The most common misreading of Revelation comes from reading it as predictive prophecy, what is going to happen in the future. There are, to be sure, references to the past and implications for the future, but the predominant emphasis of the prophetic word is on the present, the presence of God among us in the circumstances of this everyday life. The Bible warns against a neurotic interest in the future (Deuteronomy 18:10–14).
