Revelation 1:1 When Does The Apocalypse Begin?
Watch this blog on this week’s episode of The PRODCAST.
INTRODUCTION
Hello everyone, and welcome back to the PRODCAST. I’m back from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where my family and I had an incredible time soaking in God’s good creation. And now, I’m eager to jump back into this incredible book—the book of Revelation.
As you know, we’ve already covered two foundational episodes that laid the theological and eschatological groundwork for everything we’re going to see moving forward. If you missed those, I encourage you to go back and catch them. Here’s a quick recap:
In Episode 1, we shattered the myth that Revelation is a book of doom, despair, and newspaper prophecy. Instead, we saw it for what it truly is: a book of hope, dominion, and victory through Jesus Christ. After spending 19 weeks in Matthew 24, we demonstrated that Revelation is not some cryptic code for the 21st century—it’s a symbolic, first-century prophecy, written to seven real churches, announcing the imminent judgment of apostate Israel and the rise of Christ’s Kingdom. We highlighted its time markers—“soon,” “quickly,” “the time is near”—and explained how Revelation functions as the Olivet Discourse in apocalyptic form. It’s not about our modern chaos; it’s about Christ’s first-century conquest. The main takeaway? Revelation is not a future horror story—it’s a first-century victory song.
Then in Episode 2, we went back to Genesis to recover the plotline of the entire Bible: Kingship. We traced the theme of dominion from Adam’s failure to God’s unrelenting promise to raise up a true and better King. From the covenant with Abraham, to the scepter promised to Judah, to Moses, David, and the prophets—the testimony is unanimous: God will install a real King, descended from David, who will crush the serpent, command the nations, and bring the world back to Eden. This isn’t ethereal or allegorical. This is boots-on-the-ground, throne-in-Zion, government-on-His-shoulders Kingship. The Kingdom doesn’t begin in Revelation. It erupts into time in the Gospels when the King Himself steps onto the battlefield.
So now, as we move forward, we are standing on solid rock: Revelation is rooted in the Old Testament, fulfilled in Christ, and marching forward through history. Christ is not waiting to reign. He is reigning. And the more we understand that, the more clearly this book will come alive—not as a confusing puzzle, but as a call to dominion, discipleship, and doxology in the name of the risen King.
In today’s episode, we begin the long and glorious task of working our way through this book—one verse at a time. Each week, we’re going to take a particular portion of Scripture and exposit what it meant to John and his original audience, how it fits into the eschatological hopes of the first-century Church, what it meant for apostate Israel, and what it still means for the royal bride of Christ—the Church.
It is not my goal to do two-and-a-half-hour episodes in this series. Instead, I want to take this book passage by passage—breaking it down in a way that is helpful, encouraging, and confidence-building. Whether you’re a scholar or a layman, my goal is that every listener walks away with insight, clarity, and a deeper love for Christ and His Kingdom.
So with that, let’s jump right into Revelation chapter 1, verse 1—where we will talk about the nature of the apocalypse.
This is how the book of Revelation begins.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John,
Now, with that, let us begin with:
PART 1: REVELATION AS APOCALYPSE
The very first word of this book is where everything changes.
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ…” — Revelation 1:1a
The Greek word for “Revelation” is ἀποκάλυψις (apokalypsis). And before we go one word further, we need to be clear: this is not a synonym for chaos. It’s not shorthand for mushroom clouds and Mad Max. It does not mean war, plague, famine, or death on horseback. That may be what Hollywood has sold us. That may be what dispensational fiction has poisoned us with. But biblically speaking, that’s garbage. The word apokalypsis doesn’t mean “disaster.” It means unveiling. It means pulling back the curtain. It means finally seeing what has always been there.
Revelation is not a book designed to hide the truth. It’s a book designed to reveal it.
The irony is thick: the very book called Unveiling is the one people think they’ll never understand. But John didn’t call this book “The Great Mystery.” He didn’t call it “The Sealed Scroll.” He called it Apokalypsis. The whole purpose of this book is to make things clear, not confusing. It’s not a labyrinth. It’s a lamp.
And John’s intention is made even clearer just two verses later. In Revelation 1:3, he says:
“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it…”
You don’t call people to hear and heed a book that’s meant to be obscure. John expects the Church to understand this. Why? Because they needed to. Because they were standing on the edge of a covenantal cliff, and the ground beneath them was about to give way.
This word—apokalypsis—shows up elsewhere in the Bible with the same meaning. In Luke 12:2, Jesus says, “There is nothing covered up that will not be revealed”—same word. In Amos 3:7, God promises not to act without first “revealing His secrets to His servants the prophets”—again, same word. Paul uses it in Romans 16:25 and 2 Corinthians 12:1 to describe mysteries God has made known. And now, in Revelation, that same revealing light is being turned on again.
So, what’s being revealed?
Not a roadmap for modern America. Not a blueprint for World War III. Not a bar code on your cereal box. What’s being unveiled is the end of the Old World and the dawn of the New Creation. What’s being uncovered is the divine meaning behind the judgment of Jerusalem, the destruction of the temple, and the ascension of Christ’s Kingdom.
John is not writing to people wondering what Vladimir Putin is doing. He’s writing to people watching the smoke rise from Jerusalem. His audience isn’t worried about microchips and satellites. They’re worried about survival—about what happens after the temple falls. They’re asking: Is this really the plan? Is Christ truly reigning? Is there hope beyond the wreckage?
And Jesus says: Yes. Now let me show you.
You see, the Mosaic economy was never built to last. It was scaffolding, not the building. It was a shadow, not the substance. It was a bandage on a broken people until Christ, the true Healer, arrived. So now, with Jesus risen and reigning, that entire system—temples, priests, sacrifices, feast days, clean and unclean foods—all of it is being torn down to make room for the real thing.
No more temple? Christ is our temple (John 2:19). No more sacrifices? Christ is the final Lamb (Hebrews 10:10). No more Levitical priests? Christ is our Great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14). No more festivals? Christ is our eternal feast, and the Lord’s Table is our Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7).
The apocalypse isn’t just about salvation—it’s about replacement. It’s about an old world collapsing so that a new world can rise. It’s about the fall of Jerusalem and the rise of New Jerusalem. It’s about the final grains of Old Covenant sand slipping through the hourglass, while the Church is handed the keys to the Kingdom of God on earth.
And don’t miss this: these Christians weren’t asking abstract questions. They were watching their entire world explode. They had come to Christ, abandoned the temple, rejected the priesthood, and declared allegiance to a King who now looked like He might have lost. Their families were being hunted. Their synagogues were turning against them. Their Roman overlords were growing increasingly hostile. They were wondering: Did we get this wrong? Is Jesus really the fulfillment of everything? Can we survive the collapse of Jerusalem?
And Jesus, in His mercy, says:
“I’m going to show you exactly what’s happening. I’m going to unveil the plan.”
That’s what apokalypsis means. And let us be crystal clear: this letter is not postmarked for us. It’s written to them, for us. We are reading their mail—and praise God, we are allowed to. But we must not pretend that this book is a riddle for modern America while ignoring the very real apocalypse that fell on first-century Jerusalem.
Jesus did not say to the early church, “Hey, hold tight—I’ve got a book full of secrets that will finally be meaningful in 2,000 years.” No. He said, “This is for you. Right now. These things are about to happen. And I want you to see it.”
Revelation is an apocalypse. Not a disaster. An unveiling. A declaration. A trumpet blast of triumph in the face of terror.
The King is on the throne. The temple is going down. The world is being remade. And this is the book that dares to show it. Which leads us to the second consideration that we see in this opening verse, which is:
PART 2: THE CONTEXT OF THE APOCALYPSE
We’ve already seen that apocalypse doesn’t mean kaboom, but unveiling. And now, in Part 2, we need to ask: What exactly is being unveiled? And why is that important?
Because listen: if we misunderstand what this word means in its biblical context, we will misread the entire book of Revelation as if it’s a fear-drenched horror movie for the modern West instead of a hope-drenched battle plan for the first-century Church.
A SURPRISING STATISTIC
Here’s a twist: Even though the book of Revelation is literally named The Apocalypse, the Greek word ἀποκάλυψις (apokalypsis) only shows up once in the whole book. Just once! That’s it. One time. You’d expect it to be peppered all over the place, but no—it opens the door and then steps off the stage.
But that doesn’t mean it’s unimportant. Quite the opposite. That one word, in verse 1, sets the theological atmosphere of the entire book. It’s a loaded term—pregnant with purpose. And to understand what’s happening in Revelation, we need to track how this word behaves in the rest of Scripture.
PAUL’S USE OF THE “APOCALYPSIS”
Paul uses this word more than anyone—thirteen times with the noun and twenty-six with the verb. And it’s never random. In fact, in Galatians 1:12, Paul says he didn’t receive his gospel from men but through a revelation (apokalypsis) of Jesus Christ. And when you compare Galatians to Revelation, something remarkable begins to emerge.
Both deal with the same enemies. Both confront the same problems. Both proclaim the same victory.
Galatians, like Revelation, is a war declaration against Jewish unbelief and covenantal arrogance. Paul speaks of the persecution of the Church by the Jews (Gal. 1:13–14), the pride of the circumcision party (Gal. 2:15; 6:13), and the false hope of a Jerusalem that is below, which is destined to be cast out (Gal. 4:25–30).
Sound familiar? It should—because Revelation does the same thing. It exposes the spiritual rot of Jerusalem (Rev. 2:9; 3:9), declares her about to be trampled by the Gentiles (Rev. 11:2), and replaces her with the New Jerusalem that comes from above(Rev. 21:2). And in both Galatians and Revelation, we’re told that the true people of God are the ones who live by faith, not by bloodlines, buildings, or old covenant rituals.
The parallel is shocking. Not because it’s subtle—but because no one wants to see it.
THE CONTEXT IS COLLAPSE
So what does all this mean? It means that when John uses the word apokalypsis at the start of Revelation, he is not just pulling a poetic device out of his pocket. He’s anchoring his entire book in a very specific biblical tradition: the tradition of revelation in the midst of revolution—of unveiling right as judgment falls—of comfort for the Church and collapse for the covenant-breakers.
This is crucial: the first-century Church wasn’t just trying to survive persecution—they were watching the final death spasms of the Old Covenant world. They were watching the Levitical system, with its bloody altars and gold-plated temple, implode in real time. And the big question was: What is happening?
Revelation answers that question. With one word: apokalypsis. This is God uncovering what He’s doing. This is God unveiling the meaning behind the destruction. This is God pulling back the curtain to show that Jerusalem is not just collapsing—it’s being judged.
And that judgment is not aimless. It’s not cruelty. It’s covenantal. It is God divorcing an unfaithful bride and making way for a new one. It is God casting down the shadow so He can raise up the substance. It is God judging the harlot so He can seat the pure bride beside her King.
This is why the word apocalypse is so perfect. It doesn’t just signal revelation. It signals the kind of revelation we’re getting: one that marries judgment and salvation in a single, sweeping, unmistakable move of God.
The old age is being unmasked. The new age is being enthroned. And the Church is being told to lift her eyes and see.
A FINAL WORD
So here’s the context of the apocalypse:
It’s not nuclear war. It’s not techno-collapse. It’s not the end of the world. It’s the end of a world. The end of the Old Covenant world. The end of priests and bulls and burning altars. The end of shadows and the arrival of the true Light.
It’s Jesus saying: “Let Me show you what’s really going on. Let Me uncover the meaning of this moment. Let Me vindicate My bride, crush My enemies, and build My Kingdom.”
And Revelation isn’t just about that context. It comes from that context. And if we don’t get that straight, we’ll never get anything else right. So before you read another beast, trumpet, or bowl—you need to tattoo this on your mind: The apocalypse is the unveiling of Christ’s judgment on apostate Israel and the exaltation of His Kingdom through the Church. It is the great transition from the old covenant world to the new covenant world. The physical planet is not ending. The King is now reigning and Satan has been defeated.
PART 3: THE ORIGIN OF THE APOCALYPSE
WHO SENT THIS REVELATION—AND WHY DOES THAT MATTER?
If Revelation is an unveiling—and if that unveiling is meant to comfort a suffering Church and expose a collapsing Old Covenant—then we must ask: Where did this message come from? What is its origin? And why does that matter?
It matters because the authority of a message is bound to the one who sends it. And in Revelation 1:1, the origin is spelled out with unmistakable clarity:
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John.”
This is not a man-made document. It is not speculative mysticism. It is not an attempt by John to interpret geopolitical events or soothe the fears of the early Church with personal reflection. This revelation came from the triune God.
There is a clear chain of transmission in the verse: From the Father → to the Son → through a messenger → to John → for the Church. That chain matters.
It means the content of this book does not come from the imagination of John. It does not arise from subjective experience or mystical feelings. It is not, as some cynics might suggest, a product of spiritual euphoria or psychological trauma. It is a divine communication, sent through proper heavenly channels, and aimed directly at the people of God in the first century.
This matters because of the context they were in. They were not guessing at what would happen to the Old World—they were living through its destruction. And Revelation does not call them to guess or speculate. It calls them to understand what God is doing and why. The chain of communication guarantees this is not man trying to guess what God might do—but God telling man exactly what He is doing.
A REVELATION FROM JESUS CHRIST
The phrase “Revelation of Jesus Christ” in Greek reads apokalypsis Iēsou Christou. Now, here’s where grammar comes in—but don’t let that scare you. We need to talk briefly about what’s called the genitive case in Greek. That’s just a fancy way of saying: “This phrase tells us something about a relationship between two things.”
And in this case, the question is: Does this mean a revelation about Jesus? Or a revelation from Jesus? And, not to be overly technical, but if this is what scholars call an objective genitive, it would mean the book is about Him—He is the object being revealed. If it’s a subjective genitive, on the other hand, then it would mean Jesus is the one doing the revealing—He is the source, the sender, the subject in control.
Now, while it is certainly true that Revelation tells us many things about Jesus, that’s not what’s being emphasized here. And we know that because of what comes next: “which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants…” In other words, the Father gave something to the Son, and the Son is now revealing it to His people. That only makes sense if Jesus is the one doing the revealing.
So the correct reading is: this is a revelation from Jesus Christ, not just about Him. He is the Messenger as well as the King. He is the Source, not just the Subject.
WHY “JESUS CHRIST” MATTERS
John does not refer to Him here merely as “Jesus.” He uses His full name: Jesus Christ—Jesus the Anointed One. That distinction is important. This is the exalted Messiah, the One who has been given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). This is the risen King, seated at the right hand of God, ruling with power.
Interestingly, the phrase “Jesus Christ” appears only a few times in Revelation—in the opening verses (1:1, 1:2, 1:5), and then again later in 20:4. Most of the time, John refers to Him as “Jesus” or “Lord.” But here at the start, he emphasizes His full messianic identity.
Why? Because this book is about His kingship. It is about the judgment He brings against Jerusalem. It is about the inheritance of His bride, the Church. It is about His dominion expanding across the earth. Referring to Him as “Jesus Christ” sets the tone: this is a royal proclamation from the anointed Son of David, now enthroned and executing judgment and justice.
THE PROPHETIC CHAIN OF REVELATION
Notice also the structure of the transmission:
God the Father gives this revelation to Jesus Christ, the Son.
Jesus sends it through a messenger to John.
John, in turn, writes it down for the Church in Asia Minor.
This is not a generic arrangement. It reflects a covenantal and prophetic pattern found throughout Scripture. God speaks to His people through appointed messengers. The prophets of the Old Testament functioned the same way—receiving the Word from God and delivering it to God’s people. Now, John stands as the final prophet of the Old Covenant age, bearing witness to the arrival of the New.
This also reflects the pattern of the Olivet Discourse. Jesus, in Matthew 24, tells His disciples what is about to happen to Jerusalem, the temple, and the generation standing before Him. Revelation expands on that same message—but this time through symbolic visions, covenantal judgments, and heavenly perspective. But the source is the same: Jesus Christ, the faithful Prophet and reigning King.
A WORD FOR THE CHURCH
Finally, we must remember who this message is for. Revelation 1:1 says it was given “to show His bond-servants.” That term refers not only to prophets or apostles—but to all who belong to Christ. It is repeated throughout the book (Rev. 1:1; 2:20; 7:3; 11:18; 19:5; 22:3, 6). The bond-servants of God are the saints—the faithful, blood-bought Church of the first century, walking through tribulation, waiting for vindication.
This revelation was not for the distant future. It was for them, in their time, for their comfort, and for their instruction. It was a divine message of assurance: that the judgments they were seeing were not chaos—they were covenantal. That the destruction of the temple was not a defeat—it was a fulfillment. That the Church was not being abandoned—it was being elevated as the true people of God.
WHY THE ORIGIN MATTERS
The origin of Revelation is not symbolic. It is literal, theological, and crucial.
This book comes from Jesus Christ, the risen and reigning King. It is His direct Word to His Church, explaining what was about to happen, why it was happening, and what would come next.
If you miss the origin, you will misread the message.
This is not a strange document from the margins of Scripture. It is a covenantal communication from the center of redemptive history, addressed to a suffering Church in a collapsing age, with the full authority of heaven behind it.
And because of that, we can read every line of this book with confidence. Jesus speaks. John writes. The Church hears. The Kingdom advances.
PART 4: THE PURPOSE OF THE APOCALYPSE
WHY WAS THIS REVELATION GIVEN—AND WHAT WAS IT MEANT TO DO?
It’s one thing to say that the book of Revelation is a message from Jesus Christ. But we now need to ask: Why did He send it? What was the goal of this revelation? What was Jesus trying to accomplish by giving this message to His Church?
The answer is right in front of us—in the rest of verse 1:
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place…” (Revelation 1:1)
Let’s unpack this carefully and clearly.
THE INITIATIVE CAME FROM GOD
This message didn’t start with John. He isn’t trying to explain what’s happening around him. He’s not a Christian journalist analyzing headlines. The initiative starts in heaven:
“which God gave Him…”
That is, God the Father gave this revelation to Jesus Christ. And from there, it was handed down to the Church. The message begins in the throne room of heaven, not in the imagination of man. As commentator Robert Mounce rightly said:
“Had God not taken the initiative, the human mind could never have understood the real forces at work in the world.”
In other words, apart from God’s intervention, the Church would be left guessing in the dark, trying to make sense of their suffering. But instead, God turns on the light. He gives them this revelation to explain what’s happening, remind them who is in charge, and show them where all of this is going.
That’s the first thing to see: the apocalypse is not the product of confusion, but the gift of divine clarity. It is God’s gracious answer to a suffering people.
THIS REVELATION IS SHOWN, NOT JUST TOLD
John tells us that this revelation was given “to show to His bond-servants…”
The Greek word for “show” here is deiknymi, which means to make something visible—to point it out in such a way that it can be clearly seen and understood. This isn’t abstract philosophy or dry theology. This is pictorial, visual, illustrated truth. It’s meant to be experienced, not just processed.
This word shows up frequently in John’s writings—especially in Revelation—where visions, signs, and symbolic images dominate. That tells us something important: the message of Revelation is symbolic in nature. It’s not meant to be read as a newspaper. It’s meant to be interpreted through the lens of Old Testament prophecy, symbolism, and covenantal imagery.
We aren’t meant to take everything literally in a wooden, surface-level way. We’re meant to understand what the symbols point to, just as the prophets did. This is a genre of Scripture that communicates through pictures, patterns, and prophetic echoes.
So when John says that this message is “to show,” he means that God is using symbolic vision to reveal spiritual truth. He’s not hiding the meaning—He’s putting it on display for those who have eyes to see.
THIS REVELATION IS FOR THE BOND-SERVANTS OF GOD
Now, who is this message for?
“To show to His bond-servants…”
The word “bond-servants” comes from the Greek word doulos, which means “slave” or “servant.” It’s used frequently throughout Revelation to describe the people of God. And while some scholars think this refers only to prophets or leaders, the broader use of the word throughout the book tells us otherwise.
In fact, Revelation repeatedly refers to all believers as God’s bond-servants:
1:1 – the message is for the bond-servants
2:20 – Jesus rebukes the church for corrupting His bond-servants
7:3 – angels are told not to harm the earth until the bond-servants are sealed
19:5 – a voice from heaven calls God’s bond-servants to worship
22:3 – in the New Jerusalem, His bond-servants will serve Him forever
This means the message of Revelation is not just for an elite class of prophets. It is for every believer. It is for the entire Church. The “bond-servants” are those who belong to the Lamb—those who hear His voice, follow Him, and endure for His name.
In fact, two verses later (1:3), John says that this revelation is for everyone who hears and keeps the words of the prophecy. That includes the whole church—not just a part of it.
So the purpose of the Apocalypse is not to confuse—but to clarify, comfort, and commission the entire Church in the midst of tribulation.
THIS REVELATION CONCERNS THINGS THAT MUST HAPPEN SOON
Now comes a very important phrase—one that cannot be ignored or explained away:
“…the things which must soon take place.”
This is not poetic language. It is theological and covenantal. The word for “must” is dei in Greek, which means it is necessary or it is divinely appointed. These events are not random. They are not possibilities. They are decreed. They are part of God’s sovereign plan. They must happen.
And the phrase “soon take place” (Greek: en tachei) means quickly, shortly, or in the near future. This is not talking about things thousands of years away. It is not stretching time to mean “a long time from now but fast when it comes.” It means what it says: these things were about to unfold in the lives of the people who first received the book.
And this is not the only time John says this. He repeats this idea constantly:
“the time is near” (1:3)
“I am coming quickly” (2:16; 3:11; 22:7, 12, 20)
“must soon take place” (1:1; 22:6)
If we believe in the inspiration and integrity of Scripture, we cannot redefine “soon” to mean “someday.” These words had to mean something to the first-century audience, and they clearly point to events imminent in their generation.
John is echoing the structure and wording of Daniel 2, where the prophet speaks of things that would come to pass “in the latter days.” But Revelation updates the timetable: what Daniel saw from afar, John sees at the doorstep. The “latter days” of the Old Covenant were now ending. The fulfillment was happening soon—because the Old World was collapsing, and the Kingdom of Christ was rising.
THIS REVELATION WAS MEANT TO ENCOURAGE PERSEVERANCE
Why is all this important? Because the Church was suffering. The synagogue was turning against them. Rome was suspicious of them. Their Jewish neighbors were persecuting them. And the temple—the center of Jewish religion and culture—was still standing, seemingly untouched.
They needed assurance. They needed to know that Jesus was reigning, that the temple would fall as He said it would, and that the Church would not only survive but inherit the kingdom.
This revelation was given to strengthen their hands, to steady their hearts, and to show them what God was doing in their world. And the message was not “hide and wait to be rescued.” The message was: stand firm, endure, and watch what Christ is about to do.
Revelation is not a horror story about the end of the world. It is a victory announcement about the end of the Old World, the judgment of apostate Israel, and the enthronement of the Lamb and His bride.
WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE?
The purpose of the Apocalypse is crystal clear:
It is from God, through Christ, to His Church.
It is symbolic, not to confuse, but to clarify.
It is for all believers, not just prophets.
It is about what must soon take place, not far-distant events.
It is designed to comfort, encourage, and embolden the Church during the greatest transition in redemptive history.
The temple was about to fall. The Old Covenant was about to end. And the New Jerusalem was about to rise—not in the distant future, but in their day, by His power, for His glory, and our everlasting joy.
This is the purpose of the Apocalypse. God revealed it so we would not be afraid. Christ delivered it so we would not be confused. And the Spirit inspired it so we would be filled with faith, hope, and bold endurance.
CONCLUSION
So now, what do we do with what we’ve just seen? We take it personally. We take it seriously. And we take it to heart.
We have spent this entire episode walking through just one verse—Revelation 1:1—and already the fog is clearing, the symbols are snapping into place, and the purpose is beginning to shine.
This is no mystery novel. This is no horror story. This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, given by the Father, delivered through the Son, sent by a messenger, received by John, and handed straight to the saints. And it was meant to be understood. It was meant to be obeyed. It was meant to give fire to our bones and steel to our spines.
What we see in the book of Revelation, even from its very first verse, is not God hiding the truth from his people for thousands of years like a theological time capsule. But unleashing it, revealing it, and unveiling it to the first century church to whom it was written. It’s not about keeping you scared. It’s about making you strong. It’s not about fleeing to the hills. It’s about advancing the Kingdom, stone by stone, generation by generation, until the knowledge of the Lord covers the earth like the waters cover the sea.
So take hold of this, my friends. Take hold of this book and believe what it says. When Jesus said these things “must soon take place,” He meant it. When He said the time was near, He meant it. When He said the temple would fall, He meant it. And it did.
And if Jesus kept that promise, then you can trust every single other one.
This book is not irrelevant. It is foundational. It shows us that Christ reigns. It shows us that judgment is real, that history is governed, that the Church is central, and that our labor in the Lord is not in vain.
So stop being timid. Stop acting like you’re on the losing team. You are the bride of the King who reigns right now.The world is not ending. The old world already did. And the new one is being built every time the Gospel is preached, every time a father leads his home, every time a mother trains her children, every time a church takes dominion in the name of the King.
So open your Bible. Read the Revelation. Understand it in light of the cross and the crown. And go live like it’s true. Because it is.
