I recently finished an End Times series at Life Valley Community Church, called The Last Amen, in which I walked us through the important points of Biblical prophecy yet to be fulfilled. But Revelation – the last book of the Bible – can be very intimidating to read, not to mention confusing.
Here are four reasons why this concluding book of Scripture can be difficult to understand:
- Author’s Perspective. Revelation was written from the perspective of a first century writer to a first century audience. For example, Revelation 8;10-11 describes a “star” crashing into earth. It is clearly not a star as we understand the word, but it could mean an asteroid, meteorite, satellite, or an ICMB for all we know. We need to remember that Revelation was written for us, but it was not written to us.
- Apocalyptic Symbolism. Revelation is the only book of the whole Bible written almost entirely in a literary genre known as apocalyptic literature. It is replete with symbolism and iconography that is both terrifying and bizarre at times. Various people, creatures, and beasts with seemingly alien descriptions are almost all intended figuratively and are part of this style of writing.
- Chronology in Snapshots. Revelation is not a perfectly linear timeline of future events. Rather there are parts of the book which play out like a flashback scene in a movie. This is most evident with chapters 11-14 in the middle of the book, which many theologians refer to as a “Historical Interlude” as it retraces how we got to that specific point in the Tribulation. Additionally, many of the “scenes” of Revelation work as snapshots in time, as if different segments of John’s revelation which are connected, but not necessarily chronological.
- Summation of Scripture. So much of Biblical prophecy comes to an apex in Revelation that it is difficult to know what is being cross-referenced and what is simply borrowing language. Matthew 24, 2 Thessalonians 2, Daniel 7 and 9, Psalm 2, Zechariah 4, Genesis 3, 1 Corinthians 15, and many other passages seem to be overlapping and intersecting with Revelation. Nothing interprets Scripture like Scripture. And yet we must be careful not to force interpretations that are not intended by the Holy Spirit.
Revelation is a deeply important piece of inspired Scripture, worth studying and obeying (Revelation 1:3). But like all of Scripture, we must be careful to read and interpret it as it is intended, not as we would make it. God bless you as you spend time in the Word!
Blessings,
Pastor John