Revelation, the last book of the Bible, is one of the most studied writings throughout history. It is normally associated with the end of the world, with a great event that will bring total destruction. However, the original Greek word (apokálypsis) means to remove the veil from something that was hidden, to reveal. And this is precisely the purpose of the book: to give us revelation about the end times.
The book is full of symbols and that is why it is not easy to read or understand. In general, it is accepted that its author was the apostle John, although there is no unanimity on this. We do see from the very first verse of the book that the author was named John.
This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must happen without delay. Jesus Christ sent his angel to make known the revelation to his servant John, who for his part bears witness to the truth, writing down all that he saw, namely, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ “
(Revelation 1:1-2).
Where does the revelation come from?
It is also clear that God is the source of all revelation in the book. He gave it to Jesus Christ to show his servants what was going to happen in the future. How did the revelation reach John? Through the angel of Jesus Christ. God revealed it to Christ, Christ to the angel, the angel to John, and John passed it on in writing to the churches, to the servants of God.
It is interesting to see that there are blessing for those who read the book and for those who listen and obey the prophecies it contains.
What does prophetic mean?
The book of Revelation is considered a prophetic book. This means that it contains predictions of events that would take place after the vision. Some of the prophecies written in it have already been fulfilled and others have not.
John, the author, explains how he received the revelation and why he wrote the book (Revelation 1:9-20). He was exiled on the Isle of Patmos as punishment for being a Christian. During that time the Holy Spirit came upon him and commanded him with an audible voice to write down the vision and send it to seven churches of that time that were in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. These cities are located in the country we know as Turkey today.
seven main themes
It is not easy to tell when a theme begins or ends in the book because the themes are so intertwined. If we add to this the symbology that it contains, it is difficult to say that we know with certainty everything that it expresses. What we can do is talk about some of the main themes that are most clearly seen in the book.
1. Who is Jesus and who are we in him?
The central figure of the book is the risen Christ and this is evident from the first chapter. In the first verses (Rev.1:4-8) we are told the following about Jesus: he is, he was and he is to come; he is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the resurrection; he is the sovereign (he is over) the kings of the earth. Jesus loves us and by his blood, by his sacrifice on the cross, we have been freed from our sins (we are cleansed and forgiven). Thanks to him we are part of the kingdom of God, priests at the service of the Father. Jesus will return to earth and every eye will see him. He will come to judge and reign forever.
The last words of the book assure us that Jesus will return.
He who bears witness to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come Lord Jesus!
May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
(Revelation 22:20-21)
The importance of the resurrection of Jesus
2. Messages to the seven churches
Chapters 2 and 3 of the book contain short letters with words of encouragement, warnings, and exhortations to seven churches of that time. Each letter had a promise preceded by the phrase “He who has ears, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Whoever emerges victorious…» or phrases very similar to these. The promises we find for those who overcome (and overcome) to the end are:
- Eternal life, the tree of life (Revelation 2:7)
- Will not suffer death or eternal punishment (Rev. 2:11)
- Spiritual food, triumph over sin and new identity (Rev. 2:17)
- Authority over the nations and the fullness of light (Rev. 2:26-28)
- White garments, his name written in the book of life (Rev.3:5)
- It will be a column of the temple and will belong to God for eternity (Rev. 3:12)
- Will reign with Jesus (Rev. 3:21)
In these letters we see an example of the Father’s heart, the desire he has to restore his children and to help them persevere by remaining faithful to him to the end.
3. Visions of Heaven
The greatness, the power of God and of Jesus, the Lamb, are described in great detail. In chapters 4 and 5 John explains the vision of God on his throne, how he receives the worship of living creatures and twenty-four elders. He also records beautiful phrases of adoration to the Father.
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.
(Revelation 4:8)
Jesus, the Lamb, is the only one worthy and only he can open the scroll with the revelation of the end times. On the throne of heaven a new song is sung and there is eternal praise to Jesus.
4. The end of time
Famine, wars, natural disasters, persecution of the church, shortages, and the collapse of the world economy are some of the things he mentions that will happen in the end times. There will be great tribulation and it will be difficult to survive.
Revelation mentions a great war that will affect all the nations of the earth. This will be the great final battle before the judgment.
Read about 10 signs of the end of the world mentioned in the Bible.
5 reasons why the Christian should not fear the end of the world.
5. The Final Judgment
After the second coming of Christ and the millennium, the devil will be thrown into the lake of fire as eternal punishment for his rebellion against God. God will judge all those who did not accept Christ as Savior or believe in his redemptive work. These will pass into the lake of fire for eternity.
Those who received Christ and submitted to his lordship on earth declaring him Lord of their lives are righteous in him and will dwell with him for eternity.
6. Paradise Restored
Revelation 21 describes the new Jerusalem. Planet Earth as we know it will no longer exist, there will be a new heaven and a new earth. There will be no need for the sun or the moon, the glory of God will cover and illuminate everything. There will be no pain, no death, no hunger. Everything will be as it should have been without evil and sin: radiant, full of peace and the presence of God.
7. The reign of Christ
Jesus will return, and this time he comes to reign for eternity. The last chapter of Revelation and the Bible affirm that Christ will return, and this time he will come as King. All the bad will cease to be.
There will be no more curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city. His servants will worship him; they will see him face to face, and they will bear his name on their foreheads. There will be no more night; they will not need light from a lamp or from the sun, because the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign forever and ever.
(Revelation 22:3-5)
Jesus will come to reward those who received him as Lord and Savior and persevered faithfully in the midst of all the struggles and difficulties of life.
Look I’m coming soon! I bring with me my reward, and I will repay each according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
(Revelation 22: 12-13)
You are ready?
If you have not yet decided to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, now may be a good time to do so. None of us knows when the end of the world will happen, but we are certain that it will happen. The desire of Jesus is that we all become part of his family, that we accept his love and the forgiveness of our sins. He calls us and we only have to open the door of our hearts to him to be able to enjoy his company for eternity.
Look I’m at the door and I knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
(Revelation 3:20)
Bible verses about the return of Jesus
What is the rapture or rapture of the Church?