[Mamzelle]

I was brought up into the LaHaye-type view of the End Times. Later, working with some scholars in a publishing company, I came to view these notions of a definitive pattern of events as simply wishful or fanciful reading of the text--The Revelation is simply not that comprehensible. There is nothing so tedious as a Christian obsessed with prophesy--otherwise sensible Christians can get very "hung up" on reading the tea-leaves of John's Revelation.

This Christian's opinion--all of the Bible is a straightforward manual for living, all pointing at the Alpha and Omega of Christ. Think of it as Renaissance art--approachable, understandable and wonderfully beautiful. Revelation is like Picasso--modern art--or the Impressionists. You can get the vision, the impression of a horrible conflagration at the End of the World, but I don't credit those who claim to understand How it will happen.

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

Revelation is like Picasso--modern art--or the Impressionists. You can get the vision, the impression of a horrible conflagration at the End of the World, but I don't credit those who claim to understand How it will happen.

LOL.  Actually a horrible conflagration would probably improve the aesthetic value of any Picasso...

[Brookhaven]

There is nothing so tedious as a Christian obsessed with prophesy--otherwise sensible Christians can get very "hung up" on reading the tea-leaves of John's Revelation.

Revelation promises a blessing to those that study it, so it is certainly worth your time to study it.

I agree some people go overboard. Especially those that seem intent on taking current events and moulding them to fit into prophecy.

Jesus spoke in parables so that some would understand and some wouldn't. I think Revelation is written using symbolism for the same reason. When the time is near, I think the symbolism of Revelation will become clearer because things will start to fall into place. Of course, to understand them when they start to fall into place, you have to have be familiar with the symbolism used in the book of Revelation, and therin lies the blessing for studying Revelation.