Revelation Introduction

1. Introduction

In this lesson, we look at chapter one of Jesus’ Revelation, the last Book in the Bible. This mini-series on Revelation is part of the major series on eschatology, starting with the lesson ‘Jesus’ Last Days’ Prophecy‘ John is writing to the people of God during the first Century CE, who are suffering greatly, just as Jesus prophesied forty years earlier.

Being a prophetic book, Father God gives Jesus Christ a series of revelations. Jesus, in turn, gives it to an angel to give to John.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,

Revelation 1:1

It is not the Book of Revelations, which is made up of many revelations and visions. It is the Revelation of Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. His kingdom is crucially important because we will see the importance of Jesus’ authority as we read this Book.  

2. Authorship

The writer of this book is undoubtedly the Apostle John. It is not another John, as he saw no need to use a different title to distinguish himself from the well-known apostle John. John refers to himself as a witness to the word of God in the following verse.

who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw.

Revelation 1:2

In this verse, we see a direct reference to John’s gospel:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:1

3. When Did John write Revelation?

Futurists teach that John wrote Revelation around 96 CE. This perspective helps Futurists because it situates the Great Tribulation after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE. However, there are several issues with this date of authorship. An increasing number of theologians, including myself, believe that 96 CE is not the correct time of writing.

A. John on the Island of Patmos

Futurists suggest that Emperor Domitian exiled John to Patmos sometime between 81 and 96 CE. However, there is also convincing historical evidence that John was on the island of Patmos during Emperor Nero’s reign, which lasted from 54 to 68 CE. Among this evidence is one of the earliest translations of the New Testament, called The Syriac from the 2nd Century, which presents the Book of Revelation as follows:

The Revelation which was made by God to John the Evangelist in the island Patmos, into which Nero Caesar threw him.

The Syriac

B. Tertullian

Further to this, the historian Tertullian also places John on Patmos much earlier, around the time of the Apostles Peter and Paul, both of whom were martyred much earlier, when he states:

Rome . . . where Peter had a like Passion with the Lord; where Paul bath for his crown the same death with John; where the Apostle John was plunged into boiling oil, and suffered nothing, and was afterwards banished to an island.

Tertullian

C. Epiphanius

Then there is the historian Epiphanius (c. 315-403 CE), who dates John’s first imprisonment under Claudius to between 41 and 54 CE, not under Nero as others say.

D. Jerome 

In his historical writings, Jerome (340-420 CE) states that John was so frail and weak in 96 CE that people had to carry him to church. However, later in Revelation, Jesus prophesied that John would still be able to prophesy across different nations.

And he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”

Revelation 10:11

If John had been feeble in 96 CE, he would not have been able to travel. Some have wrongly claimed that he could prophesy about many nations without travelling to the country. 

The Greek word for ‘about’ in this verse is:

ἐπί epi. Positionally on, over, at, against.

Apart from this one verse, this very common Greek word is never translated as ‘about’, so the scripture is more accurately translated:

And he said to me, “You must prophesy positionally on many peoples, tongues, and kings, on the nations”

Revelation 10:11

Therefore, John must have been quite young and traveled between his imprisonments by Nero and Domitian. This supports the claim that Revelation was written during Nero’s imprisonment.

E. The Temple Is Still Standing

The fourth reason that Revelation couldn’t have been written in 96 CE is that Revelation 11 states that the temple still stands.

Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.

Revelation 11:1-2

The Roman armies destroyed the temple in 70 CE. They first besieged Jerusalem on 30 October 66 CE, but were defeated by the Jews nine days later. Consequently, the wise in Jerusalem left the city for the Judean mountains around 9 December, 66 CE. Cestius sent word to Nero, who then declared war against the Jewish nation on 27 December. In less than four months, the first city fell. The real battle for Jerusalem and Judea began on the first day of Passover in 67 CE and finally concluded forty-two months later. We have eleven lessons covering the Great Tribulation in detail.

Some have argued that John is to measure the spiritual temple. However, they cannot take this liberty because Jesus differentiates between the spiritual and natural temples in the same chapter. The heavenly temple is described later in the same chapter:

Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.

Revelation 11:19

So when did John write the Book of Revelation?

4. To Whom Was Revelation Written?

A. The Time is Near

Now that we have established when it was written, we can identify to whom the Book of Revelation was addressed. It was mainly for those who were alive at the time. 

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Revelation 1:3

That’s right; John is saying the time is near. Like all New Testament scripture, Revelation can be applied today. However, we must never forget that it was primarily written for those living at the time. It does not relate to the present day, 2000 years later. It was written to those entering the Great Tribulation, which culminated in the death of 1,100,000 Jews in 70 CE, one-third of the Jewish population worldwide.  

Revelation’s application to the time of the Jewish wars and the destruction of Jerusalem was regarded by the apostles and early church Fathers, as well as by Luther, Calvin, Hodges, and Charles Spurgeon.  

B. Which Must Shortly Take Place

The other indicator to whom it is addressed is found in the first verse.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,

Revelation 1:1

This verse serves as an introduction to the entire Book. John emphasises that what is written in the Book must be understood in the context of the events surrounding the writing of Revelation.

Others have argued that this verse, which says the time is near, is only related to the seven churches of Asia in the following chapters, not to the entire Book of Revelation. However, this is part of the general introduction for the whole Book, not just for the seven churches that begin in Revelation 1:4. Although it relates to the seven churches, the subsequent chapters from Revelation 4 onwards also apply because immediately after those letters to the seven churches, Jesus says the following:

After these things, I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice that I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”

Revelation 4:1

C. With These Things

Interestingly, the second-to-last word in this verse, ‘after,’ is the Greek word μετά (meta). God translates the word ‘meta’ in the New Testament as ‘with’ four times more often than as “after.” In the verse above, “first voice” refers to the one who spoke at the start of the Book of Revelation, stating that the time is near. Therefore, it would more commonly be translated as:

“Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place soon with this .”

Revelation 4:1

5. Jesus Establishes His Kingdom

As mentioned, the Book of Revelation is about Jesus and His kingdom. Early in the book, Jesus makes clear that the kingdom is here now. John, the master theologian, informs us that Jesus rules over the kings of the nations.

and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.

Revelation 1:5 

A. Kings and Priests

For Him to be ruler over kings does not mean He is in control; He reigns over them. In the next verse, He establishes how He reigns over them through the people of God.

and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Revelation 1:6

B. Devil’s Authority Limited

This might seem counterintuitive considering the suffering that is about to befall the Jewish people and the Christians of that time. They are on the brink of experiencing the Great Tribulation. However, this period is finite, during which the devil is granted the authority to kill God’s people. Daniel prophesied this.

“I was watching, and the same horn was making war against the saints and prevailing against them,

Daniel 7:21

We observe the same theme recurring later in Revelation: the devil temporarily overcomes the church. 

When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them.

Revelation 11:7

Reading on, we find God raises the witnesses:

Now, after three-and-a-half days, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.

Revelation 11:11

And this limited time is even more evident in Daniel’s prophecy:

until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favour of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.

Daniel 7:22

Here, we understand that the saints will inherit the kingdom after a period of persecution. Returning to Revelation 1, we begin to see a picture that Jewish believers would have clearly understood. John is telling the people of that time: “Jesus is king over the Caesars, and you are His kings and priests.” In the Book of Revelation, Jesus reveals great suffering, but this is for a limited time. Although He is already king, the church will inherit the kingdom by faith and enter the Millennium at the end of the Great Tribulation.

6. Revelation of Jesus Almighty

In verse 8, we find Jesus referring to Himself as the Almighty.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Revelation 1:8

He is taking on the Hebrew name from the Old Testament of El Shaddai:

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.

Genesis 17:1

We have a full lesson on El Shaddai, where we find that El Shaddai is correctly translated in Hebrew as “like a woman nurtures at the breast.” Jesus is so mighty that He will stand up as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah to protect His Church, but with the children of God, El Shaddai is gentle, providing and protecting His family.

Indeed, Jesus uses similar terminology relevant to this chapter when He says:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

Matthew 23:37

Looking at the Greek translation of Almighty, we find an interesting truth, where Jesus uses the word:

• παντοκράτωρ pantokratōr – which means all-ruling one.

Once more, He is not claiming to be in control, but rather that He rules His kingdom through His Church.

7. Coming in the Clouds

The following truth John conveys is that soon after the writing of Revelation, Jesus will return on the clouds.

Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.

Revelation 1:7

For Futurists, the immediate thought is that this will still happen and that everyone will see Him coming on the clouds because of satellite TV and social media. However, this is contrary to what Jesus said Himself: 

A. He will Come Within One Generation

Jesus starts his last days’ prophecy in Matthew:

Assuredly, I say to you; all these things will come upon this generation.

Matthew 23:36

He then concludes his prophecy about the last days in Matthew 24:34.

Assuredly, I say to you; this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.

Matthew 24:34

When John wrote Revelation 1:7, he kept Jesus’s words in mind. He states that Jesus will come in the clouds before the 40 years are over. Why? Just a few verses earlier, Jesus says that His coming in the clouds will happen to this generation.

… and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Matthew 24:30

The lesson titled “Jesus’ Last Days Prophecy” thoroughly explores the one-generation limitation.

Remember that John is writing to those who were alive then; therefore, this must also have happened during the lifetime of this “last hour.” Before we ask, did Jesus come on the clouds during that time? We find another interesting point.

B. Those who Pierced Him

In the previous verse, we learn that those who pierced Him will see Him come.

Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.

Revelation 1:7

We quickly see an exciting truth: they who pierced Jesus will see Him coming on the clouds of heaven.

C. Caiaphas

Is God speaking to the Jews generally today, or is He talking about those who saw Him specifically? Let us go back to the end of Jesus’ first coming. Jesus is about to die, standing before the High Priest of that time, Caiaphas.

Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you; hereafter, you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Matthew 26:64

Jesus declares, “I say to you, hereafter you (the Greek word σύ or sy) will see the Son of Man…”

The first word, you, is, according to grammar, the personal pronoun of the second person singular.

In other words, it refers to a single person. Jesus is speaking to Caiaphas as an individual. 

So Jesus is saying to Caiaphas, “You, Caiaphas, will see me coming on the clouds of glory.” The question is, “Is Jesus a true prophet?” Or is He a mystic who talks in riddles? I believe Jesus is a true prophet; therefore, Caiaphas would have seen Jesus coming on the clouds of glory. Let us find out if it is true that Jesus came on the clouds of glory and whether Caiaphas saw it.

Although Caiaphas would not be a high priest when he saw Jesus coming on the clouds of glory, he would have been alive at the time of Jesus’ coming as described. Because if this scripture refers to the future we are in now, then Jesus is a false prophet.

Understandably, this verse indicates that everyone in the world will see Him. However, the words “tribes” and “earth” reveal an exciting truth. 

D. Tribes of the Earth

First, the word ‘tribes’ is the Greek φυλή (phylē), which in the New Testament refers to the twelve tribes of Israel. The Book of Revelation uses the word “tribe” twelve times, only referring to the Jewish tribes. 

Secondly, the word translated as “earth” is the Greek γῆ (g). We can also translate this word as ‘promised land’.

By combining these two words, it is clear that Revelation indicates the tribes of the Promised Land will see Jesus coming on the clouds of heaven with power and glory. He is referring to the Jews.

8. Sign of Jesus’ Coming Over Jerusalem in 66 CE.

Now that we have seen that both Caiaphas and the Jewish people will see His coming, we need to see when this occurred. We have an in-depth lesson on the comings of Christ.

A. Seen by Millions

On 21 May, 66 CE, a sign of Jesus appeared over Jerusalem.

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Matthew 24:29-30

Based on Josephus’ estimate of Jerusalem’s population during Passover in 66 CE, it is clear that this event was observed not only in Jerusalem but also in other cities across Judea, with an estimated two to four million people witnessing the sign.

B. Historians Account

In our lesson on Jesus’ Comings, we examined accounts from three different historians. For the sake of brevity, I will only present Josephus’ account.

On the twenty-first day of the month of Artemisius [Jyar], a certain prodigious and incredible phenomenon appeared; I suppose the account of it would seem to be a fable, were it not related by those that saw it, and were not the events that followed it of so considerable a nature as to deserve such signals; for, before sunsetting, chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor were seen running about among the clouds, and surrounding of cities.

Josephus The Wars of the Jews 6.5.3

These three historians confirm that there was a vision of armies, so Caiaphas and the Jewish people saw it on 21 May 66 CE. The Romans encircled Jerusalem on 30 October 66 CE, providing the Jews with one final chance to repent and escape Jerusalem.

C. Sign

Jesus says that they would see the sign, not necessarily Jesus Himself. Some have limited the coming of Jesus to after the Great Tribulation, but a careful study shows that it happens at the same time as the Tribulation.

“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Matthew 24:15-16

The abomination that causes desolation standing in the holy place refers to the Roman army surrounding Jerusalem on 30 October 66 CE. They were defeated by the Jews, sustaining 6100 deaths. This led Nero to declare war on the Jews, marking the start of Daniel’s 2,300-day Great Tribulation on 27 December 66 CE. 

This triggered three prophecies on Passover 67 CE

• Daniel’s three-and-a-half-year-prophecy
• Daniel’s 1290-day and 1335-day prophecies
• Revelation’s forty-two-month-prophecy

Instead, three years later, the four armies of Rome laid siege to Jerusalem for its final destruction. Indeed, Jesus came as a thief in the night, when they least expected it, during the night of 8 September 70 CE, straight after the full moon turned red and the sun was darkened.

9. Apostasy

In *False Christs and Prophets*, we see that the spirit of the Antichrist was influencing the Gnostic teachings. John spoke extensively against Gnosticism, insisting that Jesus came in the flesh. He opposed Gnosticism so strongly that he refused even to stay in the same building as one of its leading theologians. During the great apostasy in John’s time, one-third of Christendom fell to this teaching. Jude, writing before the destruction of Jerusalem, addresses this same apostasy and uses the word *erchomai* in connection with God’s coming judgment.

Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes (erchomai) with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

Jude 1:14-15

So, we observe that erchomai relates to God’s judgment of the apostates.

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,

2 Thessalonians 2:3

In this verse, we see the apostle Paul linking the apostasy to the Day of the Lord. Once more, the word erchomai is connected to the coming judgment. This judgment occurred after His appearance over Jerusalem on 21 May 66 CE, which was followed by the death of 1.2 million Jews in 70 CE.

10. Thief in the Night

Futurists discuss Jesus arriving like a thief in the night, causing fear about a future Antichrist. Interestingly, the word erchomai is also used in the Bible to describe the day of the Lord arriving like a thief in the night. 

You know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. When they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labour pains a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.

1 Thessalonians 5:2-3

We learned from Wars and Rumours of Wars; this is exactly what happened. Jews worldwide gathered for Passover in 70 CE to such an extent that the city’s population swelled to over 1.2 million. They were well aware of the armies’ positions and that many cities had fallen, yet they believed they were at peace and safe. Jerusalem was an extremely difficult city to capture. The Romans had tried and failed to seize it in October and November 66 CE. Perhaps they even thought that the sign of the Son of God and His armies appearing over Jerusalem was proof that God would fight for them as they had for Elijah. 

For this reason, the Jews of Jerusalem believed they were at peace and had nothing to fear.

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

Ephesians 5:6

Talking to the Jewish people, Peter was referring to this salvation from judgment when he said:

I will show wonders in heaven above
And signs in the earth beneath:
Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.
And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the LORD
Shall be saved.’

Acts 2:19-21

11. Revelation Introduction Summary

• Revelation was written in 63-65 CE.
• It was written primarily to the people alive at the time
• Jesus reveals Himself as the Son of Man, now ruling as King over His kings and priests.
• Jesus is El Shaddai.
• It describes the coming of Jesus on the clouds and the Day of the judgment as about to happen to those alive at the time, not sometime 2000 years later.

© Use by Permission Awakening Impact Ministries/Dr Neville Westerbeek van Eerten D.Miss. 2026