The book of Revelation is a riddle! For starters, there are four different ways to interpret the book! Were the prophecies of the book of Revelation fulfilled in the first century, during church history from the first century to now, or has it yet to be fulfilled in the future? How do we know which interpretation is correct?
Is the book to be taken literally, or is it figurative? Stars fall from heaven to earth (6:13). A burning mountain falls into the ocean and a third of all sea life and a third of all ships are destroyed (8:9). A similar fate happens to the rivers and they become bitter (8:10-11). Supernatural locusts ascend from a bottomless pit to torment people for five months, but do not kill them (9:1-6). What in the world is going on? No doubt there is symbolic language in the book of Revelation, but symbols have significance. What is the significance of the symbols in this book?
What is the subject of the book? What is the structure of the book, that is, how is that structure developed? Does the book itself indicate its structure, or must it be determined from the content of the book?
One of the greatest challenges in interpreting the book of Revelation is determining the meaning of the seals, trumpets, and bowls. At first glance, they seem to be in chronological order because the trumpets come out of the seventh seal, and the bowls come out of the seventh trumpet. The content of the seals, trumpets, and bowls, however, seems to indicate that there is an overlap. Are the seals, trumpets, and bowls in chronological order, or do parts of them happen simultaneously?
In the Riddle of Revelation, G. Michael Cocoris begins unraveling the riddle by explaining the four interpretations of Revelation and which one is correct. Then he discusses the subject, structure, and purpose of the book. After that, he addresses the issue of the order of the seals, trumpets, and bowls, briefly explaining them.
This book will help you think through the proper interpretation of the book of Revelation. Various approaches are explained. Evidence from the text itself is given for what is considered to be the correct interpretation.
