How should I interpret events in the book of Revelation that resemble earlier Bible events?
Interpret Revelation's events as recurring divine patterns. Many have happened before in Scripture, yet Revelation presents them on a grander and greater scale. For example, as God once opened the Red Sea and destroyed Pharaoh's chariots, He will destroy Antichrist's armed force, and the earth will open and swallow it, just as it did earlier.
Les explains that when studying Revelation, you should constantly remember that many events, though on a grander and greater scale, have happened before. He illustrates this with God's intervention: just as He opened the Red Sea for Israel and closed it on Pharaoh's chariots, God will do basically the same to the armed force of the Antichrist. As Israel makes her way into the mountains, the earth will open and swallow that force, totally destroying it. This is not the first time Scripture records the earth opening to swallow something; Les recalls the earlier instance when false fire was offered and the earth opened and they fell in. Afterward, word reaches the Antichrist in Jerusalem that his armed force was destroyed and the Jews went where they could not be touched. The dragon, now synonymous with the Antichrist indwelled by Satan, becomes angry with the woman and makes war on the remnant of her seed.