There are many ideas about how the book of Revelation should be interpreted.
Some maintain that the visions have already been fulfilled while others believe
they will be fulfilled sometime in the distant future. Some attempt to relate
specific events in history to the symbols, and many believe the symbols are
referring to certain events taking place in the world today. This makes the study
of Revelation very difficult because there can be little agreement on the meaning
of the symbols. The meaning of a particular symbol to one person may not even
be close to what it means to another.
Method of Studying Revelation
There is a method of studying Revelation
which uses only Scripture to interpret the symbols. By using this method, all
should be able to come to the same understanding of the symbols because each is
defined by the Bible which is our ultimate authority. This method of study can be
illustrated by the drawing above. God established a pattern for His people to
follow in the Old Testament as he directed Moses to lead the children of Israel
from physical bondage in Egypt to the Promised Land of Canaan. We follow that
same pattern today in the church as Christ leads mankind from the spiritual
bondage of sin to the Christian's promised Land of Heaven. By using this pattern
as our guide to the study of Revelation, the meanings of the symbols become very
clear, and they have constant meanings which are founded in Scripture.
Lessons on Revelation
Individual parts of the above drawing will be discussed in the following
lessons. Since this study is based on a familiar Bible story, the travels of
Israel from Egypt to Canaan, the pattern we use to study Revelation is based
solely on Scripture.
