He explores what god has clearly revealed in scripture about himself, mankind, the fall, redemption, the church, and many other essential doctrines of the christian faith. Theology for everyman is an excellent introduction to systematic theology. Looking at revelations, any sample verse will make you scratch your head if you take it literally, but serve to. Divine emissaries frequent this dark world, bringing revelations and working in secret to lift the soul out of ignorance and degradation, and restore it to its rightful place in the world of light. He was an evangelical presbyterian church historian who taught church history at pittxenia seminary 19501960 and at pittsburgh seminary 19601980. And the same voice that spoke to me before, that sounded like a trumpet, said, come up here, and i will show you what must happen after this. While helpful, this does not go a long way in identifying with absolute certainty which john wrote the book. Jm john gerstner 19141996 was a man of great passion, energy, and evangelical commitment.
He wrote it when he was about 92 years old, while a prisoner of rome on the remote desert penal colony of patmos, an island in the aegean sea. I believe the modern evangelical church reconciles matthew 24, luke 21, and mark book of john by claiming that jesus is talking about the destruction of jerusalem in 70 a. Was this person the same john that wrote 1, 2, and 3 john. The next step is to choose a monthly or yearly subscription, and then enter your payment information. Best commentaries on revelation without all that blood. Explanation of the book of the apocalypse revelations, by st. Andrew, archbishop of cesarea is the most valuable in this regard. Irenaeus mentioned that john the apostle received the visions of revelation near the end of domitians rule.
Christ will be visibly manifested in his power and glory. Elaine pagels has a persuasive answer, spectacularly illustrated. Best commentaries on revelation without all that blood moon. God gave him this revelation in order to show his servants what must happen very soon. Youre already logged in with your bible gateway account. A spiritual legacy in the introduction to his work dr. Therefore, it interests us to know how the bibles authors wrote their books. The most widelyaccepted position regarding the specific identity of this john is that he was the apostle of the same namethe son of zebedee and. Gerstner has 35 books on goodreads with 2154 ratings. Few today would contest the claim that the book of revelation stands as one of the most controversial, complicated, and esoteric books in the new testament canon. Asia minor is metaphor for the whole earth and so consider that god recognizes 7 churches, not 1.
When i recently began to apply myself to searching out the matter i. Schmidt undertook to produce a critical text and german translation of the new find. The secret book of john the secret revelation of john aeon a divine power or nature emanating from the supreme being and playing various roles in the operation of the universe ineffable defying expression barbelo the first emanation something that is emitted or radiated of god autogenes self generated pleroma of, and. The largest and most trusted library of over 1,912,000 free sermons from conservative christian churches and ministries worldwide.
John and revelation and 14 comparing thirtyeight verse pairs. Revelation employs prophecy, apocalyptic, and the form of a letter for john to make his point. The last book of the new testament is usually called the book of revelation or simply revelation. Revelation 4 ncv john sees heaven after the vision of. We would like to know how clearly god spoke to them. The two periods most often mentioned are the latter part of neros reign a. We believe that the bible is the word of god 2 timothy 3. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle. John was known to the people as john the baptist, and on the lords day, april 20, 33 ad, john the baptist was in spirit, dead. I take the place of the churches, asia minor, as a metaphor and consider that the book of revelation the vision given to john is more for people of today than people 2000 years ago.
In fact, john mentions sevens over fifty times source, p. Revelation 4 new century version ncv john sees heaven. The lords revelation about the seven churches of asia experience of explaining the first three chapters of revelations by a. Handout theology by john gerstner ligonier ministries. Later manuscripts usually have the title of the revelation of the theologian. Publisher soli deo gloria offers a unique look at systematic theology in theology in dialogue by the reformed scholar dr. The word revelation means an unveiling, a manifestation, or appearance.
Gerstner author of wrongly dividing the word of truth. In 1976, a festschrift was published in gerstner s honor. The author even had a hunch that the world might end in the 1980s. The authors reasoning is that if a person is not a theologian then they do not know god. Just before the establishing of the new heaven and new earth, which really is the beginning of eternity, there is a final thousand year period on the existing earth known as the millenium. A number of ancient church fathers, notably irenaeus, believed that the author of revelation was also the author of the gospel of john, and the epistles of 1,2 and 3 john.
Probably the most consequential vision of the future ever written is the bibles book of revelation. He earned both a master of divinity of degree and a master of theology degree from westminster theological seminary. As the story opens, the saviors disciple john is going up to the temple. Excerpt from introduction to the secret revelation of john. John and revelation and 14 comparing thirtyeight. It occupies a central place in christian eschatology. Starting your free trial of bible gateway plus is easy. Was the book of john written first or the book of revelation. Essays in reformed theology included contributions by cornelius van til, j. Revelation was written when christians were entering a time of persecution. This article will conclude our series titled who wrote the new testament. And there were open books, and one of them was the book of life. Once in berlin, the book was placed in the egyptian museum and given the official title and catalogue number of codex berolinensis gnosticus bg 8505 commonly referred to as the berlin codex.
Speaking of the apocalypse from the previous post giving that odd video. The book of revelation often called the revelation to john, apocalypse of john, the revelation from jesus christ from its opening words, the apocalypse, the revelation, or simply revelation is the final book of the new testament, and consequently is also the final book of the christian bible. Patmos was a quarry mine for the roman empire, and was home to. That is not to say that every lay theologian is savedwe must not. Traditionally, both books have been identified as coming from the same person, john the son. Your credit card wont be charged until the trial period is over. The book of revelation, which is sometimes called revelation to john, apocalypse of john, or revelation of jesus christ is the last book of the new testament in the bible. Handout theology unknown binding january 1, 1989 by john h gerstner author see all formats and editions hide other formats and editions enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Book of revelation simple english wikipedia, the free. John henry gerstner was a professor of church history at pittsburgh theological seminary and knox theological seminary and an authority on the life and theology of jonathan edwards. The book starts at the time of the writting which is approximately 100 a. Worship, politics, and devotion in the book of revelation by j.
Also, we want to know whether they understood the importance of their books. As an apocalyptic book, revelation concerns visions that are given to john that deal with the. Some of the earliest manuscripts have the title of the revelation of john. Tradition has long held that john the apostle, whom we have seen penned the fourth gospel and the three letters attributed to him, wrote the last book of scripture. Gerstner asserts that every layman must be a theologian because a theologian is a person who knows about god. The secret book of john the secret revelation of john aeon a divine power or nature emanating from the supreme being and playing various roles in the operation of the universe ineffable defying expression barbelo the first emanation something that is emitted or radiated of god autogenes self generated pleroma the totality of divine powers. Gerstner proves his charge against dispensationalist. The book the preterist archive of realized eschatology. John gerstner provides an indepth overview of systematic theology. At the present day and for a long time previously, the lutherans, ashamed of these excesses, have replaced the two epistles and the apocalypse in.
John henry gerstner november 22, 1914 march 24, 1996 was a professor of church history at pittsburgh theological seminary and knox theological seminary and very knowledgeable on the life and theology of jonathan edwards. Someone recently asked me if the same author could have written both the book of revelation and the gospel of john. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books. The book of revelation 2 tape 1, side b continued f. Aleister crowley 18751947 claimed that he was the beast prophecized in the book of revelation and took the name. Still as strange, controversial, and influential as it was nearly 2,000 years ago, the biblical book of revelation is a fountainhead of visions and dreams and nightmares, said elaine pagels the princeton university professor of religion, famous for infusing old religious debates with new urgency, was at harvard dec. John needs no introduction beyond what is given in verses 12 as jesus servant, who testified to everything he saw, and beyond what he will give in verse 9 your brother and companion.
Lots of numbers appear in revelation 12, 24, 144,000, 10, 666, but sevens just keep popping up. Sure, the hunch was wrong, but it was really good for book sales. Revelation 1 commentary the sender and the recipients. The book of revelation the end and the beginning, the new testament and the bible culminate with this glorious description of the revelation of jesus christ. John gerstner outlines and discusses the first twentysix theological subjects in his handout theology series, such as the origins of mans sense of being, as well as the profound subjects of gods providence, mans.
The book should be rightfully called the revelation according to jesus christ. I found the reading of this book delightful and instructive. Patmos was a quarry mine for the roman empire, and was home to many political and religious prisoners or slaves. This will be discussed in the study of revelation and will be more. If god didnt write it through the sainted instrument of someone named john, then who did, and why. Christ made these things known to his servant john by sending his angel to him, 2 and john has told all that he has seen. Gerstner humbly shares his spiritual indebtedness to good. Tape 2, side a chronological overview chart three the old testament character of the book of revelation. Sep 20, 2010 the person who wrote the gospel according to john and the book of revelation was beheaded. The author of the book of revelation identifies himself simply as john 1. All of historys events are culminated in this fantastic story of christs ultimate triumph over evil and the restoration of all things to their created design. The secret book of john the secret revelation of john. It is things like that statement i just dissected, things like the esoteric nature of the book of revelations, that make st.
Book dispensationalism john gerstner wrongly dividing the. He earned both a master of divinity degree and a master of theology degree from westminster theological seminary. May 31, 20 explanation of the book of the apocalypse revelations, by st. The book of revelation is unique in a number of ways, and one of those ways is how it takes three different genres and combines them into a single book. The book of revelation, often called the book of revelations, revelation to john, the apocalypse of john, the revelation, or simply revelation, the revelation of jesus christ from its opening words or the apocalypse, is the final book of the new testament, and therefore also the final book of the christian bible. As those of you familiar with the content of this website know i have held a deep interest in the thematic patterns in the scriptures for some time. While church tradition has attributed the gospel of john, the letters of john, and the book of revelation to the same authorjohn the apostle and son of zebedeeinternal and external evidence may require us to attribute them to other individuals who may or may not have also been named john. This is why the authorized king james version calls revelation the revelation of saint john the divine divine was a seventeenth. The legacy of john gerstner, presbyterian historian and. Revelation 1 niv prologue the revelation from jesus. Perhaps it should come as no surprise, then, that its reception by the early church was equally complicated and controversial. The apostle john is the author of the book of revelation. I heard they tried to kill him by boiling him, but it didnt workgod protected him so they sent him away to an island i think called platmos.
Dating the book of revelaiton and the signs of revelation part i. John, the revelation to oxford biblical studies online. Concerning two of the books that were recorded by the apostle john, the gospel of john and the book of revelation, some observant students have noted a correspondance between the th chapter of each. Gerstners assertion throughout his book that reformed soteriology necessarily eliminates dispensational ecclesiology and eschatology. Looking at revelations, any sample verse will make you scratch your head if you take it literally, but serve to make you think and observe if you take it figuratively. There isno rapture in the old testament, the gospels or the book of revelation. Justice and judgment, elisabeth scheussler fiorenza in the shadow of empire see greg careys chapter, the book of revelation as counterimperial script edited by richard horsley apocalypse and allegiance. This is an actual revelation of christs person, an outward appearance. Gerstner insists, protests to the contrary, that the dispensational system of theology is inherently and inescapably antinomian. Actually the whole bible is the revelation of jesus christ. Metropolis this 1927 german silent film borrows from the book of revelation and even has one of the main characters dance seductively on the back of a sevenheaded beast. This is his report concerning the message from god and the truth revealed by jesus christ.