Things you should know about the Apocalypse

It’s not just about the end of the world, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, It gets really bad for humankind, It gets even more bizarre, Revelation made it to the Bible because of one man, Who wrote the Book of Revelation?, Who wrote Revelation, after all?, The author was not your average Christian, John’s hardline views, 666 has nothing to do with Satan, Why Nero?, When doomsday didn’t come, Failed doomsday predictions, There’s more apocalyptic books, You can visit the place where Revelation was written, Revelation influenced America's Middle East policy

The Book of Revelation is quite a dramatic part of the Bible. Indeed, many depictions of the Apocalypse have been based on the descriptions of this book, which are quite horrific at times. But how much do we know about the author of Revelation? Who were the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and why was 666 the number of the beast?

In this gallery, we delve into the Book of Revelation and bring you the answers to these and many other questions. Click on!

It’s not just about the end of the world

It’s not just about the end of the world, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, It gets really bad for humankind, It gets even more bizarre, Revelation made it to the Bible because of one man, Who wrote the Book of Revelation?, Who wrote Revelation, after all?, The author was not your average Christian, John’s hardline views, 666 has nothing to do with Satan, Why Nero?, When doomsday didn’t come, Failed doomsday predictions, There’s more apocalyptic books, You can visit the place where Revelation was written, Revelation influenced America's Middle East policy

Many people believe the Book of Revelation is just an apocalyptic account of what’s about to come. But the author of the book, John, was more preoccupied about the second coming of Christ.

It’s not just about the end of the world, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, It gets really bad for humankind, It gets even more bizarre, Revelation made it to the Bible because of one man, Who wrote the Book of Revelation?, Who wrote Revelation, after all?, The author was not your average Christian, John’s hardline views, 666 has nothing to do with Satan, Why Nero?, When doomsday didn’t come, Failed doomsday predictions, There’s more apocalyptic books, You can visit the place where Revelation was written, Revelation influenced America's Middle East policy

John lived through a tragic episode of history in 70 CE, when the Romans pretty much wrecked Jerusalem. Jesus was supposed to return and kick the Romans' butt and take revenge for his death and the persecution of Christians.

It’s not just about the end of the world, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, It gets really bad for humankind, It gets even more bizarre, Revelation made it to the Bible because of one man, Who wrote the Book of Revelation?, Who wrote Revelation, after all?, The author was not your average Christian, John’s hardline views, 666 has nothing to do with Satan, Why Nero?, When doomsday didn’t come, Failed doomsday predictions, There’s more apocalyptic books, You can visit the place where Revelation was written, Revelation influenced America's Middle East policy

This sort of anti-Roman propaganda kept Christians believing that their lord and savior would return in their lifetime. Indeed, how do you keep Christians motivated to, well, remain Christians? Tell them a fascinating story.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

It’s not just about the end of the world, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, It gets really bad for humankind, It gets even more bizarre, Revelation made it to the Bible because of one man, Who wrote the Book of Revelation?, Who wrote Revelation, after all?, The author was not your average Christian, John’s hardline views, 666 has nothing to do with Satan, Why Nero?, When doomsday didn’t come, Failed doomsday predictions, There’s more apocalyptic books, You can visit the place where Revelation was written, Revelation influenced America's Middle East policy

Revelation 9:17-19 offers some insight as to how these “horses” looked like: “The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur.” Scary, right? But there’s more!

It’s not just about the end of the world, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, It gets really bad for humankind, It gets even more bizarre, Revelation made it to the Bible because of one man, Who wrote the Book of Revelation?, Who wrote Revelation, after all?, The author was not your average Christian, John’s hardline views, 666 has nothing to do with Satan, Why Nero?, When doomsday didn’t come, Failed doomsday predictions, There’s more apocalyptic books, You can visit the place where Revelation was written, Revelation influenced America's Middle East policy

“The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.” No one would want to mess with those horses!

It gets really bad for humankind

It’s not just about the end of the world, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, It gets really bad for humankind, It gets even more bizarre, Revelation made it to the Bible because of one man, Who wrote the Book of Revelation?, Who wrote Revelation, after all?, The author was not your average Christian, John’s hardline views, 666 has nothing to do with Satan, Why Nero?, When doomsday didn’t come, Failed doomsday predictions, There’s more apocalyptic books, You can visit the place where Revelation was written, Revelation influenced America's Middle East policy

They get boiled alive by the Sun, are hit by giant hailstones, and then the Sun goes black and the Moon turns to blood. Oh, and then the stars fall from the sky and there is an earthquake as well. Bad times, indeed!

It gets even more bizarre

It’s not just about the end of the world, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, It gets really bad for humankind, It gets even more bizarre, Revelation made it to the Bible because of one man, Who wrote the Book of Revelation?, Who wrote Revelation, after all?, The author was not your average Christian, John’s hardline views, 666 has nothing to do with Satan, Why Nero?, When doomsday didn’t come, Failed doomsday predictions, There’s more apocalyptic books, You can visit the place where Revelation was written, Revelation influenced America's Middle East policy

There's an account of locusts whose “faces resembled human faces. Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth.” They also had a sting like scorpions but were not allowed to kill anyone. Instead, they would torture people for five months. How twisted is that?

Revelation made it to the Bible because of one man

It’s not just about the end of the world, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, It gets really bad for humankind, It gets even more bizarre, Revelation made it to the Bible because of one man, Who wrote the Book of Revelation?, Who wrote Revelation, after all?, The author was not your average Christian, John’s hardline views, 666 has nothing to do with Satan, Why Nero?, When doomsday didn’t come, Failed doomsday predictions, There’s more apocalyptic books, You can visit the place where Revelation was written, Revelation influenced America's Middle East policy

It took a few years for an official collection, known as the Bible, to be put together. Among the many books considered, there was, of course, the Book of Revelation. Athanasius was one the most influential priests in the process.

It’s not just about the end of the world, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, It gets really bad for humankind, It gets even more bizarre, Revelation made it to the Bible because of one man, Who wrote the Book of Revelation?, Who wrote Revelation, after all?, The author was not your average Christian, John’s hardline views, 666 has nothing to do with Satan, Why Nero?, When doomsday didn’t come, Failed doomsday predictions, There’s more apocalyptic books, You can visit the place where Revelation was written, Revelation influenced America's Middle East policy

While many other scholars and priests dismissed Revelation, Athanasius saw it as a powerful weapon to use against anyone who would go against the Church. Despite being deposed and exiled five times during his career as a bishop, his opinion was somehow credible enough for the book to be included in the New Testament.

Who wrote the Book of Revelation?

It’s not just about the end of the world, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, It gets really bad for humankind, It gets even more bizarre, Revelation made it to the Bible because of one man, Who wrote the Book of Revelation?, Who wrote Revelation, after all?, The author was not your average Christian, John’s hardline views, 666 has nothing to do with Satan, Why Nero?, When doomsday didn’t come, Failed doomsday predictions, There’s more apocalyptic books, You can visit the place where Revelation was written, Revelation influenced America's Middle East policy

There is some debate as to which John actually wrote Revelation. There are actually five men named John in the Bible, one of them Jesus’ apostle and the author of one of the Gospels.

Who wrote Revelation, after all?

It’s not just about the end of the world, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, It gets really bad for humankind, It gets even more bizarre, Revelation made it to the Bible because of one man, Who wrote the Book of Revelation?, Who wrote Revelation, after all?, The author was not your average Christian, John’s hardline views, 666 has nothing to do with Satan, Why Nero?, When doomsday didn’t come, Failed doomsday predictions, There’s more apocalyptic books, You can visit the place where Revelation was written, Revelation influenced America's Middle East policy

In addition to other theological differences, John the apostle mentions his own name several times in his book, but doesn’t do so in Revelation, which, well, was just not his style apparently.

It’s not just about the end of the world, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, It gets really bad for humankind, It gets even more bizarre, Revelation made it to the Bible because of one man, Who wrote the Book of Revelation?, Who wrote Revelation, after all?, The author was not your average Christian, John’s hardline views, 666 has nothing to do with Satan, Why Nero?, When doomsday didn’t come, Failed doomsday predictions, There’s more apocalyptic books, You can visit the place where Revelation was written, Revelation influenced America's Middle East policy

Both authors refer to Jesus as the lamb, but they use different Greek words for the animal. Plus, the Greek itself is written in a much more polished way by the apostle. The author of Revelation doesn't seem to be a native speaker.

The author was not your average Christian

It’s not just about the end of the world, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, It gets really bad for humankind, It gets even more bizarre, Revelation made it to the Bible because of one man, Who wrote the Book of Revelation?, Who wrote Revelation, after all?, The author was not your average Christian, John’s hardline views, 666 has nothing to do with Satan, Why Nero?, When doomsday didn’t come, Failed doomsday predictions, There’s more apocalyptic books, You can visit the place where Revelation was written, Revelation influenced America's Middle East policy

Christianity was divided into many factions back then, and John was likely a Jew who saw Jesus as the Jewish Messiah.

John’s hardline views

It’s not just about the end of the world, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, It gets really bad for humankind, It gets even more bizarre, Revelation made it to the Bible because of one man, Who wrote the Book of Revelation?, Who wrote Revelation, after all?, The author was not your average Christian, John’s hardline views, 666 has nothing to do with Satan, Why Nero?, When doomsday didn’t come, Failed doomsday predictions, There’s more apocalyptic books, You can visit the place where Revelation was written, Revelation influenced America's Middle East policy

John certainly was not a fan of churches accepting gentiles either, and even called one a "synagogue of Satan."

666 has nothing to do with Satan

It’s not just about the end of the world, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, It gets really bad for humankind, It gets even more bizarre, Revelation made it to the Bible because of one man, Who wrote the Book of Revelation?, Who wrote Revelation, after all?, The author was not your average Christian, John’s hardline views, 666 has nothing to do with Satan, Why Nero?, When doomsday didn’t come, Failed doomsday predictions, There’s more apocalyptic books, You can visit the place where Revelation was written, Revelation influenced America's Middle East policy

But this is not the number of the devil. It is, in fact, the number of a person, as described in Revelation. Scholars believe that the person is Emperor Nero.

Why Nero?

It’s not just about the end of the world, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, It gets really bad for humankind, It gets even more bizarre, Revelation made it to the Bible because of one man, Who wrote the Book of Revelation?, Who wrote Revelation, after all?, The author was not your average Christian, John’s hardline views, 666 has nothing to do with Satan, Why Nero?, When doomsday didn’t come, Failed doomsday predictions, There’s more apocalyptic books, You can visit the place where Revelation was written, Revelation influenced America's Middle East policy

Nero was really, really mean to Christians. Burn-Christians-alive type of mean. So he was a prime candidate for the title of the beast.

When doomsday didn’t come

It’s not just about the end of the world, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, It gets really bad for humankind, It gets even more bizarre, Revelation made it to the Bible because of one man, Who wrote the Book of Revelation?, Who wrote Revelation, after all?, The author was not your average Christian, John’s hardline views, 666 has nothing to do with Satan, Why Nero?, When doomsday didn’t come, Failed doomsday predictions, There’s more apocalyptic books, You can visit the place where Revelation was written, Revelation influenced America's Middle East policy

There have been numerous failed predictions of the Apocalypse based on Revelation. These included that of Scottish mathematician John Napier, who predicted the world would end in 1688 or 1700.

Failed doomsday predictions

It’s not just about the end of the world, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, It gets really bad for humankind, It gets even more bizarre, Revelation made it to the Bible because of one man, Who wrote the Book of Revelation?, Who wrote Revelation, after all?, The author was not your average Christian, John’s hardline views, 666 has nothing to do with Satan, Why Nero?, When doomsday didn’t come, Failed doomsday predictions, There’s more apocalyptic books, You can visit the place where Revelation was written, Revelation influenced America's Middle East policy

But there are also more modern examples, such as the Branch Davidian cult, whose members tragically died in what became known as the Waco massacre in Texas, in 1993. More recently, end-times conspiracy theorist David Meade also missed the doomsday date in both 2017 and 2018.

There’s more apocalyptic books

It’s not just about the end of the world, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, It gets really bad for humankind, It gets even more bizarre, Revelation made it to the Bible because of one man, Who wrote the Book of Revelation?, Who wrote Revelation, after all?, The author was not your average Christian, John’s hardline views, 666 has nothing to do with Satan, Why Nero?, When doomsday didn’t come, Failed doomsday predictions, There’s more apocalyptic books, You can visit the place where Revelation was written, Revelation influenced America's Middle East policy

There are other Jewish apocalyptic writings. IV (or 4) Ezra, also known as the Apocalypse of Esdras, gives the Book of Revelation a run for its money.

You can visit the place where Revelation was written

It’s not just about the end of the world, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, It gets really bad for humankind, It gets even more bizarre, Revelation made it to the Bible because of one man, Who wrote the Book of Revelation?, Who wrote Revelation, after all?, The author was not your average Christian, John’s hardline views, 666 has nothing to do with Satan, Why Nero?, When doomsday didn’t come, Failed doomsday predictions, There’s more apocalyptic books, You can visit the place where Revelation was written, Revelation influenced America's Middle East policy

John's location can be found in Revelation 1:9. He was supposedly writing from the Greek island of Patmos.

It’s not just about the end of the world, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, It gets really bad for humankind, It gets even more bizarre, Revelation made it to the Bible because of one man, Who wrote the Book of Revelation?, Who wrote Revelation, after all?, The author was not your average Christian, John’s hardline views, 666 has nothing to do with Satan, Why Nero?, When doomsday didn’t come, Failed doomsday predictions, There’s more apocalyptic books, You can visit the place where Revelation was written, Revelation influenced America's Middle East policy

There is actually a cave, surrounded by a monastery, that is believed to be the place where the author penned the book. Though there is actually no proof, it was deemed important enough to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Revelation influenced America's Middle East policy

It’s not just about the end of the world, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, It gets really bad for humankind, It gets even more bizarre, Revelation made it to the Bible because of one man, Who wrote the Book of Revelation?, Who wrote Revelation, after all?, The author was not your average Christian, John’s hardline views, 666 has nothing to do with Satan, Why Nero?, When doomsday didn’t come, Failed doomsday predictions, There’s more apocalyptic books, You can visit the place where Revelation was written, Revelation influenced America's Middle East policy

Evangelicals have a big influence in US politics and many see the state of Israel as part of the prophecy set out in Revelation. After all, before Jesus returns, Jewish people have to return to Israel and consequently accept Christ as their savior.

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