The Book of Revelation (Apocalypse) holds a unique position as the only prophetic book in the Christian New Testament. The prophetic vision opens with a statement of its authority, a vision to John of Patmos from God transmitted by means of Jesus Christ and an angel. Its rich symbolism has been the object of study by Christians, both scholarly and popular, giving rise to many views of the future and the end times. Its language and symbolism owe much to the prophets of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and likewise shares motifs with later revelation in the Holy Qur’an and the Bahá’í writings.

In Exploring the Book of Revelation we will explore the contents of this fascinating sacred vision in the context of progressive revelation, highlighting its links to both former and later sacred texts. The Bahá’í Faith offers new interpretations of some of the passages in the Book of Revelation, and individual Bahá’í scholars infer other interpretations. In this course we will undertake a careful reading of the contents of this sacred text to understand its historical nature, emphasizing those passages for which authoritative interpretations are given by Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.