Revelation: Putting the Cookies on the Bottom Shelf

Every book of the Bible is of major importance. However, there are two books that stand out from the rest. These books are Genesis and Revelation. Genesis is the Bible's introduction, and Revelation is the Bible's conclusion. Genesis tells us how all things began. Revelation tells us how all things will end. The person who does not have an overall grasp of these two books will fall short of understanding the Bible as a whole. Revelation: Putting the Cookies on the Bottom Shelf was written to make the book of Revelation understandable.

My "serious" journey in Revelation began over a decade ago. I read the Revelation in my morning devotion and started on my daily routine. It suddenly donned on me that I had little to no understanding of what I had just read. I had preached on passages from the book, and I had taken an exegetical class in seminary on the topic, but I only was fooling myself if I thought I grasped the meaning of the book.

I made a commitment to God that day. I told him, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I would study until I understood the Revelation from the correct biblical perspective and was true to the author's original intent. I took the next year to study the book from every prospective I could find. At the conclusion of my study, I was confident I had arrived at an accurate interpretation. I used the next year to preach verse by verse through the book.

I made another commitment to God to compile my research in the form of a book. I wanted the Christian community at large to benefit from my research. Revelation was not written for the biblical scholar; it was written for the average man in the pew.