Approaching Revelation, Just Read It!

From September to December 2005, we at CGC will embark on a journey through the book of Revelation and thus conclude not just our five-month focus on the end times and apocalyptic literature, but also our five-year CGC education programme. Several gifted brothers have consented to speak to us on specific chapters of the book and we look forward to receiving God¡¦s blessings through them during this time.

However, listening to them alone would not be enough for us to gain the most out of this book (or any other book, for that matter!). So, we would like to challenge you to read through the entire book of Revelation yourself ¡V if possible, at one sitting ¡V before the first session on 18 September. For those who are not familiar with the book, please don¡¦t be too alarmed if you do not understand what you are reading. Read prayerfully, and the Lord will reveal in his own way. As you prepare to read, the following details might be of interest to you:

Revelation was written by John the apostle during a time of persecution ¡V either during the latter part of Nero¡¦s reign (AD 54-68) or Domitian¡¦s (AD 81-96), with most scholars tending to date the book around AD 95.

Roman authorities were beginning to demand that Christians should worship the emperor, rather than Christ (or, at the very least, in addition to Christ). John wrote to encourage Christians to resist this, pointing to the fact that Christ is the Victor and there was absolutely no need to ¡V and no place for ¡V compromise. He would put this message across in what is called apocalyptic language ¡V a kind of writing that is highly symbolic. Yet, amidst this difficult-to-understand form, there remains enough to enable the modern reader to glean the essence of what is going on ¡V without needing first to be a Bible scholar!

As you read through Revelation, you would find it useful to be aware of four popularly-held interpretive approaches to understanding the book. They are:

The Preterist understanding ¡V Revelation is understood in terms of its first-century setting, with a claim that its events have already taken place.

The Historicist understanding ¡V Revelation describes a long chain of events beginning with John¡¦s time and culminating in the end of history.

• The Futurist understanding ¡V Revelation is concerned primarily with the end times.
• The Idealist understanding ¡V Revelation contains symbolic pictures of timeless truths and need not be constrained to particular eras.   

Fortunately, one need not hold to any one of the above approaches in order to be able to understand the overarching imperative of Revelation. As you read through Revelation over the next few weeks, see if you catch the central message ¡V Jesus wins and thus we are assured of victory too.