Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the Book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, written around 96 CE in Asia Minor by John the Elder, probably a Christian from Ephesus. The paper describes the visions contained in the book and then discusses its structure, imagery and language, and what these reveal. The paper also looks at the opposing views on the reliability of the predictions made by the Book of Revelations.

From the Paper:

"Researchers have also found certain inaccuracies and points of contention. The troubling seven-headed Beast, which rises from the sea and demands to be worshipped as God, symbolizes Rome, the city of seven hills (BBC Team 2001). The number 666 of the Beast has led to speculations and computations, which ascribe its value to Nero. But late 19th century British archaeologists found manuscript fragments of the Book of Revelation, which give the number of the Beast as 616. This number points to the Emperor Caligula who built a statue of himself in the temple of Jerusalem. This greatly offended the Jews of the time. The image of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse was adapted from the Hebrew prophet Zacariah. The red horse was Zacariah's symbol for war and destruction, the black horse for famine, the pale horse for death, but the white horse for vengeance and salvation. The word "Armageddon" was apparently drawn from al-Megiddo, which was a place in the Jazreel Plain found in modern-day Israel. Many of John the Seer's own battles occurred in this place in the first century. He could have envisioned Megiddo as the suitable location for the final battle between good and evil (BBC Team)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• BBC Team. Revelation. Religion and Ethics: British Broadcasting Corporation, 2001
• Kirby, Peter. The Apocalypse of John. The Holy Bible, King James Version. Online text, 2001. Retrieved on January 29, 2008 from http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text,revelation-kjv.html
• Van Den Biesen, C. Apocalypse. The New Advent: The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. Retrieved on January 29, 2008 from http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01594b.htm
• White, L. Michael. Understanding the Book of Revelation. Apocalypse! WGBH Educational Foundation, 2008. Retrieved on January 29, 2008 from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/apocalypse/revelation/white.htm

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