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.

JacquelineDeane55 said:

Out of all the books in the Bible I have read, the book of Revelation has probably been the hardest for me to understand.

I have bought books talking about the meaning of its Scriptures, like books from Jack Van Impe (he is dead now), but still, the exact meaning of the Book of Revelation escapes me.

What do you guys say?

Click to expand...

Are you by any chance believing that we
Are suppose to understand the book of Revelation?

Im being very serious, dont mean to
Mock you or doubt intelligence, rather,
The books in the bible, Rev being the
Most mysterious is not meant for us to
Think we can truly understand every word
As a schoolbook text, rather, its told to
Us to trust the Words it speaks to our heart,
Without our having to make perfect sense
Of it, you see.

Certainly we are going to understand the words it says, but only from our hearts
Not our minds, and heres why.

If we read it to try to understand it
With our minds God warned us to not
Lean on our own understanding, rather,
To ask God to speak to your heart through
His Holy Spirit, then we arent apt to mistake
What the message truly means, and when
We seek God He will instruct us in our heart
And mind.

Linda426 said:

Are you by any chance believing that we
Are suppose to understand the book of Revelation?

Im being very serious, dont mean to
Mock you or doubt intelligence, rather,
The books in the bible, Rev being the
Most mysterious is not meant for us to
Think we can truly understand every word
As a schoolbook text, rather, its told to
Us to trust the Words it speaks to our heart,
Without our having to make perfect sense
Of it, you see.

Certainly we are going to understand the words it says, but only from our hearts
Not our minds, and heres why.

If we read it to try to understand it
With our minds God warned us to not
Lean on our own understanding, rather,
To ask God to speak to your heart through
His Holy Spirit, then we arent apt to mistake
What the message truly means, and when
We seek God He will instruct us in our heart
And mind.

Click to expand...

You can't understand most of Revelation by just reading Revelation. Instead, read the news and compare to Revelation.

Wow, 9/11 looks a lot like the 2nd Seal. I wonder if the rise of Islam means anything? Go down massive rabbit hole. Funny how Allah's name in Arabic looks a lot like the mark of the beast. Does Islam do a full planetary takeover? That's another rabbit hole.

Just read the news and ask yourself questions.

People tend to begin approaching the book of Revelation the wrong way from the get-go, having assumptions that they probably don't even know are assumptions.

The word that we translate as "revelation" in Revelation 1:1 is the Greek word "Ἀποκάλυψις," and its significance goes beyond the mere fact that that is the word being used. By that point, an Apocalypse was already a well-established genre of literature, and that is why it is called John's Apocalypse.

The purpose of an Apocalypse is to show us what is really going on behind the scenes in the spiritual realm, revealing to us those things that we can't see, but which are driving events and reality.

Instead, people approach the book with the default assumption that its purpose is to give a chronological sequence of events which will take place in the final years right before Christ returns.

But, since the book tells us right out of the gate that it is another Apocalypse, we can know that that is not what the book is or what it is doing.

And that plays in to the scope of the first 3 chapters. The book is written to churches and to Christians who are being persecuted. As such, it was written to show them what is really behind their persecutions, and to show them that those demonic forces will be judged and that those persecuted Christians will be vindicated.

A very quick and broad summary of the bulk of the book (excluding the first few and last few chapters) is that John sees 7 different visions that describe the period between Christ's 1st and 2nd comings, explaining why we are being persecuted and what will happen as a result, both to us and to the systems of the world which are persecuting us.

JacquelineDeane55 said:

Out of all the books in the Bible I have read, the book of Revelation has probably been the hardest for me to understand.

I have bought books talking about the meaning of its Scriptures, like books from Jack Van Impe (he is dead now), but still, the exact meaning of the Book of Revelation escapes me.

What do you guys say?

Click to expand...

The late Pastor Arnold Murray of the Shepherd's chapel explains the Book of Revelation in great detail. His theology is agree with most. Have a listen

Revelation part 1

Revelation part 2

Revelation part 3

Revelation part 4
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And there are more

Matt5 said:

You can't understand most of Revelation by just reading Revelation. Instead, read the news and compare to Revelation.

Wow, 9/11 looks a lot like the 2nd Seal. I wonder if the rise of Islam means anything? Go down massive rabbit hole. Funny how Allah's name in Arabic looks a lot like the mark of the beast. Does Islam do a full planetary takeover? That's another rabbit hole.

Just read the news and ask yourself questions.

Click to expand...

9/11 was an act of which had nothing to do
With any seal, it was a plot , an evil act, in which to have it appear as to look like Terrorism in what the bible speaks about,
Ie, nation rising against nation, 9/11 was a
Plot to look like terrorism by another country,
When it was all about one persons idea to control who would be framed for it, thats why
Osama Bin Laden was hunted and Killed
By the CIA, from the evidence that led them
To “ believe” which was supplanted over the time to lead America to believe Osama Bin Laden planned it, but he didnt.
An American born citizen plotted it againt
Iraq and it seemed he also linked it to the
Saudis.

Ultimately, Osama Bin Laden was innocent
Of this terrorist Act, which was why he couldnt stay in one place too long, fearful for what he
Never did but took the blame for.
Truth afterwards led to this Atrocity that
Was meant to cause War between the countries against America.

Linda426 said:

9/11 was an act of which had nothing to do
With any seal, it was a plot , an evil act, in which to have it appear as to look like Terrorism in what the bible speaks about,
Ie, nation rising against nation, 9/11 was a
Plot to look like terrorism by another country,
When it was all about one persons idea to control who would be framed for it, thats why
Osama Bin Laden was hunted and Killed
By the CIA, from the evidence that led them
To “ believe” which was supplanted over the time to lead America to believe Osama Bin Laden planned it, but he didnt.
An American born citizen plotted it againt
Iraq and it seemed he also linked it to the
Saudis.

Ultimately, Osama Bin Laden was innocent
Of this terrorist Act, which was why he couldnt stay in one place too long, fearful for what he
Never did but took the blame for.
Truth afterwards led to this Atrocity that
Was meant to cause War between the countries against America.

Click to expand...

God doesnt do these things nor plan for
Anyone who does evil to do for such an intention either, thats why it has nothing to do with the Seals in the Bible.

We dont know anything about the Seals
Only God does, thats why Revelation can never
Be understood by man, controlled by man,
Or attributed to anything God alone does, and in his time, not ours.