Lesson 12: Revelation: Jesus Is Lord

By the end of this lesson, the student should:

(1) Know the author, date, and historical setting of Revelation.

(2) Recognize important themes in Revelation.

(3) Compare key theories used to interpret Revelation.

(4) Relate the message of Revelation to the needs of today’s world.

► Read Revelation. Before you begin, choose one of the two writing assignments listed at the end of this lesson.

► Memorize Revelation 3:20-21.

First-century believers were confronted by two competing truth claims. On one hand, they knew that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:11). A follower of Christ is committed to the authority and lordship of Jesus Christ. On the other hand, Rome required everyone under the empire’s authority to refer to Caesar as dominus et deus noster (a Latin phrase meaning “our lord and god”).

Rome tolerated many religions, as long as the emperor was recognized as the ultimate authority. Many historians say that Rome did not persecute followers of Christ for their beliefs. Anyone was allowed to worship Jesus as long as they swore ultimate allegiance to the emperor. However, a true believer could never recognize the emperor as the final authority.

According to an eyewitness account of Polycarp’s martyrdom, the magistrate offered to release the aged saint if he would recognize Caesar as divine. He asked Polycarp, “What harm is there in saying, ‘Caesar is lord,’ and offering incense?”[1] Polycarp knew that for the follower of Christ, there is only one Lord. Ultimate allegiance cannot be given to any man.

This was the root of the conflict between Rome and the early church. Out of this conflict, the book of Revelation said to early believers, “Jesus is Lord.” Even in a world that does not recognize his authority, Jesus is Lord. Revelation gives a dramatic picture of Paul’s words:

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).

Jesus is Lord.

Author, Date, and Place

The author of Revelation identifies himself as “…John, your brother and partner in the tribulation…” (Revelation 1:9). Early church tradition identifies John, the beloved disciple, as the author of the Gospel of John, three epistles, and Revelation.

The date of this letter is a more difficult question. There are two possible dates, both within John’s lifetime and the period of persecution in the early church. One possible date is during Nero’s reign (A.D. 54-68), a time of intense persecution. The more likely date is during the persecutions under Emperor Domitian (A.D. 81-96). In the second century, Irenaeus dated the book of Revelation to the later years of Domitian’s reign.[1] Most evangelicals accept this as the most likely date for the writing of Revelation.

Revelation was written from Patmos, a small island in the Aegean Sea, where John was exiled for his faith. Although the emperor may have authorized John’s exile, John makes it clear that Jesus is Lord. He is on Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:9). Even on Patmos, God is in control.

Purpose

Revelation answers the question, “Who is Lord?” The answer is stated in the introduction: “…Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth” (Revelation 1:5). To believers suffering persecution, John writes: Jesus Christ is the ruler over the kings of the earth. Regardless of external circumstances, God is in control.

The truth that Jesus is Lord is presented in three ways:

1. In messages to the seven churches (Revelation 2-3). Jesus is Lord over his church.

2. In visions of God on his throne and of Christ as the triumphant Lamb (Revelation 4-5). Jesus is Lord in heaven.

3. In a view of history from heaven’s perspective (Revelation 6-22). Jesus is Lord over all kingdoms of the earth.

Apocalyptic Literature

As an apocalyptic book, Revelation is unique among New Testament books. Daniel is an Old Testament example of apocalyptic literature. Apocalyptic writing uses symbols and visions to reveal truth. Apocalyptic writing reveals God’s purposes in human history.

Symbols

Apocalyptic literature uses dramatic symbols to communicate. Revelation is filled with dragons, beasts, and natural disasters such as earthquakes and hailstorms. One difficulty in reading apocalyptic literature is that symbols change their meaning over time and in different cultural settings. For instance, the dragon is used in the West as a symbol of evil and danger; in many Eastern cultures, the dragon is a symbol of power and success. Differences in how symbols are interpreted can make Revelation difficult for the reader.

One key to correctly interpreting the symbols in Revelation is recognizing that most of its symbols come from the Old Testament, particularly Exodus, Psalms, Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Zechariah. More than half of the verses in Revelation include some allusion to an Old Testament theme or image. The careful reader of Revelation will look first to the Old Testament when studying a symbol.

Visions

Apocalyptic literature portrays historic or prophetic reality through visions. Revelation includes over 60 visions. These visions are often overlapping, which makes it difficult to create an exact chronological sequence. Multiple visions may present overlapping views of the same event in order to expand on details or present alternate perspectives on the event.

Major Themes

Perhaps the most important thing for a reader to remember when studying apocalyptic literature is to focus on the major themes without becoming overwhelmed by details. In Revelation, the large themes are Jesus’ lordship, God’s sovereignty, and the ultimate victory of the church. These themes unite the narratives throughout the book.

Theories of Interpretation

Because Revelation is such an unusual style of biblical literature, it has given rise to many different approaches of interpretation. There are four primary approaches to this book. Within each of these, there are varying emphases. The resources listing for this lesson recommends books for further study.

Preterist View: Revelation took place in the Roman Empire. Preterists believe that Revelation is about events in the late first century. In this view, the events in Revelation occurred during John’s lifetime or soon thereafter. This view sees Revelation as a picture of the conflict between the church and the Roman Empire. This conflict ended with the victory of Christ’s kingdom as the church spread throughout the world. According to this view, the prophecies in Revelation were fulfilled in the first century.

Historicist View: Revelation is a symbolic view of church history, from the time of the early church until the return of Christ and the establishment of a new heaven and a new earth. In this view, Revelation 1-3 speaks to the churches of John’s day. Revelation 4-19 gives a chronological picture of the church throughout history. Revelation 20-22 portrays the future coming of Christ. According to this view, only the prophecies in Revelation 20-22 await future fulfillment.

Idealist View: Revelation is purely a symbol of the battle between good and evil. Idealists agree with historicists that Revelation gives a picture of the conflict between good (Christ and the church) and evil (Satan and his followers). However, idealists argue that this is a symbolic picture without any particular historical order. In this view, Revelation 4-19 does not correlate to any specific historical period. It is a symbol of the ongoing conflict between Christ and evil, a conflict that will end with the coming of Christ to establish the new heaven and new earth described in Revelation 20-22. According to this view, Revelation does not predict specific events in the future, except for the coming of Christ.

Futurist View: Revelation 4-22 describes future events. Like historicists, futurists read Revelation as a picture of particular events that happen at specific times. This interpretation sees Revelation 1-3 as describing the church of John’s day. Unlike historicists, futurists view most of Revelation 4-22 as describing the future. Most futurists hold one of the following four interpretations of the future portrayed in Revelation.

Note: The term millennium means “thousand-year period.” In discussions of Revelation, this term refers to the time when Jesus will rule on the earth, as mentioned in Revelation 20:4. The major differences in views of Revelation relate to differing interpretations of the millennium.

Classical premillennialism (dating from the second century or earlier) expects persecution of the church until the end of time. This persecution will climax in a time of great tribulation just before Christ returns. When Christ returns, there will be a resurrection of believers, followed by a millennium during which Christ will reign on the earth. The millennium will be followed by the judgment of unbelievers at the great white throne (Revelation 20:11-15). God will then institute a new heaven and a new earth, the eternal home of all whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Dispensational premillennialism is a more modern variation of classical premillennial teaching. In this view, the church is removed from the earth in a rapture prior to a period of great tribulation. The turmoil of Revelation 4-19 is seen as a portrayal of Israel’s tribulation on earth during a seven-year period in which the church is in heaven with Jesus. Christ then returns and reigns on earth for a thousand years. As is taught in classical premillennialism, dispensational premillennialists believe that this period is followed by the judgment and the creation of a new heaven and a new earth.

Postmillennialism (popular in the 18th and 19th centuries) teaches that the gospel will spread throughout the world and transform society into an age of justice and peace. In this view, Christ does not physically reign on the earth for a thousand years. Christ returns after the millennium, defeats Satan permanently, and introduces the new heaven and new earth.

Amillennialism (dating to at least the second century) agrees with postmillennialism that Christ will not physically reign on the earth for a literal thousand years. Amillennialists see the millennium as the entire period of the church age. They say the promise of the millennium is fulfilled in a spiritual manner through the church’s ministry. Revelation portrays both the blessings and the struggles of the church in figurative ways. This period ends with Christ’s return, followed by the judgment and the introduction of the new heaven and new earth for believers.

[1]We must not confuse our interpretation of Revelation with the authority of scripture itself. Two people holding to the absolute truth of scripture may have very different interpretations of this book. Be careful not to reject fellow believers who may arrive at different conclusions. These are differences of biblical interpretation, not differences regarding biblical authority.

Jesus Is Lord

Apocalyptic literature reveals that which has been hidden. Revelation reveals Jesus in his fullest glory. During his earthly ministry, his glory was not fully seen. Paul promised that the day will come when every knee will bow, of things in heaven, and things on earth, and things under the earth (Philippians 2:10). Revelation unveils a picture of the glory of that day.

Many symbols in Revelation are drawn from the Old Testament. However, these symbols teach a distinctively Christian theology. The book is unified by a coherent Christian theology that ties together each aspect of God’s activity in human history. From John’s vision of the Son of Man to his picture of the triumphant Lamb, a central theme of Revelation is the lordship of Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:9-20, Revelation 5:6-14). Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16).

God Is in Control

To a suffering church, the message of God’s sovereignty was a great message of hope. John introduced God as the one who is, and who was, and who is to come (Revelation 1:4). The vision of God on his throne in Revelation 4-5 is similar to Isaiah 6. John, like Isaiah, sees God as holy, majestic, and sovereign. To a church opposed by Rome, it was inspiring to read in Revelation that a day is coming when every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them will join in praise to God and to the Lamb (Revelation 5:13).

Victory for the People of God

Revelation reveals God’s purposes in human history. While there are many symbols that a modern reader may struggle to understand, the overall message of Revelation is clear: God’s people are assured of victory because Jesus is Lord. Revelation frequently shifts its perspective from earth to heaven, reminding us that we see only one side of history.[1] Unseen, God is working out his purposes in the world. As the people of God, we are assured of ultimate victory. The message to the church in Laodicea concludes with this encouragement: “The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne…” (Revelation 3:21).

There are two dangers to avoid when reading Revelation. Some readers find Revelation so confusing that they simply avoid the book completely. Since they cannot be sure of the right interpretation, they do not study it at all.

The opposite danger is that some readers are so certain of their interpretation that they reject anyone who differs from them on interpretation. They become focused on minor details and lose sight of the overall theme of the book. It is unfortunate that the larger message of Revelation has sometimes been lost in controversies over details of interpretation. The message of Revelation is vital for the church today.

In a time when thousands of believers are martyred each year, the message that Jesus is Lord encourages those who are suffering to persevere. Regardless of one’s approach to interpretation, Revelation encourages the church with the promise of ultimate victory.

Revelation reminds us how believers should live today in light of the end times. The study of the last days (eschatology) is not primarily about predicting future events; the primary concern of eschatology is living today in light of God’s ultimate purposes. As believers, Revelation encourages us to trust God’s purposes. As ministers, we preach Revelation to encourage our congregations to remain faithful. Rather than reading Revelation as a book of coded messages about the future, we read Revelation as God’s Word for God’s people today.

John and Betty Stam were missionaries to China when Communist forces attacked their city in 1934. This young couple was captured, held for ransom, and marched under guard to the city of Miaosheo. A passerby asked, “Where are you going?” John Stam replied, “We do not know where they are going, but we are going to heaven.”

The next day, John and Betty Stam were beheaded by a Communist executioner. John’s last letter was written to his mission superiors and smuggled out in the clothes of their infant daughter. The letter closed with these words: “...as for us, may God be glorified, whether by life or by death.” John and Betty Stam knew firsthand the truth of Revelation: Jesus is Lord and will win the final victory. Whether through life or through death, God is in control, and his ways are best.

(1) Choose one of the following assignments:

• Prepare a sermon or Bible lesson in which you apply the message to one of the seven churches to the needs of your own church (Revelation 2-3). Either submit this in writing (5-6 pages) or submit a recording of you preaching or teaching it.

• (This may be completed during preparation for Lesson 12.) As you read Revelation, take note of which chapters provide a view of what is happening on earth and which chapters provide a view of what is happening in heaven. Write a short essay summarizing what Revelation shows us about heaven’s view of earthly events. How does the view from heaven differ from our limited view on earth?

(2) At the beginning of the next lesson, you will take a test based on this lesson. Study the test questions carefully in preparation.

(1) The Roman Empire required people to refer to Caesar as dominus et deus noster. What does that Latin phrase mean?

(2) Revelation was most likely written during the later years of which emperor’s reign? Which years did he reign?

(3) Where is the island of Patmos?

(4) List three ways in which John presents the truth that Jesus is Lord.

(5) Name two characteristics of apocalyptic literature.

(6) In one sentence each, define the four views of Revelation.

(7) List four views of the future among futurists.

(8) List the three major themes in Revelation.

(9) Write Revelation 3:20-21 from memory.