“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John…”
We come to the sixty-sixth book of the Bible, the climactic ending to God’s program for time. Any prophecy begun in any other book finds its climax in this book. From Paradise Lost in the book of Genesis, we come to Paradise Found in the book of Revelation.
In the first three verses of Revelation, we find the prologue. The prologue frames the entire book. The third verse gives the structure of the total book. The key to understanding this book is its structure.
The first chapter of Revelation is a general introduction to the entire book; it is a book about the inimitable, sovereign Son of God.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ
The word “revelation” means disclosure, uncovering, unveiling. The Greek word comes from two words: from and cover. A revelation takes off the covers. Much of what the Bible has hidden about Jesus Christ will now be revealed in the book of Revelation. Jesus is the cardinal subject of the Book of Revelation (22:6-21). The climax of the book comes in the Second Coming of Christ (chapter 19).
Since the Book of Revelation is unveiling, it is not intended to be an enigma, some puzzle hard to decipher. This is how most people like to represent the book. Revelation says of itself that it will clearly reveal Jesus Christ. Do you unintentionally negate the Book of Revelation in your mind because others have convinced you or you have convinced yourself that Revelation is a dark book too difficult to understand? Why not accept the challenge of understanding this great book of the Bible? It is the only book of the Bible that promises a blessing if you read it.
We have seen the unveiling of a statue. The statue is covered with a sheet. At the dedication, the sheet is dropped for all to see the statue. This is the picture of the last book of the Bible. Revelation will unveil Jesus in a way other books of the Bible do not reveal Him.
Revelation presents a glorious reigning Christ. It tells of complete victory over Satan and sin. Jesus is the central theme of this book. Chapter one presents the glorified Christ. It is a message from and about Jesus. He is the overriding objective of the book and of prophecy.
The title of the Book of Revelation is the key to its contents. Revelation is more than a communiqué about Him; it displays Him in His glory. Revelation uncovers the matchless Lord of Glory Himself. In His first coming, the deity of Christ only presented itself occasionally. In His Second Coming, we will see Him in all His glory. We will see Him in the full-orbed wonder of His Majesty. This book sets the stage for knowing Jesus better. His person will shine forth into your soul if you open yourself to the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit through this book.
Note that there is no “s” on the name of this book. Many people call “Revelation” the book of “Revelation[s].” This error fosters a misunderstanding of this book. Revelation is about the unveiling of Jesus Christ. Prophecy for prophecy’s sake is not the point of this book. The major argument of this book revolves around the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The gospels give a portrait of Jesus from four viewpoints. The epistles set forth logical analysis about His person and work. Revelation presents Him in His future glory. The New Testament is clearly Christocentric.
PRINCIPLE:
Jesus is the central object of prophecy.
APPLICATION:
Jesus is the center stage of prophecy. He is the celebrity of all creation. The purpose of creation is to glorify God and His Son Jesus Christ. We hold His Majesty, King Jesus, as our ultimate Luminary. God is in the business of unveiling Jesus. This should be our business as well.
The Devil loves the propaganda that we cannot understand the Book of Revelation. “I will leave the understanding of that book to the theologians.” That is like saying, “God wrote the Bible to communicate to me but He must have made a mistake in estimating my capacity to understand it.”
This book tells of the ultimate outcome of the Devil. He does not want us to know about his ultimate defeat (Revelation 12). If the Devil can discredit the last book of the Bible in our minds, he wins a victory. He wants us to discount it. That gives him an advantage in our lives.
if we think of the Book of Revelation as a fairy tale that does not truly exist, then we will not gain assurance of God’s ultimate victory in time. We will allow ourselves to think of the pain of the present as an end in itself. We will never gain a perspective on God’s purpose for time. We will never understand why He allows pain and suffering to come into our lives. Especially, since Revelation is all about Jesus, the Devil does not want us to understand it.
I am going through the Book of Revelation and have to say that you actually are a better commentator than Matthew Henry. Because you are of my time period unlike Matthew Henry you speak and reason for this time period. May the Lord bless you and your family.
Thank you Noreen. I am blessed by your comments
Noreen, If you are just beginning Revelation, please read the introduction. You can do this by hitting the hyperlink “Read Introduction” toward the top of the page and under the verse address.
Grant
Hi I am really very happy about your commentary.May Lord bless you with the heavenly wisdom. I pray that if commentories on other book listed in the bible is given it would be very much useful for me
Chitra, You can find other commentaries by going to “Navigate Directly to” in the right column then click 1) book of the Bible then 2) click next box for a particular verse.
Blessings from Mexico…I’m a not native english speaking but I’m so grateful for your bible commentaries. I love your verse by verse studies.
Thank you for uploading these FREE bible studies for your brothers of latin america…blessings!!
You bless me Enrique. Verse-by-Verse Commentary is read in most of the countries of the world. Thanks for your comments.
Just a pastor here in Liverpool, England, using vbvc almost daily for inductive questions in our Bible studies as well as sermons. God bless you Grant for providing these so freely. You must feel so blessed in God’s Grace. Let me know if you’re coming here!
David, I passed through England just a couple months ago. It would have been nice to meet you. Next time I pass through I will contact you.
Did you know that my son played for the London Knights ice hockey team?
Grant, thank you for your comments above and I note them. What I am still not sure of is whether this verse should be thought of as “The Revelation of Jesus Christ…” or in the sense “The Revelation from Jesus Christ….”. Clearly the Gospels, Acts, and the Epistles give us something of the “revelation” of Jesus Christ, so why is this particular book entitled “The Revelation of Jesus Christ….”?
Some would suggest that this opening verse tells us primarily where the revelation comes from, not what it is about; it is a revelation given by Jesus Christ from heaven. They would suggest that much of it, of course, will be about the Lord, but above all the title is saying that the book is from Jesus. Thus the communication chain would be: God->Jesus Christ->angel->John -> us.
Others (probably like yourself) suggest the theme of Revelation is Jesus Christ in His exaltation; it is the unveiling of Jesus Christ. Christ Himself is the glorious Person to be revealed, unveiled, rather than “things that must shortly come to pass”.
There seems to be quite different understandings amongst leading evangelical Christians and I am not sure which might be more correct. I’m still working on it! If you have any further comments that might clarify my own thinking I would be grateful to read them; I appreciate I might not have expressed myself too clearly. God bless, Michael
Mike, thanks for your comments. You are right that the meaning could be “the unveiling from Jesus Christ (subjective genitive).” An argument for that view is the phrase “to show his servants” carrying the idea of a revelation conveyed by Christ. However, whenever the word “apocalypse” is used with a person the general meaning is “revelation of (about) Jesus Christ” (objective genitive). Also, the entire first chapter is a special revelation of Jesus Christ. The argument of the entire book is about the ultimate victory of the last theocratic King who will gain victory over time and space. He will fulfill what God asked Adam to do (be a theocratic king, a king that represents Him on earth). Adam failed to do that as well everyone in history except Jesus who carried out the theocratic kingship to the full.
Note the “Introduction” toward the top of the page for more information.
I WAS NOT TRYING TO UNSCRIBE I WAS TRYING TO ADD A FRIEND I LOVE GETTING THE WORD WOULD U PLEASE START BACK SENDING ME THE WORD IM HUNGRY FOR IT AND MISS GETTING IT EVERYDAY
THANKS CAROLYN FARMER
You have given me the courage to start my journey into the book of Revelation. Mahalo and Blessings from Hawaii.
Thank you Lisa. Revelation is the only book in the Bible that promises a blessing if you read it.
Dear Pastor Richison, I was a young teenager when you pastored my church in Kingsford, Michigan. I remember the Sunday night Revelation series and how I learned to love studying the Bible verse by verse. Thank you for that and may God bless you.
Kris (Johnson) Carlson
Kris, it is great to hear from you. How old were you at that time? (maybe I shouldn't ask!
).
I don't mind!! I was between 14-17 I think. Just a kid really. But the study made a big impact on me and was something I will never forget.
Kris, your comments are a blessing to me.Say "Hello" to your family for me.
Thank you Bro. Grant for helping us to understand Revelation chapters so lucidly. God bless you…
Sahishnuta, looking forward to fellowship with you and Monoj in October/November. Thanks for your comment.
I am a Community Leader for GMO. I have decided to start and finish all the Bible studies the Lord allows until Jesus takes me home. I am 81 years old and have been a Christian since I was 31. Therefore, simple mathematics 50 years. I do a through the Bible year by year, read many 1800 sermons by great lovers of Christ, etc. Thank you for the opportunity seeking the “Truth” with this Revelation Bible Study.
Patricia, Thank you for serving with GMO. That is a good organization. I am blessed by your comments.
Dear Dr. Grant
I have started to study one bible commentary. After finishing it, I decided to take another one and another one. Now I am hook on study the commentaries from you.
I am very pleased your verse to verse approach, the scholarly approach. The method of your work enable me a non-scholar to understand the work due to the simplicity of your method.
Thank you very much for allowing me to have a deeper understanding of God’s word,
Charles
Charles, your words are a blessing. I thank God that you take God’s Word seriously.