Why was the book of Revelation included in the Bible?

The Book of Revelation is arguably one of the most controversial books in mainstream Christianity, and for good reason.

It is in this book where you hear of the more descriptive physical tortures that are supposedly awaiting sinners at the end of this age.

Some of the most infamous passages include the following:

Revelation 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb

Revelation 14: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name

There are several problems with the Book of Revelation, and not just from a theological perspective, but from a historical perspective.

The first issue is that the Book of Revelation is generally agreed to have been written no earlier than 96 AD — or approximately seventy years after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ was said to have taken place.

The second is that the Book of Revelation — unlike the Gospels — were never claimed to be words stated by Jesus himself, but from a John of Patmos,

John of Patmos was traditionally believed to have been John the Apostle during his later years in exile, though a growing consensus is that they were in fact two different people.

Interestingly enough, the Book of Revelation talks about the fall of Babylon, which was at the time under control by the Parthian Empire, which in turn was to be invaded and annexed by Roman Emperor Trajan in 115, who would actually conquer Babylon in 116.

Most believe that the Book of Revelation was probably written approximately two decades earlier, in around 100 AD.

In that case, what does the fall of Babylon really refer to?

Some assume it is predicting events in the distant future, though it is also widely speculated that the Book of Revelation was not talking about the end of times in the sense of the end of the world, but the persecution of Christians by the Romans leading up to the establishment of the Church in Vatican City!

To put this more plainly, the events in the Book of Revelation have already transpired.

Remember the passages from Revelation 14 mentioned earlier?

Let us read further into Revelation 13, which precedes the most controversial passage found in the book:

Revelation 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy

Revelation 13:2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority

Revelation 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast

Revelation 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

Revelation 13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months

Revelation 13:6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven

Revelation 13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations

Revelation 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world

Revelation 13:9 If any man have an ear, let him hear

Revelation 13:10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints

Revelation 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon

Revelation 13:12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed

Revelation 13:13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men

Revelation 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live

Revelation 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed

Revelation 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

Revelation 13:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name

Revelation 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six

Who was the Beast?

What did 666 represent?

It may surprise some to know this, but according to the Book of Revelation, 666 in the Gematria alphabet coincided with none other than Nero Caesar himself, who was known for orchestrating the first lage-scale purging of Christians in the history of the Roman Empire.

Relevation 13 also speaks of the Beast making “war with the Saints”.

This indeed happened in the mid-first century, with the Romans imprisoning and executing an untold number of Christians, including several of Jesus’s own apostles — most notably, Saint Peter, who was crucified upside down in Rome in 64 AD.

Other remarks, such as those who are caught with the “mark of the beast” may be in reference to Roman Pagans, who were known to sacrifice live animals — a practice always forbidden by Christians, and later, also Jews — and how Roman authorities would try and identify the Christians among the Pagans by forcing everybody to engage in this practice, and to punish with imprisonment or death those who refused.

Even though there is no evidence of forced sacrificed being carried out during the days of Nero or any other time up until the Book of Revelation, the mid-third century Roman Emperor Decius was known for doing just that.

And while much of the Book of Relevations — particularly Passage 13 — speaks of the age between Jesus Christ and the creation of a permanent Church in Rome (where the “Beast” once resided) Passage 14 has also been interpreted to be a symbolic moment when the Church becomes the dominant belief, and Christian martyrs are venerated, and those who persecuted them condemned for all times.

It is also worth noting that it was not until sometime after 400 AD — approximately a century after the supposed prophecies in the Book of Revelation were carried out — that the Church under Pope Innocent I accepted the book as legitimate.

Before then, no large denomination, including the newly founded Roman Catholic Church itself, accepted its contents.

As a matter of fact, the Council of Laodicea, which took place in Asia Minor in 363 AD, may have been the first time in history when this book was declared canonical by any religious body — let alone, the one headed personally by the Bishop of Rome.

And the Council of Laodicea took place just over half a century after Constantine the Great took power, made Christianity the dominant religion of the Roman Empire, and then persecuted all those Pagans who refused to convert — which is more or less how Revelation 14 plays out, if one treats the book as a parable more than a literal interpretation.

In the Gospels themselves, Jesus often spoke figuratively when discussing Heaven and Hell, such as saying that “The Kingdom of Heaven is within you” — which likely refers to how his apostles would one day spread his message to the world — and his repeated use of the word “gnashing of teeth” found in the Gospel of Matthew — which expresses a mental state of sadness and regret more than a literal teeth grinding.

Needless to say, the Book of Revelation’s contents is known to be very controversial in the Christian world.

The Eastern Orthodox Church has never accepted it.

Martin Luther and John Calvin both either distanced themselves from it, or at least refused to talk about it at length.

Even the Roman Catholic Church did not originally accept it, and if unfolding events in the two centuries between the time the book was written in Circa 100 AD, and the time when Constantine the Great established the Church in Rome and persecuted the unbelievers had not transpired as such, it is probable that this book would have been rejected, like the hundreds of other Christian books from that era.

What is then to ask is why did Pope Innocent I accept the Book of Relevation?

Did he believe it to be a literal foretelling of events yet to come, or did he understand the symbolism regarding the early persecution of Christians and the eventual establishment of the Church?

Or perhaps he believed that Revelation symbolically represented both a past and a future event, just as some believe that Sodom and Gomorrah also refers to the end of times?

Assuming that Jesus himself is one day destined to return to Earth, I am certain he will disclose all our questions and concerns.

Only then will the Day of Revelations truly begin!