Seven Simple Keys Open The Revelation

After reading the book of Revelation through many times, a number of keys became apparent. These keys are so obvious as to seem unnecessary to note. However, I will proceed with their introduction.

The first and most obvious is that Jesus is the focus of the Revelation. This first key brings an overruling reality of peace and order in a violent and chaotic description of judgment. He is glorious and victorious throughout the documented visions. The Revelation begins with Him, centers on Him, reveals His mercy and power, and ends with Him.

The second key needs to be stated, as simple as this might seem, in that God’s people are His audience. The Revelation is not written to an unbelieving world but to a believing people. I will elaborate on the perspective required to define, include and speak to God’s people. This key addresses the consideration of two audiences, Israel and the Church, and clarifies the Biblical application and disclosed inclusion.

The third key is as important as the introductory phrase of the book. This is that disclosure is the intent of the Revelation. God’s motive is clear from the first sentence. The title is more than the first words of the book, it is the very nature of God, self-revealing. He as unveiled His plan and purpose to His people.

The fourth key is transformative. This is the unique approach that has allowed me to see with new eyes and I hope it serves you just as well. This is the overwhelming view that heaven, the spiritual dimension, is the perspective of the Revelation. A Divine paradigm is needed to see all that God reveals to His people. Our limited view can serve us poorly as the illustration of the penny held close to the eye can block the view of an entire mountain. So, also, our finite chronological view can blind us to the heavenly perspective opened to us.

The fifth key is foundational in that what God has already revealed is not in conflict with what He is revealing. Rather, the old and new Testaments are the library of introduction for the Revelation and the literary model for interpretation. Commentators have reported that there are over four hundred references to the Old Testament in the Revelation. I have not counted them myself but I do not doubt their study. The Biblical practice of noting and studying the first mention of words, types and symbols, especially in Genesis, but throughout Scripture is the foundation of seeing the additional truths and the mysteries opened to us.

The sixth key is the dominant theme of unfolding judgment as the purpose of the Revelation. Throughout Scripture the “Day of the Lord” describes His judgment on His people and His intervention in human history. The seven separate visions of the book reveal God’s judgment on a sinful people and a sinful world. It is my opinion that the seven separate descriptions of judgment are a kaleidoscopic view of His fulfilled Word on these pronouncements throughout Scripture rather than a linear sequence of events. Both the realized judgment on Israel, the temple and the sacrificial system and the ultimate global consummation of the age are realized in the visions of the falling judgments, sometimes simultaneously.

The seventh key is the most encouraging realization of restoration. “Behold, I am making all things new.”[1] The hope revealed in the glorious Christ in the beginning of the book concludes with the victorious Christ united with His people in the conclusion with a new heaven and a new earth.

 

[1] Revelation 21:5 NASB