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The focus isn't solely on the apocalypse -

A lot of people believe that the book of Revelation is just an apocalyptic account of what's about to happen, but its author John's main focus was on the return of Jesus Christ.

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The focus is not solely on the apocalypse -

In 70 CE, John experienced a tragic event in history when Jerusalem was severely damaged by the Romans. It was believed that Jesus would come back to defeat the Romans and seek justice for his death and the suffering of Christians.

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The focus is not solely on the apocalypse -

This kind of anti-Roman propaganda convinced Christians that their leader and rescuer would come back during their lifetime. How do you keep Christians motivated to, well, continue being Christians? Share an intriguing tale with them.

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The Apocalypse could be a horror movie script -

Certain sections of the Book of Revelation contain violent content, particularly in regards to the Apocalypse. Let us begin our discussion with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and their distinctive steeds.

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The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse -

Revelation 9:17-19 provides details about the appearance of these horses: "The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur." Wouldn't you say that's pretty intimidating? But there's more to it!

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The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse -

"The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury." No one would have any truck with these horses!

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Mankind is about to get really bad -

They're literally cooked by the Sun, bombarded with massive hailstones, and then the Sun goes pitch black while the Moon takes on a blood-red hue. And if that isn't enough, the stars rain down from the sky, followed by a massive earthquake. Yep, those times are seriously rough!

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It gets even worse -

There's an account of locusts whose "faces resembled human faces. Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth."  Additionally, they possessed a scorpion-like sting, but they were prohibited from causing any fatalities. Rather, these locusts would torment individuals for a period of five months. The nature of this situation is profoundly disturbing.

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Revelation ended up in the Bible because of a single person -

The process of compiling the Bible, also known as the official collection, spanned several years. During this time, numerous books were evaluated, including the notable inclusion of the Book of Revelation. Athanasius, a highly influential priest, played a crucial role in this endeavor.

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Revelation ended up in the Bible because of a single person -

Despite facing exile and deposition five times, Athanasius championed the power of Revelation. He believed it could stand against anyone opposing the Church. Surprisingly, his credibility led to the book's inclusion in the New Testament, even when others doubted its worth.

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Author of the Book of Revelation? -

The authorship of Revelation is a subject of debate involving multiple individuals named John in the Bible, including Jesus' apostle and the writer of one of the Gospel accounts.

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Author of the Book of Revelation? -

The use of similar words has bolstered the argument for those who hold the belief that the author of the Book of John and the Book of Revelation are one and the same. However, this viewpoint is not shared by everyone.

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Who really wrote the Revelation? -

John the apostle mentions his own name multiple times in his book, but surprisingly does not follow the same style in Revelation, omitting any self-reference, which clearly wasn't his style.

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Who really wrote the Revelation? -

Both authors use different Greek words to refer to Jesus as the lamb. Additionally, the apostle's Greek writing style is more refined. The author of Revelation does not appear to be a native speaker.

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He was no ordinary Christian -

During that time, Christianity experienced divisions among its various groups, and John, believed to be a Jew, regarded Jesus as the Jewish Messiah.

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John's strict opinions -

The book contains various clues provided by the author. For example, the author didn't support gentiles (non-Jews) becoming Jesus' followers without adhering to the rules outlined in the Torah.

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John's strict opinions -

John did not support the acceptance of gentiles in churches and referred to one as a "synagogue of Satan."

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666 has no connection with Satan -

The number 666 is often associated with the devil. However, according to Revelation 13:18,  "This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666."

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666 has no connection with Satan -

However, this number is not associated with any evil connotations. It actually corresponds to an individual's identity, as mentioned in the book of Revelation. Experts suggest that this person is none other than Emperor Nero.

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What method was used for the calculation? -

The information was obtained through gematria, a Hebrew numerology practice that assigns values to letters.

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Why Nero? -

Nero treated Christians in a very harsh manner, resorting to burning them alive. This made him a strong contender for the title of the beast.

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What about the mark of the beast, then? -

The mark mentioned in Revelation 13:16-17 is thought to refer to Roman coins or stamps used by the empire.

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When the end of the world didn't happen -

There have been multiple unsuccessful predictions of the Apocalypse, all of which were based on Revelation. One such prediction was made by Scottish mathematician John Napier, who forecasted the world's end in either 1688 or 1700.

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When the predicted apocalypse never arrived -

German clergyman Johann Bengel predicted in 1836 that the world would begin to decline.

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Unsuccessful apocalypse forecasts -

Additionally, there have been contemporary cases, like the Branch Davidian sect, where the members sadly perished in the infamous Waco incident in Texas, in 1993. Moreover, in recent times, end-times conspiracy theorist David Meade also failed to accurately predict the apocalypse in both 2017 and 2018.

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More books on the apocalypse -

Other Jewish apocalyptic writings exist such as IV (or 4) Ezra, also known as the Apocalypse of Esdras, which rivals the Book of Revelation in significance.

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The location where Revelation was written -

According to Revelation 1:9, John's whereabouts were noted as the Greek island of Patmos where he wrote.

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The location where Revelation was written -

A cave, encircled by a monastery, is believed to be the spot where the author wrote the book. Despite lacking evidence, its significance led to its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Revelation shaped America's Middle East policy -

Evangelicals hold significant sway in American politics and view Israel's significance in relation to the prophecy outlined in Revelation. The belief that Jewish people must return to Israel and embrace Christ as their savior before Jesus' return is a key aspect of this perspective.

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Seeing events in different ways -

Preterism regards the events in Revelation as having already occurred during the period between the ministry of John the Baptist and the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE, when the text was written.

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Seeing events in different ways -

Some believe the apocalypse is still to come, while others interpret events as already occurring. The horsemen symbolize conquest, war, famine, and death. Is this merely a coincidence?

Source: (Grunge)

See also: The shockingly-accurate prophecies of 30 lesser-known prophets

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