The book of Revelation is often regarded as a mystical and mysterious book of the Bible, one that escapes clear understanding for many. It contains many prophecies; some yet to be fullfilled, warnings of coming judgments, and signs to indicate the end times. The book of Revelation is not a chronological story but a letter, commissioned by God, to address things that were, things that are, and things that are to come (Revelation 1:19). There are several major themes in the book that can be studied in depth, but one overarching theme is this, Jesus is the Revelation of Almighty God. God revealed Himself to the world in the image of the man, Jesus the Messiah.
One of the major themes of Revelation is eternity, when time is no more and when all the prophecy and promises of the scriptures have been fulfilled. Revelation is the end of the story, the last book in the Bible, and no conclusion of any story makes sense without the context of the beginning. Which is why a good place to begin understanding Revelation is in the beginning… namely, Genesis – the book of beginnings; for the last three chapters of Revelation parallel the first three chapters of Genesis and brings the story of redemption to a glorious finale.
The following list of parallel scriptures show how Genesis introduces time, the temporal, and death, but Revelation consummates these with life, the eternal, and eternity. They are the opening and the closing of the greatest Book ever written.
Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning God…
Revelation 21:6 – And He said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end…
Genesis 1:1 – … God created the heaven and the earth.
Revelation 21:1 – And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away…
Genesis 1:3 – And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. (The light was created on the first day; before the sun, moon, and stars on the fourth day.)
Genesis 1:16 – And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night…
Revelation 21:23 – And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
Genesis 1:16 – He made the stars also.
Revelation 22:16 – I am… the bright and morning star.
Genesis 1:5 – The darkness He called night.
Revelation 21:5 – And the gates of it shall not be shut all by day: for there shall be no night there.
Genesis 1:10 – … and the gathering together of the waters called He seas.
Revelation 21:1 – …and there was no more sea.
Genesis 1:28 – … (mankind) subdue it (the earth): and have dominion…
Revelation 22:5 – … and they (His servants) shall reign for ever and ever
Genesis 2:9 – … the tree of life also in the midst of the garden…
Revelation 22:2 – … was there the tree of life…
Genesis 2:10 – And a river went out of Eden to water the garden…
Revelation 22:1 – And He shewed me a pure river of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Genesis 2:17 – …for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Revelation 22:17 – …And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
Genesis 3:3 – Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
Revelation 21:4 – … and there shall be no more death.
Genesis 2:24 – Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Revelation 21:9 – Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.
Genesis 3:16 – … she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. (Sin entered the garden.)
Revelation 21:27 – And there shall in no wise enter into it (New Jerusalem) any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie…
Genesis 3:8-9 – And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden… And the LORD God called unto Adam… Where art thou?
Revelation 21:3 – And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
Genesis 3:13 – … And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
Revelation 20:10 – And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone…
Genesis 3:14,17 – Because thou hast done this, thou are cursed… Cursed is the ground for thy sake…
Revelation 22:3 – And there shall be no more curse…
Genesis opens with creation, time, sin, separation, and death. Revelation ends with a new creation, the end of time, triumph over sin, eternal union, and life everlasting.
Jesus said, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” Revelation 22:13
Amen.