The final book in the Bible is a message of revelation: But who wrote it? This introductory post will reveal who wrote Revelation in the Bible and what else we know about the author of Revelation. We will also discover some tools that will equip us for reading this mysterious book.
Revelation 1:3
“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”
Who Wrote Revelation in the Bible?
Let’s start by looking at the internal evidence:
Revelation 1, verses 1-2
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“The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.” & verse 4
“John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia”
Revelation 22:8
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“I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things.”
So, what do we know about the authorship of Revelation? We know the author of the book of Revelation was someone named John, but some say it might have been a different John.
The external evidence of who wrote Revelation in the Bible agree that the author was John, the disciple of Jesus. For example, Irenaeus wrote (AD 180) “John also, the Lord’s disciple, when beholding the sacerdotal and glorious advent of His kingdom, says in the Apocalypse…”
That is why most people and biblical scholars believe this is the same John that was a disciple of Jesus, authored the Gospel of John, and three letters in the New Testament. John’s authorship of Revelation is not disputed.
The Apostle John’s other writings include four books in our Bible. Since he was in Jesus’ inner circle, he authored 4 New Testament books.
First is the Gospel According to John which is John’s eyewitness account of the events surrounding the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ of Nazareth as the Jewish promised Messiah and the Son of God.
John also wrote three letters to the early believers of Christ. The first is called 1 John.
It’s a good idea to read these books before reading Revelation. Doing so will help you understand John’s framework, what he believed to be truth, why he used certain words, and much more. The Bible is not so much of a mystery if we remember that it is all connected.
Why did John write Revelation?
It is no mystery why John wrote Revelation in the Bible. Chapter 1 verses 9-11 explains why:
‘I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”’
So John was on the island of Patmos, because of sharing the news of Jesus. He says it was the Lord’s day. This means it was Sunday – the day the early believers celebrated weekly to remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ who rose from the dead on a Sunday. Then, John says he was “in the Spirit”. According to what the Bible tells us, this might mean that John was praying in the Holy Spirit. In simple terms, he was spending time with God in prayer.
At this time, John had a massive revelation of Jesus Christ.
Sometimes when believers are in the Spirit, they can see images or words from God. Part of the revelation was a voice that told him to write it down, so he did. Again, we need to see this in relation to the rest of the Bible. John was not the first person to see a vision of Heaven or being taken up in the Spirit.
God’s messengers in the Old Testament were chosen by Him as messengers to reach the people with important news. We can think of them as the heralds that kings send out with messages about the Kingdom.
“Hear ye, hear ye! This is the message of your King…”
More reasons why John wrote Revelation
1. Jesus told him to write it multiple times
In Revelation 1:19 the vision of Jesus tells John to write it down again:
“Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.”
Every time John saw a revelation of what the prophecy was for each of the 7 church, the voice told him to write it down again.
At the end of Revelation, another reason for writing it is given.
2. It is a prophecy and had to be written down to be shared with people
In the book of Revelation, John gives us insight into his vision. He is seeing things, hearing things, experiencing things, and every so often he is prompted to write a specific thing down. (Like Rev. 14:13 and 19:9)
Revelation 22:6-7
“Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place. Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.”
All of these Bible verses explain why John wrote Revelation in the Bible.
How to Read Revelation in the Bible
The book of Revelation is the final book of the Bible. It comes at the very end of the New Testament. Even though it is not the longest book in the Bible, Revelation is the one that is avoided the most.
The genre of Revelation in the Bible
Revelation is apocalyptic literature – that’s right, it sounds like apocalypse! This is a unique genre of literature that speaks about the end of the world. John had an apocalyptic vision about God’s redemptive plan to establish His Kingdom on Earth.
The Word of God is one big story
The entire Bible gives strong support to the book of Revelation of John. Even though it is written in a different genre, it does not replace what was said about God in the first place. John is the first Christian prophet, but all the prophets in the Old Testament had the same message. Even though the books of the Bible have different authors, they were inspired by the same (there is only one) Holy Spirit of God.
There is a recurring theme in the Bible. It begins in Genesis with a loving Creator-God who makes people in His own likeness. People rebel and turn their backs on God. The following words in the Bible include historical records showing how this pattern repeats again and again – and again!
When you read something really weird in the Bible book of Revelation, pause and remember who God is. Then, look up the meaning of that strange picture.
The images that John describe made sense to the mind of an Early Christian – Why? Because they knew the Bible!
We need to sharpen up our Bible knowledge so that we can understand and demystify the Bible Book of Revelation.
Examples of understanding Revelation in the bigger picture of the Bible
When John writes about Babylon, he echoes themes found in the prophetic books of the Old Testament. Babylon was also a real place where God’s people were in exile, so it is used to describe a bad place and a time of suffering.
John seeing the throneroom of God uses the same words as found in the Old Testament books of Ezekiel and Daniel.
The twelve tribes of Israel come up in John’s vision too (found in Genesis 29-30 and 49).
Remember the plagues that God sent to Egypt so that the Pharoah would free the Israelites? Well, the plagues mentioned in Revelation are very similar! Frogs, Blood, Hail, Fire.
This is not to say that it is necessarily ALL just metaphorical language. But, remember who God is.
“Revelation reveals history’s pattern and God’s promise, showing how every human kingdom eventually becomes Babylon and must be resisted. But the Messiah, Jesus, who loved and died for our world, will not let Babylon go unchecked. He will return one day to remove evil from his good world and make all things new. This promise should motivate faithfulness in every generation of God’s people until the King finally returns.”
However, we must remember that we cannot understand everything about God.
“Human beings are not meant to relate to God as calculators, understanding every sum. They are made to relate to God as mirrors, reflecting His glory.”
A mirror does not always understand what it is facing, but the more we face God (spend time with Him), the more clearly we will reflect His message to the world.
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts”.
A Prayer Thanking God for Revelation in the Bible
Dear God, thank You that all of the Bible is God-breathed, alive, and active. I want to know You, Lord. Please come and take away any fear I have about this book, other than the pure reverence I have for who You are. You are the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords who has been, is, and will continue to be. You reign on high and Your Kingdom is being established on Earth. Show me my role in that today. All of the glory is Yours, God Almighty. When I look at You and learn about You, I stand amazed at Your beauty. I pray that as I dive into the Book of Revelation and its authorship, that You will fill me with Your Spirit of wisdom and understanding. This I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Consider the Revelation imagery found in the following song:
______________________ Read more about who wrote Revelation in the Bible:
Eljoh Hartzer is combining theology and art to nurture faith journeys across generations. She is a Masters-level Practical Theologian with the University of Stellenbosch. She is also a writer and editor in the niche of Christianity and children's content and she illustrates children's books. Eljoh resides in the Swartland area in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
You can follow Eljoh on LinkedIn or Instagram.
