Prologue

Revelation cannot be interpreted the way we do with the gospels, epistles, or even the Old Testament historical and poetical books. Due to diversity of opinions, there are four school of thoughts:

1. Preterist—Past. Prophecies were already fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

2. Historist—Present. Prophecies are still being fulfilled throughout history until this day.

3. Futurist—Future. Prophecies are yet to be fulfilled in the end times or last days.

4. Allegorist—Figurative. Prophecies are given spiritual fulfillment without reference to any time frame.

Which is the correct view? Personally I'm more inclined to the historist view with the belief that certain prophetic elements still await fulfillment in the last days. I termed it the Prophetist view. Bible prophecy, however, is not just about predicting the future; it is God's light shed on all things—past, present and prospective.

What this implies is that Revelation does not necessarily reveal specific events of history, but it does set forth principles seen throughout history. This safeguards us from the tendency to forcefully assign dates and events as the fulfillment of specific prophecies, while allowing us to discern the spirit and trend in which historic events are unfolding and leading us towards the predicted end.

I believe this view makes Revelation relevant to believers of every age and enables them to keep its sayings in the times they lived in. After all, Jesus Christ is the One 'which was, which is, and which is to come.' And as we shall find out in this book, the visions that John saw and wrote down contain references to the past, present and future as well.

Symbolism abounds in Revelation. We find numbers, colors, names, places, temple articles, beasts and elements of creation. How do we differentiate what is literal and what is symbolic? Here are some rules of interpretation:

1. Things that can be taken literally should not be interpreted symbolically.

2. Just because a number or object is symbolic does not mean all similar numbers or objects are symbolic.

3. Usually explanation will follow a symbolic description, or there will be other Scripture that do so.

4. Things associate with a symbolic object are usually themselves symbolic.

5. Do not force a symbol to yield more meaning than what it is intended.

6. Look out for the theme or idea in which the symbol is pointing to, and base any details along that line of thought.

7. Pray for discernment and understanding.

The danger of interpreting Revelation is to go off-tangent and treat everything as symbolic or figurative. The Bible in its core is meant to be a literal book and should be treated as such in the norm when reading it. Else the six-day creation account, the two trees in the garden, the flood of Noah, the tower of Babel, etc., would all be relegated to the realm of symbolism instead of actual recorded events.

The approach we will take is first and foremost literal and only symbolic as the case warrants it. The spiritual realm is more real than the physical, despite the limitations of our senses to engage it in our time and space—so bear this in mind.