Those who are familiar with the “Harry Potter” series may recognize the title of this article. “I open at the close” are the words that appear on the golden snitch that Dumbledore leaves Harry in his will. The snitch held a secret, but it would only be revealed at the end of Harry’s journey. Harry spends much time in this book (2 movies) wondering about what is hidden in this object, only for it to be made clear at the end.
Earlier this month I read through the book of Revelation. It became even more evident to me that this line is a good way to approach the book of Revelation. This book is a complicated mystery to most people, including many brethren. Its figurative language is difficult to understand, making it intriguing to novices, frustrating to Bible students, and a “playground” for false teachers.
It is common for new Christians to indicate an interest in studying the book of Revelation. My response is usually, “Revelation is the last book in the Bible for a reason. It will work best if we save it for last.” Revelation “opens” for us after we have read and come to understand the books of the Bible that precede it - especially many books of the Old Testament. In his classic work, “The Old Testament in the Book of Revelation,” brother Ferrell Jenkins writes,
“Every student of the book of Revelation must be aware of the fact that it draws heavily upon the Old Testament… The book of Revelation is the most thoroughly Jewish in its language and imagery of any New Testament book. This book speaks not the language of Paul, but of the Old Testament prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel” (21-22).
Jenkins goes on to state that Revelation contains over 348 citations or allusions to the Old Testament. Among the major contributors are Isaiah (79), Daniel (53), Ezekiel (43), Psalms (43), Exodus (27), and Zechariah (15). In addition to that, a great deal of the book’s phraseology is taken directly from Old Testament books. While the general theme and message of the book can be understood with little effort, in many ways, Revelation remains “unopened” to the reader who has “skipped ahead” to dive into its message without a study of the Old Testament.
The literary style of the book of Revelation is called Apocalyptic Literature. In this style, the writer is experiencing visions, often interacting with characters in the visions, to reveal a message intended to be conveyed to his readers. The message would be unknown to the reader who was not familiar with the images. The books of Ezekiel, Daniel, and Zechariah contain Apocalyptic Literature. Revelation employes the imagery of these books to “reveal” the Lord’s message to the seven churches of Asia.
When, as many new Bible readers do, one opens directly to the book of Revelation and starts reading, it is a hopeless and frustrating mystery. However, as one develops in their study of God’s word, spending time in oft-avoided books like Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and Zechariah, they will become more familiar with the imagery and phrases found in Revelation. Understanding how these were used in the Old Testament will allow the book of Revelation to “open at the close.” That doesn’t mean Revelation will no longer be challenging or even frustrating at times. However, equipping ourselves with a better understanding of what comes before it will allow the last book of the Bible to “open” for us.