The book of Revelation was one of those books "on the bubble" as it were when decisions about the make up of the Canon were being made. It was included but not without some reservations. Because of its imagery, potential for wild speculation, and possible source for heretical opinion it has never been read in the Orthodox East in the cycle of liturgical readings.
When the Church gathered in council to put its understanding of the faith in the short form of a Creed it only affirmed that Christ would come again and judge the living and the dead. No other detail is provided or was considered necessary.
That being said two things are important. First that any and all of the "details" surrounding the end of history outside the basic affirmation that Christ will return are speculation and need to be explored with an enormous amount of humility and very much within the larger faith and human context of the Church. This is not a place for "lone rangers" and we have way too many loose cannons out there with elaborate and almost always spurious interpretations to sell.
Second the simple truth is this. We Christians would do a thousand times better to read and live the Gospels than engaging in end times speculations. Every second we spend with flow charts, scary books, wondering what the mark of the beast is and such is time spent away from feeding the poor, prayer, worship, caring for the broken, all the things for which we will actually be held accountable upon Christ's return. Could we imagine what the world would look like if all the energy used to try to determine that which even the Apostles were not able to know was directed to things that mattered?
This is not a place for "lone rangers" and we have way too many loose cannons out there with elaborate and almost always spurious interpretations to sell.
Since the larger part of the Church has chosen to ignore and not teach the Bible's final book, it has no right to complain about the "lone rangers" who have to do so on their own, as I've already stated in the original article.
We Christians would do a thousand times better to read and live the Gospels than engaging in end times speculations.
If it were an either/or issue, I would agree. But it isn't. First of all, I've already stated several reasons why all Christians should study the prophetic Scriptures with the same vigor that they do any other subject in the Bible.
Secondly, like Sha'ul, we are commanded to learn and teach the whole counsel of God, not just our favorite subjects. As I pointed out in the intro above, he taught at least the basics of eschatology--including the coming of the Antichrist--to the Thessalonicans during the three short weeks he was there, which means that he was teaching eschatology to newborn Christians.
Thirdly, the Gospel accounts show Yeshua teaching much about the End Times, both in His Kingdom parables, in the Olivet Discourse, and elsewhere. Ergo, if you try to teach the Gospel without also teaching eschatology, you're not really teaching the whole Gospel.
If you consider the book to be of divine origin (As I do) then you need to consider the fact that of all the new testament books, the only one that promises a blessing to those who read and keep the words in it is the Book of Revelation.
Now maybe none of us will understand it until it is all over, but nevertheless, we are admonished to read the words and to keep the words of the Book of Revelation.
Rev 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.
So I think it is at least as important to read as the gospels. We may not understand a single word, but nevertheless, we will be blessed if we read it. We have that promise upon the authority of the Word of God.