Essays in reformed theology included contributions by cornelius van til, j. When i recently began to apply myself to searching out the matter i. Sprouls beloved influential teacher and sproul writes. Tape 2, side a chronological overview chart three the old testament character of the book of revelation. While church tradition has attributed the gospel of john, the letters of john, and the book of revelation to the same authorjohn the apostle and son of zebedeeinternal and external evidence may require us to attribute them to other individuals who may or may not have also been named john. Christ will be visibly manifested in his power and glory. The authors reasoning is that if a person is not a theologian then they do not know god. Asia minor is metaphor for the whole earth and so consider that god recognizes 7 churches, not 1. Looking at revelations, any sample verse will make you scratch your head if you take it literally, but serve to make you think and observe if you take it figuratively. And there were open books, and one of them was the book of life. As those of you familiar with the content of this website know i have held a deep interest in the thematic patterns in the scriptures for some time. Concerning two of the books that were recorded by the apostle john, the gospel of john and the book of revelation, some observant students have noted a correspondance between the th chapter of each.
Book of revelation simple english wikipedia, the free. John and revelation and 14 comparing thirtyeight verse pairs. The author of the book of revelation identifies himself simply as john 1. As the story opens, the saviors disciple john is going up to the temple. Here are just seven of the big sevens in this book.
John was known to the people as john the baptist, and on the lords day, april 20, 33 ad, john the baptist was in spirit, dead. He wrote it when he was about 92 years old, while a prisoner of rome on the remote desert penal colony of patmos, an island in the aegean sea. Elaine pagels has a persuasive answer, spectacularly illustrated. The author even had a hunch that the world might end in the 1980s. The book of revelation, often called the book of revelations, revelation to john, the apocalypse of john, the revelation, or simply revelation, the revelation of jesus christ from its opening words or the apocalypse, is the final book of the new testament, and therefore also the final book of the christian bible. Gerstner insists, protests to the contrary, that the dispensational system of theology is inherently and inescapably antinomian. The apostle john is the author of the book of revelation.
May 31, 20 explanation of the book of the apocalypse revelations, by st. In fact, john mentions sevens over fifty times source, p. Christ made these things known to his servant john by sending his angel to him, 2 and john has told all that he has seen. The lords revelation about the seven churches of asia experience of explaining the first three chapters of revelations by a. Gerstner humbly shares his spiritual indebtedness to good. This is his report concerning the message from god and the truth revealed by jesus christ. That is not to say that every lay theologian is savedwe must not. The book should be rightfully called the revelation according to jesus christ. Patmos was a quarry mine for the roman empire, and was home to many political and religious prisoners or slaves.
Gerstner has 35 books on goodreads with 2154 ratings. Gerstner author of wrongly dividing the word of truth. Still as strange, controversial, and influential as it was nearly 2,000 years ago, the biblical book of revelation is a fountainhead of visions and dreams and nightmares, said elaine pagels the princeton university professor of religion, famous for infusing old religious debates with new urgency, was at harvard dec. John gerstner outlines and discusses the first twentysix theological subjects in his handout theology series, such as the origins of mans sense of being, as well as the profound subjects of gods providence, mans. If god didnt write it through the sainted instrument of someone named john, then who did, and why. Israel as a nation is on the earth until the messiah comes again to the earth matt. Excerpt from introduction to the secret revelation of john. Gerstner proves his charge against dispensationalist. Metropolis this 1927 german silent film borrows from the book of revelation and even has one of the main characters dance seductively on the back of a sevenheaded beast. Later manuscripts usually have the title of the revelation of the theologian.
John gerstner provides an indepth overview of systematic theology. He explores what god has clearly revealed in scripture about himself, mankind, the fall, redemption, the church, and many other essential doctrines of the christian faith. Your credit card wont be charged until the trial period is over. The last book of the new testament is usually called the book of revelation or simply revelation. Dating the book of revelaiton and the signs of revelation part i.
Sep 20, 2010 the person who wrote the gospel according to john and the book of revelation was beheaded. How many churches did john write to in the book of. The secret book of john the secret revelation of john aeon a divine power or nature emanating from the supreme being and playing various roles in the operation of the universe ineffable defying expression barbelo the first emanation something that is emitted or radiated of god autogenes self generated pleroma the totality of divine powers. We believe that the bible is the word of god 2 timothy 3. The book starts at the time of the writting which is approximately 100 a. Someone recently asked me if the same author could have written both the book of revelation and the gospel of john. Handout theology by john gerstner ligonier ministries. Patmos was a quarry mine for the roman empire, and was home to. Gerstners assertion throughout his book that reformed soteriology necessarily eliminates dispensational ecclesiology and eschatology.
Once in berlin, the book was placed in the egyptian museum and given the official title and catalogue number of codex berolinensis gnosticus bg 8505 commonly referred to as the berlin codex. Sure, the hunch was wrong, but it was really good for book sales. Publisher soli deo gloria offers a unique look at systematic theology in theology in dialogue by the reformed scholar dr. Aleister crowley 18751947 claimed that he was the beast prophecized in the book of revelation and took the name.
Perhaps it should come as no surprise, then, that its reception by the early church was equally complicated and controversial. Speaking of the apocalypse from the previous post giving that odd video. A number of ancient church fathers, notably irenaeus, believed that the author of revelation was also the author of the gospel of john, and the epistles of 1,2 and 3 john. Therefore, it interests us to know how the bibles authors wrote their books. The book of revelation is unique in a number of ways, and one of those ways is how it takes three different genres and combines them into a single book. The book of revelation often called the revelation to john, apocalypse of john, the revelation from jesus christ from its opening words, the apocalypse, the revelation, or simply revelation is the final book of the new testament, and consequently is also the final book of the christian bible. John, the revelation to oxford biblical studies online. This is why the authorized king james version calls revelation the revelation of saint john the divine divine was a seventeenth. This article will conclude our series titled who wrote the new testament. Was the book of john written first or the book of revelation. There isno rapture in the old testament, the gospels or the book of revelation. I found the reading of this book delightful and instructive. Just before the establishing of the new heaven and new earth, which really is the beginning of eternity, there is a final thousand year period on the existing earth known as the millenium.
Justice and judgment, elisabeth scheussler fiorenza in the shadow of empire see greg careys chapter, the book of revelation as counterimperial script edited by richard horsley apocalypse and allegiance. As an apocalyptic book, revelation concerns visions that are given to john that deal with the. And the same voice that spoke to me before, that sounded like a trumpet, said, come up here, and i will show you what must happen after this. Was this person the same john that wrote 1, 2, and 3 john. Book dispensationalism john gerstner wrongly dividing the. In 1976, a festschrift was published in gerstner s honor. Revelation 4 ncv john sees heaven after the vision of. Starting your free trial of bible gateway plus is easy. All of historys events are culminated in this fantastic story of christs ultimate triumph over evil and the restoration of all things to their created design. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle. At the present day and for a long time previously, the lutherans, ashamed of these excesses, have replaced the two epistles and the apocalypse in. The secret book of john the secret revelation of john.
It is things like that statement i just dissected, things like the esoteric nature of the book of revelations, that make st. Probably the most consequential vision of the future ever written is the bibles book of revelation. A spiritual legacy in the introduction to his work dr. Andrew, archbishop of cesarea is the most valuable in this regard. This is an actual revelation of christs person, an outward appearance. Revelation 4 new century version ncv john sees heaven. The largest and most trusted library of over 1,912,000 free sermons from conservative christian churches and ministries worldwide. The secret book of john the secret revelation of john aeon a divine power or nature emanating from the supreme being and playing various roles in the operation of the universe ineffable defying expression barbelo the first emanation something that is emitted or radiated of god autogenes self generated pleroma of, and. Revelation 1 commentary the sender and the recipients. Best commentaries on revelation without all that blood. John henry gerstner was a professor of church history at pittsburgh theological seminary and knox theological seminary and an authority on the life and theology of jonathan edwards. He earned both a master of divinity degree and a master of theology degree from westminster theological seminary.
Book of revelation read, study bible verses online. He earned both a master of divinity of degree and a master of theology degree from westminster theological seminary. Explanation of the book of the apocalypse revelations, by st. The book the preterist archive of realized eschatology. John needs no introduction beyond what is given in verses 12 as jesus servant, who testified to everything he saw, and beyond what he will give in verse 9 your brother and companion. Revelation employs prophecy, apocalyptic, and the form of a letter for john to make his point. God gave him this revelation in order to show his servants what must happen very soon. Gerstner asserts that every layman must be a theologian because a theologian is a person who knows about god. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books. The most widelyaccepted position regarding the specific identity of this john is that he was the apostle of the same namethe son of zebedee and. It is not correct to call this book revelations, but revelation.
The legacy of john gerstner, presbyterian historian and. Also, we want to know whether they understood the importance of their books. The two periods most often mentioned are the latter part of neros reign a. Worship, politics, and devotion in the book of revelation by j. This will be discussed in the study of revelation and will be more. Schmidt undertook to produce a critical text and german translation of the new find. Tradition has long held that john the apostle, whom we have seen penned the fourth gospel and the three letters attributed to him, wrote the last book of scripture. Looking at revelations, any sample verse will make you scratch your head if you take it literally, but serve to.
Some of the earliest manuscripts have the title of the revelation of john. John henry gerstner november 22, 1914 march 24, 1996 was a professor of church history at pittsburgh theological seminary and knox theological seminary and very knowledgeable on the life and theology of jonathan edwards. It occupies a central place in christian eschatology. Handout theology unknown binding january 1, 1989 by john h gerstner author see all formats and editions hide other formats and editions enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. The book of revelation, which is sometimes called revelation to john, apocalypse of john, or revelation of jesus christ is the last book of the new testament in the bible.
The book of revelation the end and the beginning, the new testament and the bible culminate with this glorious description of the revelation of jesus christ. I believe the modern evangelical church reconciles matthew 24, luke 21, and mark book of john by claiming that jesus is talking about the destruction of jerusalem in 70 a. Actually the whole bible is the revelation of jesus christ. John and revelation and 14 comparing thirtyeight. The word revelation means an unveiling, a manifestation, or appearance. Theology for everyman is an excellent introduction to systematic theology. Lots of numbers appear in revelation 12, 24, 144,000, 10, 666, but sevens just keep popping up. Traditionally, both books have been identified as coming from the same person, john the son. Best commentaries on revelation without all that blood moon.
The book of revelation 2 tape 1, side b continued f. Revelation 1 niv prologue the revelation from jesus. I take the place of the churches, asia minor, as a metaphor and consider that the book of revelation the vision given to john is more for people of today than people 2000 years ago. He was an evangelical presbyterian church historian who taught church history at pittxenia seminary 19501960 and at pittsburgh seminary 19601980. While helpful, this does not go a long way in identifying with absolute certainty which john wrote the book. Divine emissaries frequent this dark world, bringing revelations and working in secret to lift the soul out of ignorance and degradation, and restore it to its rightful place in the world of light. I heard they tried to kill him by boiling him, but it didnt workgod protected him so they sent him away to an island i think called platmos. Youre already logged in with your bible gateway account. We would like to know how clearly god spoke to them. Jm john gerstner 19141996 was a man of great passion, energy, and evangelical commitment. Revelation was written when christians were entering a time of persecution. The next step is to choose a monthly or yearly subscription, and then enter your payment information.
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