For the sake of time, we'll mention just two. First, within the New Testament, the designation of Christ as the "word" or "logos" is found only in Revelation and John , Similar language also appears in 1 John And second, Jesus' statement "Whoever is thirsty, let him come" in Revelation is paralleled in the New Testament only by his statement "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink" in John Despite these strong arguments supporting the apostle John as the author of the book of Revelation, critics as early as the third century have disputed his authorship.
For example, the third century bishop, Dionysius of Alexandria, pointed out that the author of Revelation identified himself as John, while the author of John's gospel and letters never told us his name. Dionysius also called attention to other differences between Revelation and John's other works, such as their different literary styles and use of Greek.
And some critics continue to make similar objections today. Of course, there are good explanations for why one author might have produced works that look different. For example, John may have attached his name to this work so that people would be certain that it came from an authoritative source. Or he may have stated his name because he had been commissioned by Christ himself to deliver this book to seven specific churches. And just because John didn't name himself in some writings is no reason to conclude that he would never name himself in any writings.
Furthermore, the stylistic differences between Revelation and John's other writings can also be easily explained. The visions John recorded in the book of Revelation are very different from the revelation he received during Jesus' earthly ministry.
Also, unlike John's other biblical writings, Revelation was written in an apocalyptic style, which probably occasioned many of the differences in his literary style and use of Greek. These differences might also have resulted from John's different purposes for writing and even from his different relationships with his various original audiences.
In summary, the evidence favoring the apostle John's authorship substantially outweighs the evidence against it. For this reason, in these lessons we'll affirm the traditional view that the book of Revelation was written by the apostle John. Having spoken of the apostle John as the author of Revelation, let's turn to John's location and experience when he wrote the book. According to Revelation , John wrote the book of Revelation while he was on Patmos, a small island in the Aegean Sea, approximately forty miles southwest of Ephesus.
Patmos is a rocky and barren place, virtually devoid of trees. Its unpleasantness made it a good location to punish popular people who were perceived as threats to the civil order of the Roman Empire. And Revelation strongly implies that John had been exiled to Patmos. While John was enduring these harsh conditions, he received several visions from Christ. And the book of Revelation is John's record of and commentary on these visions.
On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea" Revelation Here, and in other passages like Revelation , John made it clear that he wrote in obedience to this command from God. God was going to show him a vision, and John was to record this vision and send it to these seven churches in Asia Minor.
Knowing that the book of Revelation resulted from a supernatural vision given to John has led some interpreters to diminish the importance of John as the author of this book. After all, if it's just a record of a vision, then what difference does its author make? What possible input could John have made?
I think that when we think about how the Holy Spirit worked with people in the production of Scripture as God's Word and as a human word, that we can say both, that these are human writers that are thinking things through, and they're articulating what they understand and what they want to make known, and we can see that the Holy Spirit is shaping them and working with them and guiding them in the things that are written.
There are some cases where the Holy Spirit is just directly telling people what to write, so we have some dictation, we have clear oracles.
But in other cases, you've got the literary artistry of a human author, and he's expressing things in cultural forms in the way that he wants them to be understood, and God is working with those free decisions to make them exactly what he wants.
It is a compatibility of God's sovereign direction and human responsibility to do things. It's God's word, it's a human word altogether.
John E. The Spirit uses the different circumstances, the different personalities, the different vocabularies, the different historical chronology of each person and highlights that in such a way as to bring the optimum amount of clarity to the particular truth that is being demonstrated by the argument of the writer.
And so throughout Scripture what we have is this complete interaction of the gifts, and the historical background, and the knowledge, and the experiences of the writers, and at the same time, the particular activities of the Holy Spirit in guiding them to use all of these personal gifts which God in his providence has prepared them to have — using all these personal gifts in a way to create a book of divine revelation that is precisely as he would have it to be including all of the literature types, and all the historical narratives, and all of the angst of the writers.
All of this is a matter of divine superintendence and divine revelation without, in any sense, destroying the genuine personality and history of the writers. Thomas J. With the possible exception of the letters in chapters 2 and 3, God revealed visions to John, not the actual words he was to write. Generally speaking, John wrote about his visions in his own words.
So in this regard, the book of Revelation is a lot like the Gospel of John. First, John observed the events of Jesus' life. Later, he reported those events in his gospel, in a way that was designed to meet the particular needs of his audience.
In much the same way, John observed the visions he reported in the book of Revelation. Then he wrote his book as a true record of his experiences. And as we'll see in these lessons, John selected and arranged the material in the book of Revelation in ways that addressed the needs of his original audience. Like the rest of the Bible, the book of Revelation was inspired by God.
The Holy Spirit superintended John's work so that everything he wrote was true and authoritative. But as we'll see throughout these lessons, John was still an active, thinking author. With the possible exception of the letters in chapters 2 and 3, John didn't receive dictation from Jesus. He was responsible for recalling his vision, for understanding it, and for presenting it in his own words.
Now that we've considered John's location and experience when he wrote the book of Revelation, let's look at the date when he composed it. Evangelical interpreters generally point to one of two probable dates for the writing of Revelation: either an early date during the time of the Roman emperor Nero, or a late date in the time of the Roman emperor Domitian. We'll consider both these dates, beginning with the time of Nero. The Roman emperor Nero reigned from A. In Nero's early years, competent advisors had great influence with him.
But over time his rule degenerated dramatically. Nero is notorious for having blamed Christians for the fire of Rome in A. Emperor Nero undertook this persecution in the middle of the first century mainly to use Christians as scapegoats. Fire broke out in the city of Rome, and Emperor Nero was known for his urban renewal projects, so with that fire hitting the landscape very heavily and then other forces coming in and clearing out buildings some felt unnecessarily, there were a number who felt that they were really on the receiving end of the urban renewal project, and it was the emperor's fault.
So there was an uprising threatened. He was looking for someone to blame it on and attached that to the Christians. And in that, various forms of torture were employed to try and extract from the Christians an admission that they were behind this.
James D. Smith III]. The arguments for dating the book of Revelation during the late years of Nero's reign are based on at least three pieces of information.
The first main evidence is John's reference to seven kings. In Revelation 17, John described a scarlet beast with seven heads and ten horns. And in verses , he said that the seven heads represented seven kings. Most interpreters agree that these seven kings were Roman emperors.
Julius Caesar is sometimes counted as the first emperor of Rome. In fact, in Revelation , we find the detail that the sixth king of Rome was in power when John received his vision and wrote the book of Revelation. This reference has led many interpreters to conclude that John's Apocalypse was written during the reign of Nero.
A second major argument that John wrote during Nero's reign comes from John's reference to the Jewish temple. In particular, John mentioned the temple in Revelation 11, and some scholars interpret this to mean that the Jewish temple in Jerusalem was still standing when Revelation was written. But history records that the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in A. So, if the temple was still standing when Revelation was written, it's likely that the book of Revelation was written during the reign of Nero.
The third factor that may point to a date in Nero's time is that John wrote during a period of persecution. The book of Revelation frequently mentions the fact that John's readers were suffering. We can see this in Revelation ; , 10, 13; and And as we have already said, Nero was well-known for promoting the persecution of Christians.
He wasn't the only Roman emperor to do this, but he was the first to do so in a noteworthy manner, even if his persecutions were generally limited to the area around Rome. The Roman emperor Nero who reigned from was known to be a pretty brutal emperor. He also was known to persecute many people in a number of ways. For example, he killed members of his own family, and he was probably the first Roman emperor to really persecute Christians.
Now how did he do that? Well, we have an ancient historian named Tacitus who tells us that some Christians were covered with pitch and burned actually as lamps in Rome. Some were put inside of the skins of wild beasts and fed to the animals, and some were also said to be nailed to crosses. Brandon Crowe].
Although there's no specific historical evidence that the persecution under Nero spread beyond Rome to other parts of the Empire, this possibility can't be ruled out. So, this can also be seen as supporting a date during Nero's reign. But while the arguments favoring a date in Nero's reign have some merit, they aren't entirely convincing. In fact, a number of objections have been raised against them. First, Julius Caesar wasn't actually an emperor.
His successor Augustus was the first to claim that title. So, Julius Caesar might not be the first of the seven kings mentioned in Revelation Second, as we've seen, Revelation 11 mentions the temple. But John was told in Revelation that all but the outer court of this temple would be protected from the Gentiles.
In contrast to this, in Matthew , Jesus himself had already predicted that the temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed by the Gentiles. So, it's difficult to be sure that Revelation 11 refers to the temple that was destroyed in A. Third, while it's possible that Nero's persecution spread to Asia Minor, there is no historical evidence that it actually did. So, it's difficult to tie John's descriptions of Christian persecution directly to Nero. Because of problems like these, a majority of evangelicals prefer a later date for the book of Revelation.
Now that we've looked at the arguments for a date in the days of Nero, let's turn to the evidence suggesting that John wrote the book of Revelation during the reign of Domitian.
Scholars who favor a late date for the writing of Revelation tend to place it during the reign of the Roman emperor Domitian, who ruled from A. At least four factors can be cited in favor of this date for the writing of Revelation. First, several early church fathers indicated that the book was written at this time.
For instance, in his work Against Heresies , book 5, chapter 30, section 3, the early church father Irenaeus reported that Revelation was written "toward the end of Domitian's reign. So, there is good reason to trust his testimony on this matter. This date also concurs with the testimony given by some of the church fathers in the early second century, such as Clement of Alexandria, who implied that John was released from exile upon Domitian's death.
A second factor favoring a date in Domitian's reign is the same reference to seven kings that some interpreters use to support a date in Nero's reign. As we've seen, in Revelation , John explained that the seven heads on the scarlet beast were seven kings. Those who argue for a date in Domitian's reign argue that all seven kings are presented as severe persecutors of the church. So, rather than counting all the Roman emperors, they count only those emperors who persecuted the church in significant ways.
By this reckoning, Caligula was the first emperor. He reigned from A. Claudius, was the second, reigning from A. Nero was the third, reigning from A. Following Nero, three minor emperors are ignored, because they did not significantly contribute to the persecution of the church. The fourth emperor that persecuted the church was Vespasian, who reigned from A.
The fifth was Titus, who reigned from A. And the sixth, during whose reign Revelation would have been written, was Domitian, who ruled from A. Domitianus was the son of Vespasian and the brother of Titus. Now, what you need to know about that is Vespasian and Titus were responsible, personally, for the Fall of Jerusalem in A. So, one of the things that you can say about that family is that they were not very Jewish-friendly, to say the least.
So, it's not a surprise that Domitianus would be an emperor who would persecute a sect that he would see as sort of a split-off from Judaism.
The persecution seems to have been sporadic, rather than systematic. It seems to have been more regional that it was empire-wide, but it was nonetheless vicious. Ben Witherington III]. Domitian went after everybody, and he was so much hated by the people that after a while, they actually scratched his name out of inscriptions for things like amphitheaters that were dedicated to him, and so they actually went through the empire and wiped out his name because he was so widely hated.
Why was he hated? Well, because he crushed any opposition to himself that he saw was out there. The persecution of Jews is better known to us really than the persecution of Christians, but there's no doubt that it was severe in both cases, and as a result of that, many who place Revelation at the very end of the first century will sense that the beast or the monster that's being addressed in Revelation is, in fact, Domitian.
He was, even more than Nero, most likely crazy, certifiably crazy. He was one who in his own habits loved to see women and dwarfs battle, would catch insects and stab them repeatedly with needles — these are recorded by some of those who watched him — and ultimately he was executed, murdered by a former slave of his who came back and saw an opening and just couldn't take it anymore. So he was the far edge in many ways of imperial insanity. According to many historians, Domitian persecuted the church outside Rome more extensively than any prior emperor had.
For example, in A. These "calamities and mischances" suggest a more systematic persecution of Christians during Domitian's reign. He is reported to have feared the coming of Christ. And he was even said to have executed his own cousin, the Roman consul Flavius Clemens, because Flavius was a Christian. A fourth reason suggesting a date in Domitian's time is that Domitian required emperor worship.
What we also know by the time of Domitian is that you've had the growing progress of the Emperor Cult. And the Emperor Cult goes all the way back to the beginning of the days of the empire with Augustus. But by the time you get to Domitianus, he's saying things like, "You should worship me while I'm alive.
But by the time you get to the end of the first century A. He ran around saying, "Just worship me as ' Deus et dominus noster. And it's very frequent language used of Jesus in the book of Revelation as well.
So, it does seem that the context of the book of Revelation, is a time of the rise of emperor worship and of the consequent persecution of Christians in places like Asia Minor which is where those churches were. The theme of emperor worship appears in several portions of the book of Revelation. For instance, the beast that represents the seven kings in Revelation also requires people to worship him in Revelation 13, 14 and This motif may indicate that Revelation was written during a time when the Roman emperor required Christians to worship him.
There is no evidence that Nero demanded that people worship him. But Domitian clearly did. Christians met his disfavor whenever they refused to acknowledge his claim to be "god and lord. He also had gold and silver statues of himself placed in the temples to the Roman gods. But the view that John wrote during the time of Domitian also has its weaknesses.
For instance, John never said that the seven kings in chapter 17 were significant persecutors of the church. And he never mentioned the destruction of the physical temple in Jerusalem in A. The precise time when John wrote the book of Revelation can't be identified with certainty.
But there seems to be more support for the view that it was written during Domitian's reign. Interpreters who support this view usually suggest a date around A. In these lessons, none of our interpretations will hinge on a specific date for the book of Revelation.
Instead, we'll focus on the fact that it was written sometime during the latter half of the first century, at a time when believers were being persecuted for their faith, and pressured to worship the emperor.
John explicitly addressed Revelation to seven churches in Asia Minor, in an area that's now part of western Turkey. Each church received encouragement, and when necessary, rebukes, according to its condition. Revelation, its central purpose, its central message is number one, to inform the seven churches of their position in Christ. Just as he suffered and was victorious, so too, they will suffer and will be victorious. That's a theme that permeates the entire book. Secondly, it is they need to put their faith and trust in God's sovereignty, Christ's sovereignty and the Spirit's sovereignty.
Because Christ was put to death and rose again, he's now the conquering hero. He is the conquering lion. He is victorious, and he has conquered the Evil One. So he is sovereign.
God, Christ and the Spirit are all sovereign, and they can now rest in God's sovereignty in the midst of trials, in the midst of persecution, in the midst of false teaching. They need to rely on him because they are undergoing severe persecution, severe trials, severe testing, and it's very easy for them to commit idolatry, to become part of the world's system, but instead they need to rely on God's sovereign hand.
Benjamin Gladd]. Historians and the book of Revelation itself explain that Christians living in these cities faced all kinds of temptations and pressures to turn from the true Christian faith. Like many Christians in every age, they felt pressured to compromise their faith.
The New Testament writers give us a lot of practical advice about how to deal with trial and suffering in our lives. We see this, of course, in the book of Revelation in the encouragement to overcome, to be faithful in the midst of great pressure to disavow your relationship with Christ, or just to compromise your economic life, or your sexual life in relation to the lordship of Jesus.
A couple of things that we see in the book of Revelation and really throughout the New Testament that are practical helps in facing suffering are, number one, fellowship with other believers, the importance of really seeing in the fellowship not only of worship but of encouragement, of also sharing economically with one another, this sense of security that comes from that being gathered together as God's people in fellowship.
Another thing that we see as a resource in the book of Revelation in particular are these songs of lament where, as we see in the Old Testament in the Psalms, as we see in the voice of Jesus as he picks up the Psalms, like Psalm 22 from the cross, but also in the hymns that we see in the book of Revelation is "how long"? How long, O Lord, will the martyrs have to suffer?
When, Lord, will you come and bring deliverance to your people? Lament really is about a sense of justice, and we know that that sense of justice is rooted in the character of God, because the Lord is just. We question unjust circumstances, and we long for his deliverance and for his salvation. So I see in the fellowship of believers and in the language of lament two very, very important resources, practical resources, in facing trial and suffering, and even temptation as God's people.
Greg Perry]. The churches of Asia Minor faced many sources of pressure to compromise their beliefs and practices. But for our purposes in this lesson, we'll focus on four problems that characterized their circumstances. First, pagan trade guilds pressured Christians to worship false gods. In the first century, trade guilds existed throughout Asia Minor. These were groups of laborers and professionals that organized for economic purposes.
Everyone, including Christians, needed to join these trade guilds if they hoped to do much business in their communities. This social practice presented a serious challenge to followers of Christ, because each guild had a patron deity, and members of the guild were expected to show their allegiance to that deity.
Christians who refused to show allegiance to the patron deity of a guild were often excluded from business dealings with its members. A second pressure to compromise came from Jewish communities that were spread throughout Asia Minor in the first century.
For the most part, religions in the Roman Empire could only be practiced in the countries of their origin. One notable exception to this law was Judaism. Jewish synagogues were in operation in most significant cities in Asia Minor. Early on, the Romans viewed Christianity as a sect of Judaism, with the result that Christianity could be legally practiced throughout the empire. But as the Jews began to disassociate themselves from Christian believers, Christianity lost its legal status in most parts of the empire, putting Christians at risk of punishment and persecution from the government.
As a result, Christians felt pressure to conform to Judaism, and even to abandon their faith in Christ. A third pressure to compromise true Christian faith came from the Roman government, which demanded that Christians worship the emperor and the Roman gods. Because the Jewish community rejected the Christian church, the government required Christians to participate in public worship of the Roman gods.
And in Domitian's day, this even included an affirmation that the emperor was a god. If Christians refused to join in this idolatry, they could be accused of atheism — a crime that carried severe consequences, and could even result in execution. In order to preserve their physical safety, many Christians felt pressured to engage in this false worship. Sadly, in addition to pressures to conform that came from outside the church, a fourth pressure actually came from wayward Christians.
The Bible doesn't give us many details about the problems in the churches of Asia Minor. But the letters to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3 do list several specific troubles caused by people within the Christian community. For example, the immoral teachings of Balaam are referred to in Revelation A group called the Nicolaitans is condemned in Revelation , And a false prophetess named Jezebel is mentioned in Revelation Moreover, these wayward Christians appear to have been pressuring other Christians to join in their false practices.
But not all wayward Christians joined these heretical sects. Some simply gave up their faith and rejoined the pagan religions that surrounded them. One interesting record of this comes from Pliny the Younger, who was governor of Pontus and Bithynia from A.
Others named by the informer declared that they were Christians, but then denied it, asserting that they had been but had ceased to be… some as much as twenty-five years [ago]. It was from Thyatira that Lydia, a seller of purple and convert to Christianity, had come Acts Acts And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended to the things which were spoken of Paul. Inscriptions at the site reveal the existence of trade guilds, many of them associated with the powerful textile industry.
Christ says about this congregation: "I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first. Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols" Revelation Revelation [19] I know your works, and charity, and service, and faith, and your patience, and your works; and the last to be more than the first.
Since Thyatira was a religious center, and the home of powerful guilds demanding religious participation of their workers in their banquets, it was difficult for Christians to resist falling into idolatry. But membership involved attendance at guild banquets, and this in turn meant eating meat which had first been sacrificed to an idol. What was a Christian to do? If he did not conform he was out of a job. That these meals all too readily degenerated into sexual looseness made matters worse.
But we can understand that some Christians would welcome a heresy of this type. It enabled them to maintain a Christian profession while countenancing and even engaging in immoral heathen revels" Tyndale New Testament Commentaries , , p. Christ reminds the Thyatiran brethren they must come out of that worldly society, no matter how enticing it appeared, and not compromise with the truth.
He promises to those of Thyatira who remain faithful that they will be arrayed, not in Thyatiran purple, a cloth used mainly by Roman royalty, but at His coming with the spiritual mantle of rulership over the nations. He tells them that "he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—'He shall rule them with a rod of iron; they shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels'—as I also have received from My Father" Revelation Revelation [26] And he that overcomes, and keeps my works to the end, to him will I give power over the nations: [27] And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
Poised above the rich Hermus Valley, Sardis was 30 miles south of Thyatira. The city appeared as a gigantic watchtower and was considered impregnable. Five roads converged below it and contributed to Sardis's status as a great commercial center. The wealth of the city—which had been the capital of the Lydian Empire under the opulent King Croesus—was legendary.
Christ exhorts this church, "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God" Revelation Revelation Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found your works perfect before God.
The Sardian brethren could readily identify with a warning to be watchful. The only two times Sardis had been conquered were when its citizens had become overconfident and failed to watch.
Once, when King Cyrus of Persia besieged the city, the Sardians, nestled in their fortress high above, paid little attention to the invader. Cyrus could not find a way to get up to the citadel and even offered a reward to the soldier who discovered a pathway.
Sometime later a vigilant Persian soldier spied a defender who had accidentally dropped his helmet from above. The careless soldier climbed down a secret pathway to retrieve it, and that night the Persians led their troops up the same pathway and to the top. To their surprise, the site was completely unguarded. The watchmen had gone home to sleep, thinking there was no need to keep guard at night—and so Sardis fell. Incredibly, several centuries later the same sequence of events occurred when a Greek general besieged the city.
After a year's siege the Greeks appeared to lose all hope of conquering the city. Then one of the Sardian soldiers dropped a helmet and retrieved it. That night the Greeks led some men up the steep cliff. When they reached the top, the place was again unguarded. Sardis's inhabitants had forgotten their lesson, and their city fell again.
Christ uses this lesson to drive home a powerful spiritual point to His Church: "Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you" verse 3. About 25 miles southeast of Sardis lay the city of Philadelphia, newest of the seven cities. An imperial road passed through it from Rome to the east, so it became known as "the gateway to the East.
Christ says to this church: "These things says He who is holy, He who is true. Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
Christ emphasizes His loyalty to His true followers and reminds them to be equally faithful to Him. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea!
Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, 18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. This is the first resurrection.
This is the second death. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. And having turned I saw And his head and his hair were white as white wool And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. The number seven is used in the Book of Revelation in a symbolic sense, to indicate "totality" or "perfection".
The Apostle is ordered by the apparition Son of Man to write seven letters respectively to the seven churches of Asia Minor, commending their steadfastness in spite of persecutions, exhorting them to forbear until the final deliverance and warning them against apostasy.
The further visions of St John include the opening of the seven seals of the scrolls in the hands of the Son of Man ; the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse; the angels blowing the seven trumpets before the throne of God; and the seven visions including the vision of Satan as the seven-headed dragon.
The vicious persecution of the Christians after the great fire of 64 A. The occult number for Satan mentioned in Revelation, , is the numerical equivalent of Nero's name. The other visions of the Book of Revelation include the seven-headed Whore of Babylon said to represent licentious Rome ; the final defeat of Satan at Armageddon; the Last Judgment and the Millennial reign of Christ; and the founding of New Jerusalem. The Book of Revelation has the distinction of being the only book of the Bible whose literary character is apocalyptic in its entirety.
It also contains numerous allusions to the prophecies in the various Old Testament books, such as Isaiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel.
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