This course is designed to help students to carefully read and interpret the biblical text of Revelation, and to apply it in a responsible and informed manner. Special care will be given to understand the content of this book from the perspective of its literary genre and first-century readers.

This book was initially intended to be an encouragement to Christians in times of persecution, not a book filled with incomprehensible predictions. As John writes : “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near” (Rev 1.3). This is what we will be expecting! This will be achieved through a brief survey of contemporary interpretive approaches, an overview of the apocalyptic genre and mindset, and the analysis of the content of the book. As Christians have often disagreed throughout history as to the interpretation of the content of Revelation, special care is needed in hermeneutics, and also in our own personal values (e.g., openness, patience, kindness) as we study some issues together.