BYU Education Week: Book of Revelation
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PROVO, UTAH
Gary L. Poll said the Book of Revelation is "a love letter from the Lord."
Speaking at BYU Campus Education Week, he talked on the writing of the apostle John and told members of the Church of the importance of understanding the true message of the book.
Brother Poll, a retired seminary and institute instructor, said that as he has studied Revelation he has felt Jesus Christ bear testimony to John as He tells the apostle to send that message to other leaders of the Church.
"The message is that the Lord knows what is going on in your life and there is a way provided for you," Brother Poll told the audience Aug. 15.
He recalled the special relationship between John and the Savior when on the cross the Lord spoke to the "Son of Thunder" and told him to "behold thy mother," and then Jesus spoke to Mary and said "behold thy son."
Brother Poll noted that John was there through the ancient and modern Church's establishment. He was present on the Mount of Transfiguration with others who became the First Presidency and John was also present when the priesthood was restored in these latter days.
The Book of Revelation is also called "the apocalypse," said Brother Poll and that name can be broken down to mean revealing or bringing together the hidden.
"The message is not so much so you will know what is going to happen but you know that He knows what will happen so don't worry," Brother Poll said.
He reminded the class that Doctrine and Covenants Section 77 was given as a key for understanding the Book of Revelation. John is also referred to in 1 Nephi 14 and Ether 4. Brother Poll said Joseph Smith is needed to understand the Bible.
"When Joseph Smith gives commentary on Revelations, we ought to pay attention to that," Brother Poll advised. He said there are many changes that Joseph Smith made that are in the footnotes and that his translation is indispensable in understanding the book.
"Don't get bogged down trying to interpret every single little symbol," Brother Poll counseled. "Sometimes we get so bogged down trying to figure out what the beast is. The message is not about the beast, it is about the Savior. The message is about Jesus Christ and His Father working together to bring salvation to mankind."
Brother Poll said the year the book was written was probably around A.D. 95 and the Church had spread to the Holy Land, Turkey and Europe. Romans were persecuting Church members, as were members of the Jewish faith. Even some members of the Church were rebelling and apostatizing. John is in exile on the isle of Patmos because of his testimony. It is while on that island that the Savior asked John to write a letter to be read to the elders of the Church.
One reason, Brother Poll gives, that the book contains symbols is because it is not a product of the Western or Occidental world. It is more from the Oriental world that describes words as colors. He said John was a product of the Oriental not Occidental world.
Brother Poll said that when God speaks in symbolism, He is able to tell stories that can be applied to different people in different times in their lives.
"Don't think that you have to go through the Book of Revelation and understand every word the first time," he said. He recommended that class members look for Jesus as they search the Book of Revelation.
"I think that it is a wonderful reminder to us of who or what needs to be first in our life," said Brother Poll. "I know that when we go to God first, He can help us in every area of our life."
