Jesus gave Revelation as a love letter for his servants to share with the church. It is addressed to us from, "...him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood," (Revelation 1:5) He reminds us that he personally suffered and gave his very best for his bride, the church. But then with a broken heart, in his first letter to the church he says, "...you have left your first love." (Revelation 2:4)
This book interprets Revelation by following the instructions given to us in the first chapter. We are told to compare Revelation to the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:2). Revelation is a heart heavy message, very carefully and personally delivered by Jesus Christ himself. That is why this particular book carefully considers the spiritual heart message that is being delivered to the ministry, and we will address each scripture within Revelation in the same order as it was originally given. Almost every scripture within Revelation (hundreds of them) are derived from other scriptures within the rest of the Bible. There is no way to interpret Revelation without carefully considering what those scriptures spiritually teach us, and then what Jesus is telling us with them through his Revelation.
Revelation is also a book of many sevens. Addressing things seven times is God's way within scripture of completing his purpose and his work. There are four different patterns of seven that are explicitly identified within Revelation: 7 churches, 7 seals, 7 trumpets, and 7 vials of the wrath of God poured out. This pattern of four sevens matches how God said he would correct his people back in Leviticus chapter 26. He said four different times that if his people stray away from him, he will correct them seven times, and in the last seven he will correct them in his fury. Accordingly, the last pattern of seven within Revelation is done in God's wrath and fury. Revelation finalizes the corrections for all the problems in the church.
