I’ve been teaching Bible literacy tools for over 20 years, and I have yet to meet a Bible student who disagrees with the assertion of 2 Timothy 3:16 — that all Scripture is divinely inspired and profitable. But in practice, many Christians still studiously avoid certain books of the Bible — ones that make them feel uncomfortable or confused. And perhaps no book of the Bible is avoided with greater consistency than Revelation.
I recently posed an informal poll on social media, asking, “What is the most intimidating/scary book of the Bible?” Among the 1,600 respondents, agreement emerged: a whopping 54 percent responded with the book of Revelation. Its nearest competitor was Ezekiel at only nine percent. Clearly, apocalyptic writing freaks people out, either because it is hard to interpret or because its images are terrifying, or both. I asked a second question in my poll that turned out to be as revealing as the first:
“What is the most encouraging book of the Bible?” The winning response was Psalms at 25 percent, followed by Philippians at almost 15 percent. You may not be surprised to learn that only two percent of respondents chose Revelation. No one writes daily devotions on Revelation. No one quotes it on coffee mugs or T-shirts or refrigerator magnets. We don’t exactly curl up by the fire with it when we want a nice, cozy read.
What’s to Fear?
I could relate to these poll responses, having grown up in an era when Revelation was depicted in panic-inducing, end-times movies and preached in sermons that read current headlines as sure indicators that the end was nigh. My childhood nightmares were haunted by visions of guillotines and tattooed bar codes, and by finding myself alone in a house in a neighborhood emptied by the rapture. By the time I reached college, I was experiencing full-blown anxiety attacks about the second coming. Despite the fact that the clear message of Revelation is “fear not,” I feared plenty. And I avoided reading it, for fear that my fear would overwhelm me.
Those of us who were not terrorized by turn-or-burn teachings found ourselves drowned in a deluge of charts and timelines deemed necessary for proper interpretation. Apparently, expert level exegetical skills and an advanced degree in world history were necessary to crack Revelation’s enigmatic code. Many of us in the pews settled for becoming “pan-millenialists,” just trusting it will “all pan out in the end.”
Is my story like yours? Would you have responded to my Instagram poll — like so many others did —that Revelation is the least accessible, least comforting book of the Bible? Fear or confusion should never be allowed to rob us of the rich message of the final book of Scripture. I submit to you that Christians have gone too long being satisfied with only 65 books of the Bible. We need the last one as much as we need the first. All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable, so we know Revelation is not optional reading, nor is it impenetrable. God wants us to know how the epic story of the Bible concludes.
Imagine if you had read all three volumes in the Lord of the Rings trilogy only to discover that the last few chapters were written in an unintelligible language. No one would know Tolkien’s name if he had made this disastrous authorial choice. The divine Author of Scripture is the best author of all. His words are not written to confuse or terrorize. He wants us to know how the story ends. Here is a fact we modern readers must reckon with: When John’s vision was circulated among seven first-century churches in Asia Minor, it was read aloud to them, and they understood it. Why don’t we?
What’s Needed?
I believe it’s because we haven’t been given good tools. Like those seven churches, not only can we understand the message of Revelation, we can draw from it the assurance and exhortation it held for them, and that it holds for the church now and forever. Revelation opens with a promise: “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” (1:3). We can’t keep what we haven’t heard. Our modern ears need to be cleared of the misconceptions about this book that stop us from hearing its message and from receiving the blessing promised.
We need a literacy-building approach to comprehending, interpreting, and applying Revelation. Rather than viewing it as a weird, enigmatic road map to somewhere entirely new, we should view it as a familiar path coming to a predictable conclusion. It’s not an overstatement to say that Revelation contains no new information. Rather, it is written to prick our Old Testament memories, drawing lines from those images and stories to its own.
To be fair, many of us don’t have much of an Old Testament memory to prick. For many years, I didn’t. I would compare current news headlines instead of cross-referencing the Old Testament. I rarely even thought about Revelation unless there was unrest in the Middle East, or a world leader was behaving in menacing ways. I needed a reminder of the hermeneutical principle of letting Scripture interpret Scripture. This isn’t to say that the current headlines bear no relation to the words of Revelation, but that they are by no means the starting point for interpretation. What ended up helping me the most to grasp the message of Revelation were the years I had spent studying Genesis, Exodus, and the prophets.
Once we begin to adjust our gaze backward instead of forward, we grow better at asking, “Where have I seen this before?” We begin to see repeated themes. We begin to hear Ezekiel, Daniel, and Jeremiah echoing in our ears. By asking where Revelation’s symbolism appears previously in the Bible, and by connecting its message to the whole story of Scripture, we grow in our ability to hear that message as the seven churches would have.
Those seven churches in Asia Minor — increasingly faced with the pressure to swear, “Caesar is Lord” — needed very much to be reminded that Jesus is Lord. They needed the reminder that the kingdoms of this world are on borrowed time, that heaven’s throne isn’t empty, and its King isn’t defeated. They needed a call to endure in the face of Satan’s schemes of seduction, deception, and persecution.
And so do we. Like them, we need a reminder to live as sojourners awaiting our true home, “the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Heb. 11:10). After studying Revelation with better tools, I now worry less about the schemes of world leaders and more about the state of my own heart. I’m keenly aware of the seductive pull to love this earthly kingdom over our heavenly one, of my desire for comfort and security at all costs, and of my tendency to cry, “Come, Lord Jesus!” from an escapist motive when my life takes a difficult turn.
I want to utter that cry because the Lamb is worthy of all blessing and glory and honor. Revelation, read in light of the rest of Scripture, offers a glorious, anchoring vision. We’re never more blessed than when we walk according to it.
What Now?
I’m not afraid of Revelation anymore. I’ve traded my confusion for confidence and my anxiety for assurance. We can understand every book of the Bible, even this one. And this one can steady us for the road ahead, no matter what that road holds.
Revelation is an invitation to anticipate a homecoming like no other and to savor the faithfulness of God to all generations. Blessed are those who hear and keep its words, for the time is near.
This article is courtesy of HomeLife Magazine. Learn more about the Revelation Bible study and take a look inside the study here.
ABOUT JEN WILKIN
Jen Wilkin is an author and Bible teacher from Dallas, Texas. She has organized and led studies for women in home, church, and parachurch contexts. Her passion is to see others become articulate and committed followers of Christ, with a clear understanding of why they believe what they believe, grounded in the Word of God. Jen is the author of Ten Words to Live By: Delighting in and Doing What God Commands, Women of the Word, None Like Him, In His Image, and Bible studies exploring the Sermon on the Mount and the books of Genesis, Exodus, Hebrews, 1 Peter, and 1, 2, and 3 John. You can find her at jenwilkin.net.
