Following the lamb: An analysis of the theme of discipleship in the book of Revelation

To date few studies have undertaken the subject of discipleship in the book of Revelation. Even those previously written have been brief. This study proposes to analyze the development of the theme of discipleship in Revelation. This study focuses not simply on a handful of selected passages, but sets out to explore the theme of discipleship in the whole of the Apocalypse.;Chapter 1 identifies the need for an analysis of the theme of discipleship in Revelation. The method for this analysis is a content analysis of the book of Revelation. It also proposed and concluded that discipleship, although not exactly synonymous with either Christian education or Christian spiritual formation, does share a striking affinity with both disciplines' emphasis on the need for a holistic educative process for Christian growth and maturity into the image of Christ. The study consists of three areas of investigation: (1) an overview of the forms of discipleship in the ancient world, including the New Testament, (2) current research on the theme of discipleship in the Gospel of John, and (3) investigation of the theme of discipleship in the book of Revelation. The research questions are as follows:;1. What forms of discipleship existed in the ancient world? 2. How is the theme of discipleship developed in the Gospel of John according to current research? 3. How is the theme of discipleship developed in the book of Revelation?;Chapter 2 contains an overview of the forms of discipleship in the ancient world, including the New Testament. It explores the historical background to New Testament discipleship through a summary of the forms of discipleship in the ancient Greco-Roman world largely through the use of its terminology, and in Judaism through its terminology, as well as through certain relationships in the world of Judaism. Next, it provides an overview of the characteristics of New Testament discipleship, beginning with relevant terminology used in the Synoptic Gospels and the New Testament Epistles, followed by a look at Jesus' distinct form of discipleship, and concludes with discipleship as articulated in the Epistles.;Chapter 3 consists of a review of the recent scholarly literature on discipleship in the Gospel of John and the development of a framing code to be used for analysis of Revelation. The framing code utilized to explore the theme of discipleship in Revelation was developed from the literature on discipleship in John. Although the methods utilized to study the concept of discipleship in the Fourth Gospel vary, these works have focused on many of the same pericopae and have arrived at similar conclusions regarding discipleship in John's Gospel. The themes most often represented are utilized in the construction of the framing code.;Chapter 4 is an application of the framing code developed in chapter three. This chapter was divided into twelve sections, corresponding to an outline of the book of Revelation. The exegesis of several of the selected pertinent texts related to the theme of discipleship are accompanied by brief vignettes of what Revelation may contribute to Jesus' disciples' walk with him today.;Chapter 5 provides an overall survey of the research, as well as a synthesis of the exegetical conclusions on the theme of discipleship in the Revelation. This synthesis includes how the theme of discipleship as it is revealed in Revelation might be applied to the disciple of Jesus Christ. This chapter concludes with some recommendations for future research.;Keywords: The book of Revelation, Discipleship, The Gospel of John, Christian Education, Content Analysis.