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Introduction and Index for the CPCC Bible Study - Revelation: in depth

Produced by TheMediaDesk, ©2021, updated 2025
Posted on CCPC's website 2025

A NOTE about the 2025 update.
      As you can see from the copyright date, this study was originally completed over four years ago. There's been a lot of stuff done since then, the Minor Prophets, the Life of Christ, Genesis, and some additional resources discovered and used. Also, the Tuesday Morning Bible Study group has changed somewhat, and a newer regular attender said they would like to go through Revelation. Nobody else objected... so here we go.
     The existing files are being reviewed, some additions and corrections are being done. The links to outside resources are being checked, and new links are being added. As we go. And of course, we're fixing some of the original typos, and installing new ones as well.
      The core and purpose of the study remains as it was. To look beyond the usual presentation of The Apocalypse and dig for meaning, and understanding. And to begin a discussion about the topic. Please continue to accept it as such.
Revelation 2 : 18 "And to the angel of the church in Thyati'ra write: 'The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.'" (RSV)
     The Book of Revelation, also known as The Apocalypse of the Apostle John, is the last book of the Christian Bible. That is universally accepted.
     It was written by John, which the book itself states, and this John is usually taken to be "The Beloved Apostle", which has been generally accepted since at least 150 AD when Justin Martyr listed the book and its author as canon.
     The book was written some time before 100 AD, most likely in the early to mid 90s.
     After those three facts, there is very little else that is agreed upon about the book.

     For an example of the disagreement, we need look no further than the verse above. In the KJV His feet "are like fine brass;"

     Brass and Bronze are different metal alloys, and had different uses in ancient times. Brass is more 'yellow' as it is copper and zinc while Bronze is copper and tin and is a deeper more Golden color. Bronze is harder, and will retain a cutting edge as a weapon. However, the terms are used interchangeably in several translations, so to fully appreciate the reference, we need to look at their use throughout the book, including the use of the metal in the Tabernacle and Temple, such as in Jeremiah 52 : 17 and following, when it is all stolen by Babylon, and the the graven images made of it later.
     The fixtures inside the sanctuary of the Temple were Gold, the intermediate areas, Silver (Exodus 25 19 and following), however, the furnishings in the outer courts and outside were of bronze, see Exodus 27. It was a special metal, reserved for the area set apart for the worship of God. When the Temple was built, there was so much Bronze given it could not be weighed (2 Chron 22).

     As for the "eyes like a flame of fire", the image of a fire appear most famously in Exodus, and then into the New Testament's reference at Hebrews 12: 29 which quotes Deuteronomy 4: 24.

     The purpose of this study is what the Ethiopian believer said to Philip in Acts 8 in The Living Bible: Philip ran over and heard what he was reading and asked, "Do you understand it?"
    "Of course not!" the man replied. "How can I when there is no one to instruct me?" And he begged Philip to come up into the chariot and sit with him.

      We'll close this brief introduction with this, and then get to the "Five W's" where we look at some of this in more depth, before we dive into the Apocalypse head first.

Luke 24: 44 – 45 (ESV) "Then he said to them, 'These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.' Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures"

Revelation 13 : 1 - 2 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems upon its horns and a blasphemous name upon its heads. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. ….."

     The plan is to examine the images, the settings, and the ideas in the book, using Biblical sources as well as Archaeological information, and other sources, to dig into the meaning of John's book, and ultimately, into the words of the One with the Bronze Feet, and what it all means to us, today.

A NOTE about the HTML Presentation:
    These files were originally saved and printed as .txt files to keep things simple and the files small. That means that the Greek words are rendered with standard English letters. If the reader is curious, the original Greek words are available on the Bible Hub Interlinear pages: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/revelation/1.htm

    All Links to outside sources were WORKING as of date of original posting of this study.

    Also: all Bible quotations are used and attributed within the normal guidelines for this type of study.