Introduction to the Revelation of Jesus Christ by John
The 66th and final book of the Bible, the 27th in the New Testament
The Revelation of John was likely written around the year 95, toward the end of Emperor Domitian’s reign (81–96 AD). This makes it, along with the letters of this “beloved” apostle, one of the “youngest” books of the Bible.
At the beginning of his work, we learn that the Roman authorities had exiled the Apostle John to Patmos, a small rocky island about 50 kilometers off the west coast of Asia Minor, to prevent him from proclaiming the good news of Jesus.
Here in captivity, John received the Revelation (Greek: apokalypsis = unveiling, disclosure) from God, through Jesus Christ, as he himself testifies.
He was commissioned to write everything down and to send both praise and rebuke to seven churches in Asia Minor, in the western part of Anatolia in present-day Turkey.
Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea
According to tradition, all these churches were located within the apostle’s later sphere of influence.
After the death of Emperor Domitian, John is said to have regained his freedom and spent the rest of his life serving as a leader of the church in Ephesus and as an traveling preacher in that region.
By no means are all the churches in this region addressed, but these seven churches still serve today as a vivid illustration of the state of churches and Christian communities.
We are all called upon to examine ourselves in light of these seven letters—and to allow ourselves to be corrected if necessary.
Following these warnings to Christendom, the Revelation of Jesus Christ presents powerful visions of the future that extend to the end of space and time.
It recounts events that must occur before the return of Jesus and the coming Last Judgment—and, in parallel, offers us a glimpse of events taking place in God’s kingdom.
The book of the “seven seals” establishes the prerequisite for its interpretation, along with the reason for its creation, in the first verse of the first chapter.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place
The reason for this book is that Jesus Christ wishes to show God’s servants what will happen in the future.
This book, therefore, was not written for all people, as the Gospels were, but exclusively for the servants of God.
What does it mean to be a “servant of God”?
The literal translation of the Greek word “doulos” makes it clear: it means to be a person who is not free, a slave, the property of someone else.
There is a fundamental difference between a slave and all other people: A slave does not belong to himself; a slave has an owner, and this owner can decide everything—even the slave’s life and death!
The true recipients of the Book of Revelation are therefore only those people who no longer live for themselves.
It addresses only those who, of their own free will, have accepted Jesus as their Lord and thereby surrendered control of their lives to God.
For everyone else, this “revelation of God” will remain a mystery in the long run, and in some cases, they will not even recognize the truth of the prophecies after they have already come to pass.
Outline of Revelation according to Chapter 1, Verse 19:
Chapter 1 – What John saw – the vision on the island of Patmos
Chapters 2 and 3 – What is happening now – the seven letters to the churches
Chapters 4 through 22 – What will happen afterward:
Chapters 4 and 5 – God’s reign in heaven
Chapters 6 through 18
– The Great Tribulation
– Judgments of the seven seals – Chapters 6:1 through 8:1
– Judgments of the seven trumpets – Chapters 8:2 through 11 and verse 19
– Seven figures – Chapters 12:1 through 13:18
– Preview of the end of the tribulation – Chapters 14:1 through 20
– The Judgments of the Seven Bowls of Wrath – Chapters 15:1–16:21
– The Judgment on Babylon – Chapters 17:1–18:24
Chapter 19 – Jesus’ Second Coming to Earth, Armageddon
Chapters 20–22 – The Millennium, the Final Judgment, and Eternity
Content of the Revelation of Jesus Christ by John:
Revelation chapter 1
I. First Group of Visions: The Lord of Christianity and Its Present Condition; the Seven Letters (1:9–3:22)
Revelation chapter 2
Revelation chapter 3
Revelation chapter 4
II. Second Group of Visions: The Saving Power of God and the Seven Periods of Judgment in the End Times; the Seven Seals (as the beginning of “what must take place afterward”) (4:1–8:1)
Revelation chapter 5
Revelation chapter 6
The Four Horsemen
Revelation chapter 7
The Sealing of a Chosen Group (of 144,000 from the twelve tribes of Israel)
Second Interlude: The Worship before God’s Throne of the Countless, Proven Believers from All Nations Who Have Come Through the Great Tribulation
Revelation chapter 8
III. Third Group of Visions: The Sevenfold Threat of Judgment against the Christ-hostile world; the Seven Trumpets (8:2–11:19)
Revelation chapter 9
Revelation chapter 10
Revelation chapter 11
Revelation chapter 12
IV. Fourth Group of Visions: The Driving Forces of the Anti-Christian Age; Christ with His Faithful and Satan with His Accomplices (Chapters 12–14)
Revelation chapter 13
Revelation chapter 14
Revelation chapter 15
V. Fifth Group of Visions: The Judgment of the World Hostile to Christ and Its Ruler; the Seven Bowls of Wrath; the Marriage of the Lamb (15:1–19:10)
Revelation chapter 16
Revelation chapter 17
Revelation chapter 18
The (first) angel’s call
A second voice
Revelation chapter 19
VI. The End (19:11–22:5)
Revelation chapter 20
Revelation chapter 21
Revelation chapter 22