Revelation is a book that has been
misunderstood and therefore closed to most Christians.
This was not God’s purpose for this great book, because
He has written it and given the contents thereof to
Christ. Christ, in turn, gave it to the angels to give
to the Apostle John, who was to write it for all
mankind. John wrote the Book of Revelation in
approximately a.d. 96.

As we begin the Book of Revelation we should
read it primarily to find out what it says about the
Lord Jesus Christ and not for what it says about the
future. The key phrase is found in the very first verse,
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” This book unveils the
Lord Jesus throughout its 22 chapters. You may ask,
“What is revelation?” It is the unveiling of Jesus
Christ. It is not a mystery. You may ask, “From where
did it come?” It came by revelation given by God to His
Son, Jesus Christ. And why was it given? To show the
things that were to come to pass.

John, who had been banished to the Isle of
Patmos, actually saw the contents of this book unfold
before his eyes, as God transported him to heaven
(chapter 4:1), to the wilderness (chapter 17:3), and to
the mountain (chapter 21:10) to witness these events and
record them for us. In chapter 1 we see the
characteristics of the book and how it came to be
written. Verse 3 promises a blessing to those who read
it, for those who hear it, and for those who keep the
things written therein.

Chapter 2 begins the messages to the seven
churches. Verses 1-7 are written to the church at
Ephesus, which was the backsliding church. This church
had works but was without love. To the general public
the church was successful, but to Christ it had lost its
first love. The counsel of Christ to the church at
Ephesus was for them to remember, repent, and then
repeat the first works. Today, the works we do without
love are for naught. The new commandment God has given
us is that we should love one another, even as Christ
has loved us (John 13:34).

In verses 8-11 we see Smyrna, the suffering
church; then in verses 12-17, Pergamos, the worldly
church; and in verses 18-29, Thyatira, the unrepentant
church. In chapter 3 John writes to the church at
Sardis, the dying church (verses 1-6); to the church at
Philadelphia, the serving church (verses 7-13); and to
the church at Laodicea, the apostate church (verses 14-
22).