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Four times, the book of Revelation identifies its author as “John” (1:1, 4, 9; 22:8). This was an extremely popular name at the time. In fact,John was fifth most common among names for Jewish men in Palestine in this period.The fact that John does not further identify himself (e.g., as John Mark, John son of Zebedee, or John of Jerusalem) shows that he must have been well known to his audience. He only says that he is “your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient e …

The end time prophecies contained in Scripture have led Christians in every age to wondered whether they will be the ones to face such tribulations. The historic answer is yes. Jesus warned us that we would have to face persecution (John 15:20), and no generation of Christianity has been exempted. However, in the nineteenth century, dispensationalists began teaching that Christians will not have to face this trial. Instead, before the great tribulation begins, they will be caught up to heaven a …

Examining End Times Beliefs: A Scriptural Perspective If the news we watch every day, and the social media we follow is true, the end times must be just around the corner, right? What does Scripture say? Faced with such a dire time of tribulation, some Christians have wondered whether they will have to live through it. The historic answer, for both Catholics and Protestants, is that we will. Jesus warned us we would have to face persecution (John 15:20). However, in the ninet …

The final book of the Bible, Revelation, was written by St. John while he was in exile on the island of Patmos (Rev. 1:9). It contains information about our future, but perhaps not as much as many people suppose. The book was addressed to a group of seven churches in the province of Asia Minor (in modern Turkey) for a specific purpose: “to show to [Christ’s] servants what must soon take place” (Rev. 1:1). It thus encourages Christians to hold fast to their faith in the face of persecution and th …