Book Order Bible

Using Scripture to Order and Interpret the Bible

 

Book-ends

There's a fun effect on the structure of the Bible when the books are in their correct order; the Gospels, Testaments and Bible itself have "book-ends."

Gospel Book-ends

It's my contention that when the Gospels are correctly ordered the Gospel of John actually moves from the last spot to the first in the Gospel series. The resulting order is John, Matthew, Mark and Luke. With the Gospels arranged as such some rather obscure references at the end of John and the beginning of Luke come into focus as book-ends on the Gospel series.

One argument for placing John first in the Gospel series is simply because John starts "In the beginning."

40 John 1:1 1ܒܪܫܝܬ ܐܝܬܘܗܝ ܗܘܐ ܡܠܬܐ ܘܗܘ ܡܠܬܐ ܐܝܬܘܗܝ ܗܘܐ ܠܘܬ ܐܠܗܐ ܘܐܠܗܐ ܐܝܬܘܗܝ ܗܘܐ ܗܘ ܡܠܬܐ ܀ (SYP)

40 John 1:1 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (KJV)

40 John 1:1 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (KJV/NC)

40 John 1:1 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (ASV)

40 John 1:1 1THE Word was in the beginning, and that very Word was with God, and God was that Word. (LAM)

40 John 1:1 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (RSV)

40 John 1:1 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (NIV)

40 John 1:1 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (WEB)

40 John 1:1 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (WEB/HNV)

40 John 1:1 1THE Word was in the beginning, and that very Word was with God, and God was that Word. (BRB)

A second argument for placing John first in the Gospel series is an important statement near the end of John that makes little sense unless John preceedes the other Gospels.

40 John 20:30-31 30ܤܓܝܐܬܐ ܕܝܢ ܐܬܘܬܐ ܐܚܪܢܝܬܐ ܥܒܕ ܝܫܘܥ ܩܕܡ ܬܠܡܝܕܘܗܝ ܐܝܠܝܢ ܕܠܐ ܟܬܝܒܢ ܒܟܬܒܐ ܗܢܐ ܀ 31ܐܦ ܗܠܝܢ ܕܝܢ ܕܟܬܝܒܢ ܕܬܗܝܡܢܘܢ ܕܝܫܘܥ ܗܘ ܡܫܝܚܐ ܒܪܗ ܕܐܠܗܐ ܘܡܐ ܕܗܝܡܢܬܘܢ ܢܗܘܘܢ ܠܟܘܢ ܒܫܡܗ ܚܝܐ ܕܠܥܠܡ ܀ (SYP)

40 John 20:30-31 30And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.(KJV)

40 John 20:30-31 30And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.(KJV/NC)

40 John 20:30-31 30Many other signs therefore did Jesus in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book: 31but these are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life in his name.(ASV)

40 John 20:30-31 30¶ Many other miracles Jesus did in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; 31Even these are written, so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and when you believe you shall have life everlasting in his name. (LAM)

40 John 20:30-31 30Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.(RSV)

40 John 20:30-31 30Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.(NIV)

40 John 20:30-31 30Therefore Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; 31but these are written, that youP may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing youP may have life in his name.(WEB)

40 John 20:30-31 30Therefore Yeshua did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; 31but these are written, that you may believe that Yeshua is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.(WEB/HNV)

40 John 20:30-31 30Many other miracles Jesus did in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; 31But these are written, so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God; and when you believe you will have life everlasting in his name. (BRB)

The question is why would Lazarus make this statement near the end of John? The answer seems to be that he is preparing his audience to read more of the things Jesus did in the following Gospels. In essence he's saying "You may be done with my account, but you're not done reading about Jesus."

So we work through the Gospels of Matthew and Mark and witness Jesus doing many things not mentioned in John and realize he wasn't joking when he said that Jesus did many other things not recorded in John. Then we arrive at Luke which starts with the following intro.

43 Luke 1:1-4 1ܡܛܠ ܕܤܓܝܐܐ ܨܒܘ ܕܢܟܬܒܘܢ ܬܫܥܝܬܐ ܕܤܘܥܪܢܐ ܐܝܠܝܢ ܕܚܢܢ ܡܦܤܝܢ ܚܢܢ ܒܗܘܢ ܀ 2ܐܝܟ ܡܕܡ ܕܐܫܠܡܘ ܠܢ ܗܢܘܢ ܕܡܢ ܩܕܝܡ ܗܘܘ ܚܙܝܐ ܘܡܫܡܫܢܐ ܕܝܠܗ ܕܡܠܬܐ ܀ 3ܐܬܚܙܝ ܐܦ ܠܝ ܡܛܠ ܕܩܪܝܒ ܗܘܝܬ ܝܨܝܦܐܝܬ ܠܟܠܗܘܢ ܕܟܠ ܡܕܡ ܒܛܟܤܗ ܐܟܬܘܒ ܠܟ ܢܨܝܚܐ ܬܐܘܦܝܠܐ ܀ 4ܕܬܕܥ ܫܪܪܐ ܕܡܠܐ ܕܐܬܬܠܡܕܬ ܠܗܝܢ ܀ (SYP)

43 Luke 1:1-4 1Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, 4That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.(KJV)

43 Luke 1:1-4 1Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, 4That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.(KJV/NC)

43 Luke 1:1-4 1Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to draw up a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled among us, 2even as they delivered them unto us, who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, 3it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus; 4that thou mightest know the certainty concerning the things wherein thou wast instructed. (ASV)

43 Luke 1:1-4 1SINCE many have desired to have in writing the story of those works with which we are familiar, 2According to what was handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of that very word, 3And since these were seen by me also because I was near and considered them all very carefully; I will therefore write to you everything in its order, most honorable Theophilus, 4So that you may know the truth of the words by which you were made a convert. (LAM)

43 Luke 1:1-4 1Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things which have been accomplished among us, 2just as they were delivered to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, 3it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent The-oph'ilus, 4that you may know the truth concerning the things of which you have been informed.(RSV)

43 Luke 1:1-4 1Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.(NIV)

43 Luke 1:1-4 1Since many have undertaken to set in order a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled among us, 2even as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, 3it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus; 4that you might know the certainty concerning the things in which you were instructed.(WEB)

43 Luke 1:1-4 1Since many have undertaken to set in order a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled among us, 2even as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word delivered them to us, 3it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus; 4that you might know the certainty concerning the things in which you were instructed.(WEB/HNV)

43 Luke 1:1-4 1SINCE many have desired to have in writing the story of those works with which we are familiar, 2According to what was handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of that very word, 3And since these were also seen by me because I was near and considered them all very carefully; I will therefore write to you everything in its order, most honorable Theophilus, 4So that you may know the truth of the words by which you were made a convert. (BRB)

Luke begins by referencing the "works" which we are familiar with. Instead of treating this statement as a historical reference about the people around Judea who knew Jesus or the stories that circulated after his ascension, consider this statement as a reader whose working through the Gospels in order. The author of Luke is saying we, you the reader and I, are familiar with the works of Jesus because we just came through John, Matthew and Mark together.

The author of Luke says these stories about Jesus that we are familiar with were passed down to us by those "who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word." What word? In the beginning of John is the "Word" and "that Word" is defined as Jesus a little later in John chapter 1.

40 John 1:14 14ܘܡܠܬܐ ܒܤܪܐ ܗܘܐ ܘܐܓܢ ܒܢ ܘܚܙܝܢ ܫܘܒܚܗ ܫܘܒܚܐ ܐܝܟ ܕܝܚܝܕܝܐ ܕܡܢ ܐܒܐ ܕܡܠܐ ܛܝܒܘܬܐ ܘܩܘܫܬܐ ܀ (SYP)

40 John 1:14 14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.(KJV)

40 John 1:14 14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.(KJV/NC)

40 John 1:14 14And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth. (ASV)

40 John 1:14 14And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw his glory, a glory like that of the first-born of the Father, full of grace and truth. (LAM)

40 John 1:14 14And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. (RSV)

40 John 1:14 14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.(NIV)

40 John 1:14 14The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. (WEB)

40 John 1:14 14The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. (WEB/HNV)

40 John 1:14 14And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we saw his glory, a glory like that of the firstborn of the Father, full of grace and truth. (BRB)

Once we know "Jesus" = "word" and the author of Luke is speaking a type of code language we can substitute the name "Jesus" for the word "word" in Luke's intro and suddenly the message is clear. The author is saying those people in the "beginning" who were eyewitnesses of the "word" are really the people who wrote the Gospels of John and Matthew and Mark of which you are well acquainted already.

In effect the Gospels of John and Luke are like book-ends bracketing the Gospel series and defining the Gospel series as a set. John ends saying "Jesus did many other works than what I've told you" and Luke begins saying "You know all those works of Jesus, I'm adding just one more to the set."

As an aside, one immediate benefit of placing the Gospel of John first in the Gospel series is the Gospel of Luke is rejoined to it's lost soul-mate Acts. Both Luke and Acts are addressed to "Theophilus" and they clearly are a pair. It's a bit of a mystery why anyone would separate Luke and Acts by placing the Gospel that belongs "In the beginning" last in the Gospel series.

Testament Book-ends

Like the Gospels, the Old and New Testaments are also bracketed with book-ends. The books of Genesis and Daniel bracket the Old Testament. Genesis is perhaps the only book in the Bible with a more famous beginning verse than the Gospel of John.

1 Genesis 1:1 1בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (WLC)

1 Genesis 1:1 1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (KJV)

1 Genesis 1:1 1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (KJV/NC)

1 Genesis 1:1 1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (ASV)

1 Genesis 1:1 1GOD created the heavens and the earth in the very beginning. (LAM)

1 Genesis 1:1 1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (RSV)

1 Genesis 1:1 1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (NIV)

1 Genesis 1:1 1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (WEB)

1 Genesis 1:1 1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (WEB/HNV)

1 Genesis 1:1 1GOD created the heavens and the earth in the very beginning. (BRB)

In symetry to Genesis, Daniel ends the Old Testament with reference to the "end."

39 Daniel 12:13 13וְאַתָּ֖ה לֵ֣ךְ לַקֵּ֑ץ וְתָנ֛וּחַ וְתַעֲמֹ֥ד לְגֹרָלְךָ֖ לְקֵ֥ץ הַיָּמִֽין׃ (WLC)

39 Daniel 12:13 13But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.(KJV)

39 Daniel 12:13 13But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.(KJV/NC)

39 Daniel 12:13 13But go thou thy way till the end be; for thou shalt rest, and shalt stand in thy lot, at the end of the days.(ASV)

39 Daniel 12:13 13But as for you, O Daniel, go your way and rest till the end; then you shall arise at your appointed time, at the end of the days. (LAM)

39 Daniel 12:13 13But go your way till the end; and you shall rest, and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days." (RSV)

39 Daniel 12:13 13"As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance."(NIV)

39 Daniel 12:13 13But go you your way until the end be; for you shall rest, and shall stand in your lot, at the end of the days.(WEB)

39 Daniel 12:13 13But go you your way until the end be; for you shall rest, and shall stand in your lot, at the end of the days.(WEB/HNV)

39 Daniel 12:13 13But as for you, Oh Daniel, go your way and rest until the end; then you will arise at your appointed time, at the end of the days. (BRB)

Genesis and Daniel form simple book-ends on the Old Testament by playing to the "beginning" and "end." The New Testament is also bracketed with "beginning" and "end" statements. You've already seen the opening verse of John, but here it is again along with the closing "end" theme in the book of Revelation.

40 John 1:1 1ܒܪܫܝܬ ܐܝܬܘܗܝ ܗܘܐ ܡܠܬܐ ܘܗܘ ܡܠܬܐ ܐܝܬܘܗܝ ܗܘܐ ܠܘܬ ܐܠܗܐ ܘܐܠܗܐ ܐܝܬܘܗܝ ܗܘܐ ܗܘ ܡܠܬܐ ܀ (SYP)

40 John 1:1 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (KJV)

40 John 1:1 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (KJV/NC)

40 John 1:1 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (ASV)

40 John 1:1 1THE Word was in the beginning, and that very Word was with God, and God was that Word. (LAM)

40 John 1:1 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (RSV)

40 John 1:1 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (NIV)

40 John 1:1 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (WEB)

40 John 1:1 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (WEB/HNV)

40 John 1:1 1THE Word was in the beginning, and that very Word was with God, and God was that Word. (BRB)

66 Revelation 22:13 13ܐܢܐ ܐܠܦ ܘܐܢܐ ܬܘ ܩܕܡܝܐ ܘܐܚܪܝܐ ܘܫܘܪܝܐ ܘܫܘܠܡܐ ܀ (SYP)

66 Revelation 22:13 13I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. (KJV)

66 Revelation 22:13 13I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. (KJV/NC)

66 Revelation 22:13 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. (ASV)

66 Revelation 22:13 13I am Aleph and Tau, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. (LAM)

66 Revelation 22:13 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."(RSV)

66 Revelation 22:13

66 Revelation 22:13 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. (WEB)

66 Revelation 22:13 13I am the Alef and the Tav, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. (WEB/HNV)

66 Revelation 22:13 13I am Aleph and Tau, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. (BRB)

Revelation bats cleanup on all these "beginnings" and "ends" by mentioning multiple beginnings and ends. It seems Revelation is giving attestation to the basic high-level structure of the Bible; beginning end beginning end or Genesis Daniel John Revelation. There aren't many other good candidates for this pattern. We have the most famous beginnings in the beginning spots and the most famous endings in the end spots.

Comparisons

You've seen the basic book-ends on the testaments, but there are a number of comparisons we can make between these four books to further support their role as book-ends.

We've already seen that both Genesis and John start with reference to the "beginning." They also both begin with reference to "creation." Genesis states that God created the sky and land right in verse 1 while John reveals that Jesus is the creator in verse 3.

1 Genesis 1:1 1בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (WLC)

1 Genesis 1:1 1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (KJV)

1 Genesis 1:1 1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (KJV/NC)

1 Genesis 1:1 1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (ASV)

1 Genesis 1:1 1GOD created the heavens and the earth in the very beginning. (LAM)

1 Genesis 1:1 1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (RSV)

1 Genesis 1:1 1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (NIV)

1 Genesis 1:1 1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (WEB)

1 Genesis 1:1 1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (WEB/HNV)

1 Genesis 1:1 1GOD created the heavens and the earth in the very beginning. (BRB)

40 John 1:3 3ܟܠ ܒܐܝܕܗ ܗܘܐ ܘܒܠܥܕܘܗܝ ܐܦܠܐ ܚܕܐ ܗܘܬ ܡܕܡ ܕܗܘܐ ܀ (SYP)

40 John 1:3 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (KJV)

40 John 1:3 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (KJV/NC)

40 John 1:3 3All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made. (ASV)

40 John 1:3 3Everything came to be by his hand; and without him not even one thing that was created came to be. (LAM)

40 John 1:3 3all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. (RSV)

40 John 1:3 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (NIV)

40 John 1:3 3All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made. (WEB)

40 John 1:3 3All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made. (WEB/HNV)

40 John 1:3 3Everything came to be by his hand; and without him not even one thing that was created came to be. (BRB)

Since Genesis and John are both behaving the same, starting in the beginning, and dealing with creation as a subject, we realize they are the same type of book-end, both opening book-ends.

Daniel and Revelation both have the "ending" theme, but more valuable is their shared theme of "sealing" or "not sealing" their prophetic message. Here's what the angel tells Daniel to do with his prophetic vision.

39 Daniel 12:4 4וְאַתָּ֣ה דָֽנִיֵּ֗אל סְתֹ֧ם הַדְּבָרִ֛ים וַחֲתֹ֥ם הַסֵּ֖פֶר עַד־ עֵ֣ת קֵ֑ץ יְשֹׁטְט֥וּ רַבִּ֖ים וְתִרְבֶּ֥ה הַדָּֽעַת׃ (WLC)

39 Daniel 12:4 4But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.(KJV)

39 Daniel 12:4 4But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.(KJV/NC)

39 Daniel 12:4 4But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. (ASV)

39 Daniel 12:4 4But you, O Daniel, seal these words and be silent, and seal this book even to the time of the end; many shall want to know the end, and knowledge shall be increased. (LAM)

39 Daniel 12:4 4But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."(RSV)

39 Daniel 12:4 4But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge."(NIV)

39 Daniel 12:4 4But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run back and forth, and knowledge shall be increased.'(WEB)

39 Daniel 12:4 4But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run back and forth, and knowledge shall be increased.'(WEB/HNV)

39 Daniel 12:4 4But you, Oh Daniel, seal these words and be silent, and seal this book even to the time of the end; many will want to know the end, and knowledge will be increased. (BRB)

Daniel was to "seal" his prophecy until the "end." The question is what "end?" Maybe the last book in the Bible will shed some light on the question. Here's what the angel tells John.

66 Revelation 22:10 10ܘܐܡܪ ܠܝ ܠܐ ܬܚܬܘܡ ܡܠܐ ܕܢܒܝܘܬܐ ܕܟܬܒܐ ܗܢܐ ܙܒܢܐ ܓܝܪ ܩܪܒ ܀ (SYP)

66 Revelation 22:10 10And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. (KJV)

66 Revelation 22:10 10And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. (KJV/NC)

66 Revelation 22:10 10And he saith unto me, Seal not up the words of the prophecy of this book; for the time is at hand. (ASV)

66 Revelation 22:10 10Then he said to me, Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. (LAM)

66 Revelation 22:10 10And he said to me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. (RSV)

66 Revelation 22:10

66 Revelation 22:10 10He said to me, 'Don't seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. (WEB)

66 Revelation 22:10 10He said to me, 'Don't seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. (WEB/HNV)

66 Revelation 22:10 10Then he said to me, Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. (BRB)

John's angel encounter is not in a vacuum. The last time 1) a prophet, 2) was told by an angel, 3) to seal or not seal, 4) the vision, was at the end of Daniel. After comparing the two passages the only difference is whether the prophet was to seal or not. And Daniel was told to seal only until the time of the end. So when John is in the exact same situation and the angel says "don't seal," the angel is saying "you're at the end." Which means Revelation is correctly placed as the last book of the Bible.

Bible Book-ends

The books of Genesis and Revelation are like book-ends for the whole Bible. Revelation ends with a couple references to the "Tree of Life." Here is one such reference.

66 Revelation 22:2 2ܘܡܨܥܬ ܫܘܩܝܗ ܡܟܐ ܘܡܟܐ ܥܠ ܢܗܪܐ ܩܝܤܐ ܕܚܝܐ ܕܥܒܕ ܦܐܪܐ ܬܪܥܤܪ ܘܒܟܠ ܝܪܚ ܝܗܒ ܦܐܪܘܗܝ ܘܛܪܦܘܗܝ ܠܐܤܝܘܬܐ ܕܥܡܡܐ ܀ (SYP)

66 Revelation 22:2 2In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (KJV)

66 Revelation 22:2 2In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare 12 manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (KJV/NC)

66 Revelation 22:2 2in the midst of the street thereof. And on this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve manner of fruits, yielding its fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (ASV)

66 Revelation 22:2 2In the midst of the great street of the city, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve kinds of fruits, and each month it yielded one of its fruits; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the peoples. (LAM)

66 Revelation 22:2 2through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (RSV)

66 Revelation 22:2

66 Revelation 22:2 2in the middle of its street. On this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (WEB)

66 Revelation 22:2 2in the middle of its street. On this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (WEB/HNV)

66 Revelation 22:2 2In the middle of the great street of the city, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore 12 kinds of fruits, and each month it yielded one of its fruits; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the peoples. (BRB)

The Tree of Life first appears in the Garden of Eden, early in the book of Genesis.

1 Genesis 2:9 9וַיַּצְמַ֞ח יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהִים֙ מִן־ הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה כָּל־ עֵ֛ץ נֶחְמָ֥ד לְמַרְאֶ֖ה וְט֣וֹב לְמַאֲכָ֑ל וְעֵ֤ץ הַֽחַיִּים֙ בְּת֣וֹךְ הַגָּ֔ן וְעֵ֕ץ הַדַּ֖עַת ט֥וֹב וָרָֽע׃ (WLC)

1 Genesis 2:9 9And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. (KJV)

1 Genesis 2:9 9And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. (KJV/NC)

1 Genesis 2:9 9And out of the ground made Jehovah God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (ASV)

1 Genesis 2:9 9And out of the ground the LORD God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (LAM)

1 Genesis 2:9 9And out of the ground the LORD God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.(RSV)

1 Genesis 2:9 9And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground -- trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.(NIV)

1 Genesis 2:9 9Out of the ground Yahweh God made every tree to grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (WEB)

1 Genesis 2:9 9Out of the ground the LORD God made every tree to grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the middle of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (WEB/HNV)

1 Genesis 2:9 9And out of the ground Yahvah God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food; also the tree of life in the middle of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (BRB)

The beauty of these references to the Tree of Life is their close proxemity. Revelation only seems far away from Genesis until you close the loop by linking the end of Revelation back to the start of Genesis.

Reading the description of the New Jerusalem at the end of Revelation and the Garden at the beginning of Genesis provides insight about both places. These passages are actually as close in relationship or context as any other two passages in the Bible. In fact there's something magical about these two passages since they start and end the whole Bible and link together to form a larger picture of the place from which we fell once upon a time.

Ryan Eaton
November 11, 2007

Revision 1.3 on 2007-11-20 at 07:26:43 GMT
http://www.bookorderbible.org/chain/bookends/

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