Why Does Revelation Seem Particularly Difficult To Understand?

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There is a sense in which God intends some of the puzzlement. Jesus often said that He spoke in such a way on purpose, in fulfillment of prophecy, in order that people would hear but not understand (Isaiah 6:9–10). This means that, when it comes to understanding spiritual things, such understanding is in reality only God’s to grant.

Let’s consider the parables: Jesus was not the first teacher to use parables, but He popularized them so thoroughly that when we think of parables, we think of Jesus. He was a master of telling symbolic stories that left listeners puzzled. Only later would He explain them to His disciples, and even then, not every parable came with an explanation. For many parables we are left to interpret them in light of everything else we know about Jesus and His teaching. Revelation works in a similar way. From the very beginning, the book signals that it will be highly symbolic.

Additionally, what many people don’t realize is that Revelation is not so much “The Revelation of John” as some Bibles have as the title, but the first words of the book tell us plainly, that this is “The revelation of Jesus Christ…” In other words, John is telling us that these are not his words; they are the words of Jesus. So, for example, what we think about His millennium matters.

Jesus often ended His parables with the phrase, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (e.g., Matthew 11:15). That same idea appears throughout Revelation. It appears explicitly in Revelation 1:3 and 2:7. John repeatedly “hears” something and turns to “see” a vision that explains what he has heard. So, the book itself trains us to think symbolically.

Additionally, Revelation is deeply rooted in the Old Testament. John’s language and imagery constantly echo ancient Scripture. Today we look back on Daniel 2 and remember the great statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream: the head of gold (Babylon), the chest and arms of silver (Medo-Persia), the belly and thighs of bronze (Greece), and the legs of iron with feet partly of iron and clay (Rome). Then came the stone cut without human hands, striking the statue and growing into a mountain that filled the whole earth, symbolizing God’s everlasting kingdom. In Revelation, it is as if Jesus is saying, “Remember Daniel? Remember the symbolic kingdoms, the visions, the imagery? This is going to be like that.” The book assumes a familiarity with the Old Testament and builds on it in profound ways.

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