Life-Study of Revelation (Unabridged)

The book of Revelation firstly reveals Christ (1:1), and secondly the testimony of Jesus (1:2). In other words, this book is concerned with Christ and the church. In Revelation, Christ and the church are revealed in a unique and particular way. Several aspects of Christ, such as the vision of him as the High Priest in the midst of the churches, caring for them in love yet with a judging attitude (1:13-16), the vision of him as the Lion-Lamb in the midst of God’s throne, and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the 24 elders of the universe opening the seven seals of God’s universal administration (5:1-6:1), and the vision of him as Another Mighty Angel coming down from heaven to take possession of the earth (10:1-8; 18:1) have never been unveiled as they are in the book of Revelation. In this book, the revelation of Christ is unique and ultimate.

In addition to this ultimate revelation of Christ, the book of Revelation also unveils many unique aspects of the church as the testimony of Jesus. The lampstands in chapter one, the great multitude of the redeemed in chapter seven, the bright woman with her man-child in chapter 12, the harvest with its first fruits in chapter 14, the overcomers on the sea of glass in chapter 15, the bride ready for marriage and the fighting army of Christ in chapter 19, and the New Jerusalem in chapters 21 and 22 are all the testimony of Jesus which is the spirit - the substance, the disposition, and the characteristic - of the prophecy in this book (19:10).

The central content of this book is an unveiling of God’s economy concerning Christ and the church, presenting the ultimate and consummate revelation of Christ with his full salvation and the church as his loving bride, the New Jerusalem. In this book, we find the full and adequate conclusion, not only to the writings of John and to the New Testament, but also to the entire divine revelation.