The Revelation of Jesus Christ is a difficult book and is very different from the rest of the New Testament. I have often heard people say they are afraid of the book because it is full of symbolic language (“How am I supposed to understand it?”) and has a rather frightening message (For the great day of his wrath is come). In order to round out my guides for reading the Bible I wanted to set forth a few suggestions for reading with understanding the Book of Revelation.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ
The book begins: The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John The actual title of the book is The Revelation of John or The Apocalypse of John, and he did see and record it for us. But it is actually The Revelation of Jesus Christ. I know this was designed to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass and it does. But first and foremost this shows us Jesus. This is the revelation of Jesus Christ. This is not so much a catalog of future events as it is a revelation of the glory and power and victory of our Savior, Jesus Christ!
It does speak about a period known as the tribulation – a time of judgment from God on mankind and the final conflict between antichrist and the people of God. But in it all Jesus reigns: he is Lord of lords, and King of kings. And this book tells us of the coming day when The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Amen! And to reinforce this, every conflict or judgment begins with a scene in heaven, reminding us that Jesus is Lord. God is in control!
The Kingdom of God
Jesus is the soon coming King and we shall enjoy the kingdom:
thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood…And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come
and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. Hallelujah!
So now, some basic tips for reading The Revelation
- the outline of the book is given by the Lord himself in 1:19
Write the things which thou hast seen (1), and the things which are (2-3), and the things which shall be hereafter (4-22)
- the book consists of 7 visions each introduced by the phrase after this (once by after these things) 1-3 / 4-6 / 7:1-8 / 7:9-15:4 / 15:5-17:18 / 18:1-24 / 19:1-22:21
- we are brought to the end several times before it is actually described (6:12-17; 7:15-17; 10:7; 11:15-18; 14:14-20; Jesus finally comes in 19); then the book backs up and adds more details. In other words, the book is not purely chronological. That being said, it is chronological: it takes us through the last days to the coming of Christ, the kingdom, and the new heaven and earth. Amen!
- a lot of the symbolism is from the Old Testament, so the better you know your Old Testament the more you will understand Revelation. One example, 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars... Who is this woman? Compare it to Genesis 37:9-10 and you will see that it is Israel.
- numbers are significant, especially 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 12
- even though it is highly symbolic, the symbolism stands for something concrete. But don’t get lost in the symbolism. Try to take in the bigger picture. For example: chapters 4-5 tell us about living creatures and the 24 elders. Who are they? Different answers are offered, but don’t get lost in that - take in the heavenly worship! (There is a lot about worship in this book.) The mark of the beast - 666. Whatever it is, it tell us that when antichrist makes war on the saints there will be no riding the fence: you will have to choose sides. Chapter 9 - What in the world is this?? I have an idea or two, but it at least tells us this conflict will be intense and final. AND that it is vital to have the seal of God. But not everything is symbolic: 11:15-18 and 19:11-16 are pretty straightforward!
- the seven churches. This is a very practical, convicting, and challenging section. And important. While these are addressed to the church, there is a personal promise in each letter to him who overcometh. It is imperative to be an overcomer!
- this is mostly a description of events yet future. So, how can it possibly be of any help to us now? There is hope and comfort offered that will get us through many a trial and tribulation. In the words of a song I heard a long time ago:
We win, we win, Hallelujah we win
I read the back of the book and we win!
He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteOutstanding section on how to interpret Revelation. I think you and I follow the same basic structure. I think people get lost trying to make each symbol be EXACT when really it is just a beautiful picture of a grand reality. Chapters 4 and 5 are two of my favorite chapters in the entire Bible. I still am floored whenever I think of them!