Journey Through Revelation

We come now to the closing, climactic Revelation of Jesus Christ. It has a host of comparisons with Genesis, the first book of the Bible, as well as some contrasts:

• In Genesis, God creates the sun. In Revelation, there will be no need for the sun, for Jesus is the light
• In Genesis, Satan destroys. In Revelation, Satan is destroyed
• In Genesis, sin begins. In Revelation, sin is banished
• In Genesis, there is defeat. In Revelation, there is victory
• In Genesis, man is sent away from the garden. In Revelation, he is brought into the city
• In Genesis, the curse comes. In Revelation, there is no more curse
• In Genesis, the tree of life is forbidden. In Revelation, the tree of life will be eaten
• In Genesis, there is death. In Revelation, there is no more death
• In Genesis, the creation of a new heaven and earth. In Revelation, the creation of the new heaven and the new earth
• In Genesis, there is the first rest. In Revelation, there is the final rest
• In Genesis, the divine face gets hidden because of sin. In Revelation, we come face to face with Jesus Christ

If Genesis was the foundation stone, Revelation is the capstone, and everything in between is the superstructure. I love the Book of Revelation! Revelation is not about things. Many people say Revelation is their favorite book because they are intrigued by prophecy and they want to know about what is going on in the world, about the end of the age, Armageddon, and who the Antichrist is. However, I am not looking for the Antichrist. I am looking at Christ!

Listen: Journeying through Revelation

Theme of Revelation

The great theme of this book is found in Revelation 1:1, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” It is not the Revelation of John, it is the Revelation of the Lord Jesus. There are 107 words used in this book that are found nowhere else in the New Testament.

Think of that! 107. But there is one word that stands out. It is revelation, literally the unveiling, or to take the veil away. God pulls back the curtain of eternity. God pulls back the curtain of divinity and reveals to us things that previously were hidden, things that we could not know apart from His Revelation of Christ.

This book is closely akin to Daniel in the Old Testament, but the difference is that God said to Daniel, “shut thou up the vision” (Daniel 8:26). But in Revelation, God says to John, “Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book” (Revelation 22:10). It is time for you to know. It is time for you to understand, and for it all to be revealed. John, the beloved Apostle, takes pen in hand, under the inspiration of the Spirit of God. He is sitting on an isle called Patmos in exile, and all of heaven opens to him.

It is beautiful to see the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Did you know one-third of Scripture is prophecy? This is the great prophetic book of the Apostolic age, and this is God’s last word to man. I love this. What is God’s last word to man? It is Jesus. God’s last word is the person of Jesus Christ.

Key Verse of Revelation

The key verse is Revelation 1:19, where God says to John, “Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter.” There are three things that He wanted John to write down, and they give us a good outline to follow for the Book of Revelation.

Outline of Revelation

The Things Which Thou Hast Seen – Revelation 1

The first thing that we find in the Revelation, in chapter one, is what John saw. What did John see? He saw Christ. Over forty times in this book it says, “I saw”. You are reading an eyewitness account. John saw Jesus Christ in all of His glory. Chapter one is an awe-inspiring description of Christ in His glory.

The Things Which Are – Revelation 2-3

The present-tense elements are found in chapters two and three. What are the things that are present tense? This is the church. He literally addresses seven churches in Asia Minor, seven local assemblies. These seven churches are also a picture of the church age. God had something to say to every church then, and God has something to say to every church now. He says to every one of them, “I know thy works” (Revelation 2:2). He also says to every one of them, “He that hath an ear, let him hear.” (Revelation 2:29) He says to us, I know you, and I have something I want to say to you, and I want you to be in tune enough with my Spirit to hear what I am about to say to you. Chapters two and three tell us right where we are in the church age.

The Things Which Shall Be Hereafter – Revelation 4-22

These are those that are yet to come. That is the rest of the book, chapters four through twenty-two. He moves from Christ to the church to the consummation.

Notice how the consummation begins in Revelation 4:1. John hears a voice, and the voice says, “Come up hither.” A door opens in heaven. What is this? It is a picture of the rapture of the church, us believers being taken out of here. From this point on, God sets in motion all of the events of the end time. The Tribulation period here on earth, and all the judgments that are revealed. It culminates in Christ’s final revelation to all people at the end of the age, and Him setting up His Millennial kingdom, and ruling and reigning. You read about that in Revelation 20.

Then, you see the new heavens, the new earth, and the new Jerusalem, where we are going to live someday. All of that is described for us in beautiful detail at the end of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. The point is this. It is not about a place, or about things, or about events. It is all about knowing the Lord Jesus Christ.

Frankly, we could journey through Revelation, and it would take us years, and we still would not exhaust it. How do you exhaust an infinite God and all the spiritual truth in a book like Revelation? But if you boil it all down to one thing, it is all about the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Closing Words of Scripture

The Lord is Returning Soon

Let us end our journey where John ended his journey. Let us close it where the Holy Spirit closes His revelation. If you come to the last page of the Bible, and you read the last page, and see how it all ends, it is going to encourage you greatly. What are the closing words? Revelation 22:20 says: “He which testifieth these things saith, ‘Surely I come quickly.’” By the way, He says that at least three times in the last chapter on the last page of the Bible, “I come quickly”, “I come quickly”, “I come quickly.” Then the Bible says, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

Is that your response today? Are you happy that the King of kings, Jesus Christ, is coming? Are you excited? Does it make you look forward to seeing Jesus and spending eternity with him? Can you say, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus?”

A Principle and a Prayer

Here is the closing word. The last verse of the Bible is both a principle and a prayer. Revelation 22:21 says, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” When you come to the end of Scripture, it brings us full circle back to the God who was in the beginning. Back to the God of all grace, who has now been revealed in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are brought back to the God who wants all people to know Him and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

As we come to the end of our journey, we are brought to Jesus. Some ask, “What is this world coming to?” This world is coming to Christ! Whatever you think of the current news and current world events, I will tell you what is going to happen at the end of the age. Every knee is going to bow, and every tongue is going to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11). This world is coming to Jesus someday, and I hope you will come to Him today. If you do not know the Lord Jesus as your personal Savior, may you experience the grace of God this day, at this moment.

Look to Jesus, call on Him to forgive your sin and come into your life, and He will save you. If you already know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, my prayer for you is the same as John, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen” (Revelation 22:21).

*Find Scott’s verse-by-verse commentary on Revelation, plus all his articles, broadcasts, and Bible messages from this book HERE.

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About Scott Pauley

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