The Book of Revelation - A Message of Hope

The word "revelation" in Rev. 1:1 is from a Greek word that means an unveiling or an uncovering. The term applies to what was previously hidden or covered but is now revealed or uncovered. In the context of Rev. 1:1, what is revealed is a message "of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants." It is a "revelation of Jesus" because having received it from the Father, He reveals it to His bond-servants through the apostle John (cf., Joh 12:49).

Revelation is a controversial book, and we may wade into some of these controversies from time to time. However, this will not be the intent of this study. Instead, we will attempt to put ourselves into the shoes of John and the first recipients of this book. For example, how did they understand the time element of the book? Did they see it as a revelation of the church s history throughout the ages until the end of time or of events more than two millennia in the future? Or, did they understand the revelation to be about matters which "must soon take place"? We will be discussing these things in greater detail in our introductory lesson this Thursday (Sept 2) and, to a lesser extent, in the weekly studies that follow.

This will be a face-to-face AND an online study. The venue will be at the Panera Bread, located at 11860 Bruce B Downs Blvd, Tampa, and the day and time will be Thursday at 7 p.m. The link to join us online is the same for the Meetup on Tuesday https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88414378122.

I look forward to meeting you as we share the blessings of God s word. Stay healthy and stay in the word. -- Kieran

PS. If you have any questions you would like to address with me, please don t hesitate to ask.