The Book of Revelation is also called the Apocalypse of John.¹ Dr. Richard Draper states that: "This title comes from the ancient Greek word apokalupt, which means to make bare, disclose, or uncover."² For most people, the book is hard to understand³ and does not disclose or uncover much of anything.⁴ Scholars and theologians disagree about the book's most fundamental meanings.⁵ And yet, the Prophet Joseph Smith said: "The book of Revelation is one of the plainest books God ever caused to be written."⁶ This prophetic statement is consistent with the prophecy of Moroni found in Ether 4:16, wherein the Savior said that in the last days "shall my revelations which I have caused to be written by my servant John be unfolded in the eyes of all the people."

The Lord revealed the Book of Revelation to the apostle John during John's exile on the island of Patmos.⁷ Symbols were used to hide the true meaning of the vision from John's Roman captors and the Roman Empire at large.⁸ The symbols of the First Beast in Revelation chapter 13 and other related images went unrecognized.⁹ This largely explains how the book could be circulated throughout Asia without Roman interference,¹⁰ how it was ultimately canonized as scripture by a Roman clergy in 397 AD,¹¹ and how it was preserved until these latter-days.¹² The symbols that depict the evils of the Roman Empire were like fabled parables that had no meaning to the unenlightened.¹³ The same symbols, however, would have been much more plain to Jewish Christians who were conversant¹⁴ with similar apocalyptic images from the Old Testament visions of Daniel and Ezekiel.¹⁵ Therefore, the content of the apocalypse was significantly more plain and understandable to many ancient Christians.¹⁶ The book can also be plain to spiritually enlightened people today¹⁷ if they put forth the necessary effort to understand it.¹⁸

The Book of Revelation is extremely difficult to understand¹⁹ for casual consumers of the scriptures.²⁰ The many signs and symbols in the book can be understood²¹ only through diligent study.²² The manner of prophesying among the Jews from the Old Testament²³ must also be understood²⁴ because John's vision is rooted in, and supplements,²⁵ the Old Testament prophesies of many prophets,²⁶ including Isaiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Joel, Zechariah, and others.²⁷ The Revelation must also be read with the same spirit of prophecy that guided its writing.²⁸ The Holy Ghost that has been poured out on all people in the last days²⁹ will make the words plain to readers and scholars,³⁰ and all those that feast on these words of Christ.³¹

The Book of Revelation identifies many signs of the times,³² including future signs that must still come to pass.³³ These future signs must be viewed and understood through the lens of modern revelation.³⁴ This includes Doctrine and Covenants section 77, which is an important interpretive key.³⁵ This section and other scriptures³⁶ unlock important truths from the Revelation.³⁷ These truths become unsealed as they are understood³⁸ and unfolded in the eyes of all the people in fulfillment of Moroni's prophesy from Ether 4:16. The world today stands accountable for the truths found in the Book of Revelation because the Lord has given the key to understand them.³⁹ Many signs from the Book of Revelation have already been fulfilled.⁴⁰ The signs that were once prophecies are now part of recorded history.⁴¹ That same history now provides the necessary context to understand more clearly those signs and events that must still be fulfilled.⁴²

John's prophecy has been miraculously preserved for this day,⁴³ except for some plain and precious parts that were removed anciently.⁴⁴ The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible adds back some of the plainness that went missing.⁴⁵ The Book of Revelation was given to bless and give hope to the saints of God in this day as expressed in seven beatitudes found in the Revelation.⁴⁶ These blessings will come as people understand⁴⁷ and hearken to the content found in the Book of Revelation.⁴⁸