The book of Revelation is either the most energizing or the most disappointing book of the Bible to peruse. It very well may be energizing when you're seeing prediction satisfied or baffling when you're confounded about what is strict, what is emblematic, what is future and what is past. It can likewise be the most disruptive book of the Bible in light of contrasting perspectives on understanding.
However John, the author of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, said "Favored is the person who peruses resoundingly the expressions of this prediction, and favored are the individuals who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is close" (Revelation 1:3).
How might you be honored or upbeat when understanding Revelation? At the point when you keep away from the normal errors the vast majority commit when understanding it – errors that can prompt disarray, dread, incorrect forecasts, bafflement, neurosis, or apocalypse publicity. Here are 10 basic slip-ups individuals make when understanding Revelation.
1. Neglecting to Start toward the Beginning
When you read a story, OK start with the last section first? However this is the thing that numerous individuals do when they read Revelation. They start at the rear of the book, rather than beginning toward the start. The Bible is one book of 66 more modest books and the initial segment of the book (the Old Testament) sets the stage, presents the characters, sets some hard boundaries and gives the thinking behind God's judgment – and His liberation – at the finish of the book. It's normal for perusers of Revelation to disregard the cross references and not take a gander at the setting of the Old Testament sections that are cited all through Revelation. In any case, there is an explanation Revelation is loaded up with references guiding you to the start of the book – entries in Exodus, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, just to give some examples.
As you read Revelation, ask yourself "For what reason is John citing Deuteronomy 32:43 in Revelation 6:10 and 19:2 when he discusses avenging the blood of His workers? For what reason is Jeremiah 3:1 cited when John discusses the Prostitute or Great Harlot of Revelation 17:5-6? By returning to the start of the book and looking into entries cited from the Old Testament you can show up at Scriptural answers, as opposed to guess, with regards to questions like "Who is the Harlot?" and other fervently discussed focuses.
2. Overlooking the Original Audience
We will in general peruse the book of Revelation as though it's kept in touch with Christians of 21st Century America so we can recognize what our future holds. However, the Revelation of Jesus Christ was a letter stated "to the seven chapels that are in Asia" (Revelation 1:4) to accommodate them comfort amidst the mistreatment they were suffering and to fortify them, just as give them trust in what was soon to come.
Along these lines, each time you see "you" in a story, you should understand that "you" isn't in a real sense you. This letter composed from jail to abused Christians in the First Century and conveyed through the Roman Postal System utilized hidden language, on occasion (Revelation 13:18), that its immediate beneficiaries would completely comprehend. Along these lines, be a set of experiences buff. Review what was occurring in the First Century and why these words would be a solace to them and why certain codes would be noteworthy to them and quit attempting to place yourself into the image. There is space for utilization of God's Word after you have first taken a gander at what the content says by its unique creator to its unique crowd. The essential model of hermeneutics is to initially ask What does the content say? Also, ask What does it mean, considering what it's identity was composed to and the time at which it was composed? The third and last inquiry to pose is What does this intend to me and how I should live? Application is significant, however keep first of all. Recollect to whom it was composed and perused it through the eyes of a First Century oppressed Christian.
3. Misconception the Term "A days ago"
Christians today read about the "most recent days" and they get energized. They think regarding Jenkins/LaHaye books and Hollywood motion pictures and promptly think "a days ago of the earth." Again, on the off chance that you start in the Old Testament, you will comprehend that a large portion of the references to the "most recent days" – likewise alluded to as "last days" (KJV and NASB), and "days to come" (ESV, NIV and NASB) – are alluding to the most recent days of the Old Covenant, not the most recent days of the world.
For instance, in Acts 2:14-40, Peter begins his amazing message on the day the main Church was set up by citing Joel 2:28-32 in which he says "In the most recent days it will be… ." That wouldn't actually be an important lesson on Opening Day of the First Christian Church, if Peter was discussing the most recent days of the earth exactly 2,000 + a long time thus, would it? Yet, when you understand that lesson is discussing the most recent days of the Old Covenant that God made with Israel, it out of nowhere bodes well that Peter would tell the primary Christians that, undoubtedly, the consummation of the Old Covenant was at long last upon them and the New Covenant was being introduced. The New Covenant was with Jesus – the hotly anticipated Messiah – who had been murdered and afterward raised from the dead and "God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you (recall the crowd significance?) executed" (Acts 2:36). Incidentally, the term Old Testament and New Testament is another method of saying Old Covenant and New Covenant. Comprehend the importance of the different employments of "a days ago" all through the Bible and you'll better get Revelation.
4. Contrasting Scripture and Headlines, Tweets, or Traditions
In the event that you read Revelation and contrast it and features on the nightly news or in web-based media, you will have a totally slanted thought regarding what the book is about. Similarly, on the off chance that you read it considering the most recent prophetically calamitous film, or the pictures in your mind from the Left Behind arrangement of books, you will add something extra to it what isn't there.
Try not to contrast Scripture and features or films or even since quite a while ago kept convictions going down to what you heard in Sunday School as a youngster. Contrast Scripture and Scripture (both Old and New Testament Scriptures) and you will find what is really Scripture and what is only guess, custom, or publicity from recent developments.
5. Accepting the Symbolic as Literal
Truly, you accept the Bible is exacting. I do as well. Yet, certain parts of Revelation (and the Bible, so far as that is concerned) are intended to be emblematic, not strict. At the point when John says "I saw a star tumbled from paradise to earth, and he was given the way in to the pole of the abyss" (Revelation 9:1) he clearly isn't discussing a strict star tumbling from paradise and being given a lot of keys. That is a representative reference to Satan from Ezekiel 28.
In like manner, when John says in Revelation 9:16-17 that 200 million horsemen with heads like lions and fire and smoke and sulfur emerging from their mouths will arrange in the Valley of Megiddo to murder 33% of humanity, this is additionally representative of a gigantic fight however in all likelihood not a strict 200 million pony mounted evil presence like officers similar to the machines in Terminator or Transformers! Know the contrast between account, which is to be perused in a real sense, and parts of prediction and prophetically calamitous language, which is to be perused emblematically.
6. Accepting the Literal as Symbolic
You're correct, this cycle goes the two different ways. A few expressions are intended to be emblematic and not taken in a real sense and a portion of the prediction is intended to be perused in a real sense and not emblematically. For example, the places of worship in Asia that John is writing to in Revelation 1:4 are seven genuine chapels that existed at the time the letter was composed. That doesn't mean it was kept in touch with the seven "ages" of the congregation through the previous 2,000 years. Nor does it mean it was composed to and about the seven "types" of places of worship or the various states of the congregation that exist in America or around the globe today. While handy application can be produced using the state of the seven holy places, (for example, the tepid Laodiceans), don't wrongly make something strict totally emblematic.
Another case of this is as far as numbers. When Revelation alludes to "long term rule" is that an exacting 1,000 years or is it representative of quite a while? Moreover, when John says the time is close (Revelation 1:3), and the functions he has portrayed "should before long occur" (Revelation 22:6), is that in a real sense close and soon or emblematic for an inaccessible date later on? Know the distinction among exacting and emblematic and likeness and illustration when you read Revelation.
7. Disregarding the Time References
This additionally turns into an exacting versus emblematic inquiry. Yet, it is huge that there are in excess of 100 time explanations in the New Testament. Do you know the distinctive Greek words/phrases utilized for "time" in every one of these references? It takes exploration to exhibit the distinctions and when you contrast Scripture and Scripture, you will find that they logically become more inescapable the closer you get to the Book of Revelation. Since the letter was kept in touch with the First Century Church going through oppression, and they are being told the functions are "close" and Jesus is cited as saying "I am coming soon" (Revelation 20:20), there is an evident feeling of advent.
Once more, in perusing the time references, allude to the Old Testament cross references. For example, in Daniel 8:26, the Prophet Daniel is advised to "seal up the vision, for it alludes to numerous days from now" and in Daniel 12:4 he is again told "shut up the words and seal the book, until the hour of the end." Daniel was to seal his prediction since it wouldn't come to fruition for another 400-600 years. However in Revelation 22:10, John is told "Don't seal up the expressions of the prescience of this book, for the time is close." Did God think 400-600 years for Daniel was further away than 2,000 or more years for John? Or then again does "close" really signify "close" and "far" really signify "far"? The Bible doesn't negate itself, with the goal that issue can be tackled through an appropriate comprehension of time references.
8. Not Understanding "Prophetically calamitous Language"
All through the Bible "prophetically calamitous language" is utilized to depict the obliteration of God's anger and judgment against his foes. In Second Samuel 22, after God saved David's life from the hand of King Saul, David wrote a melody about how "the earth reeled and shook; the establishments of the sky shuddered and trembled, on the grounds that (God) was furious. Smoke went up from his noses, and eating up fire from his mouth; gleaming coals flared forward from him" (sections 8-9). David is depicting God as a fire-breathing monster who "separated the sky and descended" (stanza 10) and exposed the establishments of the world at the impact of breath from his noses (refrain 16). In any case, that is wonderful symbolism to depict God's strength and force, not a portrayal of God as a strict monster leveling the earth.
A similar kind of language is utilized by John, especially in Revelation 6:12-14 when he says "The sun turned dark like rough clothing made of goat hair, the entire moon turned crimson, and the stars in the sky tumbled to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a solid breeze. The sky retreated like a parchment being moved up, and each mountain and island was taken out from its place." John was utilizing whole-world destroying language like Jesus' words in Matthew 24 when He was depicting God's judgment. This kind of language is unfamiliar to us, which can make us take a gander at Revelation and anticipate exacting functions from the whole-world destroying language. Be that as it may, the First Century Jews comprehended this language since they knew about the Old Testament Scriptures.
9. Attempting to Put "America" into the Scriptures
In case you're similar to me, you may have grown up taking a gander at the Bible egocentrically, accepting we (and this nation) are at the center of all that God is doing. That kind of way to deal with Scripture makes us scour Revelation to discover where America fits into every last bit of it and that can make individuals incorrectly – and over and over - anticipate the "following date" the bliss will occur, and credit public tempests and debacles to satisfied whole-world destroying prediction. Yet, the United States wasn't around when John composed this vision to the First Century chapels. Thus, you're not going to discover your President, your ideological group, or your nation in the Book of Revelation. Considering crowd significance, it would've been pointless to the First Century church for John to mention to them what might happen several thousand years subsequently to us all here in the USA. Along these lines, don't burn through your time attempting to discover which president or world pioneer is "the Anti-Christ"– a term not utilized in Revelation, yet as indicated by 1 John 4:3 is a feeling of dismissal of Christ and was "on the planet as of now" at the time John composed the Book of Revelation.
We so need to accept we are "in the blend" and we will see these functions in the course of our life that we persuade ourselves we're in there some place. In doing as such, we neglect to see Christ in the book and the vision of His magnificence.
10. Overlooking it is a Vision of Christ, Not a 'Subject of Debate'
Envision having a fantasy or vision so distinctive, so mysteriously brilliant that you struggle portraying it in detail to other people. John's vision of the Revelation of Jesus Christ was something not normal for anything he'd actually observed or envisioned. He was no uncertainty speechless in how to depict the celebrated Christ's quality as proven in phrases like "His eyes resembled a fire of fire, his feet resembled shined bronze, refined in a heater, and his voice resembled the thunder of numerous waters" (Revelation 1: 14-15, accentuation included). John was given a look into the otherworldly domain to perceive what no man has seen previously. In this manner, in his restricted jargon and human presence, he put forth a valiant effort, with the motivation of God, to give us a brief look at paradise.
In the event that you don't completely comprehend the Book of Revelation, you're absolutely not the only one. Its translation has been bantered by Bible researchers for quite a long time. But instead than permit it to turn into a book of disruptiveness, approach the Holy Spirit for His direction as you take a gander at Scripture and read the book for what it is – a book of love and the Revelation of Jesus Christ – as opposed to a book of contention or discussion. Regardless of whether you get yourself an amillenialist, premillennialist, or post-millenialist, and whether you buy in to the pre-trib, mid-trib or post-trib see, ensure what you accept is grounded in what Scripture says, not what every other person is stating or speculating.
