The BIG & NOT Scary Book Of Revelation

The mark and number of the beast, 7 bowls of wrath, sounding trumpets as the earth is destroyed raining fire and hail, MASSIVE death, pandemonium, and destruction of humanity. These are what you would find in the book of Revelation. While all these signs, wonders, visions and dreams recorded by the apostle John sound like a super weird and terrifying science fiction movie, it's one of the books in the bible that rarely gets talked about let alone read.

Right now, I'm currently part of an interactive online bible study going chapter by chapter through the book of Revelation. I can admit that I was a little apprehensive about studying this book because I've been told from pastors, ministers, and friends who have studied the bible intensively how difficult, complex, even scary it was. It was like a puzzle that was deemed impossible to solve along with the unthinkably grotesque and horrifying imagery that came with it.

Prominent bible scholars for YEARS still fiercely debate what Revelation from chapter 1 to 22 is about. With endless commentary, our limited, face-value understanding, and our ill-trained pastors scared or refusing to teach, NOT reading or being bothered with Revelation at all sounds like a great idea. However, I've learned overtime that it's NOT AT ALL what people think or imagine it to be. In fact, I have a greater appreciation for the book of Revelation. Here are at LEAST 3 things I've learned reading and studying the book of Revelation.

You Must Go Backward To Go Forward

There are just as many New Testament scriptures as there are Old Testament if not MORE. In fact, scholars have found as many as 635 Old Testament scriptures that alludes, echoes, or foreshadows everything that will take place in the end times now. This shows that the Old Testament has just as importance as the New. This also give me a greater discipline to not go deeper in just scriptures in Revelation but in other books as well.

Going back, digging deep, and reading God's Word, you have a better understanding contextually as what John is talking about. So, I would encourage you (if you have a bible that only have the New Testament) to get a bible that includes the Old Testament. You'll be so glad you did.

God Uses Allegories and Figurative Language

Throughout scripture, God has a way of showing His Will and Way through dreams, visions, symbolism, figurative language, and allegories. For example, Hosea's "wife of harlotry" is a figurative example of how Israel has prostituted themselves for the things of the world instead of returning to God, their Husband (Hosea 1).

Another example, Joseph's dream about the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowing to him was an allegory of what was to later come for Joseph (Genesis 37:9). The stars did not literally bow down to the sun and moon however, Joseph's eleven brothers did bow down to him when he was place second in command next to Pharaoh in Egypt (Genesis 42:6)

When reading the book of Revelation, there maybe some imagery, symbolism, numerical figures, that you may not understand. So, I STRONGLY encourage you to prayerfully ask God to reveal and show you WHAT EXACTLY the text mean based on His Word and His infinite and divine insight. Revelation is a BIG book and it's not something that you can read in a day. TAKE YOUR TIME and let God reveal to You what must be shown.

Just READ Revelation with NO FEAR!

SERIOUSLY GUYS, JUST READ IT! Refusing or being afraid of reading Revelation is like reading watching your all time, favorite, EPIC movie and never watching the AWESOME, climatic, exceptionally GOOD ending. You've heard NUMEROUS times that bad guy loses horribly but you refuse and choose to see HOW he loses. You know the end before the end comes. I know it a "Spoiler Alert" but as Christians, that is THE BEST part.

We know (or SHOULD without a doubt know) that if we're in Christ, we should have ABSOLUTELY NO reason to fear because we know that we will be with the Lord. Whether we go on to glory before Jesus comes, caught up to be with Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:52), or even martyred in the faith as some will be in the end, we will NEVER again experience pain, death, crying, sorrow, and ever tear will be wiped away from every eye while Jesus makes all things new (Revelation 21:4-5). ALL of this will be for ETERNITY.

I understand. I get it. People often fear and reject what they don't understand and with the book of Revelation it's easy to feel that way. Honestly, I was one of those people but we have an all-wise God who is the Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:8) and loves us so much that He's offering insight to what's happening now and what's to come soon. When you placed your life into His powerful hands, you trusted him with past, present, and future. You're secure. YOU ARE SAFE.

If you haven't received Christ, I pray that you come to Him accepting and acknowledging that He is Lord, believe that He willingly and lovingly died for your sins (past, present, and future), and confess that you're a sinner in need of a savior so that you can live in Him. May you open your heart, mind, and spirit to God's Word and Wisdom and blessed as you read the book of Revelation.