Revelation or Apocalypse (əpŏk'əlĭps) , the last book of the New Testament. It was written c.A.D. 95 on Patmos Island off the coast of Asia Minor by an exile named John, in the wake of local persecution by the Emperor Domitian (A.D. 81–96). Tradition has identified John with the disciple St. John, but many scholars deny such authorship. They also disagree as to whether this book has common authorship with the Gospel or with First, Second, and Third John. The book is an apocalypse, comprising visions of victory over evil and persecution and of the triumph of God and the martyrs. Its structure is deliberate, depending heavily on patterns of sevens. It consists of letters counseling and warning seven churches in Asia Minor; the opening of the seven seals on the scroll in the hand of God, four revealing the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse; the blowing of seven trumpets by angels before God's throne; the seven visions, including a seven-headed dragon (Satan) and the rising from the sea of the Beast, related to the Emperor Nero (persecutor of Christians in Rome after the great fire of A.D. 64), whose name is numerically equivalent to 666; the seven plagues; the seven-headed harlot named Babylon, representing the Roman Empire; and visions of heaven, the defeat of Satan, the judgment, the millennial reign of Christ, and the New Jerusalem. Constant allusion occurs to earlier scriptural prophecies, such as Ezekiel, Daniel, and Isaiah. One immediate goal of Revelation was to encourage persecuted Christians; absolute assurance of interpretation stops there. Every period of Christian history has produced variant explanations of the book's mysteries.

John of Patmos

is the name given to the author of the Book of Revelation in the New Testament. According to the text of Revelation, the author, who gives his name as "John", is living in exile on the Greek island of Patmos. In Revelation, he writes to the seven Christian churches in Asia to relate two apocalytic visions he has had.

Traditionally, it has been believed that John of Patmos, the author of Revelation, was the same person as both John, the apostle of Jesus and John the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of John. Other contend that they were at least three separate individuals.

John the Apostle

John the Apostle (יוחנן "The LORD is merciful", Standard Hebrew Yoḥanan, Tiberian Hebrew Yôḥānān) was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. Christian tradition proclaims he is the same John who wrote the Gospel of John (known as John the Theologian and John the Evangelist) and that he also wrote the Book of Revelation (formally called Apocalypse of St. John the Divine) (John the Divine). The term "divine" is an old term for "theologian."

According to the New Testament account, John the Apostle was the son of Zebedee, and the brother of James. One tradition gives his mother's name as Salome. They originally were fishermen and fished with their father in the Lake of Genesareth. He was first a disciple of John the Baptist, and later one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is revered as a saint by most of Christianity. The Roman Catholic Church commemorates him on December 27 with a simple octave afterward; he is remembered in the liturgy on January 3. The Eastern Orthodox Church commemorates him on September 26, and also remembers him on May 8, on which date Christians used to draw forth from his grave fine ashes which were believed to be effective for healing the sick.

John is traditionally held to be the author of five books of the New Testament, including the Gospel of John. However, almost all higher critical scholars place the writing of the final edition of John at some time in the late first or early second century. See Authorship of the Johannine works.

Catholic/Orthodox tradition says that he and the Virgin Mary moved to Ephesus, where both eventually died. Many Evangelical and other scholars question this, especially due to the advanced age which Mary would have reached by this time. Some believe, however, that there is support for the idea that John did go to Ephesus and from there wrote the three epistles tradition attributed to him. John was allegedly banished by the Roman authorites to the Greek island of Patmos, where some believe that he wrote the Book of Revelation. Some believe his tomb is located at Selçuk, a small town in the vicinity of Ephesus.

When John was old he trained Polycarp, later Bishop of Smyrna. This was important because Polycarp was able to carry John's message to another age.

According to Mormonism, John did not die, but was allowed to "tarry" until the Second Coming. (Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 28:6-7 reads "... ye have desired the thing which John, my beloved, who was with me in my ministry, before that I was lifted up by the Jews, desired of me. Therefore, more blessed are ye, for ye shall never taste of death; but ye shall live to behold all the doings of the Father unto the children of men, even until all things shall be fulfilled according to the will of the Father, when I shall come in my glory with the powers of heaven." (This refers to the Three Nephites.) Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery claimed to have been visited by the resurrected Peter and James, and the tarrying John, in July of 1832, at which time the priesthood authority was restored to mankind.