“Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this“

Write the things which you have seen,

Again, Jesus commands John to “write.” Jesus wants John to write something about the three tenses: past, present, and future (the actual divisions of the book). This is exactly the outline of the Book of Revelation. Revelation is chronological. This verse gives us the key to the interpretation of the entire book.

The “things which you have seen” is chapter one, the vision of the glory of the Lord Jesus.

and the things which are,

The “things which are” is the message John was to write to the seven churches (chapters 2-3).

and the things which will take place after this

The “things which will take place after this” are future events recorded in Revelation. John records these things in chapters four to 22.

Principle:

We interpret Scripture by Scripture.

Application:

Context is the most important principle of interpretation. The argument of the book is the most important principle of context. Jesus gives the argument of the Book of Revelation in this verse.

The argument of the Book of Revelation centers on the person of Christ: the glory of His person (chapter one), His ministry to churches, and His sovereign acts to come. Jesus is the purpose of history.