I still remember the first time I approached the Book of Revelation without any grounding in Torah. It felt like stepping into a movie halfway through with the subtitles turned off — crazy images everywhere, but no context to anchor them. From beasts and bowls to the mysterious “triple six,” John’s visions seemed far beyond anything I could ever hope to understand.

Part of the frustration I experienced was that, in many Western churches, Revelation is rarely taught. Some pastors even discourage people from reading it, despite the book itself promising a blessing to those who do. Add to that a widespread neglect of the Old Testament in many churches—especially the Tanakh—and many believers are left trying to interpret the most symbol-rich book of the New Testament with half the library missing.

End-Time Curiosity With Old-Testament Amnesia

Trying to grasp Revelation without the Prophets and the Writings is like attempting to run a race blindfolded. So it’s no surprise that so many of us feel spiritually disoriented.

Contemplating the “end times” in a world that feels increasingly unstable has become almost unavoidable. With world-wide tensions rising and cultural norms collapsing, more people are asking what Scripture says about the times we’re living in. The Book of Revelation speaks directly into moments like this, but only when we read it the way John intended—through the lens of the Old Testament.

Understanding how to read this book changes everything—because Revelation was never meant to confuse believers, but to steady and strengthen us. With that in mind, here are seven things most readers miss when studying this awe-inspiring book.

7 Insights That Bring Clarity to the Book of Revelation

1. Revelation is meant to inspire—not terrify.

John’s visions were given to strengthen the faithful, encourage endurance, and remind believers that Yeshua reigns, even when the world looks chaotic. It was written to encourage suffering believers that, despite the power of Rome, YHWH reigns and through Yeshua (the Lamb slain, and now resurrected) victory has already been won. It remains a description of the ongoing struggle between Eloah’s kingdom and forces of darkness that oppose every generation, with a call to faithfulness.

John reveals heavenly realities behind earthly events. In doing so he…

• Emphasizes that YHWH still reigns over the nations
• Powers that persecute His people (Rome/demonic spirits) are temporary
• The promises of the Prophets are being fulfilled through Yeshua

Before diving into John’s apocalyptic book, it is essential to clear up a common misunderstanding about the word apocalypse. In Greek, the term simply means “unveiling” or “revealing”—a pulling back of the curtain so something hidden can be seen. But in modern Western culture, the word has been twisted to imply chaos, catastrophe, and end-of-the-world destruction. If we carry that distorted definition into Revelation, we start off with the wrong expectations.

2. Revelation shows history repeating until its final, glorious conclusion.

Patterns of rebellion, judgment, and restoration echo throughout Scripture and culminate in the triumph of the Lamb and those who belong to Him. Since many of us reflexively try to map out an end-times timeline when studying John’s writings, it helps to pause and consider how the biblical view of time differs from the Greek one.

Western perception of time is linear – going from the past into the present and out to the future. There is a ‘beginning’, an ‘end’, then Eternity. However, the Hebrew concept of time is cyclical.

In Hebraic thought, the cycles, rhythms and recurring historical patterns that move forward are more like a spiral traveling upward instead of a straight line.

According to author and Bible scholar Eitan Bar¹:

This can be seen in the weekly rhythm of Shabbat, the annual cycle of feasts and festivals, and in prophetic literature where past events echo into the future. Events repeat – not identically, but thematically – with each cycle deepening in meaning and pointing toward ultimate fulfillment. Redemption, exile, return judgment, and renewal are themes that happen again and again throughout Scripture. […] This cyclical understanding is crucial when reading apocalyptic or prophetic texts like Revelation, because these texts are rarely linear timelines by symbolic portrayals of repeated patterns – cycles of human failure, diving intervention, and ultimate restoration.

3. Revelation reveals divine justice in the heavenly courtroom.

Much of Revelation is legal language—books opened, charges read, witnesses summoned—showing YHWH as the righteous Judge who sets all things right. Revelation’s structure aligns with the Covenant Lawsuit pattern also known as the rib (רִיב) pattern. The Hebrew word rib is associated with two Strong’s numbers: H7378 and H7379 and can mean dispute, accusation, legal case, quarrel, bring a charge or accuse. Both come from the same root and are used in passages where YHWH ‘brings a case’ or ‘contends’ with His people. This is a major theme in the Prophets.

Here is the Divine Lawsuit Structure:

• Summons of Witnesses – Yah summons creation or nations to witness the covenant breach
• Statement of the Plaintiff (YHWH) -Yah declares His grievance or lawsuit against Iisrael/Yehudah
• Review of Covenant History – Yah rehearses his faithful acts and Israel’s rebellion (evidence phase)
• Indictment (Charges brought) – Specific sins are named (idolatry, injustice, false worship, covenant unfaithfulness, etc)
• Evidence and Witnesses Presented – The heavens, earth, or prophets testify to Yah’s charges
• The Verdict Rendered – Yah declares the punishment or consequence
• An Offer of Repentance and Restoration – Lawsuit ends with a call to repent and a promise of mercy

This rib structure appears in Hosea 4:1, Isaiah 1:4, Micah 6:3-5, Deuteronomy 32:1, Hosea 14:1, Micah 7:18-20, etc. Reread Revelation chapters 1-6 with this in mind and the book will already begin to take on new meaning.

4. Revelation reminds us to watch the signs of the times, not predict dates.

Revelation reminds believers to stay awake and discerning, but it strongly resists every attempt to force prophetic events into specific dates or rigid timelines. Much of the confusion surrounding this book comes from the habit of ‘date-setting’—people trying to crack an end-times “code” they imagine John embedded in the text.

It’s important to distinguish between date setting and speculative forecasting. Date setting claims or implies an exact time for a prophetic event—such as declaring, “Yeshua will return in 2030.” This is spiritually dangerous, as it directly conflicts with Yeshua’s own words that “no one knows the day or hour” (Matthew 24:36; Mark 13:32; Acts 1:7).

Speculative forecasting, on the other hand, is different. It involves observing prophetic patterns, world-wide trends, and Scriptural signs in order to discern the season or general nearness of events. Scripture not only allows this—it encourages it. 

When ‘these things’ begin to happen, Yeshua tells us to “look up, for our redemption is drawing near”. (Luke 21:28) Knowing the exact timing is under the Father’s purview.

What Scripture forbids:

• Matthew 24:36
• Acts 1:7
• 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2

What Scripture encourages:

• Matthew 24:33
• Luke 12:56
• 1 Thessalonians 5:4-6

In other words, noticing blatant deception, moral collapse, and ethnic tension is not disobedience; it’s the kind of watchfulness Yeshua commanded.

5. Symbolism drives the message.

While some elements are literal, Revelation communicates truth primarily through imagery, metaphors, and symbolic patterns drawn from the rest of Scripture. In the argument for symbolism versus literalism, there are two camps: evangelicals, and those who embrace symbolism from a Second Temple Period² Hebrew mindset. 

Bar states:

Jewish apocalyptic literature is highly abstract–forcing nuanced interpretations that go beyond the literal. It makes apocalyptic literature especially powerful for conveying deep Spiritual truths. At the same time, it poses significant interpretative challenges, particularly for the average Western mindset, which tends to favor a straightforward, linear, analytical thinking and may be less familiar with the symbolic richness of the apocalyptic genre.

So why would John choose to use ‘confusing’ language?

• To confuse the devil. 
• To ensure that he could effectively deliver his letter to the assemblies ‘under the radar’ of Roman imperial persecutors.
• Symbolic language is often viewed as superior to literal expression because it communicates on multiple levels at once.³

6. The Old Testament holds the interpretive keys.

Nearly every symbol in Revelation echoes Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings. Without the Tanakh, most of the imagery remains mysterious. John’s visions are saturated with imagery from the Prophets and the Psalms, not replacing their message but advancing it into its fuller, climactic expression. 

In his book The Old Testament in Revelation, Dr. Michael Heiser repeatedly states that Revelation is filled with Old Testament echoes, and we can’t make sense of the book unless we recognize them. He insisted that we pay attention to where those allusions come from, what they meant originally, and how John reworks them in his visions. He also warned that John’s use of Scripture is more complicated than simply checking cross-references. Even with hundreds of Old Testament links, none of them are straightforward, word-for-word quotes.

7. Revelation uses covenant-courtroom language from start to finish.

From scrolls and seals to bowls and verdicts, the book follows the pattern of ancient covenant lawsuits—Heaven’s legal proceedings brought into full view. 

The entire book unfolds like a heavenly legal proceeding put on full display. John shows us the courtroom itself—complete with the throne at the center, the twenty-four elders seated around it like a council, the living creatures acting as witnesses, books opened, charges leveled, verdicts rendered, and judgments executed. Far from random symbolism, these elements reflect the ancient covenant-lawsuit pattern woven throughout the Torah and the Prophets.

These are the “courtroom visuals” Revelation uses:

• The throne — the seat of the Judge (Rev. 4:2)
• Twenty-four elders — a heavenly council (Rev. 4:4)
• Living creatures — witnesses to His judgments (Rev. 4:6–8)
• Books opened — legal records/testimony (Rev. 20:12)
• Scroll with seals — a formal legal document (Rev. 5:1)
• Accusations against assemblies — charges brought, evidence presented (Rev. 2–3)
• Angelic proclamations — announcements of verdicts (Rev. 14:6–7)
• Bowls of wrath — the execution of judgment (Rev. 16)

As we step back from these seven guiding principles, one truth becomes unmistakable: Daniel is the backbone of Revelation. John’s visions build directly on Daniel’s prophetic framework—its beasts, kingdoms, heavenly court scenes, and cycles of human rebellion and divine justice. Without Daniel’s foundation, much of Revelation’s imagery hangs in midair; with Daniel in place, the symbolism becomes anchored, coherent, and unmistakably rooted in the story YHWH has been telling all along.

But even with these connections, we must remember that Revelation was never intended as a formula for calculating the timing of the “end,” the exact moment of the resurrection, or any so-called rapture scenario. Scripture consistently resists attempts to pin prophetic events to dates or timetables. Instead, it calls us to readiness, faithfulness, discernment, and hope.

Revelation isn’t a code to crack—it’s a call to covenant loyalty rooted in the same prophetic tradition that shaped Daniel. It reveals YHWH’s sovereignty, the victory of the Lamb, and the assurance that no matter how chaotic the world becomes, His purposes are unfolding with perfect precision. When we read Revelation with the Torah, the Prophets, and Daniel as our foundation, we find not speculation—but strength. Not fear—but clarity. Not panic—but perseverance.

FOOTNOTES

¹ Eitan Bar, Revelation: A Jewish Perspective (self-published, 2025)

² The Second Temple Period refers to the era in Jewish history between the rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple after the Babylonian exile and its destruction by Rome. This was a span of about 586 years. Revelation, in particular, is deeply influenced by Second Temple imagery, symbolism, and worldview.

³ Symbolic language is often seen as more powerful than literal expression because it conveys meaning on multiple levels at the same time and can communicate effectively across different cultures and languages, though its full meaning still depends on biblical context.

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