Why is the Book of Revelation in the Bible?

Bart has written a new book on Revelation, 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 Why is the Book of Revelation in the Bible at all?
0:57 Bart and Megan on March Madness, sports, and visiting family
3:35 Why Revelation’s place in the canon is such a big question
5:12 How early Christians reacted to Revelation
9:50 Was Revelation really written by the apostle John?
13:35 Why early Christians were troubled more by Revelation’s materialism than its violence
17:31 Why Revelation was ultimately accepted into the canon
22:45 Augustine, the millennium, and the reinterpretation that changed everything
26:16 Why Revelation has become popular again in modern times
29:58 Bart’s final reflections on why understanding Revelation matters
33:31 Bart’s Weekly Update: working on a book about how Jesus’ ethics changed the world
35:28 Bart’s Soapbox: why scholars misuse Papias in arguments about Mark
41:20 Final summary: how Revelation survived canon debates

Episode Description

Revelation is the least read and most misunderstood book of the New Testament. Many readers wonder why it is in there at all. In this episode we consider the debates about Revelation in the early Church, seeing why numerous church leaders found it offensive (for reasons modern readers would not expect) and why eventually it came to be included in the canon anyway.

-Martin Luther had difficulty understanding Revelation as part of the NT - he certainly wasn’t the first person to have that struggle. How was the book received among early Christians?

Also watch these episodes:

Does the Book of Revelation Predict our Future?
Does the Book of Revelation Predict our Future?

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

Megan asks Bart:

-Do we have records of what people thought about it before the canon was finalized?

-Were early Christians more concerned about the graphic violence in the book, or about the heavily materialistic nature of the kingdom of heaven?

-Revelation was ultimately accepted as scripture. What was it that led Christian leaders to overlook its challenges and include it in the NT?

-Revelation seems to have enjoyed something of a renaissance in recent decades, with the rise of prophecy writers and popular media like the Left Behind books and movies. Has Revelation always been this popular, or is it a peculiarity of modern times?