Introduction
The Main Message
The book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ has challenged and fascinated Bible students for centuries. In my own library, I have dozens of commentaries on this book, and no two authors completely agree on everything.
But this is not important. What is important is that we not miss the major message of Revelation: the glorious victory of Jesus Christ over all His enemies. It would be unfortunate for the Bible student to get so lost in the details of this stirring prophecy that he miss its tremendous and overarching truth that in Jesus Christ, we are overcomers!
Eternal Promises
John wrote this book to encourage first-century Christians who were experiencing great suffering. In every age of the church, Revelation has brought comfort and hope. Why? Because its symbols are timeless and may be understood by believers in any period of history; because its promises are eternal and may be trusted by all saints.
I believe that John prophesied about specific events and a specific sequence of events, but I do not want my personal interpretation of prophecy to deter you from understanding the main message of the book: Jesus Christ is the Conqueror, and all believers share in His great victory.
Unveiling
The word translated “revelation” simply means “unveiling.” It gives us our English word apocalypse, which, unfortunately, is today a synonym for chaos and catastrophe. The verb simply means “to uncover, to reveal, to make manifest.” In this book, the Holy Spirit pulls back the curtain and gives us the privilege of seeing the glorified Christ in heaven and the fulfillment of His sovereign purposes in the world.
In other words, Revelation is an open book in which God reveals His plans and purposes to His church. When Daniel finished writing his prophecy, he was instructed to “shut up the words, and seal the book” (Dan. 12:4 KJV); but John was given opposite instructions: “Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book” (Rev. 22:10 KJV). Why? Since Calvary, the resurrection, and the coming of the Holy Spirit, God has ushered in the “last days” (Heb. 1:1–2 KJV) and is fulfilling His hidden purposes in this world. “The time is at hand” (Rev. 1:3; 22:10 KJV).
John’s prophecy is primarily the revelation of Jesus Christ, not the revelation of future events. You must not divorce the Person from the prophecy, for without the Person there could be no fulfillment of the prophecy. “He is not incidental to its action,” wrote Dr. Merrill Tenney. “He is its chief Subject.” In Revelation 1—3, Christ is seen as the exalted Priest-King ministering to the churches. In Revelation 4—5, He is seen in heaven as the glorified Lamb of God, reigning on the throne. In Revelation 6—18, Christ is the Judge of all the earth; and in Revelation 19, He returns to earth as the conquering King of Kings. The book closes with the heavenly Bridegroom ushering His bride, the church, into the glorious heavenly city.
Whatever you do as you study this book, get to know your Savior better.
—Warren W. Wiersbe