The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. —Revelation 1:1-2
Now the Book of Revelation is commonly referred to as “The Revelation of John,” but it is not, in fact, about John, although it tells us a little about him. Nor is it a revelation of the church, although it gives us insight into the nature of the church. Nor is it to be understood exclusively as the unveiling of End-Time events. The Book of Revelation reveals Jesus. This makes it less interesting to some, but we cannot understand the book until we accept it as it is meant to be—an unveiling of Jesus Christ.
The second unique thing to note about Revelation is the claim it makes: it begins, “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants.” No other book in the Bible begins like this.
Moreover, this book came from Jesus in a way that is not claimed by any other book of the Bible. Now while we may deduce that other books came directly from Jesus Christ, they do not actually say this. But Revelation makes this unique claim.
Furthermore, in the last chapter we read: “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches” (Rev. 22:16). So if we need a direct word from Jesus, we have it here. This book, therefore, has an explicit claim to infallibility; even John’s own theological view is absent.
John did not impose his own theology; he wrote what he saw and heard, a message from Jesus cohering perfectly with New Testament teaching: Jesus is the Lamb of God, sacrificed for us, the only one worthy to satisfy God’s justice.
The wonderful thing about becoming a Christian is that not only are our sins forgiven but also that we have a home in heaven, a glorious hope, a glorious promise. Jesus, who takes all your sin upon Himself, offers you eternal life. God’s Word is infallible and His promise is sure. One day I am going to that home Jesus is preparing for us (John 14:2). Will you meet me there?
Excerpted from A Vision of Jesus (Christian Focus Publications Ltd., 1999).
