WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW FIRST

      The book of Revelation connects all of Scripture according to God’s agenda and timetable. God wants us to understand it, especially in our time, because it gives us critical information that the Body of Christ needs to know. So how do we approach such an epic saga?
       Tip #1: The Revelation is actually a series of visions. It is not one continuous chain of events from start to finish.  To read it that way only leads to confusion and wrong interpretations. Some parts of the book are continuous, but a major portion offers a series of instant replays of the key events.
        Tip #2: The Revelation is recorded in the form of an apocalyptic (end-time) account. As such, it often uses figurative language and hyperbole that was common in ancient writings of such events. However, having said that, a passage is to be taken literally unless it doesn’t make sense that way. One example is the two-edged sword coming out of Christ’s mouth in Rev. 19:15. It isn’t a literal sword; it represents the power of God’s Word spoken on the earth (Ps. 149:6).
         Any verse that contains a hyperbole (exaggerated wording), such as “ all who dwell on the earth will worship him” (the Antichrist) in Rev. 13:8, must be interpreted in light of the whole counsel of God’s Word. We do that by connecting the same phrases or analogies found throughout the Bible.
         In this case, we know from the chapters that immediately follow chapter 13 that not all the people worship the Antichrist, for he goes to war against the revived Jewish saints who have finally accepted Jesus as the Messiah and Savior. We also know that news from the north and east trouble him (Dan, 11:44), so other nations do not worship him either. Otherwise, why would he be worried?
      In some cases, such as Rev. 1:20, the interpretation of the lampstands is given in the same chapter. In other cases, such as Rev. 12 where we find a vision of a Woman with the stars and moon over her head, the same description is given in Gen. 37:9, describing Joseph’s dream. The  imagery refers to the nation of Israel. These connections are not haphazard; they are Spirit inspired. They safeguard us from adding or subtracting from God’s Word.
         Tip #3: Each chapter in the Revelation has a specific purpose. The book takes all that was prophesied in the past and combines it into a meaningful whole concerning what will take place shortly—the end of this present age and the dawn of the final great Day. We are meant to ask: “What are we to see in this part of the vision? What does it add to our understanding?”
       Tip #4: Understanding the layout of the book is crucial to understanding the sequence of events of that final 7th Day. Chapters 1-3 set the stage and bring us up to speed as to what we have in Christ Jesus. Chapters 4-5 show us the ceremony of the Scroll of Inheritance that Jesus received at His ascension. Chapters 6-7 provide an overview of this present age (our current time) as His Church, up to Christ’s second coming and the rapture. Chapters 8-9 give us an overview of the wrath of God in the form of the trumpet judgments.
      Chapter 10 is a break in the action, signaling a shift in the Revelation from the overview to critical details. Chapters 11-19 provide supplemental visions or replays of the events in the overview of the judgments first seen in chapters 8-9. Like instant replays in sports, they provide different camera angles of the events so that we can get the full picture of what is happening during the crucial first 3-1/2 years of the 7th Day—known as God’s vengeance against evil and the wrath of that Day.
         Chapter 20 gives us a brief glimpse of the rest of that final 1,000-year Day. Chapters 21-22 show how the last Day in God’s prophetic timetable comes to a close and what happens at the end of the Days.