Bible (New Testament): English Standard Version

Revelation is the sole representative of a book-length work of apocalyptic literature in the New Testament, though a few other passages also deal with apocalyptic content (such as Matthew 24-25 and 2 Thessalonians 2). Revelation attributes itself to John, who mentions his own name three times in the opening chapter, along with a description of his current context on the island of Patmos (in the Aegean Sea). According to early Christian traditions, John the disciple had been arrested during a wave of persecution in the 90s CE, and after being tortured, was sent as a prisoner to a penal colony on Patmos. Some critical scholars doubt this attribution, however, noting that the Greek used in Revelation varies widely from the rest of the Johannine literature.

The Book of Revelation is addressed to seven churches in Asia Minor clustered on the mainland near Patmos. John recounts how he was on Patmos when he was suddenly confronted with a vision of the glorified Jesus: “[…] one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest” (Rev 1:13). Jesus commands him to write down a series of short letters to the seven churches (Rev 2-3), each of which affirms or corrects certain aspects of the church’s life and encourages the Christians to overcome their trials by holding steadfastly to their faith. After the letters to the churches, John is invited up to view a scene of the heavenly throne room, where angelic beings and glorified elders are engaged in the perpetual worship of God: “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Rev 4:8). A scroll is revealed, symbolizing the plan of God through the ages, and John sees a lamb (the “Lamb of God,” representing Jesus; see John 1:29) take the scroll and receive the worship of the gathered multitude of angels. The Lamb begins to open the seals on the scroll, and with each seal a new phase of God’s judgment breaks upon the earth, starting with the famous image of the four horsemen of the apocalypse: conquest, war, famine, and death. The other seals reveal the persecution of Christians, a massive natural disaster, and then silence leading to the introduction of a new series of portents, the seven trumpets. As each trumpet is sounded, further acts of judgment unfold on the earth, most of them natural disasters and periods of demonic oppression.

A series of other symbolic visions pass before John’s view at this point, including portrayals of Christians’ witness amid persecution and the rise of multiple figures who stand in opposition to the church. Most prominent among these are a dragon (representing Satan), a beast from the sea (representing an antichrist figure), and a beast from the earth (representing the antichrist’s spokesperson). Amid all the symbols of desolation and persecution, however, Revelation clearly intends to present a message of hope to its Christian audience, showing how all these events remain subject to God’s authority and how none of them shake or imperil his heavenly kingdom. A series of seven bowls of wrath are then presented to John’s view, and further judgments on the earth follow, leading to a final judgment on the city called “Babylon,” which here represents the kingdoms of the world set up in opposition to God (and may have been a coded indication of Rome). Babylon’s fall is followed by the appearance of Jesus as a great conqueror, coming down from the heavens to win a final victory over his opponents. One thousand years of peace and prosperity follow, during which Christians reign over the world, and at the end of the 1,000 years, Satan is finally condemned. The scene then shows the final judgment before the throne of God and a portrayal of eternal life as a union of heaven with a restored earth. This final vision borrows imagery both from the Old Testament temple traditions and the Garden of Eden; it presents the end of history as the summit of joy and the ending of pain: “[God] will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Rev 21:4).