Introduction to Revelation

With all that’s been happening in the world lately, it’s clear that we need a Revelation. We desperately need Jesus to reveal Himself and wash away the world’s lies with truth. Fortunately, he already gave us something to work with. Over the next several weeks, we’ll examine the Book of Revelation.

To understand this challenging book, it helps to have some background about its author and the time period. The Apostle John wrote Revelation in 95 AD, more than sixty years after his time with Jesus. Three different Roman Emperors had tried and failed to eradicate Christianity, which only continued spreading. Now, eighty-year-old John is the only surviving Apostle. He is very famous, and after surviving an execution by the grace of God, the Emperor—finding it physically impossible to kill John—banished him to the Island of Patmos. There, John opened himself to the LORD, and Jesus answered.

The vision that follows a bit like talking to an elderly person who is partly in this world and already partly in the next. I regularly visit an elderly Sister in Christ, and she experiences time differently. Chronology is irrelevant to her; past, present, and future are all happening at once. When she talks about events in her life, she sees more than just what happened. It’s almost like she can see backstage, behind the scenes.

That’s what Revelation is—a pulling back of the curtain to reveal Jesus at the controls. This book is so challenging to understand because it’s primarily intended for those who already know Him well (Revelation 1:1-3). Over the next few weeks, we’ll dive into the message Jesus left for his servants. We’ll see how evil is very real, how it’s behind many things that people don’t consider evil, and how Jesus reigns supreme despite it all..

Watch the full sermon here.