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Arguments for the Early Dating of the Epistle (64-68, under
Nero)
The Key To Understanding Revelation | Robby Gallaty | Revelation 1:1-2
See the playlist
Tribulation, Millennialism, And How To Interpret The Bible | SERMON+
Long Hollow
Arguments for the
Late Dating of the Epistle (95-96, under Domitian)
Traveling to the Island of Patmos to Settle the Revelation Debate:
This One Fact Destroys Preterism
More facts that destroy preterism: Joel Richardson
The Fatal Flaw in Preterism No One Wants to Talk About
More facts that destroy preterism: Joel Richardson
THE DANGER OF PRETERISM
“I Was a Leading Full Preterist — Why I Left”: Sam Frost’s Warning to the Church
Author: Yochanan ben Zavdai (John, son of Zebedee)
Theme: The consummation of all things
Date of Writing: approximately 95-96 CE
Target Audience: Messianic Communities in Asia Minor
Gospel Message: The Good News of Yeshua, the Coming Judge
| On this page: Book Summary Sections Themes New Revelation Three Main Parts The “Sevens” Where Does Antichrist Come From? Digging Deeper Outline Video Intro |
This is the
revelation[1] (revealing) of the
consummation of all things. Satan absolutely does not want you to read this book,
because it records his final defeat and eternal punishment, and the final triumph
of God and the Lamb over evil and the final redemption and consolation of His people.
The only reason that people have difficulty understanding this vision is because
they do not understand the Bible. Nearly all the symbols, colors, numbers — things
that make the book confusing to most believers — are all explained elsewhere in the
Scriptures. So why don’t people understand all these elements of the book of
Revelation? Because they don’t read and study[2] their Bible!
The “Verse of the Day” that comes in your email is (unintentionally)
deceiving you. Your daily “Memory Verse” is (unintentionally) deceiving
you. Any verse taken out of context becomes
pretext. You can only understand the Scriptures when
they are diligently studied (2Tim 2:15) in their textual, grammatical,
historical, and societal (i.e., ethnic) context. Since
all the books of our Bible were written in a Jewish language by Jews
living in Jewish places to other Jews (plus a
few Gentiles) living in a Jewish milieu, they can only be
correctly understood when studied from the Hebrew perspective
of their original writers and readers! To be a disciple of Yeshua we
must diligently read for ourselves all the Scriptures
— in their textual, grammatical, historical, geographical, and
cultural/ethnic context — and not rely on what the rabbi, pastor, or
teacher tells us they say.[3]
If you want to understand End Days, Matthew 24 provides an overview, Daniel gives the timing, and Revelation provides the details. Matthew 24:4-28 describes the 7-year Tribulation period. In the first three and one-half years (verses 4-14) many will be deceived, then (verses 15-28) the Abomination of Desolation comes and hell breaks loose on the Jewish people during the time of Jacob’s Trouble.
Yochanan’s vision of the End Times contains the culmination of all of the themes and concepts contained throughout the rest of Scripture beginning in Genesis; concepts such as:
• redemption
• the nation of Israel
• the gentile nations
• the Bride of Messiah
• Satan, the adversary of God’s people
• the Antichrist
• the False Prophet
• and many more
They all end in the Book of the Revelation.
You may have noticed that I have placed this book in the section of my commentary that I’ve named “the Gospel and Acts,” and might be wondering why I have done that. While it is certainly true that this is a book of prophecy, I also consider it to be the sixth Gospel. Each of the Gospel accounts present a different aspect of Yeshua’s ministry, and so does this one. Here’s how:
The Greek word translated as “gospel” is εὐαγγέλιον (euangelion) and literally means “good news.” So we can see in this section there are actually six, not just four, “Gospels”:
1. The Good News of Yeshua, the Righteous King: Mattityahu (Matthew)
2. The Good News of Yeshua, the Servant of God: Mordichai (Mark)
3. The Good News of Yeshua, the Son of Man: Lukas (Luke)
4. The Good News of Yeshua, the Son of God: Yochanan (John)
5. The Good News of Yeshua’s Mission Accomplished: The Acts of the Emissaries
6. The Good News of Yeshua, the Coming Judge: The Revelation of Yeshua to Yochanan
Book Summary
This letter is often referred to as “The Revelation of John” or even “The Revelation of Saint John the Divine.” But observe the chain of custody the revelation claims for itself:
“This is the revelation which God gave to Yeshua the Messiah, so that He could show His servants what must happen very soon. He communicated it by sending His angel to His servant Yochanan.”
HaShem[GN] (God) gave the revelation to Yeshua, Yeshua commited it to His angel, and the angel transmitted it to Yochanan (John). So it is not the “Revelation of John” at all. It is the Revelation of Yeshua by HaShem, which Yeshua gave to the angel to deliver to Yochanan.
Sections of the Book
If you want to understand End Days, Matthew 24 provides an overview, Daniel gives the timing, and Revelation provides the details. In Matthew 24, verses 4 through 28 describe the 7-year Tribulation period. In the first three and one-half years (verses 4-14) many will be deceived, then (verses 15-28) the Abomination of Desolation comes and hell breaks loose on the Jewish prople during the time of Jacob’s Trouble.
Themes
Yochanan’s vision of the End Times contains the culmination of all of the themes and concepts contained throughout the rest of Scripture beginning in Genesis; concepts such as:
• redemption
• the nation of Israel
• the gentile nations
• the Bride of Messiah
• Satan, the adversary of God’s people
• the Antichrist
• the False Prophet
• and many more
They all come to final resolution in the Book of the Revelation.
This book should encourage God’s people and provide them with encouragement, not fear. If you are saved and redeemed by the blood of Messiah, it should provide you with comfort. If you are not saved and redeemeded by the blood of Messiah, let it serve as a warning. As long as you draw breath, it is not too late to come into a saving relationship with the King of Kings.
New Revelation
Believers should feel extremely blessed to know about things that were unknown to the people of God prior to 90 CE, such things as:
• the end and consumation of all things
• the coming of Messiah
• the Millennial Reign of the King of Kings
• the final binding of the enemy
• the Great White Throne Judgment (of those who have rejected HaShem’s grace)
• the Second Resurrection
• the coming of the New Jerusalem and the New Heavens and Earth
Three Main Parts
The Book of Revelation is divided into three main parts:
1. Chapter 1 describes the vision in which Yochanan (John) the Apostle, brother of Ya'akov (James), son of Zebedee, saw the Messiah robed as the Judge, standing in the midst of seven Holy Communities in Asia Minor
2. Chapters 2 and 3 are Messiah Yeshua’s letters to those seven Holy Communities, which have a lot to do with the age in which we are currently living
3. The remaining 19 chapters deal with future events
a. Chapters 4 through 19 describe the Tribulation Period
b. Chapters 20 through 22 deal with Messiah’s Second Coming
i. He comes at the end of the Tribulation
ii. He establishes His Kingdom of Earth (the Millennial Reign)
iii. He judges the unbeliever at the Great White Throne
iv. He ushers in the Eternal State (the Olam Haba)
The “Sevens”
There are seven explicit “sevens” in this vision. In Biblical numerology[4] the number seven is the number of God. It denotes a “totality of perfection.”
1. Seven Messianic Communities
2. Seven Stars
3. Seven Letters
4. Seven Seals, the seventh of which releases …
5. Seven Trumpets, the seventh of which releases …
7. Seven Plagues and …
7. Seven Bowls
There are also seven blessings for the Believer that are not considered among the explicit sevens, yet here they are:
1. “Blessed are the reader and hearers of the words of this prophecy, provided they obey the things that are written in it …” (1:3)
2. “How blessed are the dead who die united with the Lord from now on.” (14:13)
3. “Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his clothes (garment of righteousness), so that he doesn’t walk naked, and they see his shame.” (16:15)
4. “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” (19:9)
5. “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection.” (20:6)
6 .“Blessed is he who obeys the words of the prophecy of this book” (22:7)
7. “Blessed are those who wash their robes [i.e., obey his mitzvot (commandments)], that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city.” (22:14)
[An extensive commentary on Revelation is HERE]
Where Does Antichrist Come From?
It is commonly taught that the End Times one-world government is a revived Roman Empire, so many look for it to arise in Europe with the Antichrist being a prominent politician in that government, as he is in most Holywood versions. In fact I have often heard it taught that the European Union will eventually morph into that 10-nation confederacy. My personal opinion (again, please feel free to disagree because nobody actually knows) is that the one-world government will be a restored Islamic Caliphate and that the Antichrist will likely be their Twelfth Imam, or Mahdi. See “Messiah and the Mahdi” for more details. Many claim that Israel wouldn’t accept a gentile messiah, but Isaiah 45:1 addresses Cyrus this way: “This is what the LORD says to Cyrus His anointed, …” The Hebrew word translated as “anointed” is מָשִׁיחַ (mashiyach), messiah. It seems at least possible that Israel would accept the Mahdi in the same sense that they accepted Cyrus.
Al-Masih ad-Dajjal (Arabic: الْمَسِيحُ الدَّجَّالُ, romanized: Al-Masih ad-Dajjal, lit. 'the False Messiah'), otherwise referred to simply as the Dajjal, is an antagonistic figure in Islamic eschatology who will pretend to be the promised Messiah and later claim to be God, appearing before the Day of Judgment. He will also be one of the 10 major signs according to the Islamic eschatological narrative. The Dajjal is not mentioned in the Quran but is mentioned and described in the Hadith. Corresponding to the Antichrist in Christianity, the Dajjal is said to emerge out in the East although the specific location varies among the various sources.
The Dajjal will imitate the miracles performed by Jesus, such as healing the sick and raising the dead, the latter with the aid of demons. He will deceive many people such as weavers, magicians, and children of fornication. (Source: Al-Masih ad-Dajjal - Wikipedia, accessed 23 July 2026)
The Mahdi (Arabic: ٱلْمَهْدِيّ, romanized: al-Mahdī, lit. “the Guided”) is a messianic figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the end of times to rid the world of evil and injustice. He is said to be a descendant of Muhammad who will appear shortly before the prophet ʿĪsā (Jesus) and lead Muslims to rule the world. … [Seven years would meet the criteria of “shortly before the prophet ʿĪsā (Jesus)”] … Before the arrival of the Mahdi, the earth would be filled with anarchy and chaos. Divisions and civil wars, moral degradation, and worldliness would be prevalent among the Muslims. Injustice and oppression would be rampant in the world. In the aftermath of the death of a king, the people would quarrel among themselves, and the as yet unrecognized Mahdi would flee from Medina to Mecca to take refuge in the Ka'ba. Against his will, would the Mahdi be recognized as ruler by the people.The Dajjal would appear and will spread corruption in the world. With an army bearing black banners, which would come to his aid from the east, the Mahdi would confront the Dajjal, but would be unable to defeat him. Dressed in saffron robes with his head anointed, Jesus would descend at the point of a white minaret of the Umayyad Mosque in eastern Damascus and join the Mahdi. Jesus would pray behind the Mahdi and then kill the Dajjal. The Gog and Magog would also appear wreaking havoc before their final defeat by the forces of Jesus. Although not as significant as the Dajjal and the Gog and Magog, the Sufyani, another representative of the forces of dark, also features in the Sunni traditions. He will rise in Syria before the appearance of Mahdi. When the latter appears, the Sufyani, along with his army, will either be swallowed up en route to Mecca by the earth with [Allah’s] command or defeated by the Mahdi. Jesus and the Mahdi will then conquer the world and establish caliphate. The Mahdi will die after 7 to 13 years, whereas Jesus after 40 years. Their deaths would be followed by reappearance of corruption before the final end of the world. (Wikipedia, accessed 8 March 2023; see also Islamic Eschatology)
| Click the picture for a larger image | |
 Islamic Caliphate 7th-9th Century Source: worldhistory.org |
 The Spread of Islam 750-1923 Source: pinterest.com |
 World Muslim Population 2015 Source: vividmaps.com |
 World Muslim Population 2030 (Projected) Source: reddit.com/r/MapPorn |
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Digging Deeper Naked Bible 352: Introducing the Old Testament in the Book of Revelation |
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Nov 29, 2020 Listen to the discussion Duration: 1:05:08 | Download the transcript This episode launches our new series on the use of the Old Testament in the book of Revelation. The series will not examine end times theories or systems. It will also not propose a new system for interpreting the book of Revelation for discerning what God is doing now or in the future. Rather, we focus on how the author of Revelation frequently dipped into the Old Testament to create the book of Revelation and how understanding his strategies in doing so helps us understand what the book is saying. BOOK: An Advent for the Cosmos |
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Outline
I. Opening (1:1–20)
A. Prologue (1:1–3)
B. John Greets the Seven Messianic Communities (1:4–8)
C. Yeshua among the Seven Messianic Communities (1:9–20)
II. The Letters to the Seven Messianic Communities (2:1–3:22)
A. To Ephesus (2:1–7)
1. The Authority (2:1)
2. The Praise (2:2–3)
3. The Grievance (2:4)
4. The Warning (2:5)
5. The Second Praise (2:6)
6. The Promise (2:7)
B. To Smyrna (2:8–11)
1. The Authority (2:8)
2. The Praise (2:9)
3. The Grievance (2:9)
4. The Warning (2:10)
5. The Promise (2:11)
C. To Pergamum (2:12–17)
1. The Authority (2:12)
2. The Praise (2:13)
3. The Grievance (2:14–15)
4. The Warning (2:16)
5. The Promise (2:17)
D. To Thyatira (2:18–29)
1. The Authority (2:18)
2. The Praise (2:19)
3. The Grievance (2:20–21)
4. The Warning (2:22–23)
5. The Promise (2:24–29)
E. To Sardis (3:1–6)
1. The Authority (3:1)
2. The Grievance (3:1)
3. The Warning (3:2–3)
4. Few Praised (3:4)
5. The Promise (3:5–6)
F. To Philadelphia (3:7–13)
1. The Authority (3:7)
2. The Praise (3:8)
3. The Promise (3:9–13)
G. To Laodicea (3:14–22)
1. The Authority (3:14)
2. The Grievance (3:15)
3. The Warning (3:16–17)
4. The Counsel (3:18)
5. The Promise (3:19–22)
III. The Throne and the Lamb (4:1–5:14)
A. The Throne in Heaven (4:1–11)
1. In the Throne Room (4:1–4)
2. Worship of the Creator (4:5–11)
B. The Lamb (5:1–14)
1. The Lamb Takes the Scroll (5:1–10)
2. The Lamb Exalted (5:11–14)
IV. Three Sets of Seven Divine Judgments (6:1–16:21)
A. The Seven Seals (6:1–8:5)
1. The First Seal: The White Horse (6:1–2)
2. The Second Seal: War (6:3–4)
3. The Third Seal: Famine (6:5–6)
4. The Fourth Seal: Death (6:7–8)
5. The Fifth Seal: The Martyrs (6:9–11)
6 The Sixth Seal: Terror (6:12–17)
7. 144,000 Sealed (7:1–8)
8. Praise from the Great Multitude (7:9–17)
9. The Seventh Seal: Silence in Heaven (8:1–5)
B. The Seven Trumpets (8:6–11:19)
1. The First Trumpet: Hail and Fire Mixed with Blood (8:6–7)
2. The Second Trumpet: A Mountain Thrown into the Sea (8:8–9)
3. The Third Trumpet: The Star Named Wormwood (8:10–11)
4. The Fourth Trumpet: A Third of the Sun, Moon, and Stars Struck (8:12–13)
5. The Fifth Trumpet: The Locusts (9:1–12)
6. The Sixth Trumpet: Release of the Four Angels (9:13–21)
7. The Angel and the Small Scroll (10:1–11)
8. The Two Witnesses (11:1–14)
9. The Seventh Trumpet (11:15–19)
C. The Great Conflict (12:1–14:20)
1. The Woman and the Dragon (12:1–17)
a. The Woman, the Dragon, and the Child (12:1–6)
b. The War in Heaven (12:7–12)
c. The Woman Persecuted (12:13–17)
2. The Two Beasts (13:1–18)
a. The Beast from the Sea (13:1–10)
b. The Beast from the Earth (13:11–15)
c. The Mark of the Beast (13:16–18)
3. The Lamb and the 144,000 (14:1–5)
4. Final Justice (14:6–20)
a. The Three Angels and Babylon’s Fall (14:6–13)
b. The Harvest of the Earth (14:14–20)
D. The Seven Bowls of Wrath (15:1–16:21)
1. The Song of Moses and the Lamb (15:1–4)
2. Preparation for Judgment (15:5–8)
3. The First Bowl: Sores (16:1–2)
4. The Second Bowl: Sea to Blood (16:3)
5. The Third Bowl: Rivers to Blood (16:4–7)
6. The Fourth Bowl: Fire (16:8–9)
7. The Fifth Bowl: Darkness (16:10–11)
8. The Sixth Bowl: Battle of Armageddon (16:12–16)
9. The Seventh Bowl: Earthquake and Hail (16:17–21)
V. The Fall of Babylon (17:1–19:10)
A. Babylon the Great (17:1–18)
1. The Woman on the Beast (17:1–5)
2. The Mystery Explained (17:6–13)
3. The Victory of the Lamb (17:14–18)
B. The Fall of Babylon (18:1–24)
1. Babylon is Fallen (18:1–8)
2. Lament over Babylon (18:9–20)
3. The Doom of Babylon (18:21–24)
C. Rejoicing in Heaven (19:1–5)
D. The Marriage of the Lamb (19:6–10)
VI. The Future and Beyond (19:11–22:5)
A. The Return of Yeshua (19:11–21)
1. The Rider on the White Horse (19:11–16)
2. Defeat of the Beast and False Prophet (19:17–21)
B. The Millennial Reign (20:1–15)
1. Satan Bound (20:1–3)
2. The First Resurrection and Reign (20:4–6)
3. Satan’s Release and Defeat (20:7–10)
4. The Great White Throne Judgment (20:11–15)
C. The World to Come (21:1–22:5)
1. A New Heaven and a New Earth (21:1–8)
2. The New Jerusalem (21:9–27)
3. The River of Life (22:1–5)
VII. Conclusion (22:6–21)
A. Yeshua is Coming (22:6–17)
B. Nothing May Be Added or Removed (22:18–21)
July 20, 2024 | Come Out of Her, My People
Rabbi Daniel Robitshek, MD[5]
1. The Greek word translated “revelation” is Ἀποκάλυψις (Apokalypsis), from which we derive the word apocalypse. While the English word “apocalypse” has come to mean the complete and final destruction of everything, the Greek word apokalupsis means an unveiling, uncovering, revealing, manifestation or appearance, or the disclosure of things previously unknown. [BACK]
2. Reading and studying are vastly different things. Reading is pleasant and relaxing. Study is work! Study takes time, effort, and resources. And it can also be quite frustrating! (Especially when the results require one to release long-held beliefs and adjust one’s entire worldview!) [BACK]
3. In about 2000 when the Lord led me to the Messianic Restoration and I began to diligently study the Scriptures in their total context, I was forced to either discard or radically change most of what I had been taught by well-intentioned professors in over eight years of seminary. To my everlasting shame, for the years that I was myself a seminary professor and pastor/teacher (prior to 2000), I taught only what I had been taught. Up until that time I had not been taught, nor had I realized, that geographical and cultural context was every bit as important as textual, grammatical, and historical context. [BACK]
4. See “Biblical Numerology and Gematria” for an overview. [BACK]
5. Rabbi Daniel Robitshek, MD, is senior rabbi of Congregation Beth Yeshua, Ackworth, Georgia, and a frequent guest teacher at Beth Yeshua International, Macon, Georgia. He is also Chief of Staff for the Southeast Kaiser Permanente Medical Group in Rome, Georgia. [BACK]
Other commentaries on Revelation
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
Pulpit Commentary
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
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ANXIOUSLY WATCHING FOR MASHIACH’S RETURN,
SPEEDILY AND IN OUR DAY. MARANA, TA!
