Revelation

The opening word of the book gives not just its title but tells us what kind of book it is. The revelation of John. The name of the book in Greek is “the Apocalypse of John.” Apocalypse is the Greek word translated as “revelation.” Revelation is a type of literature called “apocalyptic.” Often misunderstood as simply a type of literature describing the end of the world, the essence of Apocalyptic literature is at its most basic level what the name means: a revelation, the removal of a barrier allowing access to previously unseen contemporary realities. It means to undercover or reveal. In an Apocalypse, a person is given a “peek behind the curtain” of reality, so to speak. They are given a window into the divine reality. They can see things from the heavenly perspective.