Episode 98: How should I read the Book of Revelation?
Speaker: Henry Covert Topic: The Bible
That's great, it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes, an aeroplane, and Episode 98.” This week, we carry on with our series focused on the Bible, specifically the Book of Revelation. We will explore the text, looking at its audience, author, themes, and tips on how to read it. Enjoy!
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How to Read the Book of Revelation Without Getting Lost
The Book of Revelation confuses more Christians than it comforts, and that reaction is understandable. Reading Revelation without a plan can feel like walking into a room full of strange symbols, sudden judgments, and creatures with too many eyes. The good news is that understanding the Book of Revelation does not require a theology degree; it starts with knowing what kind of book you are reading, and why John wrote it the way he did.
Henry Covert and Michael Popp explored these questions on a recent episode of the Graceful Curiosity podcast, unpacking why Revelation belongs to a category of ancient writing called apocalyptic literature. That single insight reframes the entire book: Revelation is not primarily about predicting disaster, it is about unveiling the truth of God's sovereignty to a persecuted church. This post walks through how to read the Book of Revelation well, along with the hope waiting at the center of it.
What Is Apocalyptic Literature, and Why Does Revelation Use It?
Henry Covert and Michael Popp began by tackling a word most listeners assume they already understand. In everyday use, apocalyptic means disaster: a meteor, a plague, the end of everything. But apocalyptic literature in the Bible carries a different meaning entirely, one drawn from the Greek word apokalypsis, which means an unveiling or an uncovering of what was hidden.
That distinction changes how the whole Book of Revelation should be read. Apocalyptic literature does not exist to frighten readers with predictions; it exists to unveil the true state of the world, stripping away the false claims of earthly powers. In the first century, that power was Rome, whose emperors claimed divine authority even as they persecuted the churches John was writing to.
John of Patmos wrote from exile, on an island where Roman authorities sent him for preaching the gospel. His apocalyptic literature draws heavily on the Book of Daniel, reusing images like beasts rising from the sea to unveil the same truth Daniel proclaimed centuries earlier: earthly empires rise and fall, but God's kingdom does not. Reading Revelation as apocalyptic literature, rather than a coded disaster forecast, is the first shift that makes the whole book make sense.
A simple starting step this week: before opening Revelation again, reread Daniel 7 and notice how differently the same kind of vision reads once you know what it is trying to unveil.
How Does Biblical Prophecy Help You Understand Revelation?
Once you know what kind of book Revelation is, the next question is how to actually read it. Henry Covert and Michael Popp recommend starting simple: read Revelation once straight through as a story, without stopping to decode every symbol. Save deeper study of Old Testament imagery and biblical prophecy for a second or third pass.
That is because Revelation leans on biblical prophecy from across the entire Old Testament, and trying to untangle every reference on a first read causes people to lose the plot. The Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls in Revelation echo the plagues of Exodus; the visions of beasts echo the Book of Daniel; the prophetic warnings echo Joel, Ezekiel, and Isaiah. Even the New Testament's own biblical prophecy about the end times, spoken by Jesus in Matthew and Mark and by Paul in his letters to the Thessalonians, shows up again in Revelation's pages.
Henry Covert shared a small, memorable detail from the episode: when Revelation describes vultures summoned to clean up after a great battle, that image can feel disturbing on a first read. Once the narrative and its prophetic background are in view, even that detail becomes a picture of God redeeming every part of creation, rather than something to explain away.
This week, try reading one chapter of Revelation the same way you would read Genesis or Exodus: straight through, without stopping to solve every symbol.
What Does the Bible's End Times Story Actually Promise?
The heart of the Book of Revelation is not fear; it is worship. Henry Covert and Michael Popp pointed out that worship runs through the entire book, from the songs sung around God's throne to the final vision of a renewed creation. Even the Bible's end times story, frightening as parts of it look on the surface, exists to answer one question: who deserves our worship?
That question mattered enormously to the churches John was writing to, since they were being pressured by the Roman Empire to worship the emperor instead of Christ. Revelation's end times promises, culminating in the new Jerusalem, gave persecuted believers a reason to hold on. God is faithful, evil does not get the last word, and the same God who walked with humanity in the garden of Eden will dwell with his people again.
One image from the episode captures the invitation well: God's plan to renew all things is already moving forward, like a train already on its way to its destination. The real question for the listener is not whether the ending changes, but whether they choose to get on board and follow God into that future.
Take a few minutes this week to sit with one honest question: if you already know the ending is secure, what is one worry you could hand over to God today?
How to Read the Book of Revelation So It Finally Makes Sense
Learning how to read the Book of Revelation often starts with unlearning a few common assumptions. Henry Covert and Michael Popp named several of these mismatches directly in the episode, and seeing them side by side clears up a surprising amount of confusion.
Once those assumptions are corrected, the rest of how to read the Book of Revelation gets much simpler.
Where Can You Explore These Questions Near You?
Wrestling with a book like Revelation, one that mixes hope and hard imagery, is not something anyone should do completely alone. Whether you are in Katy, Fulshear, or elsewhere across the greater Houston area, there is a community wrestling with these same questions together. Grace Anglican Community meets Sunday mornings in Katy, and neighbors from across the region are welcome to come as they are, no matter how new or how old their questions about Revelation might be.
A Book Worth Reading With Hope, Not Fear
The Book of Revelation was never meant to be a puzzle to master or a fear to manage. It was written to unveil the truth that God is sovereign, that evil does not win, and that his people are held safely through every season of trial. The same John who was exiled to Patmos wrote that anyone who reads this book aloud and takes it to heart is blessed, a promise found nowhere else in the Bible.
There is a place for you at Grace Anglican Community this Sunday, where these same questions get explored together in worship; plan your visit here.
Do you feel like you would rather ask a question before you visit; our team would love to hear from you and help however we can; connect here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is apocalyptic literature in the Bible?
A: Apocalyptic literature is a category of ancient Jewish and Christian writing that uses vivid symbols and visions to unveil spiritual realities, especially God's sovereignty over evil and unjust earthly powers. The Book of Revelation and parts of Daniel are the Bible's clearest examples. Rather than predicting exact future events in coded detail, this literature reveals the true nature of the world from God's perspective.
Q: Who wrote the Book of Revelation and when?
A: Tradition attributes Revelation to John of Patmos, an apostle exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the gospel, likely around 95 AD. He is closely associated with the book because of that exile, even though scholars debate exactly which John he was. The text presents itself as a letter from John to seven churches in Asia Minor.
Q: How does Revelation connect to the Old Testament?
A: Revelation reuses imagery and patterns from across the Old Testament, especially from Daniel, Exodus, Ezekiel, Joel, and Isaiah. Its visions of beasts, plagues, and judgment closely echo those earlier texts, applying familiar language to a new setting. Reading those Old Testament passages first often makes Revelation's symbolism far easier to follow.
Q: Why does Revelation include so much symbolism instead of plain language?
A: Revelation's symbolism draws on a long tradition of Old Testament prophetic imagery that its first readers would have recognized. Writing this way let John describe realities, like the fall of corrupt empires, without those in power immediately recognizing themselves as the target. The symbolic language also invites readers into worship and wonder rather than simple information transfer.
Q: Is the Book of Revelation just about the end of the world?
A: Not primarily. While Revelation does describe God's final victory over evil, its central themes are worship, hope for a suffering church, and God's faithfulness. Reading it only as a countdown to disaster misses most of what the book is actually offering its readers.