The last chapter of the New Testament of the Bible is called "The Revelation of John the Theologian." Sometimes it is called "Apocalypse", from the Greek "disclosure", "revelation". Some Bible scholars and clergymen still doubt that its author is really John the Theologian, in view of the fact that the language in which the Apocalypse is written is very different from the language of the “Gospel of John”. Moreover, the very canonicity of the surviving parts of the text of the Apocalypse has long been questioned.
At the turn of the IV - V centuries. at two consecutive Ecumenical Councils it was decided to consider that the text of the Apocalypse corresponds to the canon.
The "Revelations" tells about the events that, from the point of view of the believing Christian, should precede the second appearance of Christ, as well as occur during his coming, and after it. According to the last chapter of the Bible, along with miracles, grandiose cataclysms will occur, which will cause huge sacrifices among people. Therefore, the very word "apocalypse" is often used in a figurative sense, as "general catastrophe" or even "end of the world."
The Apocalypse tells about the revelations that John allegedly received from God. These revelations appeared in the form of wonderful and disturbing visions. It was as if the Antichrist was born on Earth, then the second coming of Christ took place, followed by the end of the world. The natural crown of this whole picture was the Last Judgment. Well, the “Revelation” ends with a prophecy that after the triumph of the Lord over Satan, there will come a kingdom of eternal justice and goodness (eternal Heavenly Jerusalem), where God and the righteous will be together.
The Apocalypse is literally replete with strange, obscure images that for hundreds of years have confused and continue to confuse not only parishioners who are inexperienced in theology, but also clergy. Numerous options have been proposed for the interpretation of the images of four riders on horses of different colors - white, red, black, and especially the pale Babylonian harlot, a woman clothed in the Sun, etc., but none of these options can be taken as an absolute truth. Likewise, the unknown exact interpretation of the famous "number of the beast" - 666, which has frightened believers for many centuries. Disputes about this continue to this day.
