The final book in the Christian Bible, the Book of Revelation, has fascinated people for nearly 2,000 years. From the beginning it has been interpreted in many various, often quite speculative, ways. Early in the twenty-first-century, many various interpretations continue to be espoused.
This course will consider one particular interpretation—that the Book of Revelation is best understood as a pastoral letter to seven actual churches in Asia Minor near the end of the first century AD. The relevance Revelation has for our present day follows primarily from ways in which our issues parallel the issues facing the original recipients of this letter.
These parallels are indeed significant. Just as in the first century, so today many Christians are faced with challenges concerning temptations to conform too closely to their surrounding culture. Conversely, there are many Christians today, just as in the first century, who face persecution (actual or threatened) for refusing to conform to their surrounding culture.
In this course, we will look closely at the Book of Revelation itself, chapter by chapter. We will evaluate the interpretations of the instructor and selected commentators. Students will be asked to develop their own interpretations of Revelation and their own applications of Revelation’s message to our present day.
Students will be responsible for struggling with the content of Revelation, responding to proposed interpretations, and actively participating in an on-going group discernment process.
- Teacher: Ted Grimsrud