Why is it so important to understand what type of book Revelation is? How has what you’ve learned in this lecture changed your understanding of the book of Revelation?

[Austin]

You must know that Revelations is composed of prophesy, apocalypse and a letter. Revelation is proclaiming a message in the present; vision that uncovers and unveils the true nature of things; and a letter that addresses a crisis or issue or circumstance or problem in the life of the first-century readers. So I don’t see Revelation as doom and gloom and I can interpret with a better understanding.

[Austin]

It is because how we understand the kind of book Revelation is will determine how we read it and what we expect from it. In so doing, we can avoid the misunderstanding of the meaning of the author John intended to say.

I have learned that the book of Revelation resembles three type of literature that were familiar to John the author and the first readers of the time. It has clarified my understanding of prophecy which is not only “fore-telling” of future events but primarily also “forth-telling” the immediate audiences of their problems/issues and urge them to change.

[Austin]

If you view Revelation as only one of the three styles of writing (letter, prophecy, apocalypse), you miss out on the value of the other two perspectives. Letters are personal; prophecies tend to view a longer period of time, the foretelling piece; apocalypse is a term terribly misunderstood in the present day, primarily because of the film industry and such movies as “Apocalypse Now.” But if apocalyptic writing is to help reveal something, it changes the way one might interpret a situation.

I see now that I must examine Revelation from all three perspectives in order to fully grasp what John was saying.

[Austin]

The reader must know what type of book Revelation is before a complete understanding is achieved. The reader will probably mininterpret the book id they
do not understand the type of literature is being employed. Even though I have read and studied the book of Revelation many times, I had never studied the
three types of literature employed in the book.

[Austin]

It is important to understand the type of book Revelation is because, when the book was written it had a purpose and an audience that the message was sent to. Knowing that purpose and audience will help the reader better understand the book of Revelation when reading it. It helps properly situate the reader in the mind of the writer and to better understand why the book was written.