How to Interpret Revelation

Genre - The Nature of Revelation

Warning

Genre is integral in interpretation; one would interpret a birthday card differently to a legal document. Revelation combines aspects of three different kinds of writing-apocalyptic, prophecy, and epistle.

Apocalyptic-Prophetic Nature

"Apocalyptic" is derived from the Greek word for "revelation," apocalyptic literature focuses on end-times events. Though there are many definitions of apocalyptic, it is best to understand apocalyptic as an intensification of prophecy. Too much distinction has typically been drawn between the apocalyptic and prophetic. Rather, "apocalyptic" works contain a heightening and more intense clustering of literary and thematic traits found in "prophetic" works. For example, the following common "prophetic themes" are evident in Revelation:

John sees himself in the line of those OT prophets, like Daniel, Ezekiel, and Zechariah, who have a specific interest in the end times. These prophets spoke both forth-telling exhortations for the present and foretelling the future. The nature of Revelation can be defined as God's revelatory interpretation (through visions and auditions) of His mysterious counsel about past, present, and future redemptive-eschatological history, and how the nature and operation of heaven relates to this.

Epistolary Nature

Revelation is also written as an epistle, a letter to the seven churches. It begins and ends as a typical letter would. Like the other New Testament letters, Revelation addresses the situation and problems of the believers who receive it. With this context, in light of it's Apocalyptic-Prophetic Nature, one must understand that John is writing to address both current and future problems. Not only the specific addresses of Chapters 1-3 but also the visions of Chapters 4-21 convey truth and direction from God of the nature of the battle raging in the spiritual and how believers are to respond to this battle, not at some undetermined date in the future but in their lives here and now, and to do so not simply by an intellectual belief that events will unfold in a particular way but by concrete moral choices on the basis of the issues God faces them with in the present.

Purpose of Writing

John's readers live in a worldly culture which makes sin seem normal and righteousness appear strange. In particular, John writes because he perceives there is a real danger that the churches will conform to what are considered the "normal" values of the world-system rather than to God's transcendent truth. Mostly likely due to the pressure of imminent persecution. The focus of the revelation John received from God is how the church is to conduct itself in the midst of an ungodly world. This is a perspective entirely different to that offered by the world. Believers are faced with the choice of lining their lives and conduct up with one perspective or the other, and their eternal destiny depends on that choice. This is not just a one-time situation at the end of time. Rather, Believers are always facing the threat of compromise in one form or another.  They must submit to the message as John has brought it, or face God's judgment.

Summary

Revelation provides both forth-telling exhortations for believers to not compromise and foretelling of future events that culminate in the victory of Christ. In other words, the purpose of Revelation is to encourage and bring hope, not confuse and produce fear.

Four Approaches to Interpretation

A summary of the four main approaches to interpret Revelation:

Preterist View:

This view holds that Revelation is a prophecy of the fall of Jerusalem in 70 and that everything in the book has already been fulfilled-and hence is "past." The problems with this view are:
- Revelation was written years after the fall of Jerusalem.
- "Babylon," which preterists interpret as rebellious Israel, is only used in ancient Jewish/Christian literature as referring to Rome. Daniel 2 & 7, alluded to throughout Revelation, refer to Rome rather than Israel.
- The book is made irrelevant for anyone who lives after those first days of the church.

Historicist View:

The historicist view suggests that the seals, trumpets, and bowls paint a picture of the successive ages of the church. It sees the symbolism of Revelation as referring to a series of specific historical events, such as the collapse of the Roman Empire, the corruption of the papacy, the Reformation, and various events since. The problems with this view are:
- Each historicist interpreter views the book differently, so as to make it fit the realities of their own times, which is always seen as the final one before the Lord's return.
- There is no justification from the book itself for this type of interpretation.

Futurist View:

The futurist view holds that the entire book, apart from the letters to the churches in Chapters 1-3, prophesies events surrounding the return of Christ at the end of history. This is most prevalent in the theology of Dispensationalism. Some primary issues are:
- Interpreters holding this view are constantly changing their interpretation of historical events to make what is happening currently fit into the pattern. In short, the Bible is interpreted by modern events first, instead of by itself. 
- This view makes Revelation of relevance or value only to Christians living in the last days. As it also generally promotes the view that the church will be raptured out of the world before any of these events happen, it is irrelevant even to these believers, in which case there seems little reason why God would have given John the vision in the first place. Rather, the book was written to the "seven churches," which represents the universal church throughout the ages.
- Many problems associated with this view are discussed here- Dispensationalism

Redemptive-Historical Idealist View:

The idealist view sees the entire book as a symbolic presentation of the battle between good and evil. The problems with this view are:
- There are parts in Revelation that most definitely refer to future event concerning the return of Christ, His final defeat of the enemy, and the establishment of His heavenly kingdom.

A Balanced View

A balanced view must be taken. Preterists and historicists are to some extent correct in understanding that various parts of John's vision find a measure of fulfilment in actual historical events. However, the meaning of those events are not exclusively linked to those. Rather, Revelation finds fulfilment in countless events throughout the church age. As such, the message of the letter is of relevance and value to all believers of all ages, which is why the vision was given to John.

A balanced view

This view could be called an eclectic redemptive-historical idealist view, since, while the focus is on a symbolic presentation of the battle between good and evil and on specific repeated historical events during the church age, aspects of the preterist, historicist, and futurist views are incorporated (hence "eclectic").

Symbolic Or Literal?

One of the keys to a correct interpretation of Revelation lies in its very first verse, which introduces and sets the tone for the entire book.

Revelation 1:1 - ESV

  1. The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known (sēmainō) by sending his angel to his servant John,

Sēmainō
This is a Greek verb that is translated "communicated," "made known," or "signified."

The fact, that Rev. 1:1 is an allusion to Dan. 2:28-29, 45 confirms that here the word does mean "symbolise." John speaks here of four critical elements:

In Daniel 2:45 (LXX), the Greek word "sēmainō" ("signify") is used. God "symbolised" to King Nebuchadnezzar what would happen later. This was shown to him through a dream of a large statue made of four metals (Dan. 2:31-44). Each metal represented a different kingdom-Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. A rock (God's kingdom) destroys the statue, meaning God's kingdom triumphs over all earthly kingdoms. The vision was not meant to be taken literally; the statue symbolised future realities.

John, the author of Revelation, uses the same idea in Revelation 1:1. By using sēmainō ("signify"), instead of gnōrizō ("make known"), he intentionally shows that much of what follows is symbolic (just like Daniel's visions). The lambs, lions, beasts, and other images in Revelation are not to be taken as literal creatures. Instead, they are symbols pointing to deeper spiritual truths or historical realities. This approach is firmly linked to how God communicated through visions in the Old Testament (e.g., Daniel 2).

Primarily Symbolic

Interpretive Principle for Revelation

"Interpret symbolically unless you are forced to interpret literally." Aka. expect that the main means of divine revelation in this book is symbolic

Most of the events that are about to unfold are not to be taken literally (lions, lambs, beasts, women, etc.), but each refers symbolically to another reality or set of realities. The visions are predominantly symbolic and refer to various historical references, rather than referring in a literal manner to a particular person, thing, or event. This does not mean that they have no meaning or historical reference, but that the meaning is to be found symbolically-and almost always within the context of OT references which run through the visions God gave to John. There is always a literal meaning underlying the symbolic meaning, though this literal meaning is often about spiritual realities and sometimes about physical realities, both of which have to do with some kind of historical reality. For example:

The visions throughout Revelation, except the more direct messages to the seven churches in chapters 2-3, are best understood as symbols revealing spiritual and historical truths. Revelation's visions often cannot be understood literally (e.g., Rev. 5:6; 9:7-9; 9:17-18; 4:6-8). Horses with lion's heads breathing fire, or locusts with human faces and lions' teeth, do not describe actual creatures. Instead, these images symbolise the nature of evil forces, judgments, or events.

Numbers in Revelation also often carry symbolic meanings taken from the Old Testament (e.g., Gen. 2:10-14; Exodus 19:16ff.; the structure of Israel's tribes). The first number in the book is clearly symbolic, and it sets the pattern for the others to be likewise interpreted symbolically. Some common numbers used include:

From the very start, Revelation signals a primarily symbolic mode of communication, following the example set in Daniel. Believers are encouraged to interpret its visions through the lens of Scripture, looking for spiritual and sometimes historical meanings behind the symbols. In other words, interpret Scripture through the lens of Scripture, not through the lens of modern or historical events.

Why Symbols?

Revelation is filled with symbols just like Jesus' parables and the language of the Old Testament prophets. The reason is rooted in the purpose of parables and prophetic imagery. When asked why He spoke in parables, Jesus referred to Isaiah 6:9-10 and explained:

Matthew 13:11-14 - ESV

11. And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
12. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
13. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
14. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: "'"You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive."

Similarly, the Old Testament prophets used parables and signs to announce judgment. These messages stirred a faithful remnant while confirming judgment on those unwilling to repent. Jesus' parables served the same function, and Revelation's symbols continue this tradition, as seen in the repeated phrase "He who has an ear, let him hear" (Revelation 2:7, 13:9). The purpose of these parables, and symbols were to:

  1. To awaken true believers: Parables caught the attention of spiritually sleepy believers, awakening their focus to God. Vivid imagery/symbols shocks true followers into spiritual vigilance.
  2. To harden unbelievers: For those rejecting God, parables/symbols/visions became incomprehensible, exposing their hardened hearts.

Revelation's symbols also expose the Satanic influence behind worldly institutions, calling believers to separate themselves from compromised allegiances. For instance, the plagues described in Revelation 8-16 mirror the plagues in Exodus, which served as both a judgment on Egypt and a call for Israel to trust God. The same dual effect is seen in Revelation:

At the end of Revelation, Jesus summarises how these responses have and will divide:

Revelation 22:11 - ESV

11. Let the evildoer still do evil… and the righteous still do right…"

This statement is not an endorsement of sin but a prediction of how people will respond. Just as parables revealed some hearts and hardened others, Revelation's symbols challenge believers to persevere in faith while further confirming judgment on those who reject Christ.

Connection to the Old Testament

Revelation has more allusions to the Old Testament than all other books of the New Testament put together.

Most of Revelation's allusions are clear, where the wording is almost identical to an Old Testament text, or at least probable, where the wording is not quite as close but the idea is still directly and uniquely traceable to a text in the Old Testament:

By far the greater number of allusions are uses in Revelation of an idea or phrase referring to a person, place, or event from an Old Testament text. Almost always the essential focus of the Old Testament text is carried over such that there is a clear continuity between the OT and Revelation. Here's some examples, grouped by their common point:

Revelation Expands Old Testament Promises to Be Universal

John's use of Old Testament references in Revelation demonstrates a universalising pattern. What is originally applied to Israel in the OT is expanded to include the church and all believers. This is in contrast to a dispensational interpretation, that demands a distinction between the church and Israel as two separate covenant peoples. Below is a breakdown of this universalisation, supported by scripture:

The universalisation of these OT concepts is grounded in the New Testament understanding of Christ's work. Through Jesus, the promises given to Abraham are extended to all nations. As Gentile believers trust in Jesus, the true Israel, they are grafted into the family of faith and become part of true Israel (Galatians 3:29; Romans 11:17-24).

John's visions in Revelation rely heavily on Old Testament imagery and language. This underscores the continuity between the Old Testament and New Testament:

A Key of interpreting Revelation

The Old Testament provides the essential backdrop for interpreting Revelation, helping us see its relevance to the past, present, and future.