APPROACHING THE BOOK OF REVELATION

 

A few years ago, I issued a post titled “Book of Revelation: a Topical Study Outline” listing some topical studies I had put up on this website. In addition, more resources are available under the following post titles:

Revelation 1 and the Deity of Christ

Revelation: Introduction

Revelation 1:10

Pergamum (Revelation 2:12-17)

Notes on Revelation 2-3

Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6)

Revelation 3:14-22

Revelation 4

Revelation 4:1

Revelation 5

Revelation 6:5-6

Revelation 6-7

Revelation 8-11

Revelation 12-14

Revelation 15-16

Revelation 17-19 (Babylon)

Revelation 17-20

Revelation 18 (Context 1 and 2)

Revelation 21-22

But for those who do not plan to delve into this fascinating book to any great extent and are content with an overview, here are some recycled “words of wisdom” that will, it is hoped, keep you from going too far afield in your understanding of this admittedly difficult composition.

Differences of opinion on how to interpret this book should not be a point to divide Christians from one another since it is a secondary doctrinal issue at best. There is still too much ambiguity present to allow for any one definitive interpretation.

Do not become so immersed in the minutia of details in the book that you ignore its dual emphasis on the exalted position of the risen Christ in heaven and advice to believers to hold firm with confidence in the face of persecution.

The Book of Revelation is filled with divine visions which, in consistency with all those prophetic visions in the book where an interpretation is actually given, should be viewed for their symbolic or figurative (rather than physical) correspondence with past, present and future realities. It was written in symbols that were probably better understood by the original audience than by us today. However, there are a number of excellent commentaries available to guide today's reader by providing the necessary historical background and Old Testament allusions in the text to allow for an informed interpretation.

You will run into commentators who claim that they take only a literal interpretation of the book, but an examination of their writings and statements will show that most of them are not at all literal. And their assumption that every writing in the Bible must be taken literally is highly dubious and not based on any facts.

The visions cover events and conditions current in the Roman world at the time of writing as well as opening a window into events that are still in the future for us today (Revelation 1:19). For example, Ladd says, “The beast is Rome and at the same time an eschatological Antichrist which cannot be fully equated with historical Rome.”

In addition, the book can be, and has been, used by believers living in any era to provide spiritual guidance and comfort, especially in times of external persecution. That is why, personally, I would be highly suspicious of any view which relegates the importance of the book only to the distant past or the near future. Both extremes deny the relevance of the writings to the vast majority of Christians who have ever lived.

The book is permeated with allusions to Old Testament passages that should be consulted to help with proper interpretation. However, keep in mind that a similarity of language does not necessarily imply that identical events are being described in both testaments. Each situation must be taken on its own merit.

You should become at least somewhat acquainted with all the major schools of eschatological thought among sincere Christians before making up your mind as to which one does the best job of capturing the gist of Revelation. These include amillennialism, historical premillennialism, postmillennialism, dispensationalism, and idealism. Also, it is instructive to follow the way historically these views tend to go in and out of fashion, even within the same denominations, depending on the “signs of the times.”

In approaching this book, you should not make the assumption that it has got to be written in chronological order of the events. As a composition falling into the rough literary category of the apocalyptic, it is much more likely that it should be read as OT apocalyptic books such as Daniel and Zechariah, as a series of sections, or cycles, each one of which recaps history from the first to the second coming of Christ. However, the earlier sections will concentrate more on the earlier chronological events, and the later sections concentrate more on the later events. This method of approaching the book does the best job of explaining the apparent duplications of certain predicted events such as the binding of Satan, the fall of Babylon, “last” comings of Christ, last judgments, battle of Armaggedon, setting up of earthly kingdoms of God, etc.

Ultimately, the exact working out of the future remains in God's hands. therefore none of us should act so securely in our own understanding that we either try to force it on others or act in a superior manner toward those who are not as “enlightened” as we are.