An Important Assignment

From 1660 to 1672, John Bunyan resided in Bedford County Gaol, imprisoned for unlawfully preaching the gospel. During that time, he started writing what would become a quintessential Christian allegory: The Pilgrim’s Progress.

God gave the apostle John the colossal assignment of writing the book of Revelation from prison. In another sense, however, John’s task was rather straightforward. He was simply to write what he witnessed, “the things which [he had] seen” in the visions given to him by God. That is, after all, the basis of what a prophet is: God’s messenger: “I will raise up … a Prophet …, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him” (Deuteronomy 18:18).

Today’s verse also gives us an important key as to how to understand the book of Revelation. This is relevant in that there exists many people who misinterpret this last book of the Bible and are thus led astray from its critical truths. For one, there are those who ascribe to the futurist view, which supposes the entirety of the events in Revelation to be in the distant future. But let the Bible interpret itself. John himself clearly stated in today’s verse that he was to “write … the things which are.” That means that God’s messages in Revelation were relevant to the churches in John’s day.

For another, there are those who adopt the preterist view of Revelation, which maintains that all its events took place pretty much during John’s lifetime. But again, the Bible contradicts this perspective. As we see in today’s verse, John was also told to “write … the things which will take place after this.” That means that Revelation would be relevant to the generations after John.

What this verse does affirm is a third method known as historicism, which interprets Revelation’s prophecies as moving sequentially through periods of history. Indeed, the Bible’s other major apocalyptic book Daniel follows the same progression, beginning with the prophet’s time and carrying all the way to the final events. Thus, Revelation’s precious truths are relevant to every generation of believers.

O Lord, You who know the beginning from the end, may the messages You gave to John be applied to my life today and every day.

For Further Study: Numbers 12:6; Isaiah 41:4; John 16:13

Key Bible Texts

Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; (Revelation 1:19 KJV)