• Like Jude, Revelation experienced some difficulty being received by the early church as canonical, or authoritative.
• Several matters created problems for the church readily receiving Revelation:
• First, an early heretical group of Christians meeting in Phrygia under their leader Montanus claimed that Jesus would return to earth during the reign of their leader and establish his kingdom in Pepuza, Phrygia. The group was extremely charismatic at a time when the early church had serious questions regarding sensational charismatic prophets and groups. The problem was that Revelation was their favorite text. This caused Christians to look askance on Revelation as being Apostolic and authoritative.
• A second reason, which still causes some to neglect Revelation, is the strange language and idiom adopted by John in writing the book. Although Christians were familiar with the Apocalyptic style adopted by John, it still caused some to feel strange about the book.
• Nevertheless, finally Revelation met the standards demanded by the early church for canonicity and being considered apostolic and authoritative.
• The view of the early church, once Revelation was accepted as canonical, was that it had been written by the Apostle John during the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian.
  This view is fairly universally adopted by scholars today, the date of writing commonly agreed on for the Revelation being AD 96-98.
• The writer claims to be someone with the name of John (Rev 1:1, 4, 9). He does not identify himself as an Apostle, but he obviously was one accepted by Jesus and God as someone respected by the churches in Asia, and John writes as one with authority. His being the Apostle John is well within the realm of possibility although many scholars question this for several reasons which lie outside the realm of this study.
• Revelation was written to seven churches in the Roman province of Asia during the closing years of the first century AD (Rev 1:4, 11).
• The sociological, political, and religious contexts of Christianity in Asia at this time indicate the beginning of cultural, pagan, Jewish, and Roman provincial opposition and even a incipient (early form of) persecution.
• Revelation is not about the end of the world, for John clearly states that it has to do with "what must soon take place" (and soon normally in any language means soon!), adding to this that an urgent crisis "time is near" (Teacher: Have several in the class read Rev 1:1-3 from several of the major translations, the KJV, ASV, NASV, RSV, NRSV, NIV).
• In Revelation God was warning John and the churches on Asia of an imminent crisis or period of suffering and persecution that was about to break in on the church.
• God was calling his saints and churches to remain faithful, and to not compromise their faith with paganism and the Roman Imperial Cult (which cult encouraged citizens to venerate and worship the Roman Emperor).
• By maintaining their faith without compromise Christians would inevitably face opposition and persecution, even martyrdom. God promises those who die faithfully that he would transform their martyrdom and suffering into a magnificent victory over Satan and his agent, Rome.
• God through Jesus promised that he would soon come in judgment on those churches who compromised their faith and refused to repent (Rev 2, 3 and the seven letters to the seven churches, five of which contain stern calls for repentance, two of which commend the churches for their faithfulness), and upon those who opposed his church (those who dwell on the earth, who have received the mark of the beast, that is, Rome and those who choose to follow Rome in their persecution of the saints).
• The language and idiom of Revelation is highly symbolic and figurative, and one in which John drew heavily on Old Testament symbols, and a style identified by scholars as apocalyptic (apocalyptic is the language and idiom of suffering and persecution). The symbols and numbers of Revelation should not be interpreted literally, but should be seen in their figurative and idiomatic context.
• The theology or message of Revelation can be summed up in one word, VICTORY!
• Revelation is a book (a letter from God and Jesus to the church) calling the church to faithfulness without compromise with the world, and about the victory in Christ Christians have over Satan and his worldly agents.  Who the worldly agents might be in the case of Revelation is important.  Scholarly opinion is that they the Roman Empire as a world power that set itself against God and his church.
• Although Revelation is a first century book with a message to first century churches; the message is true and relevant for all ages.
• A key word in Revelation is "conquer" or "overcome". In the context of Revelation one conquers or defeats Satan and Rome by dying as a martyr. Conquering or Overcoming are synonyms in Revelation for Martyrdom.

Key Texts in Revelation:

Teacher: Be selective in reading these as you do not have tome for too many. Be sure to read or refer to the texts in bold italics.