What about the imagery of Revelation? Will we see a literal 7 year tribulation? Will we see locusts overtaking the earth or a monster with 10 heads? Come, lets discuss the book of Revelation!

** The following information is taken from many sources and comes from a sermon I delivered about 3 months ago **

Well it has been said that the 2 books in the Bible that Satan hates the most are the books of Genesis and Revelation. Genesis, because it tells us where Satan comes from, and Revelation, because it tells us where Satan is going!

Most Christians are afraid of the book of Revelation. Mostly because of the imagery we see in the book - locusts with faces like man and tails like scorpions, a beast coming out of the sea, 6 winged creatures with eyes at the front and back of their heads, a dragon with 10 heads and 7 horns.

The main reason Christians are afraid of reading Revelation is because the book seems too hard to understand. But being afraid of Revelation and not reading it means sealing it up - which is being disobedient to Gods commandment in Revelation 22:10

We are commanded not to seal it up. We are to read the book, study it and preach it. We are not to ignore it or be afraid of it.

Most Christians allow authors and preachers and TV evangelists to tell us what Revelations means. But there are so many different interpretations of Revelation.

Some say that the reestablishment of Israel as a nation in 1948 is predicted in Revelation

Some say modern Israel will play a pivotal role in the end times

Some say that before Jesus returns, Christians and Jews must rebuild the temple in Jerusalem and reinstate the old testament animal sacrifices

Some say giant locusts with faces like men and stings like scorpions will one day run around attacking people

Some say that Jesus will return to Jerusalem and lead an army of Christians against Russia, and just when it looks like the Christians are about to lose, God will intervene and save them at the last minute

There are some who say that the antichrist is Barrack Obama. Before that they were saying it was Osama Bin Laden. Before that they were saying the antichrist was Saddam Hussein. Before that they were saying its Gorbachev. Before that they were saying Hitler was the antichrist. And there were many others before him. There is apparently even a group who believe Jack Nicholson is the antichrist.

All of these ideas and interpretations are taught in the most popular books on Revelation, and even in movies such as the Left Behind series

It is dangerous for us to settle for believing what others tell us about the scriptures. Rather, we should be like the Bereans in Acts chapter 17 from verse 10. The apostle Paul praised them because every time he left them after preaching to them, they would check the scriptures to see if what he was preaching was true. And Paul was an apostle!

So as we go into Revelation, I want to ask you to put aside any preconceptions you may have about Revelation and be open to the teaching of the Holy Spirit, and be like the Bereans and study for yourself to see if what I am saying is true

What is the book of Revelation?

We are given the answer to this question in the 1st verse of Revelation - it is the revelation of Jesus Christ. It is the last words of Jesus to His servants. It is kind of like God's will for His people. If you knew that there was a will and you were in it, wouldnt you want to read it and know what it says?

Revelation is in many aspects an Old Testament book. It uses a lot of Old Testament imagery.

The Bible is its own dictionary, its own interpreter. If you want to understand the imagery of Revelation, you can compare it with the Old Testament. If you see a word or a symbol that you dont understand, go and find it elsewhere in the Bible and see what it says there.