Unlocking the Mysteries of Revelation | Kirt A. Schneider

The Book of Revelation is one of the most mysterious and debated texts in the Bible, brimming with vivid imagery, profound warnings, and promises of ultimate redemption. For centuries, believers have grappled with its complex symbolism and sought to understand its relevance to their lives. Rabbi Kirt A. Schneider, host of Discovering the Jewish Jesus, brings a unique perspective to this prophetic book, blending his understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures, Jewish culture, and Christian theology.

In The Book of Revelation Decoded Revised Edition, Rabbi Schneider offers insights that illuminate the biblical narrative, uncovering how ancient Jewish traditions and prophecies can deepen our understanding of the end times. Through his teachings, he seeks to equip believers to interpret the signs of the times and live faithfully amid growing cultural and spiritual challenges.

In this Q&A, Rabbi Schneider addresses some of the most pressing questions about Revelation and its application to our modern world. From interpreting the moral decline in society to understanding the Antichrist, the rapture, and the millennial kingdom, his answers reveal the richness of God’s redemptive plan as foretold in both the Old and New Testaments.

Let’s dive into this enlightening dialogue and uncover what God’s Word has to say about the days to come and how we can prepare our hearts for Christ’s coming.

Q: How should believers interpret the signs of the times, such as the moral decline in our culture, in light of biblical prophecy about the end times?
A: The Bible is very specific about the fact that moral decay and breakdown is an end-time phenomenon. Paul said, “Realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come” (2 Tim. 3:1). Then he lists a number of the moral breakdowns we would see in society—hatred for one another, division, selfishness, the exaltation of self over God. We’re seeing all these things.

We’re also seeing the complete casting off of truth. Rather than affirming the biological sex in which we’re created, we now think we have the right to choose our own gender. One of the biggest initiatives in modern times is the LGBTQ movement, which completely obliterates God’s stamp of gender, man’s most basic identity, in His creation.

The fact that we’re now teaching evolution in school systems and not even giving place to the argument of intelligent design, that God created the heavens and the earth, is another indicator that we are entering the deep darkness of the end times.

Q: Many Christians have questions about the Antichrist. What do we know about who the Antichrist will be and how he will rise to power?
A: The Antichrist will rise to power during a desperate time. People will be drawn to a strong charismatic figure they think can solve the problems the world will be facing. He will not appear to be evil. Adolf Hitler gives us a good shadow of what this will look like. Hitler rose to power slowly when Germany was in a very desperate time. They had lost national pride when they lost World War I, and their economy was in a state of hyperinflation and havoc. So they were ripe for someone who appeared strong and was convincing. Hitler at first promised peace, but of course we know what happened.

This is the same way the Antichrist is going to arise. He’s going to emerge at a time when there are many problems and people are desperate. A strong charismatic figure will arise who will deceive the masses and lead people into the most evil age the world has ever seen.

Q: The rapture is a source of much debate among Christians. How does your understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures and Jewish culture shed light on this event?
A: The rapture is the glorious event in which God will remove the church from the world. We will meet Jesus in the air and be transported into heaven. Although the word rapture is never used in Scripture, its meaning comes from two verses in 1 Thessalonians, in which Paul says: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall be forever with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:16–17, emphasis added).

For years believers have debated exactly when the rapture will take place and whether the church will be in the world or raptured out of it during the tribulation. The most in-depth book in the Bible on the end times is the Book of Revelation. Twenty-eight times in Revelation, Yeshua is referred to as the Lamb. This is pointing us back to the Book of Exodus, where Israel was delivered by the blood of the lamb. To understand the Book of Revelation and the sequence of end-time events, we need to do it through the lens of the exodus.

The ancient exodus of Israel out of Egypt is a prototype of the church being raptured out of the world when the “plagues” described in Revelation fall. When God judged Egypt in the Book of Exodus, He sent ten plagues. It is not coincidence that many of these plagues are virtually identical to the judgments that will be released upon earth during the great tribulation. The plagues that fell upon Egypt locally during the exodus will fall upon the world globally during the tribulation.

Where were God’s people, the children of Israel, during the ten plagues in the Book of Exodus? They were in Egypt. The Lord did not remove them before He began sending judgments upon Egypt; He kept His people there throughout. Yet He also kept them safe, protected, and unharmed during each of the plagues. That is not to say the Israelites did not feel the effects of God’s judgments upon Egypt. They lived in the same land, so they most certainly felt the effects of an economy damaged by the Nile River turning to blood, livestock shortages, and ruined crops. And yet God always provided for and protected the million-plus Israelites living shoulder to shoulder with their Egyptian neighbors.

As Israel was in Egypt when the plagues fell, I believe God’s people will be on earth during the tribulation until the ten bowls of wrath are released. (See Revelation 16:1 and The Book of Revelation Decoded Revised Edition for more information.) God will supernaturally protect and provide for those who refuse to pledge allegiance to the Antichrist by taking the mark of the beast or by worshipping his image. Like the Israelites in Egypt, they will feel the effects of the end-time plagues; life will not be a walk in the park while those around them suffer. On the contrary, believers will have to rely upon the Lord’s supernatural provision and protection on a daily basis. But the Lord is faithful, and He will provide, just as He did for the children of Israel, who lived in Egypt when the plagues were falling.

Q: Can you explain the millennial kingdom described in Revelation? How does the Hebrew understanding of God’s covenant with Israel connect to this period of peace?
A: The millennial kingdom is a period of a thousand years when God’s authority, shalom, and order reigns over the earth before believers enter the new heavens and new earth. It is described by the prophet Isaiah:

And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little boy will lead them. Also the cow and the bear will graze, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

—Isaiah 11:6–9

During this time, evil will be restrained by God’s manifest power ruling over the earth, as we read in Revelation 20:1–3:

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.

Jerusalem will be the seat from which God’s authority will rule over the world.

Q: Are there other Hebrew festivals that provide prophetic insight into the events of the end times or the timeline of God’s redemptive plan?
A: The Feast of Trumpets, referred to in Hebrew as Yom Teruah (“Day of Shouting/Blasting”) or Rosh Hashanah, is a shadow of the rapture. The first of the three fall festivals, the Feast of Trumpets was marked in ancient Israel by the blowing of the trumpets, or the shofar. In the Torah the blowing of the trumpets often preceded times when God revealed Himself or was about to break in on behalf of His people. In Exodus 19, the first time the Israelites as a nation encountered Yahweh, the Lord announced Himself with the blowing of a trumpet that proceeded out of heaven (vv. 10–20).

During the rapture, when Jesus returns with the blowing of a trumpet from heaven, those who are not prepared to meet Him will tremble in unspeakable fear. But those of us who are ready to see our God will ascend and meet Messiah in the air, just as Moses did when he went up the mountain to meet God after he heard the heavenly shofar blow.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 Paul writes: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.” And Paul says elsewhere, “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (1 Cor. 15:52).

In both the past and future, the blowing of the shofar announces God’s manifest presence. Thus, the Feast of Trumpets calls believers to be alert and ready. The next time God sounds His trumpet from heaven, it will signal Messiah’s return. At this time, His glory will be fully manifested to the entire world.

There are other correlations as well, and I go into these in The Book of Revelation Decoded Revised Edition.

Q: Jesus’ return is the central hope of the Christian faith. What can we learn from the Hebrew prophets about the circumstances leading up to His return?
A: Before Messiah’s return, there will be a great world war in the Middle East, and Israel and Jerusalem will be at the center. Zechariah 12:2–3 says: “Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah. It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it.”

Then we read in Zechariah 14:3–5:

Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!

I will not speculate as to whether the current war in Israel is the inception of this end-time battle, but it is clear we are living in a preparatory period leading to Messiah’s return. Yeshua could come in our lifetime, and we need to live as if He will.

Q: How can Christians discern false teachings and false messiahs in these last days?
A: Any gospel or teaching that does not make repentance, Jesus, and His cross central is not the real gospel. Paul said, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!” (Gal. 1:8). The Book of Romans outlines what the true gospel is. Paul begins this book by emphasizing the gravity of sin and its consequences. He then introduces Jesus the Messiah and calls mankind to repent (turn to Him) and be transformed. This involves giving up sin, denying ourselves, and choosing instead to love and obey the Lord. This is a daily challenge. Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matt. 16:24). True faith calls us to surrender.

Q: In your book, you explore the judgments in Revelation. How do these judgments reflect God’s justice, and what is their ultimate purpose?
A: God is both merciful and just. He forgives sin but ultimately brings judgment on those who will not repent and respond to His invitation to mercy. Sin must be paid for. We can either receive Jesus by making Him our Lord and in so doing allow His death to become the penalty for our sin, or we can suffer the penalty for our sins by incurring God’s righteous judgment upon ourselves. It is not enough to simply say I’m sorry. Sin must be paid for. Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin (Heb. 9:22). Either we accept Jesus’ sacrifice and let His blood cover our sins, or we bear the penalty ourselves.

The Lord revealed both His mercy and His justice in the most stunning revelation of Himself in the Old Testament:

The Lord descended in the cloud and stood there with him [Moses] as he called upon the name of the Lord. Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”

—Exodus 34:5–7

The God of the Old Testament is the God of the New. He is “compassionate and gracious” as well as just. He wants none to perish but “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4; see also 2 Peter 3:9).

Q: What role will Israel play during the days of the Antichrist and the tribulation?
A: Again, Israel’s history is the lens through which we need to understand end-time prophecy.

Interestingly, the Shema, a Hebrew word meaning “hear, listen, and obey,” is the most famous declaration of faith in Judaism and includes the words from Deuteronomy 6:6, 8 (emphasis added):

These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be in your heart. …You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

Notice that God’s words are to be bound on the hand and forehead, the same places people who are not in relationship with Messiah Yeshua will receive the mark of the beast.

And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.

—Revelation 13:16–18, emphasis added

Q: How does Revelation’s depiction of the New Jerusalem connect to the prophetic visions in the Hebrew Bible?
A: Isaiah 65:17 speaks of this: “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.”

Q: What specific steps can Christians take to remain faithful and hopeful as we face increasing darkness in the world?
A: We must develop discipline in every area of our lives. Paul encourages us to discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness and uses the illustration of an athlete who trains (1 Tim. 4:7–8; 1 Cor. 9:24–27). This includes beginning each day by spending time in the Word, sitting quietly before the Lord, thinking, praying, and committing ourselves to Him. It means choosing to watch, listen to, and read things that are edifying. It involves disciplining our speech and being in relationship with the right people. In a sentence, it is seizing His Word and not letting anything else in. We are not here to play and recreate. Every day is a battle with the world, the flesh, and the devil. Let’s think like warriors.

Q: What prophetic insights has God shown you about the next chapter in His divine plan for humanity?
A: Scripture is clear about what happens next. Although many have on rose-colored glasses, America and the world are going to enter very troubling times—and soon. This is referred to in the Hebrew Bible as “Jacob’s trouble,” and the New Testament refers to it as the great tribulation. We need to keep our eyes on our Savior, “looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God” (2 Pet. 3:12). It is only at His return that the Father will unite “all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth” (Eph. 1:10). Many are waiting for “the good old days” to return, but the only way forward is Christ and the culmination of God’s good plan at Messiah’s return. Let’s echo the call of the Spirit and the bride at the end of the Book of Revelation: “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come’” (Rev. 22:17). Come quickly, Lord Jesus!