I don't really understand the book of Revelation

I recommend this book

Revelation simply organizes the events in The Tanakh that speak to events surrounding the second coming of Jesus. Also touches on a little about the great white throne judgment, etc.. and the new heaven and earth.

I think that Isaac Newton, the great physicist who was co-inventor of calculus etc, believed that prophetic books such as Daniel and Revelation are written such that one can look backwards and see that God what planning. But that one can't use these same sources to see forward and know exactly what God intends. I tend to agree with this, and think that God is vague such that the future might play out in various ways, but that the overall pattern will still hold.

Having said that, there is much that can be learned from Revelation, even if much of it is symbology. There are various schools of thought, such as "Everything in there is describing stuff in the past," or "everything is describing the far future," and to round it out, "the book describes a long span of time reaching from the past all the way to the 2nd coming." Every time I have seen a discussion of Revelation, the presenter has a particular framework already set in their mind, and presents everything just from that framework. So it is always helpful to double check things and pray for wisdom from God.

KT

Daniel is the key to understanding the book of Revelation.

The great image in Daniel 2 represents specific kingdoms that have a part to play in prophecy from Babylon forward. These same kingdoms are represented in Daniel 7 as beasts.

Daniel actually identifies the first three consecutive kingdoms in his book. Babylon, Medo-Persia and Grecia. If the first three kingdoms are consecutive, it then makes sense that the fourth kingdom is also consecutive and the one that history records after Grecia. That kingdom would then divide into ten kingdoms as the prophecy says, and the little horn would be seen coming up among them and plucking up three of the ten kingdoms by the roots.

Daniel 7 gives a time prophecy that is echoed in Revelation 13 as 42 months concerning the little horn; that it would be in power for 1260 years and then lose its power (the deadly wound). This can also be seen in historical events.

The beasts described in Daniel 7 are found in the description of the beast that rises out of the sea in Revelation 13:1-10, which points to the fact that the sea beast is none other than the little horn of Daniel 7 that will have its deadly wound healed and recover the power it lost at the end of the 1260 year prophecy.

We're now waiting for the sea beast to have its deadly wound healed completely and come into power, triggering the final events that bring in the mark of the beast (with the help of the earth beast; Revelation 13:11-18) and the second coming of Christ.

I recommend Daniel and the Revelation written by Uriah Smith (PDF, MP3). It covers everything in detail.

It really is not that complicated it describes events that will happen in a 7 year time frame. There are three main bad people the unholy trinity: 1. satan also known as the dragon, 2. the beast from the sea also known as Paul's man of sin and the king of the north and the 3rd person is the beast from the land also known as the false prophet and the antichrist.

Bible Scholar Dr. Michael Heiser took a different approach to it. Very well done.

Naked Bible 352: Introducing The Old Testament in the Book of Revelation​

If you knew the truth of Revelation, it wouldn't matter because you wouldn't believe it. Even if you did believe, you wouldn't respond.

Revelation 1:3 says you will be blessed if you listen and obey. That is not going to happen.

Isaiah 24 says God is going to smash up the planet and wipe out most of the people. Revelation provides more detail on that. Christians will be caught up in this. Revelation provides information on what to look for and when to flee - at the sound of terror (Isaiah 24:17-18) . But you have to care. And no one cares.

Given that nobody is going listen and obey, the words are hidden in Revelation. Current events unseal those words.