Remain honest and self critical if you think you are right

Fo

r decades, there has been speculation about the end times. With the Book of Revelation in hand, people try to convince you that the last days have arrived. Only Jehovah's Witnesses have mentioned six dates (1914, 1918, 1925, 1941, 1975, and 2000). This was announced with great fanfare in the press, but now the Witnesses deny it.

As a believer, as a person who (as they say nowadays) “walks with Jesus,” it is important that you keep your reasoning or theory pure. In other words: be honest, careful, and seek the truth instead of just being right.

If you apply the prophecy from a Bible book to the present day, it is important that you remain honest about what the Bible says and what you make of it. It helps if you keep your reasoning clear. To this end, you could formulate a few general guidelines, even when it comes to Revelation. Based on what we have discussed above, you could summarize it as follows:

1. Be open about your starting point

Everyone thinks based on certain beliefs or experiences. That's okay, but say so. For example: “I am naturally distrustful of the government, so that influences how I see things.” If you are aware of this, you can better recognize your own blind spots, because that distrust may just as well be in your assumptions as it is in reality. By having a clear understanding of your own starting point, you can look at the facts more objectively.

2. Check your feelings with facts

Feelings are wonderful, but they are often subjective and focused on what you want. Our unconscious and sometimes even our conscious mind is often looking for security or control. We often only see part of reality and are also subjective and a little too focused on confirming what we want to believe. That's why it's good to test your feelings. Believe what you believe, but before you start proclaiming it as truth, you also want to know if it is really true. Ask yourself: “Is this really true, or does it just feel that way?” Look for facts from reliable, verifiable sources. And dare to test your feelings.

Sources are important in any case. When people ask you for your sources, you won't be more convincing if you say that someone should “do their own research,” as was often the case during the COVID pandemic.

3. Be honest about facts that contradict your arguments

A pure theory also leaves room for things that contradict it. Don't ignore contradictory facts, but take them into account. Think: ‘What does this mean for my idea? Do I need to adjust something?’ Someone once taught me: ‘Just because you live in the land of truth doesn't mean you own it.’ Growth begins with the insight that there is always something to learn, and if there is something to learn, then the present is not yet perfect. That is also at the core of our faith. The insight that our knowledge is still imperfect. According to Ecclesiastes, we chase after the wind. Are we aware of this ourselves? To see this, we often need others, but also reflection and prayer to God.

4. Don't wear ‘selective glasses’

Don't just look for confirmation of your ideas (this is called ‘confirmation bias’). Also look at what you don't want to hear, but what may be true or explain things differently than you do. Otherwise, you will build a theory on one leg, and it will collapse at the first gust of wind. And apart from that, the rabbinical methods that Jesus used show that he liked to engage in discussion about important issues. Discussion allows you to see different sides of the issue, not just your own. Nothing is healthier than being able to discuss things openly and respectfully with each other. Paul says it beautifully: ‘If anyone is concerned with being right, that is not my way’.

5. Be cautious in judging people

Don't use your theory to attack people who see things differently. Try to understand how someone came to their conclusion. In some Christian circles, there is a tendency to dismiss all kinds of things as “demonic” or “satanic.” Sometimes the things someone does are part of their journey to Jesus and God. For example, sometimes people need spirituality to rid themselves of the hustle and bustle and materialism in our society. Sometimes they need temporary brotherhoods or sisterhoods and gurus

Maybe someone means well but is on a journey or thinks differently than you. Stick to the facts as much as possible, not to suspicions.

And what about the Book of Revelation?

If we want to see the Revelation reflected in our own time, we must also adhere to the above tips. The Revelation of John is a complex, symbolic, and historical book. It can be tempting to constantly apply the texts to our own time, but this requires great care and honesty. So use the above guidelines to keep your interpretations pure:

1. Be open about your starting point.

Be honest: “I believe this is prophetic about our time,” or “I feel that this story has something to say to us now.” This will help you see how your own beliefs color your view. This is particularly important with Revelation, because people could turn away from the faith if you apply the book incorrectly in practice. This happened after the date predictions of Jehovah's Witnesses.

2. Check your feelings with facts.

Does something feel “right” for the current situation? Then look up historical and textual facts about what Revelation means in its original context. Ask yourself: is this connection really accurate, or is it mainly a feeling? For example, John says that the merchants will be the powerful of the earth in the end times.

People translate that 1-to-1 to our time. After all, Trump is a merchant. “See,” people say, “we are in the end times.” But that leap is too easy, because in other times merchants were also the powerful of the earth. So just because our world is ruled by corporations and merchants does not mean that Revelation is unfolding.

Suppose you suspect that the “mark of the beast” in Revelation has to do with modern technology such as chips in people, bank accounts, or corona passes. Then it makes sense to first look at the original Greek word charagma and how this passage was understood in the first century.

The book of Revelation states that people received the charagma of the beast on their foreheads and right hands. In the Roman world, such a mark symbolized economic and religious loyalty to the empire. Slaves were literally branded on their heads or hands as a sign of ownership—a practice that would have been immediately recognizable to readers at the time.

The mark in Revelation therefore says something about ownership: those who bear the mark are seen as belonging to the beast. Without this mark, people could not buy or sell. But John leaves it unclear who exactly this beast is, what the charagma literally represents, and when all this will take place.

3. Be honest about counterarguments, even if they contradict your story

The Book of Revelation has many interpretations, including by experts and theologians. Be open to other insights and see what they add or correct in your understanding. After all, you want to grow, don't you? Or is it just about being right?

4. Don't be selective

Don't just look for passages that confirm your current interpretation. Also examine the parts that may not fit or even contradict your thinking, and then see what remains. For example, I once believed that Karl Marx was the Antichrist. I was so convinced of this because of the number 666 (Marx was born in 1818 and 18=6+6+6) and a few other things. Someone then explained to me that this number was the number of a name (probably that of Emperor Nero). Moreover, according to her, you couldn't separate Revelation from Daniel and other prophets. I eventually let go of the Marx idea, but it wasn't easy, because I had become a member of the Underground Church, which was fighting communism, among other things. Letting go of selective blinders is not fun.

5. Be cautious in your judgment of others.

Avoid dismissing people who interpret things differently or are skeptical. Someone who does not share your idea is not “wrong” or “ignorant,” but may have a different, valuable perspective.

By following these steps, you will avoid constructing a theory that mainly confirms your own beliefs, and you will remain honest and open in your search for truth—especially with a difficult and layered book such as the Book of Revelation.

And finally: If someone says, “I see the book primarily as a metaphor for the Roman Empire,” don't respond with, “You're completely wrong!” Instead, say, “Okay, tell me more.” This leaves room for dialogue, but more importantly, it keeps you open to growth. And even if you think you have received things from the Holy Spirit, perhaps the other person has too, and what you have received and what the other person has received are meant to merge together.

By following these steps, you avoid building a theory that mainly confirms your own beliefs, and you remain honest and open in your search for truth—especially with a book as difficult and layered as the Revelation of John.

interpretation, but they are also essential.

I wish you all the best in growing in your reasoning and translating your feelings well!