Summary of Revelation

The Message of Revelation

1. The message of Revelation is that in light of Christ’s 2nd Coming (1:7, 22:7,12,20), God’s people will face perilous times because of Satan and his minions. However, God still reigns sovereign, and will keep His saints. So He exhorts them to endure. Jesus eventually returns to judge and destroy Satan, inaugurate the New Heavens and Earth, and dwell with His people forever.

2. Perilous times – Revelation begins with Jesus addressing 7 churches (3:1-4:22), warning them of perilous times, and exhorting them to endure (2:7, 10-11, 17, 25-26, 3:5, 8-10, 21). Satan and his minions are ultimately behind these perilous times. Symbolic personalities such as the Dragon (Chapter 12), the two Beasts (Chapter 13), the Great Prostitute (Chapter 17), and Babylon (Chapter 18) are used to depict them. At the same time, God takes care of His people, and so they can endure - 144,000 are sealed (Chapter 14:1-5); the 3 angels exalt God as over evil (Chapter 14:6); and God keeps the harvest of His own people (14:16), before meting judgment on the rest.

3. God’s Sovereign reign - John is caught up to the throne room of God, where John encounters God’s glory (Chapter 4). God’s judgment on Satan and evil are symbolized by the opening of the 7 seals (Chapter 6 – 8), the Harvest of the Earth (14:19), the 7 plagues (Chapter 15), the 7 bowls of wrath (Chapter 16). The fall of Babylon (Chapter 18), the marriage supper of the Lamb (Chapter 19), Jesus throwing the beast and false prophet (19:20) and Satan Himself, the “Dragon” (20:10) into the lake of fire symbolizes God’s final triumph. During the thousand years (20:2) when Satan is bound, just prior to his final doom, Jesus reigns on earth. Finally, Jesus inaugurates the New Heaven and Earth, with the New Jerusalem (21:9) descending to earth, and ultimately dwells with His people forever (21:3 – 22:5).

Possible Application

4. Many Christians find it difficult to reconcile their status as God’s children with pain and suffering in this life. Revelation teaches us that it is precisely because we are God’s children, that we will experience persecution, pain and suffering in this life – if the crucified the Lord Himself, are we to expect any better treatment. Thus, we learn to expect pain and suffering. Yet, we are not those without hope, because Revelation also paints a majestic picture of God’s reign, and ongoing and final judgment over the cause of this pain and suffering, Satan Himself. And, so, we can endure, persevere, and continue preaching the Gospel, with the certainty that Jesus will finally win.

5. Revelation also reminds us that our final hope, our final satisfaction, our final salvation is not in the here and now, but when Christ returns to destroy His enemies, and claim His bride. Only then will every tear be wiped away. The Church has become so adept and efficient and living “in this world”, that it has lost much of its power and prophetic edge. What we perhaps need to do is to recapture that eschatological vision of final judgment and victory that will radicalize us out of our respectability to do the will of God on earth. When we realize that this current world is indeed not our home, would we not be freer to spend all, give all, for the Gospel?