Revelation - Introduction

A Study of the Book of Revelation

1. The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: 

2. Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. 

Revelation of Jesus Christ…not the apostle John.

An unveiling of Jesus Christ.

Where all the ends are tied together….

We have a listing of more titles for our Savior than any other book in the Bible:

Jesus Christ (1:1)	The faithful witness (1:5)	The first begotten of the dead (1:5)	The Prince of the kings of the earth (1:5)
The Alpha and Omega (1:8)	The first and the last (1:17)	The Son of man (1:13)	The Son of God (2:18)
The keeper of David’s keys (3:7)	The keeper of the keys of hell and death (1:18)	The Lion of the tribe of Judah (5:5)	The Root of David (5:5)
The slain Lamb (5:6)	The angry Lamb (6:16, 17)	The tender Lamb (7:17)	Our Lord (11:8)
The man child (12:5)	The King of saints (15:3)	The Faithful and True (19:11)	The Word of God (19:13)
The King of kings (19:16)	The Lord of lords (19:16)	The beginning and the end (22:13)	The bright and morning star (22:16)

The number 7 and 12 are predominant in the book of Revelation.

The number 7 = completeness or perfection.

·         7 spirits (1:4)

·         7 stars (1:16)

·         7 lamps (4:5)

·         7 seals (5:1)

·         7 horns (5:6)

·         7 eyes (5:6)

·         7 angels (8:2)

·         7 trumpets (8:2)

·         7 thunders (10:3)

·         7 heads (12:3)

·         7 crowns (12:3)

·         7 plagues (15:1)

·         7 vials (17:1)

·         7 mountains (17:9)

·         7 kings (17:10)

The number 12 = divine authority and power.

·         12,000 from each of the 12 tribes (7:4-8)

·         A crown of 12 stars (12:1)

·         12 gates (21:12)

·         12 angels (21:12)

·         12 foundations (21:14)

·         12,000 furlongs (21:16)

Promised blessing.

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.

Some say they can’t understand Revelation…nowhere in God’s Word does it say we will fully understand all that is included.  God doesn’t expect us to understand it perfectly.

He doesn’t promise that we will.  What He promises is a blessing by reading the words of Revelation, or hearing them, and by keeping the things written there.

If we are promised a special blessing for reading it, apparently the book must be helpful to those who do read it.

Authorship.

4. John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

The apostle John is identified as the author.  He was a central figure among the churches of Asia Minor.

Place and date of writing.

Domitian, who was the emperor of Rome and ruled from A.D. 81-96, was a wicked man and a hater of Christianity.  He began to kill and destroy; however, he was advised not to kill John who was the last of the apostles and was best known and the most beloved disciple in the whole world.

Instead of killing him, John was exiled to a little island in the Aegean Sea (Isle of Patmos) to rot and die like an animal.

This Island was used as a Roman prison.  It is estimated that John spent about 18 months there.  

About 60 years had passed since John had stood at the foot of the cross where Jesus died for our sins.  John was about 100 years old when he wrote down the revelation that day. 

After he was released from the Isle of Patmos (after Domitian had died) he brought the book of Revelation back to Ephesus and it was circulated among the churches.

The divine outline.

Past, present and future.

19. Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;

The second division is recorded in chapters 2 and 3.  These present things refer to that which takes place during the age of the church.

The final division is recorded in chapters 4 to the end.  These chapters describe the events which will take place after the Church Age has become history.

References:

Clark, Neal. Survey of the Book of Revelation. Pensacola, Florida: Thee WFBI Press, 1999. Print.

Falwell, Jerry. Liberty Commentary on the New Testament. Lynchburg, VA: Liberty Press, 1978. Print.