For many people, the book of Revelation is a “book with seven seals.” This is an idiom meaning a topic is hard to access or incomprehensible¹. Revelation is not easy to understand. This is due to its vivid imagery and prophetic content. It also differs in some ways from the other books of the New Testament. Yet it is not a closed and incomprehensible book.

The very first verses already help with a good approach to this Bible book. They contain several clues for understanding the content. They also help to grasp some special features of Revelation correctly.

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him, to show His bond-servants the things that must soon take place; and He sent word and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things that are written in it; for the time is near” (Revelation 1:1–3).

Revelation …

The very first word makes it clear. This Bible book deals with revealed things. It does not deal with encoded things. The term “revelation” means “unveiling.” Revelation “unveils” events that are still future. It makes known what “must soon take place.” This is reinforced at the end of Revelation. The writer John is expressly told not to seal the words of Revelation: “And he *said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near”” (Revelation 22:10). Therefore, Revelation is not a closed and mysterious book. It is a book in which God lets us glimpse the future.

… of Jesus Christ …

Revelation is often called the “Revelation of John.” Yet the first and direct recipient is not John. It is the Lord Jesus. It is the revelation “of Jesus Christ.” This first of all means that Christ is the One who receives the things from God as Man. As “Jesus,” the Lord once revealed God here on earth. As the glorified Christ in heaven, He now reveals future things.

At the same time, Jesus Christ is also the content and center of Revelation. The glory of the Lord Jesus is presented in many aspects. For example, His dignity as Judge, King, and Redeemer (the Lamb). Christ is also the goal. All God’s ways with people and creation lead to Him. The Lord Jesus will one day reign gloriously on earth. The judgments described in Revelation will prepare the way for this. God will reach His goal in the Millennial Kingdom. It is “to bring together under one head all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth” (Ephesians 1:10).

… which God gave Him …

That the Lord Jesus receives Revelation from God may surprise us at first. Right at the beginning of this book, we notice something. In Revelation, the Lord Jesus is expressly presented as Man. Yet many passages also clearly show that He always is and remains God.

A help for understanding is found in the Gospel of Mark. There, the Lord Jesus speaks to His disciples about future events. He says: “But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mark 13:32). By becoming Man, the Lord Jesus took such a dependent place toward God. He did not know the day and hour of the completion of future things. If the Man Jesus is therefore to make future events known to John by God’s commission, then God must first give them to Him. God is the source of every revelation (Isaiah 45:11).

… to His bond-servants …

These words introduce the ultimate addressees of Revelation. They are believers. In Revelation, they are generally called “bond-servants” in various places (cf. ch. 2:20; 7:3; 22:3). The expression “bond-servant” is connected with responsibility. Revelation is addressed to those who know and do the will of God. It also concerns believers after the rapture of the assembly. They will live on earth. They will stand in a different relationship to Christ than we do. In His wisdom, God therefore uses an inclusive term.

… to show …

The word “show” plays an important role in the book of Revelation. It occurs frequently. It points to a typical feature of Revelation. This is the use of symbols and “signs.” John does not receive the prophecies only in words. Again and again, new things are shown to him by God. Or they are “made known by signs.” Many of these symbols come from nature or the human world. Examples are sun, moon, stars, bride, prostitute. The symbolic language makes some difficult topics easier for us to grasp. However, it sometimes takes effort to find out what the signs mean. Yet many of these signs are explained in Revelation itself. For other symbols, the Old Testament helps. For example, the book of Daniel supports understanding.

… the things that must soon take place …

God gave Revelation to show us something. Judgment is imminent. It comes “soon” or “shortly.” These words may also surprise us. Some New Testament passages make something clear. The judgments on the earth begin only after the Lord has taken believers to Himself. Yet God knew how long the time of grace would last. Why then does He speak here of “soon”? Not without reason, as the following considerations show:

• This wording shows it right at the start. Revelation is a prophetic book. It deals with things that are still future. Revelation thus holds a special place among the books of the New Testament.
• Second, these words show that the time of grace can end at any moment. Only God’s grace and patience toward sinners still hold back the judgment described in Revelation (2 Peter 3:9).
• Third, this wording prevents a danger. We might see Revelation’s content as far from us. We would then escape the effect of these words of God. The expectation of the Lord for the rapture matters. The following judgment also matters. Both should be more present to us. They should affect our lives.
• Fourth, we are reminded here as well. God has a different way of reckoning time than we humans do (Psalms 90:4; 2 Peter 3:8).

… and He sent word and communicated it by His angel …

The way John receives God’s message here is also special. As a disciple, he once reclined on the Lord’s bosom. He heard His words in close familiarity (John 13:23–26). Here it is different. The Lord does not speak directly. He speaks to John through an angel. The entire book of Revelation thus rests on a certain distance. This distance takes account of the decline in the assemblies. It had already begun then. It also fits the character of Revelation. It is mainly about judgment here. It is not about relationships of grace.

… He communicated it … to His bond-servant John …

With John, the chain ends. Through this chain, God’s revelation reaches believers. It comes from God. It is given to the Lord Jesus. It reaches John through His angel. It is intended for God’s bond-servants. The “chain of revelation” thus includes five links in total.

John does not receive these words in his character as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” Neither does he receive them as an apostle. He receives them as a bond-servant and prophet of God. That John introduces himself here by name is also a distinctive feature of Revelation. In his other writings, he does not do that. There, he speaks of himself in the third person. Here he names his name three times in the introduction (vv. 1, 4, 9). He names it once at the end of the book as well (ch. 22:8).

… who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all that he saw.

To understand this part of the sentence correctly, it helps to start with the last words: “… all that he saw.” What he saw was the “word of God” and the “testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation is “the word of God” and not a human invention. That gives this book full authority. God is the source of everything reported to us in this book. At the same time, Revelation is the “testimony of Jesus Christ.” He is the One who testified and communicated this “word of God” to us. Revelation is also a testimony about Him (Revelation 19:10). People speculate a lot about the future. There is great uncertainty. But the testimony of Jesus is beyond any doubt. It is absolutely certain. It is exactly accurate. He is the faithful witness (v. 5).

Blessed …

This rich foreword ends in verse 3 with a beatitude. It is the first of seven in Revelation (1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7; 22:14). It shows the special blessing connected with studying this book. Nowhere else is this said about a Bible book. In Revelation, it appears at the beginning and at the end.

What is this blessing for us?

• As we study Revelation, we gain a wonderful impression of the Person of our Lord and Savior.
• We receive light to walk our path in a dark time, for the Lord’s glory (2 Peter 1:19).
• We learn what still lies ahead for this earth. We learn how Satan’s power will appear here. We learn how evil will be judged. We are saved by grace from all of this. That should make us thankful and detach us from this world.
• We gain certainty that our Lord will triumph in the end. A wonderful future lies ahead for Him. It also lies ahead for us as the redeemed. It lies ahead for His earthly people and the whole earth.

… who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy …

This blessing applies to every reader and hearer of Revelation. Back then, believers did not always have God’s Word in written form. It was not available everywhere. Therefore, it was read aloud publicly in the gatherings. In that way, everyone could hear it. Today, we can all have a Bible and read it personally. Do we value and use this privilege? A servant of God is marked by gladly reading and hearing the Word.

… and keep the things that are written in it …

However, we should not only read and hear the words of the prophecy. We should also “keep” them. That means they take a place in our hearts. It means they become our possession and shape our lives. How valuable it is to God when we keep His Word is seen in the great blessing linked with this in John 14:21–24. The Lord’s words in Luke 11:28 also underline this: “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and follow it.”

The call to keep the contents of Revelation appears again at the end of the book (22:7). It therefore forms a meaningful frame around this book.

… for the time is near

Once again, what was said in verse 1 is emphasized. It was expressed by the words “what must soon take place.” The definite time when all prophecies in Revelation will be fulfilled is “near.” Therefore, as servants of God, we want to be motivated by this Bible book. We want to serve the Lord faithfully to the end. We do so with a glorious future in view for believers. We also want to warn the unbelieving people around us about the coming judgment.

Summary:

Revelation, the last book of the Bible, is not easy to understand. This is due to its vivid language and prophetic content. However, it is not a closed and mysterious book. It is a book in which God lets us glimpse the future. It begins with a rich foreword. It contains useful pointers for understanding Revelation’s content and features correctly. It also presents the special blessing linked with studying this book. It is worth getting to know this Bible book better!