Is the God of Revelation the Same as the God of Jesus?

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 Is the God of Revelation the same as the God of the rest of the New Testament?
1:02 Bart and Megan catch up on teaching and Sumerian plans
2:44 Why the question of God’s consistency across the Bible matters
4:24 Is the “Old Testament wrath / New Testament love” contrast too simplistic?
8:18 How much of Revelation’s violence is directly attributed to God?
11:19 Does Revelation describe God with the same language as the rest of the New Testament?
14:10 What does divine wrath look like elsewhere in the New Testament?
16:22 Who gets judged in Revelation, and how is that different from Jesus’ teaching?
21:04 Is Revelation about judgment or retribution?
23:30 Do we see vengeance theology like this elsewhere in the New Testament?
25:37 How Christians have tried to reconcile Revelation’s God with the rest of scripture
33:39 Bart’s Weekly Update: looking ahead to spring break and mountain-house work time
35:18 Listener Q&A: Nero, original sin, and where eternal hell came from
48:33 Final summary: why Revelation’s God stands out
Episode Description

In this episode we consider the portrayal of God in the book of Revelation. Is he a God of love who seeks what is best for those he created? Or at least for those who seek to obey him? Does the book of Revelation provide hope for those who are unjustly suffering now? Or is God instead portrayed as a God of wrath and vengeance who shows no mercy on his enemies? If so, is this the God of love and forgiveness preached by Jesus himself? Would Jesus recognize John of Patmos as one of his followers?

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?

Am I Going to Hell? What the New Testament Says About Death and the Afterlife
Am I Going to Hell? What the New Testament Says About Death and the Afterlife

In this episode, Bart addresses such questions as:

-For people who are familiar with both the old and new testaments, god appears to have a fundamentally different character. OT Yahweh is often spoken of in terms of wrath, and vengeance, while the NT god can be characterized by love and forgiveness. Generally speaking. Is this a result of people not actually reading the Bible the whole way through?

-Revelation is an incredibly violent book. How much of this violence can be directly attributed to god, and do we see anything similar in the rest of the NT?

-How does John’s language choice in Revelation reflect his views on the character of God?

-Do we see of the wrath of god in the rest of the NT?

-Jesus talks about god’s judgment elsewhere in the NT, and Revelation shows clearly what John thinks that judgment will look like. How do Jesus’ thoughts on the matter line up with what John writes? Are the right people being judged, and are the punishments as Jesus described?

-Is what John describes in revelation judgment, or should it be more accurately be viewed as retribution?

-Does Jesus seem to expect god to enact retribution, or is this a concept that’s restricted to Revelation?

-Many Christians obviously have a vested interest in trying to align the character of God in Revelation with that seen in the rest of the NT; how is this typically done, and are any of their arguments convincing?