The main theme of Revelation is that Jesus Christ is the Conqueror, and all believers share in His great victory. As we start this Bible Study, we need to always keep this in mind. We need to look at the prophecy that is in this wonderful book; but the main point is not the prophecy, it is just as the title of the book is The Revelation of Jesus Christ.
John was the author of Revelation. Known as the Beloved disciple, he was with Jesus through His entire three year ministry. It is believed he is the only disciple who was not martyred for his faith and died at an old age. Jesus loved John very much. He trusted him. When Jesus was on the cross, He trusted John with the responsibility of caring for His own mother: the woman who God had chosen to give birth to the Savior of the world.
John wrote this book in about AD 95 to encourage first-century Christians who were experiencing great suffering. In every age of the church, Revelation has brought comfort and hope. Why? Its symbols are timeless and may be understood by believers in any period of history; because its promises are eternal and may be trusted by all saints. I believe that John prophesied about specific events and a specific sequence of events. Jesus knew that the revelation He was about to give John would be written correctly and completely. Whether John understood it or not, Jesus knew he would be faithful to do what was asked of him.
The book of Revelation of Jesus Christ has challenged and fascinated Bible students for centuries. In my own library, I have dozens of commentaries on this book, and no two authors completely agree on everything. But this is not important. What is important is that we not miss the major message of Revelation: the glorious victory of Jesus Christ over all His enemies. It would be unfortunate for the Bible student to get so lost in the details of this stirring prophecy that he miss its tremendous and overarching truth: In Jesus Christ, we are overcomers!”