Revelation

The unveiling of the end and a new beginning

Revelation describes, in visions full of symbols, the struggle between good and evil, God’s judgment and Christ’s final victory, ending with a new heaven and a new earth.

Historical context

It was written to seven churches in Asia Minor in a time of persecution. “Apocalypse” means “unveiling”, and the genre uses symbolic numbers and images.

Explanation

Best-known passages

The letters to the seven churches (ch. 2–3)
The four horsemen (ch. 6)
The beast and the number 666 (ch. 13)
The new Jerusalem (ch. 21–22)