THE BOOK OF REVELATION
Some general guidance as you begin your own study.
The book of Revelation is a complex book of the Bible that requires careful discernment and understanding. As you dive into reading this book, here is some guidance to help you understand it better.
At it's heart, the book of Revelation is a pastoral book that sought to 1) encourage Christians who were being persecuted for their refusal to worship the Roman Emperor but held fast to their unwavering faith in Jesus and 2) admonish Christians who were sliding into spiritual apathy out of fear in the face of adversity. It is NOT a code book of secrets for predicting the future or decoding the cultural and political times of the day.
APOCALYPTIC LITERATURE
The author, John, defines this writing as an "apocalypsis." While many modern English bibles use the word "revelation" to translate this word, it was actually referring to a particular genre of literature common in the ancient Jewish world. Think about the fact that today we have many genres of literature such as novel, non-fiction, children's fantasy, romance, technical instruction, theology, bible study, poetry, etc. "Apocalyptic" literature was a common genre in the ancient biblical world.
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Here's a great video from the Bible Project explaining different literary styles in the Bible.
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This video from the Bible Project explains the literary genre of apocalyptic literature in Revelation.
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PASTOR JIM'S SERMONS RELATED TO REVELATION
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Pastor Jim teaches how to read Apocalyptic literature in the series titled, "Playing by the Rules."
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Pastor Jim teaches about Revelation's role in the story of the bible in the series titled, "Cover to Cover."
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OVERVIEW OF REVELATION
The Bible Project does an excellent job of outlining the original intent of Revelation. Watch these two videos several times while you read through and study the book of Revelation.
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Overview of Revelation: Part 1
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Overview of Revelation: Part 2
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THE MEANING IS FOUND IN THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE BOOK
There are several ways people have interpreted the book of Revelation over the years. Those who have taken the "Futurist" approach see all the symbolism of Revelation as representing some significant event, person, entity, or nation in the present or future. Those who have taken the "Historicist" approach see all the symbolism as representing various events, people, entities, or nations that have gradually unfolded over the centuries since its writing. Those who have taken the "Idealist" approach see all the symbolism as representing spiritual ideas and themes but not anything concrete in the real world. Those who have taken the "Preterist" approach see all the symbolism as representing events, people, entities, or nations in the biblical past or the first century Christian's present.
Standard evangelical hermeneutics require that we find biblical meaning in the text's original author's original intent for their original audience in their original context. The importance of this method applies to Revelation as much as it does to Romans or Genesis. While the literary genre of apocalyptic literature requires that we follow certain rules to understand it, we must do the same kind of historical-grammatical work with the text to exegete its original meaning. After we discern the original meaning, then we can search for modern day implications and then how it applies to our lives today.
It's important to begin with learning the historical, cultural, and political context of the first century Christians. What was happening in the world of Jews, Christians, Romans, and Greeks? Many preterists do very well with laying this out and making helpful connections between the first century setting and the biblical text. Then, study the Old Testamant texts being referenced in Revelation with a similar approach to understand their parallels and connections.
If you don't do this important homework and interpret the symbolism of Revelation in light of the first century historical, political, and cultural context, the Old Testament, and the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament, you will become prone to misinterpreting the text and led into fruitless and even dangerous speculation and conjecture.
After you've done your homework in these areas, then you can explore the spiritual symbolism that can be derived from these original meanings and the parallels we find throughout our history. Make sure you compare these findings to the teachings of Jesus and others in the New Testament, as well. And finally, take hope in God's vision for humanity both in our present day and the future.
Most of the symbolism of Revelation has its meaning in the first century Roman Empire and biblical Old Testament. Very little of its symbolism are tied to any events or entities of today. If they are, it's by general implication, not original meaning. And, what is revealed up through chapter 18 points primarily to events surrounding first century Christians. The events revealed in chapters 19-22 likely point to what is yet to come. However, even the meaning of those chapters can be debated. Careful discernment is required. Don't get too caught up in parsing the details of tribulations and millenniums. They can quickly become divisive and fruitless.
Standard evangelical hermeneutics require that we find biblical meaning in the text's original author's original intent for their original audience in their original context. The importance of this method applies to Revelation as much as it does to Romans or Genesis. While the literary genre of apocalyptic literature requires that we follow certain rules to understand it, we must do the same kind of historical-grammatical work with the text to exegete its original meaning. After we discern the original meaning, then we can search for modern day implications and then how it applies to our lives today.
It's important to begin with learning the historical, cultural, and political context of the first century Christians. What was happening in the world of Jews, Christians, Romans, and Greeks? Many preterists do very well with laying this out and making helpful connections between the first century setting and the biblical text. Then, study the Old Testamant texts being referenced in Revelation with a similar approach to understand their parallels and connections.
If you don't do this important homework and interpret the symbolism of Revelation in light of the first century historical, political, and cultural context, the Old Testament, and the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament, you will become prone to misinterpreting the text and led into fruitless and even dangerous speculation and conjecture.
After you've done your homework in these areas, then you can explore the spiritual symbolism that can be derived from these original meanings and the parallels we find throughout our history. Make sure you compare these findings to the teachings of Jesus and others in the New Testament, as well. And finally, take hope in God's vision for humanity both in our present day and the future.
Most of the symbolism of Revelation has its meaning in the first century Roman Empire and biblical Old Testament. Very little of its symbolism are tied to any events or entities of today. If they are, it's by general implication, not original meaning. And, what is revealed up through chapter 18 points primarily to events surrounding first century Christians. The events revealed in chapters 19-22 likely point to what is yet to come. However, even the meaning of those chapters can be debated. Careful discernment is required. Don't get too caught up in parsing the details of tribulations and millenniums. They can quickly become divisive and fruitless.
ADDITIONAL THEMES TO KEEP IN MIND
As you read through and study the book of Revelation, its important to keep the big picture in mind. It's very easy to get caught up in the sensationalism of the detailed symbolism and all the speculation it inspires. But one must not become so focused on identifying the trees that you forget what forest you're in. Below are some short videos from the Bible Project to help you keep the big picture in mind.
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THE STORY OF THE BIBLE
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HEAVEN AND EARTH
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THE TREE OF LIFE
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THE DAY OF THE LORD
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PRAYER
May God's Holy Spirit empower you with the diligence to study well, the discernment to read Revelation responsibly and interpret it with wisdom and clarity. And, may you find hope and encouragement for your faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ, inspiring you to live with confidence and sharing this hope with others! Amen.