Yes — Revelation is popular because it centers on exciting future events that connect with current news, whereas teaching about the present Christian life is harder to keep people's attention on.
Les observes that teaching prophecy keeps people awake and eager, with students almost running ahead with current events and news. In contrast, Paul's epistles deal with the 'nitty-gritty of today,' which is less attention-holding. The book's own opening promise that 'blessed is he that readeth' also encourages engagement.
Revelation 1:3 — This is the verse Les points to when he says the book starts with a blessing for those who read it, giving Bible study groups a biblical reason to engage Revelation.
Matthew 24:6-7 — These are the end-time signs Les says people are already watching in current events, which fuels their interest in Revelation.
Scripture itself opens the Revelation with a promise to every reader: 'Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand' (Revelation 1:3). This is a direct invitation to read and keep the prophetic message. Jesus also described end-time conditions that draw readers into the same prophetic expectation — 'wars and rumours of wars,' famines, and 'earthquakes, in divers places' (Matthew 24:6-7). These are Bible statements about future events that point to the kind of material Revelation presents.
Les says prophecy naturally holds people's attention. He has no trouble keeping people awake when teaching prophecy or Genesis, but when he starts teaching Paul's epistles — the 'nitty-gritty of today' — it is hard to keep their attention because people would rather talk about something exciting out in the future. Unlike Genesis and Paul's letters, Revelation cannot be taught straight through verse-by-verse; it requires isolating events and piecing them together (Clips 1, 2). Les also says Revelation is not as difficult as many think. With current events unfolding, people run ahead of him with news, and the book has become 'as simple as ABC anymore' because we are so close to the end. He notes that the book begins with a blessing for those who read it and insists that, although it is symbolic, every symbol comes back to literal truth (Clips 3, 4). He has seen strong demand from Bible study participants — an 80-some-year-old lady and many others asked him to hurry up and teach Revelation. He calls the book thrilling and not hard to understand, even though he knows many have been told to shy away from it (Clips 5, 6).
Les says the book of Revelation is 'so totally different than almost any other portion of Scripture.' Unlike Genesis, the Gospels, or Paul's letters, which can be taught verse by verse and chapter by chapter, Revelation cannot be taken that way — 'it would make absolutely no sense.' Instead, he says you have to isolate the events and then piece them together, which is one reason he believes the Lord designed it to make a study.
Les says he has no trouble keeping people awake when he teaches prophecy or Genesis, but when he gets into the 'nitty-gritty of today' in Paul's epistles — where believers are 'today, tomorrow, next week, next month' — it's hard to keep their attention. People would rather be talking about 'something exciting out there in the future.'
Les observes that when he teaches Revelation, people are 'almost running ahead' with current events and news. He says Revelation is 'as simple as ABC anymore' because we are so close to the end. He also correlates the wars, famines, and earthquakes Jesus mentions in Matthew 24 with the horse judgments of Revelation 6, and notes there has been a tremendous increase in earthquakes since about 1970.
Les recounts that an 80-some-year-old lady wrote hoping he would teach Revelation before she passed away, and many others expressed the same thing. He calls the book 'thrilling,' not hard to understand, and says people have been wrongly instructed to shy away from it. He also points to Revelation 1:3 — 'blessed is he that readeth' — as a reason the study should be exciting and revealing.
Current Events and the Book of Revelation
Les connects the wars, famines, and earthquakes Jesus mentions in Matthew 24 to the horsemen of Revelation 6 and says earthquakes have mushroomed since about 1970, showing why current events keep people interested in Revelation.
Revelation Must Be Studied Differently
Les says Revelation cannot be taught verse-by-verse like Genesis or Paul's letters; you have to isolate the events and piece them together, making it a study.
Prophecy Holds Attention
Les says people stay awake for Genesis and prophecy but not for the 'nitty-gritty of today' in Paul's epistles, because they want to hear about the exciting future.
Current Events and Ease of Understanding
Les says people almost run ahead with current events and news when he teaches Revelation, and the book has become as simple as ABC because we are so close to the end.
A Blessed and Revealing Study
Les points to Revelation 1:3's blessing on reading and says the book is exciting and revealing, with every symbol coming back to literal truth.
Demand From Bible Study Participants
Les shares how an 80-some-year-old lady and many others asked him to hurry up and teach Revelation, showing the book's popularity in study groups.
A Thrilling Book People Were Told to Avoid
Les describes Revelation as a thrilling book that is not hard to understand, and notes that many people have been instructed to shy away from it — yet he taught it in his home class.
Why Paul Went to Arabia: The Revelation of Grace
But all you have to do is just keep it all in its progressive revelation as all these things unfolded in God's own time and under His sovereign grace, and I think then the Bible just becomes so exciting. It just is so much easier to study and to understand than I think of all the hundreds of people I've had in my classes over the last 20 years.
Revelation 1:3: Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
This verse is the opening promise Les cites to show that reading and studying Revelation is meant to be a blessing.
Matthew 24:6: And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Jesus describes the kind of end-time events that Les says people connect to Revelation and follow in current news.
Matthew 24:7: For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
This verse lists the same kinds of judgments Les correlates with the horse judgments in Revelation.
Les says Revelation is not as difficult as many have been told. He calls it 'thrilling' and 'not that hard to understand,' though he also explains that it cannot be taught verse-by-verse like other Bible books — it must be studied by isolating events and piecing them together.
Les quotes this opening promise from Revelation 1:3 as a reason the book is for readers today. He says studying Revelation is exciting and revealing, and though it is full of symbolism, every symbolic teaching comes back to literal truth.
No. Les says you cannot go through Revelation verse-by-verse the way you can with Genesis or Paul's letters. Instead, he isolates the events and pieces them together, which is part of what makes it a study and keeps people engaged.
Watch the Teaching: What Are the Signs of the End Times? Matthew 24 Explained