As mentioned earlier, the Introduction and Conclusion to the book of Revelation could be interpreted as a part of their respective accounts, but it is more appropriate to treat them separately because they add absolutely nothing to the chronology of the events. What they do add to the vision is perspective. Specifically, they identify the source, the purpose, and the urgency of the Revelation.
Like the seven accounts of Revelation, the Introduction and Conclusion complement one another by presenting both parallel information and supplementary insight. Therefore, under the harmonistic philosophy, the two passages should be studied in parallel in order to gain the complete picture they were intended to portray.
Introduction
REV 1:
1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;
13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;
20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
Conclusion
REV 22:
6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
In one, the other, or both of these passages, we see that Jesus Christ, the Source of the vision, is the Alpha and the Omega (1:8, 11; 22:13); the beginning and the end (1:8; 22:13); the first and the last (1:11, 17; 22:13); the One which is and which was and which is to come, the Almighty (1:4; 1:8); the faithful witness, the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth (1:5); the One that liveth, and was dead, and, behold, alive for evermore (1:18); the One who has the keys of hell and death (1:18); and the One who is the root and the offspring of David, the bright and morning star (22:16).
In addition, we see that John is commanded to write what he sees (1:11, 19) and not to seal the words of the prophecy (22:10) because the words are faithful and true (22:6) and will shortly take place (1:1, 19; 22:6), for the time is at hand (1:3, 22:10) and Christ is coming quickly (22:7, 12, 20) with clouds (1:7) to reward everyone according to his work (22:12) in this life (22:11).
We, in turn, are promised blessings if we read, hear, and keep these words (1:3; 22:7) and do the commandments of Christ (22:14). Specifically, we, as the bride of Christ, are commanded to join the Spirit of God (1:4; 22:17) in inviting everyone to come and take of the water of life freely (22:17). In other words, the Lord Jesus Christ, himself, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the writings of John, is commanding us to spread the Gospel now while we can, because THE TIME IS SHORT.
The impression of urgency is so clearly expressed in the book of Revelation that every generation of Christians during the past 2000 years has erroneously thought itself to be the last. How then can this revelation be trusted when it has been shown to be false for more than 1900 years? What makes our generation any different from previous generations? And how can we justify any belief that ours will be that special generation to which the prophecy actually pertains?
Before answering these questions, let me ask you why you think God gave the vision of Revelation 2,000 years ago instead of waiting until the latter days to do so? I believe the answer to this question is obvious and two-fold: (1) to establish the authenticity of the vision and (2) to bless the saints in every generation.
Because Revelation was given to John almost 2000 years ago, recorded for posterity at that time, and adopted into the canonical Scriptures only a short time later, it clearly has stood the test of time and is universally accepted by Christians today as the revealed word of God. Had God waited until today to give this Revelation, few if any spirit-filled Christians could or would accept it as truth on an equal basis with the rest of the Bible. Indeed, the very reason we CAN trust the vision today is that it was given so long ago!
But that is not the only reason the vision was given over 1900 years ago. It was also given to bless everyone who reads, hears, and keeps the words it contains (1:3; 22:7). Indeed, its prophecies were deliberately phrased in such a way that the Holy Spirit could use them to speak to troubled Christians throughout all ages. Like everything else in the Bible, Revelation was written for all generations.
But even though Revelation was written FOR all generations, it was written TO one and only one specific generation. And here I am not talking about the long-dead members of the seven historical churches in Asia to which only the seven letters were addressed. I am talking about the generation of Christians to whom the whole book was written, that generation who will witness the fulfillment of all the prophecies in the book. In other words, SOME of the prophecies of Revelation apply to each and every generation of Christians, but ALL of the prophecies apply to one and only one generation, namely, the LAST!
Certainly every generation of Christians is commanded to work as though it were the last generation (MAT 24:36-51), but the urgency of Revelation is directed primarily toward the very last generation. This is the generation that literally is going to run out of time. This is the generation that will see the opportunity of salvation come to an end, experience the great tribulation, witness the wrath of God, and partake of the Rapture. Other generations may experience situations similar to some of these things, but only THIS generation will experience them ALL.
How, then, do we know that ours truly is this very last generation?
Hopefully, the rest of this book can help answer this question.