From a New Testament perspective, all prophecy is Christ-centered. In other words, if one’s interpretation of prophecy does not deliver a clearer picture of Jesus, that prophecy has probably not been truly understood. If the interpreter is not careful, he or she might get the impression that the beasts, the vultures, the darkness, the earthquakes, and the hailstones are what the book of Revelation is all about. But they are more like the form in which the central message of the book is given. The true centerpiece of the book of Revelation is not war or catastrophe, it is Jesus Christ and him crucified. His presence permeates the book even when He is not named. Almost every chapter has a reference to Him in one way or another. Besides the direct use of His name, He is also observed in symbols like Son of Man (1:13), Lamb (5:6, and the male child of the woman (12;5). In addition to Christ, there are also references to churches and the cross (for example, Rev 1:5-6,11; 5:6; 11:11). To read this book without gaining a clearer picture of Jesus is to miss the key point.

In the book of Revelation, the symbols of the Old Testament are transformed because of what Christ has done. Revelation is built on the prior revelations in the Old Testament (also called the Hebrew Bible) and its major themes. But because of Jesus’ earthly life, His death and resurrection, and His ministry in the heavenly sanctuary, these Old Testament themes find fresh and creative meaning. Since the book of Revelation is a New Testament book, it picks up on the New Testament’s understanding of Old Testament themes in the light of the Christ event. While it is full of Old Testament symbolism, Revelation is a Christian book designed to teach us something about Jesus, life in the church, and the meaning of the cross.

This general picture (Revelation is a Christian book) is confirmed by an introductory statement in plain language near the beginning of the book, Revelation 1:5-6. There we are addressed with a minimum of symbolism, in language that cannot be misunderstood, as if John wanted to establish without question, right at the beginning, just what this book is about. It is about Jesus Christ, the “faithful martyr” (cross), “the firstborn from the dead” (resurrection), and the “ruler of the kings of the earth” (His ministry in heaven). No matter how strange the language of the book may seem, therefore, it is a deeply spiritual book, it unveils Jesus Christ and calls forth mighty songs of worship and praise. Jesus Christ is the center and substance of each part of the book, even the seals and the trumpets. He transforms the symbols and ideas the vision draws from the Old Testament. Truly in the book of Revelation “all the books of the Bible meet and end” (Ellen G. White, Acts of the Apostles, 585).

There is a basic insight that we need to keep in mind here. Throughout the New Testament, Christ is seen as the one who fulfilled the whole experience of God’s Old Testament people. The author of Revelation is constantly pointing to the New Testament Christ, but he is using Old Testament language to do it. God meets people where they are. John, as he is writing Revelation, sees the Christ of the New Testament in the Old. This leads to amazing depth when you dig behind the surface of the text, discover the Old Testament allusions, and see how the gospel transforms the Old Testament in the light of the doing and dying of Christ. For detailed study on how Christ fulfills the life and experience of God’s Old Testament people, see my book Meet God Again for the First Time, published by Review and Herald, 2003.