Discovering Revelation
Background Information
The Apostle John wrote this letter
The apostle John wrote this final book of the New Testament (NT). (He also wrote the Gospel of John and the three epistles of John.) Leaders from the earliest centuries of church history widely recognized John as the author, agreeing with the multiple internal references to his name at the start and end of the book (Rev 1:1, 4, 9; 21:2; 22:8).
We often study Revelation as a stand-alone book. Yet just as we study Acts in light of Luke’s Gospel, so we should study Revelation against the background and in connection with John’s former writings as well. For instance, many similarities exist between John’s Gospel and Revelation. Both call Christ “the Word.” Both speak of “the lamb,” “the water of life,” “he who overcomes,” and “keeping the commandments.” Both quote from Zech 12:10, give an invitation to those who are thirsty, describe angels with white clothing, contrast good and evil sharply, and emphasize being a witness and keeping God’s commandments. Many other similarities also appear.[1]
John was one of Christ’s original, core team of twelve disciples and was part of the inner circle of three disciples (Peter, James, and John, Matt 17:1), and though Christ had nicknamed John and his brother James the “sons of thunder” due to their outspoken, assertive, and intolerant manner, his mentorship of John transformed him so completely that church history recalls him as the “apostle of love.”
This transformation from a “son of thunder” to an “apostle of love” is one of the special storylines of the NT. Knowing about this transformation in John’s life helps us read Revelation with the proper mindset, for he didn’t write this as a “son of thunder,” but with the loving heart of a shepherd of God’s sheep. Perhaps you recall how John has wanted to call down thunder upon the unbelieving people of Samaria (Lk 9:51-55). Well, it’s a good thing he didn’t because many of those very Samaritans soon believed on Christ, and John was assigned to validate that (Acts 8:5-17). Ironically, though, it is the same John who would later write Revelation, a book which speaks much about God’s fiery, thunderous judgment, not only on Samaria but the whole world.
John likely wrote this book about A.D. 95., which places the book near the end of Domitian’s reign as Roman emperor. Archaeological and historical evidence indicates that the persecution of Christians at this time was less brutal or systemic than it had been during Nero’s prior reign. Still, Christians faced general disapproval and harassment from society for their refusal to cooperate with accepted cultural and religious practices related to idolatry and also for their unwillingness to embrace social, political, and materialistic norms (not to mention the immoral lifestyle) that pervaded society at large. This historical scenario resembles the growing experience of Christians in the West today, free but marginalized and unfavored.
Sometimes this marginalization spurred localized, sporadic cases of economic or social resistance against them, or in some cases even to imprisonment or death.[2] It seems that a reputable Christian leader named Antipas had already been martyred (Rev 2:13) and the believers in Smyrna were warned of pending persecution as well (Rev 2:10).[3] Even John’s banishment to Patmos Island (which is when he wrote this book) was another prominent example of this kind of selective action by the Roman government towards an influential Christian leader. Patmos was a small, rocky, volcanic island off the southwest coast of Asia Minor (Turkey). John’s exile there does not appear to have been an incarceration as such, but rather a temporary relocation designed to reduce John’s influence and dishearten those who looked to him for Christian leadership.
Though the all-out-assault on Christianity by emperors like Nero had passed, believers lived marginalized lives and feared what might happen to them next. Would persecutions return, reminiscent of Nero? Would marginalization increase? How long would their suffering go on? As disciples of Christ, what would the future hold as they followed him?
John wrote this book to churches in Asia Minor.
John wrote this book as a circular letter, which means he intended for it to be circulated among multiple churches to read it (Rev 1:8). In particular, he wrote to seven churches located in seven cities of Asia Minor (modern Turkey). These churches are Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. It’s fascinating to observe that John listed these cities in a geographic sequence. The carrier would have traveled to the hub city, Ephesus, then to Smyrna, Pergamos, etc., on a clockwise route.
From these central cities, then, this book would have been copied and circulated more widely. This is a strategic perspective, since John evidently intended for this book to reach many churches throughout the Roman Empire. We get a hint at this goal in the conclusions of the seven smaller, internal letters he wrote to the first recipient congregations (Rev 2-3). To each church he said, “Hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (notice the plural).[4]
The theme of this letter is “Christ Fulfills All Things.”
Though the Old Testament (OT) includes numerous books of prophecy, Revelation is the only NT book described as “prophecy” (Rev 1:3, 6; 22:7, 10, 18-19). As prophecy, it extensively quotes from and expands on the OT prophets, esp. Daniel and Ezekiel. Like these prior prophetic books, it does more than unveil juicy details about future, end-time events – it reveals God’s divine perspective about the present and future political, social, religious, and economic situation in the world, much like the prophets did in the OT.
The title Revelation helps us further understand the nature of this book. Apocalypse (the Greek word translation as “revelation”) means “a disclosure, revelation, manifestation, appearance.” It describes “uncovering” something so that we can see what was previously hidden from view.
In a certain way, this book is a further disclosure of things which had been concealed by God, things pertaining to the completion of God’s plans and purposes for people and the world (Dan 12:8-9). Yet there is an even more important way this book provides us with a full disclosure because it is ultimately a manifestation of Christ himself (Rev 1:1).
Revelation, then, is a manifestation of Jesus Christ in two ways. First, it is revelation that has him as the object – in other words, his person, character, and actions are what’s being revealed. So, Jesus is the primary focal point of all that’s revealed (Rev 19:10). Second, it is a message that Jesus Christ himself revealed to John personally. So, Jesus himself is not just the object of this revelation, but the source of it as well (Rev 1:2).
John wrote revelation to inspire joy and perseverance in the hearts of believers who were allured by a pagan world, marginalized or persecuted for their faith, or afraid of the future. From the outset, he makes it clear that believers who would hear and keep the message of this book would enjoy God’s blessing (Rev 1:3). Note, however, that this doesn’t guarantee some kind of mystical blessing (like “extra credit”) just from studying and understanding this book in an academic sense or from having a strong curiosity about it.
The blessing of Revelation refers to both the reader and audience (in a public Scripture reading format) if they would also “keep” the message. This means that God expects us to allow the message of this book to influence our lives so significantly that it impacts our mindset and daily lives in a definite and distinct way. The blessing that this book provides occurs as a result of putting its teaching into practice, not just knowing about it.
Outline of the Book
The structure for this book follows a three-part format which Christ summarized to John at the beginning (Rev 1:19): “Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.” The things “which you have seen” refers to John’s opening interaction with Christ (Rev 1), the things “which are” refers to the letters to seven churches in Asia Minor and the present condition of churches at that time (Rev 2-3), and the things “which will take place after this” refers to the climactic events of the future revealed through the remainder of the book (Rev 4-22).
The following outline reflects this threefold format and provides some basic subdivisions for the content of each section[5]:
I. The Things Which You Have Seen (1:1-20)
A. The Prologue (1:1-8)
B. The Vision of the Glorified Christ (1:9-18)
C. John’s Commission to Write (1:19-20)
II. The Things Which Are (2:1-3:22)
III. The Things Which Will Take Place After This (4:1-22:21)
A. Worship Before God’s Heavenly Throne (4:1-5:14)
B. The Tribulation (6:1-18:24)
C. The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (19:1-21)
D. The Millennium (20:1-10)
E. The Great White Throne Judgment (20:11-15)
F. The Eternal State (21:1-22:21)
*****
[1] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody, 1992), 11-17.
[2] Buist M. Fanning, Revelation, ed. Clinton E. Arnold, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020), 30.
[3] Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 129.
[4] Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, 85.
[5] John F. MacArthur Jr., Revelation 1-11, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody, 1999), 11.
The Apostle John wrote this letter
The apostle John wrote this final book of the New Testament (NT). (He also wrote the Gospel of John and the three epistles of John.) Leaders from the earliest centuries of church history widely recognized John as the author, agreeing with the multiple internal references to his name at the start and end of the book (Rev 1:1, 4, 9; 21:2; 22:8).
We often study Revelation as a stand-alone book. Yet just as we study Acts in light of Luke’s Gospel, so we should study Revelation against the background and in connection with John’s former writings as well. For instance, many similarities exist between John’s Gospel and Revelation. Both call Christ “the Word.” Both speak of “the lamb,” “the water of life,” “he who overcomes,” and “keeping the commandments.” Both quote from Zech 12:10, give an invitation to those who are thirsty, describe angels with white clothing, contrast good and evil sharply, and emphasize being a witness and keeping God’s commandments. Many other similarities also appear.[1]
John was one of Christ’s original, core team of twelve disciples and was part of the inner circle of three disciples (Peter, James, and John, Matt 17:1), and though Christ had nicknamed John and his brother James the “sons of thunder” due to their outspoken, assertive, and intolerant manner, his mentorship of John transformed him so completely that church history recalls him as the “apostle of love.”
This transformation from a “son of thunder” to an “apostle of love” is one of the special storylines of the NT. Knowing about this transformation in John’s life helps us read Revelation with the proper mindset, for he didn’t write this as a “son of thunder,” but with the loving heart of a shepherd of God’s sheep. Perhaps you recall how John has wanted to call down thunder upon the unbelieving people of Samaria (Lk 9:51-55). Well, it’s a good thing he didn’t because many of those very Samaritans soon believed on Christ, and John was assigned to validate that (Acts 8:5-17). Ironically, though, it is the same John who would later write Revelation, a book which speaks much about God’s fiery, thunderous judgment, not only on Samaria but the whole world.
John likely wrote this book about A.D. 95., which places the book near the end of Domitian’s reign as Roman emperor. Archaeological and historical evidence indicates that the persecution of Christians at this time was less brutal or systemic than it had been during Nero’s prior reign. Still, Christians faced general disapproval and harassment from society for their refusal to cooperate with accepted cultural and religious practices related to idolatry and also for their unwillingness to embrace social, political, and materialistic norms (not to mention the immoral lifestyle) that pervaded society at large. This historical scenario resembles the growing experience of Christians in the West today, free but marginalized and unfavored.
Sometimes this marginalization spurred localized, sporadic cases of economic or social resistance against them, or in some cases even to imprisonment or death.[2] It seems that a reputable Christian leader named Antipas had already been martyred (Rev 2:13) and the believers in Smyrna were warned of pending persecution as well (Rev 2:10).[3] Even John’s banishment to Patmos Island (which is when he wrote this book) was another prominent example of this kind of selective action by the Roman government towards an influential Christian leader. Patmos was a small, rocky, volcanic island off the southwest coast of Asia Minor (Turkey). John’s exile there does not appear to have been an incarceration as such, but rather a temporary relocation designed to reduce John’s influence and dishearten those who looked to him for Christian leadership.
Though the all-out-assault on Christianity by emperors like Nero had passed, believers lived marginalized lives and feared what might happen to them next. Would persecutions return, reminiscent of Nero? Would marginalization increase? How long would their suffering go on? As disciples of Christ, what would the future hold as they followed him?
John wrote this book to churches in Asia Minor.
John wrote this book as a circular letter, which means he intended for it to be circulated among multiple churches to read it (Rev 1:8). In particular, he wrote to seven churches located in seven cities of Asia Minor (modern Turkey). These churches are Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. It’s fascinating to observe that John listed these cities in a geographic sequence. The carrier would have traveled to the hub city, Ephesus, then to Smyrna, Pergamos, etc., on a clockwise route.
From these central cities, then, this book would have been copied and circulated more widely. This is a strategic perspective, since John evidently intended for this book to reach many churches throughout the Roman Empire. We get a hint at this goal in the conclusions of the seven smaller, internal letters he wrote to the first recipient congregations (Rev 2-3). To each church he said, “Hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (notice the plural).[4]
The theme of this letter is “Christ Fulfills All Things.”
Though the Old Testament (OT) includes numerous books of prophecy, Revelation is the only NT book described as “prophecy” (Rev 1:3, 6; 22:7, 10, 18-19). As prophecy, it extensively quotes from and expands on the OT prophets, esp. Daniel and Ezekiel. Like these prior prophetic books, it does more than unveil juicy details about future, end-time events – it reveals God’s divine perspective about the present and future political, social, religious, and economic situation in the world, much like the prophets did in the OT.
The title Revelation helps us further understand the nature of this book. Apocalypse (the Greek word translation as “revelation”) means “a disclosure, revelation, manifestation, appearance.” It describes “uncovering” something so that we can see what was previously hidden from view.
In a certain way, this book is a further disclosure of things which had been concealed by God, things pertaining to the completion of God’s plans and purposes for people and the world (Dan 12:8-9). Yet there is an even more important way this book provides us with a full disclosure because it is ultimately a manifestation of Christ himself (Rev 1:1).
Revelation, then, is a manifestation of Jesus Christ in two ways. First, it is revelation that has him as the object – in other words, his person, character, and actions are what’s being revealed. So, Jesus is the primary focal point of all that’s revealed (Rev 19:10). Second, it is a message that Jesus Christ himself revealed to John personally. So, Jesus himself is not just the object of this revelation, but the source of it as well (Rev 1:2).
John wrote revelation to inspire joy and perseverance in the hearts of believers who were allured by a pagan world, marginalized or persecuted for their faith, or afraid of the future. From the outset, he makes it clear that believers who would hear and keep the message of this book would enjoy God’s blessing (Rev 1:3). Note, however, that this doesn’t guarantee some kind of mystical blessing (like “extra credit”) just from studying and understanding this book in an academic sense or from having a strong curiosity about it.
The blessing of Revelation refers to both the reader and audience (in a public Scripture reading format) if they would also “keep” the message. This means that God expects us to allow the message of this book to influence our lives so significantly that it impacts our mindset and daily lives in a definite and distinct way. The blessing that this book provides occurs as a result of putting its teaching into practice, not just knowing about it.
Outline of the Book
The structure for this book follows a three-part format which Christ summarized to John at the beginning (Rev 1:19): “Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.” The things “which you have seen” refers to John’s opening interaction with Christ (Rev 1), the things “which are” refers to the letters to seven churches in Asia Minor and the present condition of churches at that time (Rev 2-3), and the things “which will take place after this” refers to the climactic events of the future revealed through the remainder of the book (Rev 4-22).
The following outline reflects this threefold format and provides some basic subdivisions for the content of each section[5]:
I. The Things Which You Have Seen (1:1-20)
A. The Prologue (1:1-8)
B. The Vision of the Glorified Christ (1:9-18)
C. John’s Commission to Write (1:19-20)
II. The Things Which Are (2:1-3:22)
- Letters portraying the spiritual condition of seven churches
III. The Things Which Will Take Place After This (4:1-22:21)
A. Worship Before God’s Heavenly Throne (4:1-5:14)
B. The Tribulation (6:1-18:24)
C. The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (19:1-21)
D. The Millennium (20:1-10)
E. The Great White Throne Judgment (20:11-15)
F. The Eternal State (21:1-22:21)
*****
[1] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody, 1992), 11-17.
[2] Buist M. Fanning, Revelation, ed. Clinton E. Arnold, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020), 30.
[3] Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 129.
[4] Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, 85.
[5] John F. MacArthur Jr., Revelation 1-11, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody, 1999), 11.
Posted in Bible Talks
Posted in Revelation, Eschatology, End Times, Prophecy, Judgment, John, Bible Study, New Testament, Hope, Millennium, Persecution, All the Books of the Bible
Posted in Revelation, Eschatology, End Times, Prophecy, Judgment, John, Bible Study, New Testament, Hope, Millennium, Persecution, All the Books of the Bible
Recent
Archive
2025
January
February
2024
January
February
March
April
May
June
The First Two Woes of RevelationThe Blessing of WorkThe Four GospelsThe Book of ActsAnother Dramatic IntermissionThe Blessing of MarriageThe Making of a Godly Man, Family, Church & CommunityThe Two WitnessesPaul's Letters & TravelsThe Tragic Entrance of SinAnnouncing the Seventh TrumpetThe Jerusalem Council and The Epistle of GalatiansThe Sad Effects of Sin
July
August
No Comments