Introduction

The Book of Revelation is an example of apocalyptic literature, a literary form that does not exist today but was very popular during the period from 200 B.C. to 200 A.D.   The term "apocalypse" literally means "revelation of something hidden."  Apocalyptic images appear at various points in the Gospels including, for example, the birth narrative in the Gospel of Luke, the accounts of Jesus' baptism in all four gospels, and the "Little Apocalypse" in the Gospels of Matthew (ch 24), Mark (ch 13), and Luke (ch 21).  The idea is to present an image that reveals an otherwise hidden reality.

So what is the hidden reality being revealed in the Book of Revelation? Ultimately, it is God's work to restore creation to its intended purpose, finally achieved in Chapter 21 with the unveling of the new heaven and the new earth.   In this sense, the Book of Revelation represents the conclusion of the entire Biblical narrative that began with God's creation of the Universe in Genesis, and so it is entirely fitting that it appears as the last book of the Bible.