The Meaning Of Revelation

Introduction

The Book of Revelation is the last book in the New Testament.  It was given by God primarily in the form of a vision.  The book itself is in three parts.  These three parts give us a basic outline for The Book of Revelation.  This outline of the book was actually given to John by Jesus Himself, who also told John to write down these visions in The Book of Revelation:

"I am he that liveth, and was dead;  and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter" (Revelation 1:18-19)

The Book of Revelation was written in the latter half of the first century by the Apostle John.  John also wrote other books as well:  The Gospel of John, and the three Epistles of John.

John was told first of all,  to write down the things that he had seen;  then write down the things that were;  and then lastly to write down those things which pertained to the future.  The first of these three parts was written in the first chapter of the book, the second in chapters two and three, and the third part in the remainder of the Book of Revelation.

The first chapter is more or less an introduction to the book.  Jesus is seen in all of His glory, as the resurrected Christ in the midst of His Churches.

Chapters two and three were written to seven specific churches that existed in John's day.  In these two chapters, Jesus critiqued those seven independent, local, New Testament Churches of His, telling these Churches what he liked about the Churches and what he disliked about them.

It is generally agreed that these seven churches are also illustrations or "types" of the Seven Periods of Church History, showing us in advance a basic chronology of the whole history of the Church Age.