The Vindication of Jesus Christ: A Brief Reader's Guide to Revelation

by James B. Jordan

The clue is this: in the Book of Revelation, angels are portrayed as bringing final judgments on the creation. This tells us that the creation that is being judged is the First or Old Creation, and also tells us that the book was written before the final destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem in AD 70.

Now the Bible tells us that the Old Creation was superintended by angels, while the New Creation is superintended by redeemed humanity.

Start with 1 Corinthians 6:3, which establishes that at the end of the New Creation we shall judge angels, not vice versa.

So the Son of God entered as the Angel of the Lord to guide humanity toward maturity. Before He was the Second Adam, Jesus was the Second Lucifer. Throughout the Old Creation, we see the Angel of the Lord and His spirit angels supervising and judging humanity.

The New Creation began at Pentecost, when the ascended and enthroned Jesus sent the Spirit to enable us to disciple the nations and in that sense to rule the world.

Now, with these facts in mind, we can see that the period of time covered in Revelation is basically the same period of time covered in Acts and the Epistles, though it focuses on the final events of that period.

The final destruction of the Old Creation is the public vindication of Jesus Christ.

It was the proof that He had indeed ascended to heaven and become King of kings and Lord of lords. Thus, the destruction of the Old Creation is of incalculable importance to Biblical theology.

Now, many Christians reject the idea that most of Revelation is concerned with the period from Pentecost to the end of the Old Creation in AD 70, because they think that this makes Revelation irrelevant for today’s world. Not so, because the short history from AD 30–70 is a type or model for the long history of Christendom from Pentecost to the Second Coming.

Revelation was not written to the Jews and Gentiles, but to the churches (1:4).

Revelation is not concerned with the war between the Jews and the Romans, which resulted in the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem. Rather, Revelation is concerned with evangelism, faithfulness, martyrdom, and the vindication of the saints who stand firm.

Judgment is the first step toward renewal and blessing, and such judgment starts at the house of God. When God’s people are faithful, He makes their enemies to be at peace with them, by either converting or destroying their enemies.