How can I understand the Book of Revelation?

To understand the Book of Revelation we must remember the threefold division given by the Lord to John as recorded in Revelation 1:19, where the Apostle is told to "Write therefore what thou hast seen, and the things that are, and the things that are about to be after these" (N. Tr.). In the vision of Christ we have the first division — the things which John had seen. In the seven churches, presenting the whole church period, we have the second division — "The things that are." From Revelation 4, and onward, we have the third division — "The things that are about to be after these things" — after the history of the church on earth is closed.

To understand the Book of Revelation we must remember the threefold division given by the Lord to John as recorded in Revelation 1:19, where the Apostle is told to "Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things that are, and the things that are about to be after these" (N.Tn.). In the vision of Christ we have the first division — the things which John had seen. In the Seven Churches, presenting the whole Church period, we have the second division — "The things that are." From Revelation 4, and onward, we have the third division, "the things that are about to be after these things" — after the history of the Church on earth is closed.

[3]There is much confusion as to the interpretation of the book of Revelation. The key is found in 1:19, which divides it into three portions of past, present and future. The future is now from ch. 4 onwards.

This is to be a revelation of Jesus Christ. Many people read the book of Revelation with the idea of finding out what the future holds, and, of course, in our USA people are always wanting to find out where America is going to be in the coming events, and so on. But the Revelation is not given to give us all the details of what is going to happen. It is a revelation of Jesus Christ in the sense that we have not seen the Lord Jesus in this new character elsewhere in Scripture. We have statements elsewhere in Scripture that He is the One who will judge (e.g. John 5:27), but how is this going to come to pass, what is going to happen, how is He going to undertake this? This is what we have in the Revelation. The Lord Jesus is presented to us in this book in His judicial majesty and as the coming King, the One who will put down all the powers of this world, all the powers of evil that Satan can muster together. He will deal with them by the word of His mouth. There is an intimation of this in the Gospel of John, "Jesus, having said these things, went out with His disciples beyond the torrent Cedron, where was a garden, into which He entered, He and his disciples. And Judas also, who delivered Him up, knew the place, because Jesus was often there, in company with His disciples. Judas therefore, having got the band, and officers of the chief priests and Pharisees, comes there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus the Nazaraean. Jesus says to them, I am He. And Judas also, who delivered Him up, stood with them. When therefore He said to them, I am He, they went away backward and fell to the ground" (18:1-6). They fell over backwards with just one word. He had the power with that one word "I am" to destroy the group, but no, He willingly submitted Himself to be led to Calvary. But the time comes in this book when He executes judgment. The presentation of the Lord Jesus in this book is always at a certain distance.

Revelation gives a kind of framework for all Biblical prophecies, in order to help us understand the meaning and order of the prophetic writings. With this framework we are able to put all the bits and pieces of prophecy together in an understandable outline. Its main purpose, however, is to show how our Lord Jesus will manifest His glory through and in the events described in this book. Therefore we read of a threefold blessing at the beginning and six more blessings further on in this book of judgments, in different connections. How blessed it is to be occupied with such a glorious Person! Consider Him in His greatness as Judge, King, Priest, but also as the Executioner of God' s judgment (Rev. 1). He is the Same who will be seated on the great white throne (Rev. 20), the One who is the Alpha and Omega and the Eternal I Am. He is the great Lover of our souls, our Bridegroom (Rev. 19 and 22). His voice thrills the hearts of those who read this book and who know Him as their Creator-Redeemer (Rev. 4 and 5). No wonder that the book of Revelation starts with a doxology, the moment He is mentioned (1:5). John responds in the only right way, 'And when I saw him I fell at his feet as dead' (1:17-19); in other words there is no room left for self, for the flesh, nor for the glory of man. Through this 'death' experience, John has the privilege to be strengthened and instructed by his beloved Master (1:19). Thus he is made fit to communicate to us the glories of his and our Lord.

The Revelation is embodied in the visions beheld by the Seer of Patmos. The word “Revelation” gives unity to the many and diversified communications, whether in word or vision, contained in the book. Revelations there were, but these form one compact whole, and this belongs to Jesus Christ. Not only, however, is the Revelation Jesus Christ’s as given Him by God, but He is the central object in these as in all prophecy. The rays of the prophetic lamp are directed onward to the millennial glory of Christ, no matter whether the lamp be held in the hands of Isaiah the Grand or John the Beloved.

The Revelation, as it is the latest, so it is by far the most elaborate, of all prophetic books, consisting throughout of visions, in which symbolic objects fill a larger place than anywhere else in scripture. Still, it is to be observed that the prophet conveys literally what he saw in the plainest language. The objects and acts in the scenes which he in the Spirit saw, and the words announced to his ears, are given with precision. The symbols we have to study and comprehend in the light of general usage and of the particular context; for symbolic forms, though less pliant than the ordinary expressions of thought, are, like the rest, modified by their associations; and the Holy Spirit alone can guide rightly in this and in all else of scripture; as common sense does in the affairs and intercourse of natural life. Save in the symbolism which forms a comparatively small part of prophecy, its language differs only in degree from that of scripture generally, and must be interpreted on exactly the same principle. Indeed even the symbolic portion finds its counterpart in the types not only of the Pentateuch, but of scriptural history as a whole. The form may vary according to divine wisdom, but one mind and purpose will be found to pervade all. Every scripture is inspired of God; and as Christ is the image of the invisible God, and He alone declared the Father, so is He the object of all revelation, and others only appear as related to Him.

The style of the book is largely symbolic, and in this it resembles the prophecies of Daniel. But while in Daniel the symbols are generally explained, in this book their interpretation is usually left to be gathered from other portions of Scripture.

The language of Revelation is largely symbolical. One can only explain these symbols in connection with the Holy Scriptures as a whole and especially in connection with prophecy as a whole. For we learn from Peter, in 2 Peter 1:20, “...that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.”

At the end of verse 1, "He signified it, sending by His angel, to His bondman John, who testified the word of God. This word "signified" really means He gave it in signs, and I believe there was adequate reason for that. Even from a human standpoint, when we get into the content of this book, what it says particularly in regard to the downfall of the Roman Empire was needful. Daniel had already spoken of the four world empires and how the stone cut without hands would smite the great image and smash the whole thing to pieces, grind it to powder, and then that stone would become a great mountain (Dan.2). This too is symbolic language describing the setting up of the kingdom of the Lord. God shows us in this book how Rome, and the power of Rome, is going to come to an end and the earth is going to be judged. Many terms are used that allude to Rome at that time, such as the great harlot sitting on seven mountains (Rome was built on seven hills) (Rev.17). If this book had been written without using symbolism, if it had just given its message in plain everyday Greek it would have been a very revolutionary book and a very dangerous book for a Christian to have, but God in His wisdom gave it in signs. He was not giving this revelation as a sensational exposé to be a best seller in the Roman Empire, no, this was "to show to His bondmen what must shortly take place". The prophet Amos tells us, "The Lord Jehovah will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets" (3:7). The Lord does not do things just unexpectedly without warning, if they affect His people, whether Israel of old or the Assembly today, or whatever may be in the future, the Lord gives warning first so that it is brought to bear upon our lives. "And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure" (1 John 3:3). So the Lord was going to tell His bondmen what was ahead.