Decoding Revelation

The most popular book of the Bible may very well be Revelation. It is also the most controversial and the most abused! The general consensus is that it foretells events that are yet future, but this interpretation is incorrect. In this brief article, I’d like to share with you 3 rules to “decoding” the message of Revelation.

First of all, “the revelation of Jesus Christ” was “sent and signified” (Rev. 1:1). This means that the book is written in signs, or symbols. To interpret the details of this book literally is to ignore the very nature of the book.

Also, the events of Revelation would “shortly take place” (1:1). Since the book was written in the 1^st century, we can say with certainty that John was not prophesying events that would occur more than 2,000 years later. Having said that, "there is nothing new under the sun" (Eccl. 1:9), and as these same kinds of events occur, God's response will be the same: those who persecute His saints may get away with it for a little while, but they will face God's wrath and Christ will be victorious over His enemies!!!

To be more specific, Revelation was addressed to “the seven churches in Asia” (1:4) to comfort them as they endured a period of tribulation (1:9). It may be that the judgments in this book were against Jerusalem (AD 70), or possibly Rome which persecuted the church in the 1^st century. It would be cruel to address Christians in the first century who were experiencing hardship and persecution by promising a divine response (judgment) that would be applied to a latter-day period of tribulation, not to their own.

There are other things that could be discussed, and the 3 rules mentioned above could obviously be fleshed out. Perhaps the simplicity and brevity of this article will encourage deeper study. Please contact me or comment below if you have any questions or disagreements.