Revelation Study - Bible Guide

Revelation is the only book in the Bible that contains a blessing for those who read and obey it. This is God’s way of saying it is well worth the time you will spend on it! While it is difficult to understand every detail, the main themes are clear. Verse 1 says that this is a “Revelation of Jesus.” More than anything else, this book is a record of how Jesus will be unveiled for all to see. And that is exciting. No longer will there be any atheists who scoff at the idea of a God. Everyone will see Him. Everyone will bow to Him.

The prophecies in Revelation give us hope. All of the trials, difficulties, and temptations we face now pale with what God has in store for us in the glorious future He has prepared for His church. It is a record of the cosmic battle between good and evil. And in the end, Jesus wins.

Revelation excites the imagination. It features brilliant visions of a coming Day of the Lord. These visions are expressed through many symbols, including people in the shape of animals or monstrous beasts, colors and numbers that have secret meanings, and predictions about when God will bring the world to an end.

The writer of the book knew the Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament) very well. Over half the verses in Revelation are directly or indirectly based on Old Testament passages. This is important for understanding the meaning of the book.

Revelation uses many numbers as symbols, such as the number seven, which stands for completeness or perfection. Other kinds of symbols are also used. For example, the main symbol for the powers opposed to God is the city "Babylon." Christian readers knew that this really meant Rome, and they also knew that when the book says "the Lamb," the writer means Jesus Christ.

Now consider what would happen if you selected a novel from the shelves of your local bookstore and decided to read only the final chapter. How much of that final chapter would you understand? Most likely, you would be thoroughly confused. Naturally, only after reading the entire book would the final chapter make any sense.

Likewise, we could see Revelation as the final chapter in God's 66-chapter novel called the Bible. In the same way that we must read a novel cover to cover before understanding it properly, so must Bible students have an understanding of the Bible's first 65 books before they can truly understand its final book.

The book of Revelation has fascinated the world down the ages. The very name of the book suggests that it can tell us the deepest secrets of the universe and history - and indeed it can! This wonderful book takes us to the very heart of all history, the heart of the universe itself where we find the LORD Jesus Christ sharing the throne with His Father, surrounded by the Holy Spirit. At the centre of reality, behind all the apparent confusion and chaos of this passing age, the Living God rules through Jesus, the Lamb and Lion of God. Jesus and His Bride, the Church, are seated in heaven far above all the powers of this age, as we wait for that day of judgment and new creation.

After studying history at university he taught English and history in a small college in south China. Returning to London, he worked among international students for six years at All Souls, Langham Place where Richard and Paul were colleagues. Steve says he learned during those years that we don't need to become experts in different religions before we can share the gospel with those of other faiths; Jesus himself is the revelation of God to all people and needs no introduction. After some further study at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, Steve and his wife, Katy, moved to Plymouth where Steve served as a curate.