You can't understand the LAST book of the Bible unless you understand the REST of the Bible.
Many believers see the book of Revelation as a book that is too hard to understand. This is the only book of Scripture that begins and ends with a promise of blessing for those who read, those who hear the words of the prophecy, and those who take to heart the things which are written in it.
It is unfortunate that many people see the book of Revelation as a “scary” book or a book “too hard to understand”. The third verse of this book has a promised blessing… “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”
The Lord would not offer a blessing and then turn it into confusion! So why is this book so
difficult to so many? Because the average modern-day person does not have a firm
understanding of the Old Testament. The book of Revelation is explained in the pages of the
Old Testament. The purpose of this book is to help the reader journey through the Old Testament into clarity of Revelation chapter by chapter, verse by verse.
The book of Revelation is full of Old Testament passages. When the Old Testament is studied, to the depth and level which it should be, the New Testament comes alive with clarity and understanding.
If you heard me speaking to a friend and you heard me say, “We are going to celebrate like it is the 4th of July”. What would you think? When you hear that phrase, what mental pictures come to your mind?
• Fireworks?
• BBQ?
• Summertime?
I did not mention any of those words - fireworks, BBQ or summertime; I just said July 4th.
Obviously, one’s mind in America could easily automatically go to memories of the celebration that takes place on the 4th of July. There’s an association there and that association is key. It would be easy to incorporate the understanding of fireworks and BBQ into the idea of celebrating the 4th of July. However, if we lived in China or some other foreign country and you overheard me use that same phrase, what mental picture would a citizen of China have if he had never been to America? Maybe none because there would be no understanding of the event or meaning. This is where many modern-day believers are when it comes to understanding the depth and meaning of the Old Testament. It’s as if one is speaking a foreign language. One may understand a story or two, or may have an understanding of a book or two, but not many have the clarity needed to fully understand the meaning and purpose of the Old Testament language used in the New Testament, especially the last book of the Bible.
The goal in any of my teaching is to help people understand AND apply God’s Word. Not just
read it but understand it. I do not believe one can successfully apply God’s Word unless they
understand it in proper CONTEXT. When reading this book pay close attention to the phrase
The Old Testament significance of… This will help point you to the understanding of the
passage. Enjoy the journey!
“Dr. David Bowen is one of the most effective preachers of Bible prophecy on the scene today...I highly recommend him to churches and conferences seeking a spiritual feast.”
DR. DAVID REAGAN,
Founder, Lamb & Lion Ministries
"Thank you, for your insightful study. Your research and exposition is a tremendous blessing to the Body of Christ!"
BETH A.,
Newark, NJ
"I used this book for my Bible study group and loved it!"
RICK J.,
Phoenix, AZ
I don’t think Pastor Dave realizes how important this book is. Everybody in the world needs to read this.
RABBI JACK ZIMMERMAN,
Jewish Voice Ministries
"Revelation brings all the storylines of the Bible to a beautiful resolution"
BARBARA F.,
Dallas, TX
"A timeless message of redemption."
JULIE B.,
Atlanta, GA
Pastor David Bowen received his Master's Degree through Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA and his Doctorate through Anderson University in Anderson, SC. He has been pastoring for thirty years and is the Founding Pastor and Senior Pastor of Standing Stones Community Church.
His ministry experience includes being a chaplain in professional baseball and he has written a movie script for Worldwide Pictures. Pastor Dave also founded "Interpreting the Times", a web and podcast ministry focusing on the end times. You can visit that ministry at www.interpretingthetimes.com.
Pastor Dave has also written two books. The newest book is titled Finally, The Book of Revelation Made Easy. Many believers see the book of Revelation as a book that is too hard to understand. Pastor Dave helps bring clarity and understanding as he leads us through Revelation. His book, The Color Coded Gospels, helps the average lay person "see" the uniqueness of all four gospels. By merging all four gospels in chronological order into one, it is possible to get a more detailed "big picture" allowing each gospel to add it's own unique piece to the overall picture.
Pastor Dave and his wife, Jodie, have been married for 29 years and have three daughters.