The Book of Revelation: Worship for Life in the Spirit of Prophecy

by John Paul Heil

Overview

John Paul Heil presents an original analysis of the theme of worship in the book of Revelation guided by a new illustration of its comprehensive chiastic structure. The worship that Revelation exhorts and enables is in the divine Spirit of prophetic witness against all forms of idolatrous worship on earth in favor of a true, heavenly, and universal worship of the Lord God and the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb, for an eternal and heavenly life. The audience begins this worship in the eucharistic supper into which Revelation leads them by inviting them to respond to the promise of Jesus, "Yes, I am coming soon," with "Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!" They thereby affirm and welcome the coming of the Lord Jesus, the exalted sacrificial Lamb, to the eucharistic supper that anticipates his final coming and the divine grace, the gift of eternal life, of the Lord Jesus that is intended to be the destiny of all--"The grace of the Lord Jesus with all!"

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781630874162
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	04/07/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	374
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

John Paul Heil is Professor of New Testament at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. He is the author of 1 Peter, 2 Peter, and Jude: Worship Matters (2013).
John Paul Heil is Professor of New Testament at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. He is the author most recently of 1-3 John: Worship by Loving God and One Another to Live Eternally (2015).

Table of Contents

Abbreviations vii

1 Introduction 1

Part 1 Grace from John in Spirit to Churches to Be Shown What Must Happen Soon (1:1-3:22)

2 Prologue: John's Authorization to Prophesy to the Seven Churches (1:3-20) 17

3 Prophetic Oracles to the Seven Churches (2:1-3:22) 34

Part 2 John in Spirit Shown What Must Happen after These Things (4:1-16:21)

4 John's Visions of Lamb Opening Seals and Worship around Throne in Heaven (4:1-7:17) 69

5 John's Visions of the Seven Angels Trumpeting Their Seven Trumpets (8:1-11:19) 112

6 Worship of Dragon and Beasts on Earth and Worship with Lamb in Heaven (12:1-14:20) 159

7 John's Visions of the Seven Angels Pouring out Their Seven Bowls (15:1-16:21) 205

Part 3 Carried in Spirit to Wilderness, John Shown Prostitute and Wife of Lamb (17:1-21:8)

8 Vision and Downfall of the Idolatrous Prostitute Babylon (17:1-18:24) 235

9 Heavenly Worship and Final Judgment (19:1-21:8) 266

Part 4 Grace from John Carried in Spirit to Mountain and Shown Holy City (21:9-22:21)

10 Visions of the Heavenly City's Worship of God and the Lamb for Eternal Life (21:9-22:5) 307

11 Epilogue: Exhortations about Words of This Prophecy for Worship of God (22:6-21) 322

12 Conclusion 336

Bibliography 339

Author Index 347

Scripture Index 351

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"John Paul Heil has provided a valuable resource for the study of Revelation by addressing an often overlooked dimension of the book, Revelation, as worship text. By demonstrating how John's work counters the idolatrous worship of the Roman Empire over the true worship of God, Heil offers both a fascinating glimpse into the worship life of early Christianity and an important perspective on Revelation's rhetorical strategy."
—Gregory Stevenson, Rochester College

"John Paul Heil offers a compelling interpretation of the book of Revelation as a prophecy unveiling true, life-giving worship and the death-dealing consequences of false alternatives. Heil's book is a timely reminder that the Apocalypse is a text to be heard, and that it makes its greatest impact in the context of the eucharistic liturgy."
—Ian Boxall, The Catholic University of America
Washington, DC

"Interpreters of the Revelation to John have often noted the importance of the liturgy as the context within which this work of early Christian prophecy was framed as oral performance. Heil's detailed study invites the reader to consider the ways in which the structure of the Apocalypse itself reflects its character (as prophecy pronounced in the context of early Christian worship that aimed to direct its earliest audiences away from false worship and towards exclusive allegiance to God and to the Lamb)."
—Jean-Pierre Ruiz, St. John's University, New York

Editorial Reviews

"John Paul Heil has provided a valuable resource for the study of Revelation by addressing an often overlooked dimension of the book, Revelation, as worship text. By demonstrating how John's work counters the idolatrous worship of the Roman Empire over the true worship of God, Heil offers both a fascinating glimpse into the worship life of early Christianity and an important perspective on Revelation's rhetorical strategy."
—Gregory Stevenson, Rochester College

"John Paul Heil offers a compelling interpretation of the book of Revelation as a prophecy unveiling true, life-giving worship and the death-dealing consequences of false alternatives. Heil's book is a timely reminder that the Apocalypse is a text to be heard, and that it makes its greatest impact in the context of the eucharistic liturgy."
—Ian Boxall, The Catholic University of America
Washington, DC

"Interpreters of the Revelation to John have often noted the importance of the liturgy as the context within which this work of early Christian prophecy was framed as oral performance. Heil's detailed study invites the reader to consider the ways in which the structure of the Apocalypse itself reflects its character (as prophecy pronounced in the context of early Christian worship that aimed to direct its earliest audiences away from false worship and towards exclusive allegiance to God and to the Lamb)."
—Jean-Pierre Ruiz, St. John's University, New York

From the Publisher