Revelation: a 37-day Bible study

What is the book of Revelation?

Revelation is the last book of the Bible. It records a vision given to a Christian named John while he was on the island of Patmos, off the coast of what is now western Turkey. It calls itself "the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1:1). The Greek word behind "revelation" is apokalypsis, which means an unveiling, not a cover-up. The book exists to show who Jesus is and where history is heading under his rule.

It was written to seven real churches in the Roman province of Asia, and it is three kinds of writing at once: a prophecy (1:3), a letter (it opens and closes like one) and an apocalypse, a style of Jewish writing that speaks in symbols such as beasts, bowls and trumpets. Most of its images are drawn from the Old Testament, which is why reading it well means reading it alongside the rest of the Bible.

Many scholars place it in the 90s AD, at a time of growing pressure on Christians in Asia to conform to the civic religion of Rome, although some argue for an earlier date. Whatever the date, its first purpose was to strengthen believers who were tempted either to compromise with their surrounding culture or to give up under suffering. The book also contains seven beatitudes, the first in 1:3: blessed are those who read it, hear it and keep what is written in it.

How to read Revelation well

• Symbols first. Revelation speaks in signs rather than photographs: the Greek verb in 1:1 for "made it known" is related to the word for "sign". Ask what an image meant to the first readers and which Old Testament picture it reuses before asking what it might point to today.
• Let Scripture interpret Scripture. Daniel, Ezekiel, Exodus, the Psalms and the prophets shape the book's language. Following those threads back usually explains the image.
• Keep Jesus at the centre. The Lamb who was slain is also the lion of Judah and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Each scene is meant to be read in his light.
• Hold disputed points loosely. Christians have long read Revelation in several ways, often grouped as preterist, historicist, idealist and futurist, and they hold different views of the thousand years (premillennial, amillennial and postmillennial). These studies set out the main views fairly and then focus on what all agree on: Jesus reigns now, will return, will judge, and will make all things new.
• No dates, no headlines. These studies do not set dates or match the book's symbols to current events or political figures.

How the 37-day plan is structured

The plan follows the book in order, one passage a day, across 10 sections: from the opening vision of Christ, through the letters, the throne room, the seals, trumpets and bowls, to the fall of Babylon, the final victory and the new creation. Each study has three parts: an explanation of the passage, three complementary lenses on the text, and a short devotional. Choose a section below to see its studies together.

• Prologue Revelation 1:1–20 · days 1–2
• Letters to the Churches Revelation 2:1–3:22 · days 3–9
• The Throne Room Revelation 4:1–5:14 · days 10–11
• The Seven Seals Revelation 6:1–7:17 · days 12–14
• The Seven Trumpets Revelation 8:1–11:19 · days 15–19
• The Cosmic Conflict Revelation 12:1–14:20 · days 20–24
• The Seven Bowls Revelation 15:1–16:21 · days 25–27
• The Fall of Babylon Revelation 17:1–19:10 · days 28–30
• The Final Victory Revelation 19:11–20:15 · days 31–33
• New Creation Revelation 21:1–22:21 · days 34–37