07.03. Background

Background In 70 AD, the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman army and their auxiliary units. By that time, the Book of Acts and most of the books of the New Testament had been written. The Christian Church had greatly expanded. After this, the apostle John wrote his Gospel around 85 AD, his three letters around 90 AD and, while on the island of Patmos in exile, he received the “Revelation of Jesus Christ”. It is important to note that John recorded all that was told him and shown him. There are many mentions of “I saw”, “I heard” and the like. This is not something that John came up with or is “John’s theology”. There are also some things that are prophesied but not explained. For example, even in Dan 12:8-9, some things are concealed. The same happens in this book with the seven thunders. John was to refrain from writing those things down. God deliberately does not make His revelations so clear that everyone can see it. He uses imagery both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Jesus, in His earthly ministry, also used parables and imagery to obscure some of His teachings. Just as Jesus explained the parables to His disciples, so some of the imagery in Revelation is explained to John. Just as creation was a supernatural event that cannot be explained in “modern” scientific terms, so many of the events in Revelation cannot be explained “scientifically” since they are acts of God. Sometimes the same word has different meanings. For example, sometimes “stars” refer to angelic beings, other times to heavenly bodies. It is prudent not to try and explain every item in this book, since it will likely not be able to be explained until the events occur. For a look at the framework for the end times presented in Daniel, the Gospels and Thessalonians see the following: e-sword version: http://www.biblesupport.com/topic/11599-reference-books-topx-hermann-erhard-framework-for-end-times-prophecy/ PDF version: https://www.biblestudyhelps.ca/images/bible-studies/Gospels%20and%20the%20end%20times.pdf