I’ve read the book of Revelation many times as part of a Bible reading plan, but apart from trying to memorize parts of chapter 4 and 5, I couldn’t say that I’d spent more time in it than that. Like many believers, I have found the books of Ephesians and Psalms to be more beneficial for my walk with the Lord. Revelation has always felt like a big puzzle that could never be solved. I certainly never contemplated teaching it until recently.

I attended a Simeon Trust workshop last year and we learned about teaching apocalyptic literature by working through various passages in Revelation. I didn’t know what would come of this workshop. In the past I’ve used one of their workshops as a jump start in teaching specific books of the Bible. Did I think I would teach Revelation? Not at all. There were many reasons in my mind for why I wasn’t ready to teach this book: it’s too big, I haven’t studied Greek yet, there are too many differing interpretations.

But a curious thing happened that weekend as I listened to others teach from the book and learned more about it. The themes in it struck me as vitally important. I realized there was a significant hole in my understanding of who Jesus is, of what he is doing right now, and of the identity and mission of his church. Think of it this way – if the Bible is one story of God creating a people for himself and then working to redeem them in order to bring them back to himself in a restored and renewed creation, why would we ignore the end of that story? What if we’ve asked the wrong questions about this book and spent too much time being fearful and confused instead of using the book’s message of hope to fuel our endurance right now? After attending the workshop I knew I needed to teach this book. But where to even start? As I prayed and thought about it, I knew I needed a good chunk of time to prepare and some other people to come alongside and help.

Since last summer I have been reading and rereading the book, listening to podcasts and lectures, checking out commentaries, and talking with friends who are also curious to understand this book and teach it to others. It seems the book is getting more attention these days and people are eager to learn. (See Nancy Guthrie’s book and Jen Wilkin’s bible study.) This is exciting but also daunting. The daunting part has to do with the baggage that we all bring to the book. Many come to it with preconceived ideas, charts and diagrams, and already formed interpretations. Many are intimidated and fearful and throw up their hands at the prospect of ever understanding this book. My friends and I are thoroughly humbled by the task in front of us but also look forward to the opportunity. We are not Nancy Guthrie or Jen Wilkin but we know our women personally and love them. Our goal is to help our women learn how to read this book for all its worth and without fear. We long for Jesus to be revealed to them as the hero of the whole story. We pray that they would understand who they are as the beloved, blood bought people of God, a kingdom of priests who are called to endure patiently until Christ’s return.

As I continue to study and prepare to teach this book later in 2025, I hope to share my thoughts about what I’m learning, the questions I have, and the way I am going about structuring and writing this study.