The book of Revelation has been ignored by many in church history. They just don’t seem to know what to make of it. There is no agreed upon way to approach it therefore it is simply ignored and yet Rev. 1:3 says, “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it, because the time is near.”^[1]

You’ll want to be sure you watch to the Bible Project Video on Revelation to get the overall message of the book. Also, if you have a good Bible Dictionary like the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (HIBD) be sure and read the article on Revelation and the one on Eschatology. Approaches to the book have varied. The HIBD article states,

Interpretive Approaches to Revelation Interpreters can usually be placed in one of four categories:

1. Preterist The book is about and for the first century. Most, if not all, of the events described in the book were fulfilled in John’s day.
2. Historicists The book is a panorama of church history with attention focusing on its development in the West.
3. Idealist The book is symbolic of timeless truth and the conflict between good and evil. No specific persons or events are in view. The message to be proclaimed and received is that in the end God is victorious.
4. Futurist Beginning with chapter 4 (or 6) the book describes what will take place at the end of history just before the second coming of Jesus Christ and the establishment of His kingdom.^[2]

There are also people who hold to various combinations of the above approaches. One book I have found to be very helpful in understanding the book of Revelation was written about two years ago by Alexander Stewart, a professor at a Baptist Seminary in California. He gives five principles for interpretating the book.

1. Focus on the original purpose of the visions. Revelation is primarily a motivational book, and when this truth is neglected, the whole point of the book is missed.
2. Let the original historical context guide your interpretation. Revelation was written for you but not originally to you.
3. Recognize repetition. Revelation consists of a series of visions that run roughly parallel to each other; each culminates in the end (Jesus’s return and the final judgment).
4. Recognize symbolism. John’s visions are highly symbolic and need to be read as such.
5. Read Revelation as Christian Scripture. This involves using the broader biblical context, especially the Old Testament, to interpret the book.^[3]

This book is available from Amazon for about $23 or if you have Logos Bible Software (a free version of the software is available) the book is about $13.

His principle 2 can easily be seen when interpretating the letters to the seven churches. Why does Jesus tell the church at Laodicea that He wished they were cold or hot? What does that mean? Is cold bad and hot good like the children’s game Hot and Cold? Read your Bible Dictionary article on Laodicea and see what you can learn about the original historical context and how it aids in understanding what Jesus said to this church.

^[1] Christian Standard Bible. 2020. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

^[2] Brand, Chad, Charles Draper, Archie England, Steve Bond, E. Ray Clendenen, and Trent C. Butler, eds. 2003. “Revelation, Book Of.” In Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 1387. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

^[3] Stewart, Alexander E. 2021. Reading the Book of Revelation: Five Principles for Interpretation. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 3-4.