The book of Revelation came together in a specific period of time with political leaders, literature, and previous history that would have all been familiar to the original author and his audience. I’ve been chipping away at our some of our modern interpretations of Revelation because I think they depart from these elements that should guide our interpretation and application.

Since we study every other biblical book with its context in mind, we need to also do the hard work of historical and literary study in the case of Revelation. As we leave certain lines of interpretation behind, we’ll find that reading Revelation as Jewish apocalyptic literature has much to teach us. In fact, Revelation has a powerful message for us today.

While I can’t cover every theme and point of Revelation in a blog post, here are a few things that jump off the page when I read Revelation:

God’s War against Evil

Rather than banding together to fight against a secular one-world government, the Lamb of God who willingly died for our sins bids us to hold on and to recognize that our physical world is part of a larger drama. God is fighting evil in the spiritual realms, even if the things we see on earth suggest that all is not well. 

In fact, Revelation deals with many of the same themes raised in the Psalms and prophets about the suffering of the righteous. While the righteous are still in hot water, Revelation pulls back the curtain to reveal an ongoing spiritual battle that will result in God’s victory.

Persecution Will Come

God is powerful and fights against evil, but God fights evil in ways that are tough to understand: namely, by persevering in the face of suffering and persecution. The cross and Resurrection show us the way forward, even if that is a difficult path to follow.

We should not be surprised when we suffer or face persecution. In addition, we should not be discouraged in thinking that these are the final word for us.

God Wins in the End

God will reward and punish us one day according to what we have done (see Matthew 25). We don’t know what it will look like when Jesus returns, but we look forward to his final victory with the hope that his Resurrection and indwelling Spirit give to us.

Revelation assures us that those who continue to love God, to obey him, and to keep in step with the Spirit will share in God’s victory.

What the Future Holds

I used to read Revelation expecting the future tribulation and end times to be terrifying and scary. Reading Revelation in this way still kind of gives me the creeps. However, I believe the Spirit inspired John to write an apocalyptic book that was meant to encourage the saints both in his own time and today.

Reading Revelation in this way tells us that we’re already in the midst of the mess. If we are familiar with the suffering and persecution Jesus promised us in the Gospels, that shouldn’t be anything all that new. Rather than frightening us with the events that are to come, Revelation can encourage us to face our trials and tribulations today with the hope that God is with us and will win in the end.

Revelation wasn’t written to give us nightmares, but rather to help us fend off the nightmares. God is with us and he is coming, and so we hold fast to him and to his promises.