How to Understand Revelation

Secondly, Revelation unlocks history. Revelation relies heavily on the Old Testament. For instance, in Revelation 13, there is a composite beast, which are exactly the same beasts of Daniel 7. Revelation 11 has two witnesses that also can be found in Zechariah 4.The tree of life and ancient serpent take us back to the creation story in Genesis (Rev. 12, 2:7, 22:2). Revelation mentions Jezebel and Balaam. The plagues of Egypt in Exodus are strikingly similar to the seals, trumpets and bowls. A song of Moses is found in Revelation 15. To understand Revelation we must look to the imagery of the Old Testament. Yet, John’s Revelation adds transformation to these pictures. We see the climax of prophetic history – the victory of Jesus Christ and his new kingdom.

Third, we have the meaning of numbers. Numbers have symbolic meaning in Revelation and in all of the Bible. R. J. Rushdoony in his book, Thy Kingdom Come (pg. 174) tells us that “Biblical symbols are fluid, not stereotyped”. In other words, Biblical symbolism is not simply a red horse equals war, it is more collectively, referring to several ideas all at once. Phillip Carrington suggests, “Symbolism is a way of suggesting truth about those great spiritual realities which exclude exact definition or complete systematization … The symbol is much richer in meaning than any meaning we draw from it.” (The Meaning of Revelation, pg. 84) A powerful example is the picture or a necklace of a cross. The meaning is way beyond a simple symbol. So, we look beyond just mere definitions.

The number 7 is used extensively in Revelation, as is 10 and 12, and their multiples. Seven means perfection or completeness. And as we look at the 7 churches, 7 seals, 7 trumpets, 7 bowls, 7 judgments, etc. we also look beyond simple definitions to a more complete, collective meaning behind the symbolic numbers.

Fourth, Revelation is about what must soon take place. Repeatedly in the book it refers to “things that must soon take place” (Rev. 1:1, 1:3, 22:6, 22:7, 22:10, 22:12, 22:20). John is commanded not to seal up the prophecy. Why? Because the time is near. Unlike Daniel, the prophecy of John is given to reveal for the time has come, it is near. This is critically important to understanding Revelation. We must be very careful not to assume that all of Revelation is in the distant future. The book states over and over again the time is near – Jesus says I am coming soon! We must remember to interpret Bible prophecy within its context. John’s hearers could take comfort in Christ’s victory in times of upheaval and change, times of extraordinary trial and suffering. The book of Revelation demonstrates that significant events must have happened very close to when John wrote the prophecy. Do NOT take this lightly. It is incredibly important to understand the visions of the prophecy.

And lastly, Revelation is about the victorious Jesus Christ! When reading Daniel 9, many have wrongly concluded that verses (24-27) are about the anti-Christ. The prophecy in Daniel, as we will detail later, is really about Jesus Christ. The same is true of Revelation. Often, people either assume or have been taught that the book is about judgment, destruction and the anti-Christ ruling. But this teaching entirely misses the point (and picture) of Revelation! The first verse tells us plainly, the revelation of Jesus Christ! Because some of the content of Daniel and Revelation, such as the beast, false prophet, dragon, and judgment, we sometimes wrongly conclude what the book is really saying. It is very similar to seeing the plagues of Egypt and not understanding that this was God’s plan to free his people from slavery. You get caught up with the plagues themselves without seeing the big picture of what God was doing. Revelation is no different. It truly is about Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, in victory bringing about his new kingdom! To do that, a shaking and destruction had to occur. That is the wisdom and manifest revelation of Jesus Christ!