Christ’s community will live in eternal peace and glory.
Originally known as the Apocalypse, which means the “unveiling” or “disclosure” of things known only to God, the Book of Revelation pulls back the curtain on how the world will end. It is a dramatic tale clothed in highly symbolic language, but the crux of the story is easily grasped: Christ will destroy evil and welcome His followers to their heavenly home. He will emerge as the Lord of history. The world will change—there will be death and destruction, birth and creation—but through it all, Jesus remains “the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End … who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Rev. 1:8).
Revelation endures as the Bible’s most debated book. Throughout history people have offered countless interpretations in an attempt to explain its underlying meaning. Some regard it as allegory, often linking its images and events to world history or current events. Others think that many of its predictions were fulfilled long ago. Still others take it more literally, expecting a future that matches this book moment by moment, word for word.
No matter what ultimate conclusions we may draw, anyone who opens this book should understand that it is written in a particular genre—that of apocalyptic literature. Like other books in this genre, it seeks to reveal divine mysteries otherwise hidden. Yet in conveying its message, it communicates in figurative rather than literal terms (see “Apocalyptic Literature” at Rev. 10:1–10). Revelation is the only New Testament example of apocalyptic writing, but other examples appear in the Old Testament at Daniel 7–12, Isaiah 24–27, Ezekiel 37–41, and Zechariah 9–12.
We may well wonder why such writings, meant to reveal hidden realities, remain so difficult to understand. Wouldn’t it be easier to speak plainly rather than couch one’s message in intricate symbolism? One answer to this question may lie in the fact that apocalyptic literature tends to proliferate during eras of great danger. A writer may find it necessary for his safety to cloak his meaning in images that his intended readers will understand but his opponents—and, unfortunately, many non-contemporary readers—will not.
The visions of Revelation, for example, may have been recorded during the reign of Emperor Domitian (A.D. 81–96), the first Roman emperor to demand that the entire empire honor him as “Lord and God.” Exiled to the island of Patmos under Domitian (see Patmos’s profile at Rev. 1:9), the author of Revelation may have sought to warn first-century Christians not to give in to the emperor’s demand (compare 22:8, 9). The images of “Babylon the great, the mother of harlots” and of a seven-headed beast that lives on seven mountains (17:1–11) are often interpreted as veiled references to Rome (the city was situated on seven hills; see the map at the introduction to Romans).
Another reason for the mystical nature of apocalyptic literature may also have to do with its attempt to convey heavenly realities in earthly terms. In Revelation, the author seems to run out of words as he tries to describe the indescribable. Metaphors, similes, and symbols are often used to express what he has seen, heard, and experienced (Rev. 1:13–16; 4:1, 3, 6–7), perhaps because these methods of communication felt more accurate to the original concepts and events. Or perhaps they felt more expressive of the truth, similar to a parable. Regardless, it is likely that these images are only approximations of the realities that lie beyond human words.
Nonetheless, interpreting this book requires that we accept it as real rather than fantasy. Revelation is a vision that takes us beyond everyday experience, but that does not make it purely imaginary. We can trust that Jesus appeared to John, just as the writer says He does (1:1). We can enter into the world of the churches to which letters are addressed in chapters 2–3 (see “The Seven Churches of Revelation” at Rev. 3:1). We can study the patterns that emerge in its pages (see “The Structure of Revelation” at Rev. 8:1). Most importantly, we cannot neglect the book’s obvious outcome. God triumphs over every adversary—Satan, sin, evil, and death. History is fulfilled in Christ. His kingdom is victorious, His eternal reign established, and His people enter a joyful eternity.
Writing in the first person singular, the author of Revelation repeatedly identifies himself as John, a brother and companion of his readers (Rev. 1:4, 9; 21:2; 22:8). Early church tradition generally supports the view that this John was John the apostle of Jesus and the writer of the Gospel of John and 1, 2, and 3 John. The book was likely composed during the reign of Emperor Domitian (A.D. 81–96) during John’s exile on Patmos.
Key Verses in Revelation
• “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End” (Rev. 1:8; 21:6; 22:13).
• “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Rev. 4:8).
• “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created” (Rev. 4:11).
• “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!” (Rev. 5:12).
• “So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death” (Rev. 6:8).
• “Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666” (Rev. 13:18).
• “They gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon” (Rev. 16:16).
• “He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev. 19:16).
• “I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books” (Rev. 20:12).
• “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth” (Rev. 21:1).
• “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:4).
• “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev. 21:5).
• “If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life” (Rev. 22:18, 19).