Prophecy and the Book of Revelation

Want to learn more about the Book of Revelation? In a few weeks, several of us around the blogosphere are going to read and blog about a book which is creating an earthquake in the way people read and understand the Book of Revelation.

You are invited to obtain the book, and read it along with us, and if you have a blog, write about it on your own blog as well. We will all be linking to each other in our posts, so this will also create some good backlinks to your blog.

We will be reading The Theology of the Book of Revelation by Richard Bauckham.

Here is a brief introduction to what the book is about:

Understanding Revelation

The book of Revelation has always fascinated and frustrated students of Scripture. It appears to contain extensive predictions about the future through the use of images. But what do these images mean?

What message is John trying to convey?

What message, if any, does the book of Revelation have for us today?

Is the end of the world upon us?

Is a meteor going to fall from the sky and wipe out one-third of every living thing?

Is World War III just around the corner?

Will a world ruler rise to power in the near future who will force everyone to get a Mark on their hand or forehead in order to track their buying and selling?

Are Christians about to enter a great age of persecution and suffering?

A large segment of Christianity answers “Yes” to most of these questions, but there is a growing number of Christians who answer “No” to all of them.

Along Came Preterism

The group of Christians who answer “No” to every question above have a view about the Book of Revelation called “Preterism.” It is the idea that nearly every event in the book of Revelation occurred in the past, during the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Since most believe the Book of Revelation was written after these events, the Book is read not as a prediction about the future, but a highly-coded retelling of of the past.

One book which lays out the argument and understanding of Preterism is The Theology of the Book of Revelation by Richard Bauckham. I encourage you to get the book and read (or blog) about it with us.