Desire Media

1. One reason for writing Revelation in symbols may have been to protect the writings from the enemies of the gospel who would destroy them if they were made plain. We know from history that John was a prisoner of Rome on an island called Patmos. Many of these things that he wrote were about Rome and its role in prophecy. But because Revelation was written in symbolic language, the Romans would have had no idea what the words meant.

2. Another good reason for writing the book of Revelation in symbols is because the symbols would cause the reader to search through the entire Bible in order to find the meaning of those symbols. As we’ll see in this lesson, the key to understanding the symbols is found in other parts of the Bible. By searching the Bible, God would be able to guide the reader into an understanding of the truth and into a saving relationship with Jesus.