-
What advice would you give a new Christian who wants to read the book of Revelation?
-
Read the rest of the New Testament and understand that our God is a forgiving and loving God. The things written in Revelation are not to be feared if you understand them and if you have trusted Jesus as your personal savior. Pray hard for God to give you understanding and peace as you read.
-
I would say pray before reading. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and reveal His message to you. To bring clarity and understanding. I would also recommend talking to your pastor. Also, read other commentaries or about about Revelations to get a better understanding
-
Raed it through. Then reread it. Ask the Holy Spirit for understanding, wisdom and knowledge as you reread and reread. Also encourage then to allow someone who is called in the surface of helping them to understand and navigate the scriptures can assist them as well.
-
Remind the person that this is not fortune telling but information written to first century Christians and to see it from that perspective.
-
I would give him a brief on the apocalyptic genre so that he would not be puzzled by the symbolism. I might give him a brief on the first-century persecution of Christians so that he would read Revelation in this context and try to imagine how the original readers would have taken the message. I would caution him against trying to find current-day events and figures to fit into the symbolism. I would advise him to look out for what the timeless principle is in each segment, and to apply that to his life and faith. Finally, I may advise him to find a group to read the book together with, so that they can help one another.
#Revelation