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& 8220;Of all biblical texts, prophetic books are the most enigmatic. There are several reasons

for this.

First, the literature speaks of future things, and therefore judgments about them are

more difficult to confirm. Interpretations cannot be verified with certainty. The complexities

to be found in Revelation therefore make the interpreter’s work difficult.

Interpretation must be done with patience and humility. The rush to judgment is incautious.

Second, the language is often a hybrid of propositions and figurative statements. This

is, in part, due to the subject matter. The word definition means “of the finite.” We define

things by their limitations and function. A thing must be small enough to wrap

words around it if it is to be defined. But then, how do we define God? If he is infinite,

he defies the categories of definition. This necessitates the use of metaphors, similes,

figures of speech, parables, and the like. Prophetic texts revealing God’s future plans

and actions would necessarily have to accommodate themselves to this kind of figurative

language.

Third, it is important to note that biblical writers recording the future are describing

things and events for which words, at the time of writing, may not have existed. How

might a person living in biblical times write about unimaginable things like an airplane

or a television? This multiplies the difficulty of the writer’s task and the need to use figurative

language. It also compounds the task of the interpreter.

Nevertheless, since Revelation has been written it would appear that the writer believed

his readers could understand something of these future events and therefore considered

that what he wrote was, at least in part, accessible to them.

At a time in history when there is much interest in the future, as evidenced by popular

culture and the best-selling Left Behind series, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Book of

Revelation clarifies as much as possible one of the most fascinating books of the Bible.

The approach given is to develop a clear outline for the book by following the obvious

clues that the Book of Revelation itself provides. The authors also consider the various

interpretations and schools of thought about the book, realistically guiding the reader

in considering how to make the most sense of the text.

Throughout history people have often thought that they lived in “the last days.” We

can claim with confidence that no one was saying a thousand years ago that he was living

in the Middle Ages. Certainly some people from every age have believed that theirs

was the final hour of history. And though the climax of the ages has eluded all who

have preceded this hour, eventually one generation will live at that unique moment.

Perhaps it will come in the lifetime of the readers of this book. But whether it should

come for us to see or not, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Book of Revelation makes it

clear that there is still much in prophetic literature that is relevant for us today.

—Jerry Root

Jerry Root is a professor of Christian Education at Wheaton College.& 8221;

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