Many people are confused by the book of Revelation. Did you ever stop to think that those who first received the letter understood it? The letter is addressed to seven churches in the Roman province of Asia, what is modern day Turkey. These churches really existed. We know them from history and archaeology.
It would make to sense for John, and ultimately Jesus, to write them a letter they would not and could not understand. He promised them a blessing for reading it, hearing it, and keeping its words (1:3). How could they do that without understanding what it said? How could it be a blessing if they couldn’t understand it?
Even for us today, Revelation is not usually seen as a blessing. For some it’s confusing. For others its fearful and frightening. For some, it is to be discussed and debated. Others, spend years trying to decode it. But where is the blessing?
One of the keys for us to understand the book of Revelation today, is to look at it through 1st Century eyes. What did they know that would help them unravel the many vivid images of John’s vision? We need to understand what they understood. When we do, the same blessing promised to them applies to us.