Prophecies in Revelation

In contrast to the prophecies of the Old Testament which foretold of events to take place during the Mosaic dispensation and the first coming of Christ, prophecies of the Revelation speak concerning events of this Christian dispensation and the second coming of Christ. The Old Testament prophets prophesied of events to take place in the lives of the Israelite people. They also gave Israel hope by prophesying of a better time when the Messiah would come to this earth. As John recorded the visions given to him by God in the book of Revelation, he was making prophecies concerning the Christian dispensation and the Second Coming of Christ. He told of many events that would occur during this dispensation and would affect the lives of Christians. He also gave us hope through the promise of Christ coming a second time and taking his people home to live with him forever. The same pattern and purpose of prophecy is used in Revelation as in the Old Testament, but the times of the fulfillment of these prophecies are completely different. The Old Testament prophecies dealt with Israel and the first coming of Christ. The Revelation deals with the church and the Second Coming of Christ. Hopefully, as we read the prophesies of Revelation today, they will help all Christians to remain faithful and trust in God just as the prophecies of the Old Testament were meant to keep Israel faithful. We must keep the times of the prophecies of the Old Testament and the Revelation separated.

In addition to this, Revelation shows that prophecies made in the Old Testament have been fulfilled. When Jesus came to earth, he fulfilled all the prophecies made in the Old Testament concerning himself, as well as all the prophecies concerning the church which he would establish. Revelation gives us beautiful descriptions of the church after its establishment, and each and every one of these descriptions can be traced back to an Old Testament prophecy. Much of the prophetic language used in the Old Testament to describe the church that Jesus established is used in John's Revelation to describe the church after it was established. Revelation shows us that the prophecies of the Old Testament have been fulfilled.

In this study it is of utmost importance to understand that the last two chapters of Revelation describe the church. The same prophetic symbols used in the Old Testament to describe the church before it was established are used again in Revelation to describe the church after it was established. Revelation 21:10 defines the subject of John's vision recorded in chapters 21 and 22 as "the bride, the Lamb's wife" which is the church. This is explained in detail in our commentary on Revelation titled "Revelation for Christians Today." Some of the same symbols used in Revelation to describe the church are used in the Old Testament to describe the church before it was established. A simple example of this can be seen by comparing Isaiah 60:11 to some of the statements made concerning the church in the last two chapters of Revelation. As Isaiah writes this prophecy concerning the church to come, he states, "Therefore thy gates shall be open continually: they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought."

Then, John writes in Rev. 21:25, "And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day." Also Rev. 21:24 states, "And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it." In these passages we see the same, almost identical, language used to describe the church both before and after its establishment. The visions of Revelation describe the church in the same terms that Isaiah used to prophesy of its coming. The description of the church in Revelation is a fulfillment of the prophecy of the church in Isaiah. We must understand that God explained what the church would be like through the mouths of the prophets, and he instituted it exactly as he said he would. God then proceeded to give us a beautiful description of that glorious spiritual kingdom which Christians dwell in today through the pen of John in the book of Revelation.

Throughout this study the following graphic will be used to represent the church. It is drawn from the symbols used in Revelation chapters 21 and 22.

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