The Book of Revelation and the End of the World: Are the Signs Now Being Fulfilled?

Want more on Revelation? Bart has written a new book titled "Armageddon - What the Bible Really Says about the End". In it, he examines the least-read and most-misunderstood book of the Bible. It will be out in late March, but you can pre-order here: https://bit.ly/armgddn. Pre-orders really help drive publicity, so if you're interested in the subject (and why wouldn't you be? It's The. End. Of. The. World!), get it now while it's hot!


Episode Outline:
0:00 Does Revelation really predict the end of the world?
0:56 Bart and Megan on Valentine’s Day and quiet evenings at home
2:04 Why Revelation still matters so much today
4:20 The rapture obsession, 1988 predictions, and modern end-times thinking
9:42 Why scholars do not read Revelation as a blueprint for our future
11:33 Revelation as an apocalypse: what kind of book is it?
14:40 Apocalyptic worldview vs. apocalyptic literature
16:47 The basic features of an apocalypse as a literary genre
20:14 What actually happens in the Book of Revelation?
30:23 What Revelation is really talking about in its ancient context
34:18 Why “Babylon” and the seven hills point to Rome
38:38 Why 666 points to Nero, not a modern political figure
42:48 How modern end-times readings affect politics and foreign policy
51:25 Bart’s Weekly Update: getting ready for the release of Armageddon
52:51 Listener Q&A: Jezebel, Jesus’ apocalyptic message, and Revelation’s violence
1:00:01 Final summary: Revelation as a symbolic attack on Rome

Episode Description

Since the book of Revelation first appeared there have been Christians who have insisted the violent end of the world it predicts was to happen in their own day. Each one of these prophets of doom has been wrong, of course. But was Revelation even meant to predict distant events far in the author's future? If not, how are we to understand the book? In this episode we consider how historians approach the book in light of the persistent claims that the End if now, finally, here.

Also watch these episodes:
Does the Book of Revelation Predict our Future?
Does the Book of Revelation Predict our Future?

Why is the Book of Revelation in the Bible?
Why is the Book of Revelation in the Bible?

The Coming Apocalypse! Jewish and Christian Views of the End of the World
The Coming Apocalypse! Jewish and Christian Views of the End of the World