Exegisis Paper

Exegesis Paper

In my paper, I chose chapter 2 verses 1-15 in the book of Revelations. In this scripture I believe that in the literal meaning of the passage Jesus is telling the people that man has fallen short of what was expected and needs to ask the Lord for forgiveness, and if someone didn't repent then they wouldn't be able to get into heaven and would spend eternity in Hell. However, Jesus does say that there are followers of the faith that live by the word and refuse the teachings and acts of Nicolaitan. All persons who have an ear, let them listen to what the spirits have to say and for those who can overcome the pressure and steer away from evil deeds and stay faithful will be given the crown of life, which is eternal life in the Lords kingdom. In my opinion these verses are important to this book because they tell people no matter how down and out you are or how bad you think you have it you can always lean on faith and the Lord will help you through it. Also, those with much faith, and don't sell out to evil won't have to endure life in hell and will be granted eternal life in paradise. I chose chapter 2:1-15 because it was a familiar verse to me coming up in a Christian household. To me the verses sounded a little more complex than the other ones I had in mind to choose between and I wanted to take the time to really grasp the concept of the passages and get a new message out of it that I had never gotten before. The language used in the passage was complex and took a lot of rereading of the passage to grasp the full understanding of it.

According to Greg Herrick, there are many different interpretations of the book of Revelations. The first one is the historicist method of interpretation, apparently made much of by the reformers. In this understanding of the book, the events described therein refer to actual events from the beginning of the church until the time of the interpreter. Next method of interpretation is the preterist method. In this approach to the book the symbols and content therein relate only to events and happenings at the time of the author. The third is the idealist method of interpretation. In this interpretation, the contents of the book are not seen to relate to any historical events at all, but only to symbolize the ongoing struggle between good and evil during the church age until Christ returns. This is the interpretation that I can most relate to.

Revelations is an odd and sometimes bizarre book to read. But understanding the history of the early Christians, and the persecutions the early people had to endure makes it easier to understand the context of the passage. Many of the images and symbols are similar to those in Old Testament books such as Daniel. Others allude to people, situations and events that were familiar to the first century Christians. I believe that many of the scenes in Revelation shows God's infinite power and glory, and to me that is probably the most important message.

According to "What is the Book of Revelation About", "the book of Revelation is an example of "apocalyptic" writing - a form that delivers a message using symbols, images and numbers. Parts of the Old Testament, particularly in the book of Daniel, are also apocalyptic. Apocalyptic writing is characteristic of times of persecution. Some of the symbols and images in Revelation equate the Roman emperor with Satan and depict the Roman Empire as the ultimate evil. However, there was no freedom of speech in the Roman Empire, so the only way to deliver such a message was in a kind of code."

The literature is carefully crafted. This book was a vision that John had that came down from Heaven. It is presented in the form of visions, dreams, and other worldly journeys.