Who Wrote The Book Of Revelation?
A quick dive into online searching will create a complete mess behind who wrote Revelation. Most all agree that a man named John wrote it. Yet which one? The answer is more easily known than those who wish to alter history would like. To gain a grasp on this we will look at some of the most common claims and offer insight which is typically ignored.
At the opening of the book of Revelation the author identifies himself as John. Yet early historians wish to attribute the authorship to a different John than the apostle. This would be a convenient solution for a quick ability in denouncing the authenticity and meaning behind the book. Yet it is not as easy as they would like it to be.
I wish to warn that Scripture states to be wary of false teaching in Peters writing and is further reinforced in other places. We must always look to defining the most accuracy possible while avoiding lies or hoaxes that erode our faith.
Authorship Hinges On John’s Death : Acts 12
Most sources which claim John died at the same time as his brother James are not canonical sources. This presents a problem to the accuracy of their claims. Fortunately for us John was written of and played a major role within the New Testament and beyond. For those who oppose the authenticity of Revelation they need the Apostle John to be removed from the scene before he could have authored it.
The issue with their claim is that the event surrounding the death of James is well recorded in canonical Scripture. This event begins with James being executed with no mention of any other disciple suffering this same fate. To claim that John was executed at this same moment is an assumption by false historians. This is further refuted by a later appearance of John we will discuss.
When James was executed the only other apostle mentioned to suffer persecution was Peter who clearly is never mistaken for John by anyone. Peter is taken into prison and he too is about to be killed. In the night as he is chained an angel appears setting Peter free. In this process as the angel is telling him to hurry up getting dressed and follow him. Peter is questioning if this is real or a vision.
After Peter escapes the prison he is outside the house of Mary who is John Marks mother. Still here the Apostle John is not specifically mentioned as being present. The entire group is praying for Peter and there is no scene of mourning for the Apostle. Peter approaches the gate beating on it to be let in.
Rhoda who is a young girl hears Peters voice asking to be let in. Being a child instead of letting him in she leave poor Peter standing at the gate beating on the door as she runs into the house telling everyone Peter is there. They believe she is hearing an angel or has imagined things. They rush to the gate to find Peter standing there and finally let him in.
For clarity if one reads verse 25 the John mentioned here is not the Apostle John but rather a man by the name of John Mark. This John is not a son of Zebedee.
Proof Of Life For John
While the canonical account of the Gospel never accounts for John’s death at the time of his brother James those who wish to alter historical view wish to place his death at that point. John being alive allows for him to author the book of Revelation giving it credibility and authenticity. We must turn to further canonical Scripture to gain more insight to John’s life.
To gain this insight we turn to the book of Galatians chapter 2. Yet first know that the author of Galatians is Paul. This is important to realize for Paul is not one of the original 12 disciples. He stood nothing to gain by claiming John was alive and said events took place well before Revelation was ever written. The events surrounding these texts as well as the authorship of Paul’s writings would take place before Revelation was thought of or known.
We turn to verse 9 to find John mentioned as one of the pillars of the early Church. This portion of Scripture is extremely critical. This John which is mentioned cannot be John Mark. In fact it is impossible. Why? At the time John Mark and Paul were not in favor with each other. This period of time falls just after the events of Acts 13 when John Mark abandoned Paul.
The scene in Galatians 2 is where the issues which caused the separation come to a head and a peaceful resolution between Paul, Barnabas, and Peter are founded. Yet John Mark was not restored to Paul at this point in time. It would be much later in the writings that can be seen in Colossians 4 and more specifically in his letter writing 2nd Timothy 4:11. Here Paul is requesting John Mark saying that he is profitable to his ministry.
Would the Apostle John have been present at the gathering found in Galatians 2? Absolutely yes. This meeting was a gathering as a council and there were some issues which were resolved as a result of it. While the Apostle John was mentioned he was not the main focus of events. The main focus was a resolution of issues surrounding salvation by grace through Christ without a focus on works or by law.
The core individuals surrounding this issue were Peter, Barnabas, and Paul therefore the text surrounds them. It is later that resolution with John Mark is made. The issue which is dealt with in Galatians 2 is a persistent theme which continues for some time in different letters and with different churches. Unfortunately it is also a problem still in our modern day which has caused denominational splits.
Despite the core theme of the text not involving the Apostle John there is no doubt of his mention being made. John Mark would have never been accounted by Paul at that time as one of the early pillars of the Church. Certainly he would later write the book of Mark found in the Gospel’s yet his role was one as a servant aiding those such as Barnabas, Peter, and Paul.
John’s Life Changes
Early in John’s life he saw things in either a very good or evil way. There was no gray to be found in middle ground with him. He was also more ambitious than other disciples. At one point there was discussion as to who would be greater in God’s Kingdom and John was contending for position. Time would grow John and with it his temperament.
He was called John the Beloved for good reason. He was not only at Jesus’s side continually but also was the only Apostle to witness Christ die on the cross. He was among the first to recognize the significance of the empty tomb after Christ had risen.
John and James of Zebedee were brothers and they were cousins of Jesus. This gives clarity as to why Jesus told John to take His mother as Johns mother while Jesus was on the cross. As John progressed in ministry so did his maturity. This is important to note.
Some have claimed that due to the writing styles found in the various books authored by John would mean that different men by the name of John wrote these books. This argument is also used for Revelation. If this were the case we could also make this claim of many more modern authors. I will give you Kipling as an example to this fact in John’s defense.
Rudyard Kipling’s writing styles changed notably with time as he underwent life changes. Kipling’s son “Jack” who’s birth name was John died on September 27, 1915 at the Battle of Loos in France during World War 1. This event forever changed Rudyard and directly impacted his writing. Keep in mind the loss of his son came after he also had lost his daughter to death.
These events influenced his writing “The God’s of the Copybook Heading” and many say that by the year 1919 he was a broken man. The events of life will certainly impact any man and his views of the world. Too easily do these professor types want to sit from the armchair having suffered nothing compared to other men yet they make claims as to their life.
The Apostle John suffered more than Kipling ever could have. His brother was executed and John was under constant threat of imprisonment and death from the Roman Empire. There was never a place that John could escape to in order to find relief. The life of an Apostle was not one from an armchair. To be an Apostle in the time of the New Testament was a contact sport with grave consequences to life and death.
There is no doubt that John’s writing style would have changed. To think it would not is flaunting ignorance. I have full confidence that the early and young John Mark would have written the book of Mark much differently than he did later in life.
There is no doubt Revelation belongs with canonical Scripture. This is especially true when compared to the audacious claims made concerning the “lost books”.
You can also see shifts within the writing of Paul as he became older and wiser in the faith with his journeys. Paul’s writing to Timothy is an example of this even as he came to accept John Mark.
Revelation Is A Unique Writing
The greatest problem for those who wish to discredit Revelation and its authorship being the Apostle John is the text of Revelation itself. The writing is unlike anything else found within Scripture. The only close comparison that can be made would be some passages within Isaiah in that the man Isaiah was writing about things which he had no knowledge of. It was true inspiration by the Holy Spirit.
This brings to question who the real author is. Is it the man or is it divine inspiration? To put it simply a man can have influence by personality and style when writing about historical events based upon memory and view in position of how it was witnessed. We need to understand how Revelation was written.
John is found in the opening of chapter 4 being called by the voice of God saying “Come up hither”. This call is no mere vision. John is witnessing an event. This event is the Rapture of the Church and it becomes self evident as one continues to read. What John is writing is pertaining to events which he has no knowledge of or past experience with. It is not something which he has been educated about nor is there influence from past information.
John is at this point a recorder of events. He is shown things in the future that will come to pass and is told to record them for posterity and future interpretation. More importantly this vision of John is critical in purpose and function to how God handles His people across every age. I give you a quote from Isaiah
Isaiah 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
The life of Christ fulfilled many Old Testament prophecies concerning the promise of salvation. Yet within the New Testament God once again will hold true to how He works with His people. He will declare the end from the beginning. The Church Age was a new beginning launching forward into the end times. Revelation is the proclamation of what will come just as the writings of Isaiah were for the Messiah.
Revelation is not a book where John can hold reflection upon the past and its meaning to place much personal influence within the work. Rather it is more of a statement from God in the form of a declaration of what is to come. The events which John has witnessed are to be taken as literal events rather than a figurative or metaphorical writing.
I caution those who would object to this. To claim that the Second Coming of Christ is metaphorical would require a generous dose of complacency or ignorance, perhaps even denial, for Christ first appearance was certainly literal. If Isaiah was taken as metaphorical in the older times those theologians were proven wrong. Yet here we are once again in a more modern age with theologians having evidence that Christ means what He says with the proof of His life on Earth and the cross.
To think that modern theologians would continue to deny the authenticity of God in what He has given us is shocking. Perhaps they will come to recognize its meaning as they kneel before Him, hopefully sooner than the later times.