BIG IDEA: Revelation is filled with Repetition
First, while we may picture John frantically writing down the vision as it occurred, the book’s structure suggests that he prayerfully pondered and relayed his experience in an orderly fashion.
Second, Revelation is mostly symbolic, not literal.
Third, Revelation’s big belly is circular, not linear. Rather than read it as an exact historical timeline, countless credible commentators liken the middle chapters to a play, opera, or movie where glimpses of the storyline get introduced and developed as they give us hints of the ending.
