I don’t even know how this started.
One Sunday, I decided to read the entire book of Revelation in one day. The opening paragraph says, “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear…” While I didn’t read it out loud, I knew that intentionally spending dedicated, repeated time in a single book of Scripture would be beneficial.
Revelation is a book that many in the Church tend to avoid. It’s hard to understand, sometimes described as scary, and often misunderstood. Even pastors avoid teaching it. Yet the opening words clearly state that the one who reads and hears it is blessed. If there is a blessing in reading or hearing it, then it probably makes sense to read it. And our understanding will never grow if we keep avoiding it.
So after that first Sunday, I decided to read it again the next Sunday. Then again. And again.
As of January 25, 2026, I had read Revelation every Sunday for over six months. I can honestly say that every single Sunday, I noticed something new.
If you’ve avoided Revelation in the past, I’d encourage you to pick it up and spend repetitive time in it. It has become one of my favorite books. Below are a few thoughts and things I noticed during this process.
Revelation as the Whole Story
To me, Revelation is the culmination of the entire Bible—every book from Genesis through the New Testament, all brought together in one place.
Revelation was written to encourage the seven churches. It was not meant to be frightening, but to strengthen believers who were under persecution and struggling. It was written to overcomers.
With that intention in mind, Revelation has been incredibly encouraging to me. When I look at our fallen world, I see many similarities between what we’re living through now and what the first-century audience was experiencing.
Patterns, Themes, and Repetition
When I read, I like to look for themes, repeated phrases, words, symbols, and patterns. Revelation is full of them. Seeing intentional repetition helps me understand what is being emphasized.
Some repeated elements include:
- The numbers four and seven
- Light and life
- Phrases like “nation, tribe, people, and language”
John uses many of these same patterns in his other writings.
The Letters to the Seven Churches
The letters to the seven churches follow a clear and consistent pattern:
- “Words of Him…”
- “I know your…”
- Five churches have something Jesus holds against them
- Two churches are faithful
- “He who has an ear…”
- “To him who overcomes…”
The Throne Room and Old Testament Echoes
Revelation 4 presents the throne room of God, drawing imagery from:
- Ezekiel
- Exodus
- The original tabernacle – Tent of Meeting
- Solomon’s temple
These places echo Eden—the place where God dwells.
Specific imagery from Ezekiel appears in John’s vision:
- A sea of glass
- Four creatures surrounding the throne
- The four directions—north, south, east, and west
- Incense burned by priests in the temple
Revelation and Exodus Parallels
Revelation repeatedly draws from Exodus imagery, especially in the trumpet judgments:
- 1st trumpet: Hail and fire → plague of hail
- 2nd trumpet: Sea turned to blood → Nile turned to blood
- 3rd trumpet: Bitter waters → bitter waters in the wilderness
- 4th trumpet: Darkness → plague of darkness
- 5th trumpet: Locusts → plague of locusts
- 6th trumpet: One-third of mankind killed → death of the firstborn
- 7th trumpet: Great earthquake → Korah’s rebellion when the earth opened and swallowed thousands
Repeated Time Periods
Certain timeframes appear again and again:
- 1,260 days
- 42 months
- Three and a half years
These are all the same period, simply described in different ways.
The Two Witnesses
The two witnesses are called prophets and are given power:
- To shut up the sky so there is no rain
- To turn water into blood
This mirrors:
- Elijah, who prayed and it did not rain
- Moses, who turned the Nile to blood
Interestingly, these two also appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration.
Symbols and Fulfillment
- A woman gives birth to a male child who will rule all nations with an iron scepter
- The dragon attempts to kill the child, similar to Herod’s attempt to kill Jesus as a baby
- Twelve stars represent the twelve tribes of Israel
The Mark of the Beast and 666
Revelation 13 contains what many consider the scariest and most misunderstood parts of the book—the mark of the beast, marks on the right hand or forehead, and the number 666.
This letter was written to first-century churches during Nero’s persecution of Christians. People had to be careful with language. Verse 18 says:
“This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number…”
While nothing is certain, it is interesting that “Nero Caesar”, when translated into Hebrew letters, adds up to 666 using gematria, a Jewish system of assigning numerical values to letters.
What’s also interesting is this: Revelation references God’s people being sealed on their foreheads more often than it references the mark of the beast. Yet we rarely focus on that.
The Accuser is not creative or original. He takes what God has created and twists it.
Deuteronomy 6 instructs God’s people to bind His commandments on their hands and foreheads. Satan distorts this command for his own purposes.
Judgment, Glory, and the Temple
- The harvest of the earth in Revelation 14:14–20 is also taught by Jesus in Matthew 13:36–43
- Revelation 15 describes the sanctuary filled with smoke from God’s glory so that no one could enter—just as:
- Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting
- Priests could not enter Solomon’s temple when God’s glory filled it
The seven bowls—painful sores, water turned to blood, darkness, frogs, and hail—again echo the plagues of Exodus.
Two Women, Two Cities
Revelation contrasts two women:
- One who gives birth and is saved by God
- One who represents desolation and abomination
Proverbs also contrasts two women.
The New Jerusalem reflects deep Old Testament symbolism:
- Twelve gates for the twelve tribes of Israel
- Twelve foundation stones, many matching those in the high priest’s breastplate
- A perfect square, just like the Most Holy Place in the temple
From the Porch 🍃
These are just a few of the things I noticed through repetitive reading every Sunday.
Do I understand everything? No.
Does that bother me? Not at all.
Will I let fear or confusion keep me from reading? Absolutely not.
If the opening paragraph says “blessed is the one who reads and keeps the words of this book,” and we claim to follow Jesus, how can we follow something we aren’t reading?
Once I started seeing the thread of the entire Bible woven so beautifully into Revelation, it stirred my curiosity and pushed me to dig deeper. If this book was meant to encourage first-century believers under persecution, it can still encourage us today.
And it has certainly encouraged me.