Suggestions for Studying the

Book Of Revelation

The Book of Revelation has scared many people. It’s sometimes obscure metaphors and somewhat scary subject matter have caused many a Bible student to avoid it all together. For years I would not read it because I felt that it was too "deep" and "symbolic" for me to ever understand. My interest was peaked though by the "Left Behind" book series, (By Tim Lahay and Jerry Jenkins). This series takes you through the events of Revelation in a, dare I say it, fun and interesting way; via a fictional novel about the life of those left behind after the "rapture" of Christ’s Church. After getting caught up by that series I picked up Tim Lahay’s book "Revelation Unveiled". "Revelation Unveiled" takes you through the Book of Revelation chapter by chapter in a very easy and interesting way. It de-mystifies the book and brings the wonders of God’s future plans within the reach of us all. Thanks Tim. The majority of ideas discussed herein come from "Revelation Unveiled" and I hope Zondervan Press doesn’t get too upset with me for taking liberties with regards to passages from the book. For that matter I hope Tim Lahay won’t be too upset with me either. You see, I have no true insight or research of my own to fall back on. So when the Holy Spirit prompted me to do this little exercise on Revelation, I needed to start somewhere, So I worked with what I had, A copy of "Revelation Unveiled". So here we are, with Tim Lahay’s tips for reading and understanding the Book of Revelation.

 

• What is the value of studying the Book of Revelation?

• Revelation 1:3 promises a "Special Blessing" for all who read and hear God’s word. At the end of Revelation it also promises the blessing to those who "keep the truths of the prophecy... contained in this little book." Rev. 22:7. (Amplified Bible, Zondervan Press 1982)

"Blessed is the man who reads aloud the word of this prophecy; and blessed are those who hear and keep themselves true to the things which are written in it – heeding them and laying them to heart – for the time is near" Rev. 1:3 (Amplified Bible, Zondervan Press 1982)

• It shows us what God has in store for our future. The age old question of "what does the future hold?" is answered here most dramatically.

• When read in it’s correct context, Revelation shows us the fulfillment of all the other promises given in the bible. It shows us that Christ is the only fulfillment and thus the only way to God.

• What was begun in Genesis is completed in Revelation. From the Paradise of Eden to the Paradise of the Millennial Kingdom. From the fall of man to our elevation next to him. From the entrance of Satan to his ultimate demise in the Lake of Fire.

• Suggestions for Easier Understanding of Revelation

• Use the Golden Rule of Interpretation: Take everything as literal and word for word unless the context and related paragraphs suggest another interpretation.
• Find the location of the events. Knowing where these events take place helps a lot. The two places where things take place in Revelation are either Earth or Heaven. Pages 12 & 13 of Revelation Unveiled have a wonderful chart on them that breaks down the location of each event. Hopefully soon, I will have a copy of that chart on this page to assist you in your understanding.
• Understand that the events unfold in chronological order. That is except for Chapters 12 & 17, which are discussed elsewhere in this site. These chapters are John’s visions of past and/or future events in heaven. Other than those two chapters everything flows one after another and builds upon the last one.

• 4 Interpretations of Revelation

• The 4 interpretations are Futurist, Historical, Spiritual, and Preterist.

1. The most accepted position is the Futurist one. This one states that the events in this book have yet to happen and are a literal fortelling of what is yet to come.
2. The Historical position states that the events in this book have already taken place. It takes a lot of historical twisting to make the events of Revelation look like they have already taken place. Logic tells us that this position does not work. Those who hold to this position are likely doing so because it is needed to fit their non-biblical philosophies.
3. The spiritualizing interpretation suggests that all the events are figurative or symbolic. The majority of those people who followed this position were from before the end of the 19^th century. They also believed that the events in Revelation had already taken place and we never saw them because they were so metaphoric as to render them obscure. This meant that they were living in the Millennial Kingdom and that everything would be glorious and peaceful for the next 1000 years. This last century of war and conflict sure shot that theory down the tubes.
4. The Preterist view suggests that John was writing about events that happened in his own lifetime. History shows us the folly of this position. The majority of the things in the book of Revelation have yet to happen and as of yet no one ruler, especially the rulers of John’s own time, fit the description of the Antichrist.

• Verse 1:19 from Revelation states that John is to write what he sees, for they are "...what is to take place hereafter". This clearly shows that what John saw was a vision of the future and since nothing like the events of Revelation have occurred in recorded history, it makes sense to view them in the Futurist sense.

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