How can I understand the Book of Revelation?
Revelation 1:1 - 20
ESV - 1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John. 2 Who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.
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Asked July 01 2013
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Anonymous (via GotQuestions)
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S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
The key to Bible interpretation, especially for the book of Revelation, is to have a consistent hermeneutic. Hermeneutics is the study of the principles of interpretation. In other words, it is the...
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Mi Shad Ow
When ever you read the bible it is always a good idea to start with prayer. "Lord please bless me with patience and understanding." Second there are two ways that are great for those who want a better understanding, of what a lot of people call one of the most confusing books in the Bible. (1) obtain a good concordance. And use it in what is known as a first mention study. While reading the book of Revelation you will come across some symbols i.e. Rev. 12:1 "the woman...sun...moon...twelve stars." Using the concordance you will find that the first mention of this is in Gen. 37. You can now conclude that the symbol in Rev.12:1 is referring to Israel as a nation. (2) You can use a good reference Bible and review the references listed for each scripture. I.e. Rev. 11:4 has Zec. 4:3. By using the references you will began to realize that the entire Bible is a revelation. I hope this will help you to fulfill 2 Tim 2:15. I would also add that a commentary when first starting to try to understand Revelations could possibly hinder you until you have searched the book out for yourself a few times.
Bryan Myers
As with any portion of Scripture, the key to proper understanding is to study in context. Many people people attempt to look at Revelation and interpret portions without keeping the proper context in mind. Because of the prophetic nature of Revelation, some have taken the opportunity to add private interpretation, which in itself goes against the Scripture. Remember that God wants His Word to be understood. With careful study in context, even difficult passages will reveal their proper intended meaning.
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