to the World.Main article: Joseph Smith, Jr.Christianity, said to have been lost after a Great Apostasy.Smith introduced a large number of religious teachings.Although a number of his teachings are similar to doctrines circulating during his lifetime, several are unique to Smith.In many cases, Smith's doctrines or interpretations of the Bible, as well as his own claimed revelations, placed him at odds with mainstream Christianity.God is the Heavenly Father of all mankind and that mankind is made in His express image (simply put, that humans look like Heavenly Father).However, the precise list of books in the Bible is disputed among Christian denominations depending upon the acceptance of the deuterocanonical books.However, the clear primacy of the Bible, despite the dispute of the exact books of the canon, has resulted in basic beliefs that are largely shared between these churches.Saints believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly.They also believe that the Book of Mormon is a sacred text that testifies of Jesus Christ.Each denomination has their own version of the Doctrine and Covenants, which differ on the number of modern day revelations accepted as canon.Hence, the belief in continuing revelation (i.The publishing arm of Jehovah's Witnesses, known as the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania engages in extensive publication work.The Watchtower' and 'Awake!Bible is followed, though it is acknowledged that biblical writers and characters also employed symbolism, parable, figures of speech, and poeticism.God is the creator and supreme being, sovereign of the universe.Jesus is God's first creation, used by God to create everything else.Jesus is literally the only begotten Son of God, and received his life from God.The holy spirit is not a person but is God's active force.From 1975 to 1980, there was a drop in membership following the failure of this prediction.In 1980, the Watchtower Society admitted its responsibility in building up hope regarding the year 1975.Today many scholars accept this proposal.Existentialism
In the 20th century, religious existentialists proposed that revelation held no content in of itself; rather, they hold that God inspired people with His presence by coming into contact with them.In this view the Bible is a human response that records how we responded to God.Revelation or information from a supernatural source is of much lesser importance in some other religious traditions.It is not of great importance in the Asian religions Taoism, and Confucianism but similarities have been noted between the Abrahamic view of revelation and the Buddhist principle of Enlightenment.Tillich's approach to Protestant theology was highly systematic.This contributed to his popularity because it made him easily accessible to lay readers.In a broader perspective, revelation is understood as the fountainhead of religion.Tillich sought to reconcile revelation and reason by arguing that revelation never runs counter to reason (affirming Thomas Aquinas who said that faith is eminently rational), but both poles of the subjective human experience are complementary.Essence fully shows itself within Christ, but Christ is also a finite man.Thus for Tillich, Christ is not God per se in himself, but Christ is the revelation of God.He is being itself beyond essence and existence.Visitation
An experience of presence or communication between the recently deceased and their spouse or progeny is called visitation.Such experiences are deemed normative and not pathological according to the DSM IV (Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association).Caveats and criticism
In the Age of Reason Thomas Paine maintained that revelation can only be considered valid for the original recipient and when subsequently communicated by the recipient to a second person it ceases to be a revelation but rather becomes a hearsay second hand account, and consequently they are not obliged to believe it.God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism.What does the Holy Qur'an say about Jesus (peace be upon him).Retrieved on July 9, 2006."Qur'an", Encyclopedia of Islam Online.The Cambridge History of Islam (1977) writes that "It is appropriate to use the word 'God' rather than the transliteration 'Allah'.Christians tradition, and for another the Christian Arabs of today have no other word for 'God' than 'Allah'" cf p.Onward Muslim Soldiers, page 121.Khaleel Muhammad, professor of religious studies at San Diego State University regarding his discussion with the critic Robert Spencer states that "when I am told ...Patricia Crone, Michael Cook, and Gerd R.Puin as quoted in Toby Lester.The Atlantic Monthly, January 1999.Book of Certitude: Dating the Iqan.Retrieved on August 5, 2005.Continuing Revelation for the Benefit of the Church", Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F.See Books of the Bible for a table listing the differences of the canon between Catholicism, Orthodoxy, and Protestantism.Crisis of Conscience, 4th, Commentary Press, 56.March 15 2002) "Christ Leads His Congregation".What Does the Bible Really Teach?.Proclaimers of God's Kingdom.Your Will Be Done on Earth.The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses, 61.See, for example, (1946) When Pastor Russell Died.Watch Tower 1975 articles, unaltered with date references, publication, and page numbers etc."Does this mean that the above evidence positively points to 1975 as the complete end of this system of things?Since the Bible does not specifically state this, no man can say...The Watchtower, 15 March, 1980, p.Freedom of the Sons of God, ...Zephaniah 1:14) That day is fast approaching, so we need to live with it in mind."Live With Jehovah's Day in Mind.Britannica, 15th edition, 1994, passim.Look up Revelation in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.This page was last modified 15:29, 6 January 2008.See Copyrights for details.Please help improve this article, or discuss the issue on its talk page.Editing help is available.For other uses, see Book of Revelation (disambiguation).Riches Heures du Duc de Berry.Revelation of Jesus Christ is the last canonical book of the New Testament in the Bible.Eastern Orthodox view
9.Paschal Liturgical view
9.In English, apocalypse is often rendered as revelation and the literal meaning of the Greek word is "unveiling".The second vision, which makes up the rest of the book (chs.Revelation is considered by some to be one of the most controversial and difficult books of the Bible, with many diverse interpretations of the meanings of the various names and events in the account.John Chrysostom and other bishops argued against including this book in the New Testament canon, chiefly because of the difficulties of interpreting it and the danger for abuse.Traditional view
The author of Revelation identifies himself several times as "John" (1:1, 4, 9; 22:8).As a result, the author of Revelation is referred to as John of Patmos.John explicitly addresses Revelation to seven churches of Asia Minor: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea (1:4, 11).Patmos in the Aegean archipelago during the reign of Emperor Domitian, and wrote the Revelation there.Those in favor of a single common author point to similarities between the Gospel and Revelation.John the Apostle when he wrote Revelation.Early views
A number of Church Fathers weighed in on the authorship of Revelation.At the end of the 2nd century, we find it accepted at Antioch, by Theophilus, and in Africa by Tertullian.Dionysius of Alexandria (247) rejected it, upon doctrinal rather than critical grounds.Some canons, especially in the Eastern Church, rejected the book, while most others included it.John the Apostle, John the Evangelist, and John of Patmos refer to three separate individuals.This can be determined via new means of inquiry such as textual criticism.Certain lines of evidence suggest that John of Patmos wrote only Revelation, not the Gospel of John nor the Epistles of John.For one, the author of Revelation identifies himself as "John" several times, but the author of the Gospel of John never identifies himself directly.Gospel uses amnos, Revelation uses arnion.Lastly, the Gospel is written in nearly flawless Greek, but Revelation contains grammatical errors and stylistic abnormalities which indicate its author may not have been as familiar with the Greek language as the Gospel's author.In the Anchor Bible volume on Revelation, J.Scholars have also noted striking parallels with Mithraic Greek Magical Papyri literature, specifically the Mithraic Liturgy.Others contend for an earlier date, 68 or 69, in the reign of Nero or shortly thereafter.The majority of modern scholars also use these dates.Feuillet) distinguish two dates: publication (under Domitian) and date of the visions (under Vespasian).Please help improve this article by adding reliable references.This section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone or spelling.You can assist by editing it now.Some Protestant theologians argue that the Gospel of John contains a realized eschatology which contradicts the futurist eschatology contained in Revelation (e.Both hold the differing opinion that they are the visible Kingdom and Government spoken of in Isaiah that God set up entirely, and until the end of time.Therefore they do not fall under that previous Protestant opinion, and their joint view of the historicity of the entire prophecy of both books (John and Revelation), and also of the prophecy contained in Matthew 23, is entirely defensible.The basis for this argument is, amongst other passages, Matthew 23:36, "Till this generation passes" and Chapters 11:19 to 12:18 of the Book of Revelation, which Catholics believe is the showing by Christ to John of the spiritual meaning of the Virgin Mary's escape from Jerusalem and eventual Coronation in Heaven, which John originally took part in but did not understand.Revelation is divided into seven cycles of events.The chapters of Revelation present a series of events, full of imagery, and metaphor; which detail the chronology of God's judgment on the world.Exact interpretations of the chronology of Revelation vary extensively.The work may be interpreted literally, as a chronological list of events that will occur as the time of Revelation grows near.This section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone or spelling.There are several schools of thought concerned with how the contents of the Book of Revelation should be interpreted.In the Biblical prophecy school of thought, the contents of Revelation constitute a prophecy of the end times, especially when interpreted in conjunction with the Book of Daniel and other eschatological sections of the Bible.Revelation in it's first century historical context within the genre of Jewish and Christian apocalyptic literature.There is further information on these topics in the entries on higher criticism and apocalyptic literature.Those who are instructed in esoteric knowledge enter gradually into more subtle levels of understanding.Recently, aesthetic and literary modes of interpretation focus on Revelation as a work of art and imagination, viewing the imagery as symbolic depictions of timeless truths and the victory of good over evil.Church Fathers, views Revelation as an attempt to describe a spiritual reality and heavenly worship and compare it to the liturgy of the Christian Church.Moreover, Roman and Orthodox churches have delimited their own specific positions on Revelation.Preterist view
Preterism holds that the contents of Revelation constitute a prophecy of events that were fulfilled in the 1st century.This view depends critically on an early date of Revelation, c.Even accepting that date leaves a narrow margin of one to two years before the fulfillment occurs.Some preterists see the second half of Revelation as changing focus to Rome, its persecution of Christians, and the fall of the Roman Empire.It sees the Revelation being fulfilled in 70, thereby bringing the full presence of God to dwell with all humanity.It also holds, especially in the Catholic belief, that the Emperor Nero, who blamed the Rome fire on the Christians in Rome, sparking a wave of persecution, was possibly the Antichrist mentioned in the book as his name equals 666 in Hebrew.In the assumption that the Revelation was meant to be distributed among the early Christians, it could very well be assumed that occasionally someone may have used the Latin spelling of Nero's name(Nero Caesar), so the total value of the gematria would be 616.Catholics generally believe chapters 11:19 to 12:18 are the true story of the Journey to Ephesus (and then later to Heaven) of the Virgin Mary (who they believe is the Second ark of the Covenant), and a possible metaphor for the plight of the early church.All that remains for Catholic preterists is Christ's second coming.Another view of the book of Revelation is known as Partial Preterism.Preterism does the same and holds Matthew 24 to be partially speaking of the fall of Jerusalem in 70, where as other parts are fulfilled at the final return of Christ.Futurist interpretations generally predict a resurrection of the dead and a Rapture of the living, wherein all true Christians and those who have not reached an age of accountability are gathered to Christ at the time God's kingdom comes on earth.Pretribulationists believe that all Christians then alive will be taken up to meet Christ before the Tribulation begins.Midtribulationists believe that the rapture of the faithful will occur approximately halfway through the Tribulation, after it begins but before the worst part of it occurs.Joel Richardson and Walid Shoebat have both recently written books proposing a revived eastern Roman Empire, which will fall with the boundaries of the Ottoman Empire.Books about the "rapture" by authors like Hal Lindsey, and the more recent Left Behind novels (by Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye) and movies, have done much to popularize this school of thought.The various views on tribulation are actually a subset of theological interpretations on the Millennium, mentioned in Revelation 20.Christ's first ascension and second coming.Whether this eschatology is the result of caesaropapism, which may have also been the reason that premillennialism was condemned, is sharply disputed.Politically, historicist interpretations apply the symbols of Revelation to the gradual division and collapse of the Roman Empire, the emergence of a divided Europe in the West and a Muslim empire in the East, and the collapse of the Eastern Empire while Europe attempts to reunite and recreate the Roman Empire.Christians would be a persecuted minority.The exact constitution of this confederacy differs between interpretations: in some it is mainly composed of Eastern European countries, notably Russia; in others, Western European; some include Britain, while others suggest that Britain and former Commonwealth nations will oppose the confederacy.Historicist interpretations tend to be millenarian, emphasizing the literal reign of Christ on earth, and as that doctrine receded in importance, so too did the historicist focus in interpretation.Catholic polemic, but it should be noted that such is not an inherent property of historical interpretations.What differs between interpretations is the identity of the apostasy.Spiritual or idealist view
The Spiritual view (also called Idealist by some writers) does not see the book of Revelation as predicting specific events in history.Only in the last few chapters are specifically predictive eschatological issues taken up.Eastern Orthodox view
Eastern Orthodoxy has an interpretation that does not fit well into any of the above classifications.It treats the text as simultaneously describing contemporaneous events and as prophecy of events to come, for which the contemporaneous events were a form of foreshadow.The Book of Revelation is the only book of the New Testament that is not publicly read by the Eastern Orthodox Church.It gives hope to those Christians who are being persecuted, assuring them that their suffering is not in vain.Revelation is an example of typical Jewish Apocalyptic literature.It uses symbolic imagery to communicate hope to those in the midst of persecution.The events which occur in Revelation are ordered according to literary, rather than strictly chronological patterns.Paschal Liturgical view
This view, put forth by a few Catholic theologians, considers the liturgical worship, particularly the Easter rites, of early Christianity as background and context for understanding the Book of Revelation's structure and significance.Mass as Heaven on Earth, in which he states that Revelation in form, is structured after creation, fall, judgment and redemption.They believe Revelation is intended to give insight into the early Eucharist, saying that it is the new Temple worship in the New Heaven and Earth.Esoteric view
The esoterist views the Book as delivering both a series of warnings for humanity and a detailed account of internal, spiritual processes of the individual soul.The Second Coming is thus a personal event, the integration of your spiritual self with your animal self, resulting in a fully conscious human.Some scholars have noted the similarities of the myth of Revelation about a rider on a white horse with the Buddhist and Hindu myths of Kalki who is considered the last avatar in the cycle of ages and is also associated with the end of time.The esoteric view also presents the Book as the Christian yoga (union) practices text on death and rebirth in Christ.The four horsemen are described as the four elemental forces (fire, water, air, earth) and are used in the spiritual purification of the body and mind.The characters of Revelation are considered anthropomorphized aspects of human consciousness.Radical discipleship
The radical discipleship view asserts that the Book of Revelation is best understood as a handbook for radical discipleship; i.Jesus and avoid simply assimilating to surrouding society.Revelation as a text which is located in a specific historical context.The acceptance of Revelation into the canon is itself the result of a historical process, essentially no different from the career of other texts.Thus, his letter (written in the apocalyptic genre) is pastoral in nature, and the symbolism of Revelation is to be understood entirely within its historical, literary and social context.During a discussion about Revelation on 23 August 2006, Pope Benedict XVI remarked: "The seer of Patmos, identified with the apostle, is granted a series of visions meant to reassure the Christians of Asia amid the persecutions and trials of the end of the first century."Dismissal
Religious skeptics have typically been highly critical of Revelation, often considering it the work of a mentally ill author.Ingersoll, who famously branded Revelation "the insanest of all books".Notable among those who have dismissed the Book of Revelation is Thomas Jefferson, who omitted it entirely from the Bible he edited, and wrote that he "considered it as merely the ravings of a maniac, no more worthy nor capable of explanation than the incoherences of our own nightly dreams"."Hoekema,The Bible and the future, P.Hebrews to Revelation", page 260ff.The Book of Revelation.Indianapolis, IN: Booksurge, 120.New York, NY: Doubleday, 1999.Unveiling Empire: Reading Revelation Then and Now.The Aquarian Message: Gnostic Kabbalah and Tarot in the Apocalypse of St.The Apocalypse in the Ancient Church.Revelation into the New Testament canon.Commentaries on Revelation:
Revelation Chart Commentary and chronological depiction.The Mystery of The Apocalypse
Revelation Lectures by Prof.Bible Studies on Revelation by Rev.MEANING OF REVELATION
Revelation may be defined as the communication of some truth by God to a rational creature through means which are beyond the ordinary course of nature.But Revelation is not restricted to these.The essence of Revelation lies in the fact that it is the direct speech of God to man.Revelation does not cease to be such if God's message is delivered to us by a prophet, who alone is the recipient of the immediate communication.Such in brief is the account of Revelation given in the Constitution "De Fide Catholica" of the Vatican Council.The Decree "Lamentabili" (3 July, 1907), by its condemnation of a contrary proposition, declares that the dogmas which the Church proposes as revealed are "truths which have come down to us from heaven" (veritates e coelo delapsoe) and not "an interpretation of religious facts which the human mind has acquired by its own strenuous efforts" (prop.It will be seen that Revelation as thus explained differs clearly from: inspiration such as is bestowed by God on the author of a sacred book; for this, while involving a special illumination of the mind in virtue of which the recipient conceives such thoughts as God desires him to commit to writing, does not necessarily suppose a supernatural communication of these truths; from the illustrations which God may bestow from time to time upon any of the faithful to bring home to the mind the import of some truth of religion hitherto obscurely grasped; and, from the Divine assistance by which the pope when acting as the supreme teacher of the Church, is preserved from all error as to faith or morals.The function of this assistance is purely negative: it need not carry with it any positive gift of light to the mind.During the past century the Church has been called on to reject as erroneous several views of Revelation irreconcilable with Catholic belief.He taught, further, that the meaning to be attached to revealed doctrines is undergoing constant change as human knowledge grows and man's mind develops; so that the dogmatic formul which are now true will gradually cease to be so.According to this school, there is no such thing as Revelation in the sense of a direct communication from God to man.The human soul reaching up towards the unknowable God is ever endeavouring to interpret its sentiments in intellectual formul .POSSIBILITY OF REVELATION
The possibility of Revelation as above explained has been strenuously denied from various points of view during the last century.Those who adopt this standpoint rely in the main on two fundamental objections: they either urge that the miraculous is impossible, and that Revelation involves miraculous interposition on the part of the Deity; or they appeal to the autonomy of reason, which it is maintained can only accept as truths the results of its own activities.To this class may be assigned all those whose objections are based on Kantian and Hegelian doctrines as to the subjective character of all our knowledge.But even those who repudiate pantheism, in place of the personal God, Ruler, and Judge of the world, whom Christianity teaches, substitute the vague notion of the "Spirit" immanent in all men, and regard all religious creeds as the attempts of the human soul to find expression for its inward experience.Here too the autonomy of reason is invoked as fatal to the doctrine of Revelation properly so called.In the face of these objections, it is evident that the question of the possibility of Revelation is at present one of the most vital portions of Christian apologetic.If the existence of a personal God be once established, the physical possibility at least of Revelation is undeniable.Martineau, it is true, denies that we possess faculties either to receive or to authenticate a divine revelation concerning the past or the future (Seat of Authority in Religion, p.In estimating their value it seems desirable to distinguish three aspects of Revelation, viz: as it makes known to us; (1) truths of the natural law, (2) mysteries of the faith, (3) positive precepts, e.The revelation of truths of the natural law is certainly not inconsistent with God's wisdom.Had it been otherwise, the creation would have been imperfect.Further, the doctrine of original sin supplies an additional reason for such a revelation of the natural law.Revelation gives to his mind the certainty he had lost, and so far repairs the evils consequent on the catastrophe which had befallen him.Still more difficulty has been felt regarding mysteries.Nothing that is absolutely inscrutable to reason can be made known to faith" (Philosophy of Religion, p.The objection rests on a wholly exaggerated view regarding the powers of the human intellect.The intelligence of a finite intellect can only penetrate a finite object; it is incapable of comprehending the Infinite.The finite types through which the Infinite is made known to it can never under any circumstances lead to more than analogous knowledge.It is further frequently urged that the revelation of what the mind cannot understand would be an act of violence to the intellect; and that this faculty can only accept those truths whose intrinsic reasonableness it recognizes.The older (Deist) School of Rationalists denied the possibility of a Divine revelation imposing any laws other than those which natural religion enjoins on man.These writers regarded natural religion as, so to speak, a political constitution determining the Divine government of the universe, and held that God could only act as its terms prescribed.It can hardly be questioned that the "autonomy of reasons" furnishes the main source of the difficulties at present felt against Revelation in the Christian sense.Blondel has in his own case reconciled this principle with the acceptance of Catholic belief, yet it may readily be seen that it affords an easy ground for the denial not merely of the possibility of external Revelation, but of the whole historic basis of Christianity.Caird writes: "Neither moral nor religious ideas can be simply transferred to the human spirit in the form of fact, nor can they be verified by any evidence outside of or lower than themselves" (Fundamental Ideas of Christianity, p.This canon is directed against the position maintained as already noted by the older Rationalists and the Deists, that human reason is amply sufficient without exterior assistance to attain to absolute truth in all matters of religion (cf.NECESSITY OF REVELATION
Can it be said that Revelation is necessary to man?In that case God must needs reveal alike the existence of that supernatural end and the means by which we are to attain it.But is Revelation necessary even in order that man should observe the precepts of the natural law?If our race be viewed in its present condition as history displays it, the answer can only be that it is, morally speaking, impossible for men unassisted by Revelation, to attain by their natural powers such a knowledge of that law as is sufficient to the right ordering of life.In other words, Revelation is morally necessary.Luther indeed asserted that man's intellect had become hopelessly obscured by original sin, so that even natural truth was beyond his reach.But she teaches nevertheless that this can only be the case as regards a few, and that for the bulk of mankind Revelation is necessary.Certainly the schools of philosophy would not have enabled them to do so; for many of these denied even such fundamental principles of the natural law as the personality of God and the freedom of the will.Again, by the very nature of the case, the difficulties involved in the attainment of the requisite knowledge are insuperable.Even the most vital truths are called in question and are met by serious objections.Apart from the security which Revelation gives they would reject an obligation both irksome and uncertain.It results that a revelation even of the natural law is for man in his present state a moral necessity.CRITERIA OF REVELATION
The fact that Revelation is not merely possible but morally necessary is in itself a strong argument for the existence of a revelation, and imposes on all men the strict obligation of examining the credentials of a religion which presents itself with prima facie marks of truth.On the other hand if God has conferred a revelation on men, it stands to reason that He must have attached to it plain and evident criteria enabling even the unlettered to recognize His message for what it is, and to distinguish it from all false claimants.The criteria of Revelation are either external or internal: (1) External criteria consist in certain signs attached to the revelation as a divine testimony to its truth, e.These are distinguished into negative and positive criteria.Positive internal criteria are of various kinds.The Traditionalists by denying the power of human reason to test the grounds of faith were driven to fall back on the same criterion (cf.The testimony afforded by inward experience is undoubtedly not to be neglected.Catholic doctors have always recognized its value.But its force is limited to the individual who is the subject of it.When truth mingled with error is presented to the mind, it often happens that the whole teaching, false and true alike, is believed to have a Divine guarantee, because the soul has recognized and welcomed the truth of some one doctrine, e.Taken alone and apart from objective proof it conveys but a probability that the revelation is true.This is a criterion which has often been applied with great force on behalf of the claims of the Catholic Church to be the sole guardian of God's Revelation.And this correspondence with our vital needs is, they hold, the one sure criterion of truth.It supposes that the Christian Revelation and the gift of grace are not free gifts from God, but something of which the nature of man is absolutely exigent; and without which it would be incomplete.While the Church, as we have said, is far from undervaluing internal criteria, she has always regarded external criteria as the most easily recognizable and the most decisive.Hence the Vatican Council teaches: "In order that the obedience of our faith might be agreeable to reason, God has willed that to the internal aids of the Holy Spirit, there should be joined external proofs of His Revelation, viz: Divine works (facta divina), especially miracles and prophecy, which inasmuch as they manifestly display the omnipotence and the omniscience of God are most certain signs of a Divine revelation and are suited to the understanding of all" (De Fide Cath.Granted the presence of the negative criteria, external guarantees establish the Divine origin of a revelation as nothing else can do.THE CHRISTIAN REVELATION
It remains here to distinguish the Christian Revelation or "deposit of faith" from what are termed private revelations.This distinction is of importance: for while the Church recognizes that God has spoken to His servants in every age, and still continues thus to favour chosen souls, she is careful to distinguish these revelations from the Revelation which has been committed to her charge, and which she proposes to all her members for their acceptance.That Revelation was given in its entirety to Our Lord and His Apostles.After the death of the last of the twelve it could receive no increment.All subsequent revelations conferred by God are known as private revelations, for the reason that they are not directed to the whole Church but are for the good of individual members alone, They may indeed be a legitimate object for our faith; but that will depend on the evidence in each particular case.It is true that in certain cases she has given her approbation to certain private revelations.It may however be further asked, whether the Christian Revelation does not receive increment through the development of doctrine.During the last half of the nineteenth century the question of doctrinal development was widely debated.On the other hand it explicitly recognizes that there is a legitimate mode of development, and cites to that effect (op.Two of the most eminent theological writers of the period, Cardinal Franzelin and Cardinal Newman, have on very different lines dealt with the progress and nature of this development.XXII VI) has principally in view the Hegelian theories of Guenther.Cardinal Newman wrote his "Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine" in the course of the two years (1843 45) immediately preceding his reception into the Catholic Church.He shows how a true and fertile idea is endowed with a vital and assimilative energy of its own, in virtue of which, without undergoing the least substantive change, it attains to an ever completer expression, as the course of time brings it into contact with new aspects of truth or forces it into collision with new errors: the life of the idea is shown to be analogous to an organic development.The theory, though less scholastic in its form than that of Franzelin, is in perfect conformity with orthodox belief.Newman no less than his Jesuit contemporary teaches that the whole doctrine, alike in its later as in its earlier forms, was contained in the original revelation given to the Church by Our Lord and His Apostles, and that its identity is guaranteed to us by the infallible magisterium of the Church.Publication information Written by G.On private revelations: SUAREZ, De Fide, disp.POULAIN, Graces of Interior Prayer, pt.Among those who from one point of view or another have controverted the Christian doctrine of Revelation the following may be mentioned: PAINE, Age of Reason (ed.LOISY, Autour d un petit livre (Paris, 1903), 192 sqq.Revelation and Modern Thought in Cambridge Theol.Hosted by Trinity Consulting.RSS feeds available now!January Training Classes are forming.The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place.God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea."His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire.His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters.His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.Every Bible purchased at GospelDirect.My comments
on the 11th Sep tragedy
Making sense of it, what is God saying to us, does Revelation tell us anything?Blessed is the one
who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and
take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.If you are interested
in my Commentary on Revelation then check out the samples below or go to the
contents page where there
are introductory articles (message, symbolism, interpretation, author, date
etc) and a verse by verse commentary arranged by chapter and also by topic.If you want books on Revelation and prophecy then go
here.Why should we study Revelation?For my photos of Ephesus see
Images of
Ephesus.The Thousand years (millennium) Introduction,
Premillennial,
Amillennial
Revelation commentary reviews.See a comparison of how over forty commentaries
interpret the first seal, the 144,000, the two witnesses, the woman of Ch 12,
Babylon and the millennium.Highlighted articles:
Christian Biographies
The Christian and the Mind
The Biblical basis of Postmillennialism.He
refutes the book
Encyclopedia of Biblical Errancy (EBE) by C Dennis McKinsey.Copy, Distribute or
Blog, anything here you want!God to let the world know of the REALITY of Hell.Divine Revelation of HEAVEN
by Mary K.These books are at
Amazon.God has prepared for us.Tithes and Offerings Optional?Why so many Christian Conversions never last very long.Each person should have a covenant prayer with the Lord.Souls, Souls, Souls for Jesus! |
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