(Adapted from Ray Stedman’s sermons on raystedman.org)
A Story for Our Moment
A young father in Melbourne sat on the couch late one evening, scrolling through the news. Every headline seemed to echo the same themes: uncertainty, conflict, instability, and fear. His daughter wandered over, climbed into his lap, and asked, “Daddy, is the world going to be okay?”
He hesitated. He didn’t want to lie, but he also didn’t want to frighten her. So he said, “The world is broken, but the story isn’t finished. God is still writing it.”
After she fell asleep, he opened his Bible, not to Psalms or Proverbs, but to Revelation. Not to decode world events, but to remember the ending of the story he was living in.
How Revelation Fits the Purpose of the Whole Bible
When we step back and look at Scripture as a whole, we discover that it is not a scattered collection of ancient writings but a single revelation with a single objective. Ephesians says Christ gave leaders to the church “to equip his people for works of service… until we all reach unity in the faith… and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12-13, NIV).
Everything God has revealed, every story, poem, prophecy, letter, and vision, aims at one great purpose: to mature us into people who express the life of Christ, people in whom the fullness of God is at work. Scripture is God’s instrument for shaping us into men and women who are “wholly filled and flooded with God Himself.” He will not rest until this becomes true of His people, and every part of the Bible contributes to this lifelong formation.
The Old Testament accomplishes this by preparing the heart. As we read its pages, we find ourselves standing with men and women who wrestled with the same fears, longings, failures, and hopes we do. Their hunger is our hunger; their thirst is our thirst. Their stories awaken in us the very questions and desires that make us ready for the One who fulfills them.
The New Testament then presents the answer to that preparation: Jesus Christ Himself, His life, His work, His Spirit, and His indwelling presence. The entire biblical story moves from preparation to presentation, from longing to fulfillment.
And Revelation shows us the completion of that purpose, the final movement of the symphony, the place where God’s story reaches its intended crescendo.
The Books of the Bible in the Flow of the Story
The Bible unfolds like a great journey in which each section prepares us for the next, and every part contributes to God’s single purpose of forming Christ within His people.
The Pentateuch lays the foundation by showing the basic pattern of God’s work in human lives.
The historical books reveal the perils of the pathway, fear, compromise, pride, idolatry, and discouragement, along with God’s faithful answers.
The poetic and wisdom books give voice to the inner life. They express the protests and longings of the human heart, the cries of the spirit, the groans of the body, the yearning of the soul.
The prophetic books hold out the promises of God: a coming King, a new covenant, and a restored creation.
The Gospels and Acts present Jesus Himself: who He is, why He came, how He lived, and what He inaugurated.
The epistles explain the meaning of that life for us, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27, NIV) and “you in Christ,” a new humanity formed by the Spirit, and the faith that is required to achieve it.
All of this prepares us for the final book, Revelation, where every thread of the biblical story converges.
Revelation as the Completion of the Bible’s Purpose
Revelation completes the Bible’s purpose by showing how God brings His people to full maturity in Christ. The entire book is a revelation of the forces that shape us, the truth that steadies us, and the grace that sustains us. Its final themes: the supremacy of Jesus Christ, the unveiling of reality, and the invitation to come, are the very truths that form Christ within us. Revelation is not only about how history ends; it is about how Christ is formed in His people along the way.
Overview of Revelation
Revelation 1 - The Lord of History
Revelation opens by addressing one of the deepest tensions in the human heart: our longing for God and our resistance to Him. The story of sin, with all its confusion, ache, and contradiction, finds both its explanation and its ultimate solution in this book. Yet Revelation is also the book that many people fear the most.
But Revelation begins with a promise no other biblical book contains: “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it” (Revelation 1:3, NIV).
John, exiled on the island of Patmos, encounters the risen Christ, radiant, authoritative, and present among His churches. Jesus identifies Himself as “the Alpha and the Omega… who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8, NIV).
Then He gives John the structure that shapes the entire book: “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now, and what will take place later” (Revelation 1:19, NIV).
Understanding these divisions brings clarity to everything that follows.
The Three Great Divisions of Revelation
When Jesus gives John this threefold command, He provides the inspired outline of the entire book. Revelation is not a chaotic swirl of visions; it is a carefully structured unveiling of Christ’s work in His church, His world, and His future kingdom.
Understanding these divisions brings clarity to everything that follows.
1. “What You Have Seen” - The Vision of Christ (Revelation 1)
The first division centres on John’s overwhelming encounter with the risen Jesus. Exiled on Patmos, John turns and sees “someone like a son of man” standing among seven golden lampstands (Revelation 1:12-13, NIV). His eyes blaze like fire, His voice thunders like rushing waters, and His face shines like the sun.
This opening vision establishes the foundation for the entire book. Jesus is present among His churches, walking among them. He holds authority over history, declaring, “I am the First and the Last… I hold the keys of death and Hades” (Revelation 1:17-18, NIV). And He is the interpreter of the visions that follow. Revelation begins not with beasts or judgments, but with Christ Himself, the One who governs history and brings it to its appointed end. Revelation begins not with beasts or judgments, but with Christ Himself, the One who governs history and brings it to its appointed end.
2. “What Is Now” - The Churches in the Present Age (Revelation 2-3)
The second division contains the seven letters to the churches of Asia Minor. These were real congregations facing real pressures, but they also represent the ongoing spiritual conditions of the church throughout the entire age between Christ’s ascension and His return.
Each letter reveals something about Christ, diagnoses the church’s condition, calls for repentance or perseverance, and offers a promise to the one who overcomes. Together, these letters form a spiritual map of the Church Age.
Ephesus is orthodox but loveless. Smyrna is suffering but faithful. Pergamum is compromised by false teaching. Thyatira tolerates corruption. Sardis is outwardly alive but spiritually dead. Philadelphia is weak but obedient. Laodicea is wealthy but lukewarm.
Every believer and every congregation can find themselves somewhere in these letters. They reveal the temptations, dangers, and hopes of the church in every generation.
3. “What Will Take Place Later” - God’s Final Work (Revelation 4-22)
The third division, the largest and most dramatic, unveils the final movement of God’s redemptive plan. John is taken up into heaven and sees a throne, a scroll, and a Lamb.
From this point forward, Revelation focuses on the culmination of history that includes:
The Throne Room (Revelation 4-5)
God’s throne is at the centre of all reality, and the Lamb who alone is worthy to open the scroll.
The Seals (Revelation 6-8)
The Lamb breaks the seals, revealing the forces that shape human history: war, famine, death, persecution, and divine restraint.
The Trumpets and Bowls (Revelation 8-16)
Judgments intensify as God confronts evil and calls the world to repentance.
The Fall of Babylon (Revelation 17-18)
The world system, seductive, powerful, and corrupt, is judged and destroyed.
The Return of Christ (Revelation 19)
Heaven opens, and Christ rides forth as the Faithful and True King.
The Final Judgment (Revelation 20)
Evil is defeated, the dead are raised, and all stand before the great white throne.
The New Creation (Revelation 21-22)
A new heaven and new earth appear. God dwells with His people. Death, mourning, crying, and pain are gone forever.
This final division answers the deepest questions of the human heart:
- Where is history going?
- Will evil win?
- Is justice real?
- Will suffering end?
- What will God’s world look like when He makes all things new?
Revelation’s answer is clear: History is moving toward the reign of Christ, the renewal of creation, and the joy of God dwelling with His people forever.
John’s Epilogue and Concluding Remarks - The Final Word of Revelation
After the vision of the new creation, where “there will be no more night,” and God Himself gives light (Revelation 22:5, NIV), John turns to summarize the heart of the entire book. These closing reflections gather Revelation’s message into three great themes that steady the church in every age.
1. The Supremacy of Jesus Christ
The angel declares, “These words are trustworthy and true” (Revelation 22:6, NIV). Overwhelmed, John falls at the angel’s feet, but is rebuked: “You must not do that… Worship God!” (Revelation 22:9, NIV).
Then Jesus speaks: “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches” (Revelation 22:16, NIV). Revelation begins with Jesus declaring, “I am the Alpha and the Omega” (Revelation 1:8, NIV) and ends with heaven worshiping Him as the Lamb.
Jesus Christ is God, and He is the master of history.
2. The Unveiling of Reality
John is told, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near” (Revelation 22:10, NIV).
Revelation reveals what lies beneath the surface of human events. It shows evil exposed, righteousness vindicated, and history moving toward Christ’s return. God allows evil to run its course until its true nature becomes unmistakable. Civilization is a thin veneer; Revelation shows what happens when it cracks.
Revelation reveals reality as it truly is.
3. The Present Offer of Grace
Revelation ends not with fear but with invitation: “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’… Let the one who is thirsty come” (Revelation 22:17, NIV).
This is the message Jesus sends “for the churches” (Revelation 22:16, NIV). The church’s message to the world is profoundly simple:
Come to Jesus. Come without price, without pretence, without qualification.
Each theme is sealed with the same promise: “Yes, I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:20, NIV).
And John closes with a final blessing: “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen” (Revelation 22:21, NIV).
Revelation is a book meant to steady our hearts in the darkest hour, reminding us that history is His story, and its end is already written.
So What? Why Revelation Matters
Revelation answers the questions people quietly carry:
- Is history out of control? No. The Lamb holds the scroll.
- Is evil winning? No. Evil is allowed to run its course but is ultimately defeated.
- Is suffering meaningless? No. Every tear will be wiped away.
- Is the Christian life worth it? Yes. Faithfulness leads to joy, life, and a world made new.
Revelation is not meant to frighten believers. It is meant to steady them.
It is not a codebook but a compass. It tells us: Live now in light of the ending that is already written.
A Closing Story for Those Who Haven’t Read Much of the Bible
A small group of friends met weekly at a café in Perth. Most were new to faith. They had heard sermons, watched videos, and read a few Psalms or Gospel stories, but the Bible still felt like a massive library they weren’t sure how to enter.
One evening, someone asked, “If we haven’t read most of the Bible, should we even bother with Revelation? Isn’t it the hardest book?”
Their mentor smiled. “You don’t need to know every book to understand the heart of Revelation,” he said. “It’s not a secret code. It’s a promise. It shows you where the story is going, and who is guiding it.”
So they opened it together.
They didn’t understand every symbol. They didn’t grasp every image. But they did see something unmistakable:
A Lamb who loves them. A King who has not abandoned the world. A future where God wipes away every tear. A story that ends with God dwelling with His people, even people still learning the story.
One of them closed the Bible and said, “I may not know everything in Genesis or Isaiah or Romans yet… but I know how the story ends. And that gives me courage to keep reading.”
That is the gift of Revelation for beginners and long-time readers alike: it invites you into the story, even if you’ve only just begun.
Resources:
For more references, please see the following:
- The End
- The Gospel Coalition - Introduction to the Epistles and Revelation
- Bible Project Guides - New Testament
