Daily Devotional

The word “revelation” translates from the Greek word apokalypsis, which means “disclosure” or “unveiling”. Revelation is a book that unveils hidden truth—from other Scripture.

For instance, Daniel was told to “shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end” (Daniel 12:4). We then learn in Revelation: “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand” (22:10). Revelation has the key that unlocks the other prophetic books of the Bible, especially the “sealed” book of Daniel. In fact, Daniel and Revelation are complementary halves meant to be studied together. (This devotional will make many references to Daniel.)

There are 404 verses in the book of Revelation. Incredibly, you’ll find more than 500 clear references to other books of the Bible and 90 direct quotations from the Hebrew Scriptures. Generally, these references come from other books of prophecy like Daniel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah. As such, a deeper understanding of Revelation comes through a knowledge of the rest of the Bible. Through Revelation we can truly see that the God of the Old and the New Testament is “one Lord” (Ephesians 4:5), “with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17), and that the Bible is to be read and understood as one unified whole.

The whole of Revelation is not chronological—it’s thematic, broken up into four different sections centered around the Christian church. You’ll notice the same events, the same entities, the same time periods repeating—and expanding with greater detail. In the first three sections, the lifespan of the church is combed through three separate times, covering different emphases but always with the same conclusion: pointing forward to the final events at the end of the world. Then, at its climactic last section, Revelation opens in glorious prophetic panorama the details of those final events.

Revelation is the string that ties the loose ends together. It is the floodlight that banishes the darkness. It is the hand that lifts the curtain over “the big picture,” revealing the scenes of the cosmic conflict between Christ and Satan. Through your study of this sacred book will be revealed your ultimate purpose, mission, and future.

Thank You, Lord, for the promise, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever” (Deuteronomy 29:29).

For Further Study: Psalm 98:2; Isaiah 29:9–21; Daniel 2:20–22