In order to
answer this question, let us read what the book says about itself!
Revelation 1:1
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew
unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent
and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
It is about Jesus Christ. It
is the revealing, or unveiling of Jesus Christ. According to many popular
prophecy teachers, it is anything but a revelation of Jesus Christ. Many
people make it out to be a revelation of antichrist, or a revelation of computer
technology intended to enslave humanity, or of chinese armies and explosions.
Anything but Jesus Christ! And if they insist it is indeed a revelation
of Jesus, I am sure you would be able to agree with me that their interpretation
of the book makes Jesus Christ to be a very minor issue.
Rest assured, they are
wrong. It is a revelation of Jesus! And the greatest part of the
revelation of Jesus is the work of the cross to redeem mankind from his sins.
Partial Futurism teaches
that this book is a revelation of Jesus Christ and the ramifications that
occurred when he was indeed revealed in His ministry. Therefore, we
see much foretold prophecy about the doom upon Jerusalem for rejecting and
crucifying Jesus Christ, and about the blessings and spiritual position as
New Jerusalem that the Church holds, in this book. The perpetrators
of the crucifixion were very much a big issue with Jesus Christ. A reading
of the book of Matthew will reveal the manner in which the entire narrative
of the Gospel, and Jesus' entire focus of preaching and teaching changes
upon Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. He was rejected by Jerusalem, and
begins to speak parable after parable concerning the judgment to fall on
Jerusalem, and the kingdom being given to another nation, the church (a holy
nation). And this is actually the entire theme of Matthew chapters 21
through 25.
The veiling of Christ
is removed, and He is unveiled in this book. That is the reason you
first read a vision of John seeing Christ in the seven candlesticks, reminiscent
of the seven-branched candlestick in the Tabernacle of Moses and the Temple
of Solomon. The candlestick was in the holy place in order to enlighten
the room for the high priest to locate the veil behind which was the glory
of God. Naturally, then, we read of candlesticks first, and then enter
into seeing the glory of God in the face of Christ as we continue reading.
After this vision, John
is shown the true and actual "day of atonement" when the true High Priest,
Jesus Christ, entered into the holiest of Heaven, itself, to present His own
blood, which gives rise to the reason He is also seen as a sacrificed Lamb.
Much temple imagery is
used in Revelation, because Jesus is the true and only glorious God who was
veiled throughout all Old Testament times behind the Temple veil in the most
holy place.
The greatest work of Christ
was the cross of redemption, of course, shedding His blood for the remission
of our sins. And the events surrounding the cross included the rejection
of Christ by His own bride, Jerusalem, and the acceptance of Him by those
who became His New Bride, the Church. For that reason, Revelation speaks
much about the destruction of Jerusalem, who acted as the whore just as Ezekiel
prophesied her to be in chapter 16. Read this entire chapter and try
to believe that the whore of Revelation is a city other than Jerusalem.
The Revelation is about
Jesus and the work of the cross, and the salvation provided through it in
contrast to the destruction meted out upon Jerusalem who brought about history's
greatest crime in crucifying her own bridegroom, Jesus Christ. The Bible
is about the cross. Yes, even Revelation speaks solely of events surrounding
the history of the cross, including Jerusalem's destruction.
It really is a revelation
of Jesus Christ in the greatest way possible -- an account of His glory revealed
to the Church while His judgment was to be revealed to Jerusalem to whom He
came as a groom comes to His bride, only to find her in the arms of the Beast,
Rome. This all parallels the story of the subtle beast, the serpent,
turning the woman's heart away from God and submission to the first Adam.
But Christ died and got Himself another Bride, the church! For
this reason, the New Jerusalem is said to be the Bride of Christ, the Church!
Thank God we are not going
to a city, but we have already come to the heavenly Jerusalem, the Church!
But
ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly
and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge
of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
(Heb 12:22-23)