John was in prison on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. On the Lord’s day, John received a vision. He was told to write what he was about to see and send it to 7 churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. Who told John? Jesus.
Jesus is described as being “like a son of man” who walks among seven golden lampstands. Verse 20 says the lampstands are the 7 churches mentioned earlier. “The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters.” In Daniel’s vision by the Tigris, we find Jesus described in a very similar way. [Daniel 10:5-8, 16]
Now, in John’s vision, Jesus had 7 stars in His right hand, which verse 20 says are the angels of the 7 churches. He had a double-edged sword coming out of His mouth; Hebrews 4:12 says that the Word of God is like a double-edged sword and Jesus, of course, is the Word. [John 1:1-3]
Anyway, Jesus said to John, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” He has always been and always will be, the Alpha and the Omega. He died and rose again, conquering sin and death. Finally, Jesus told John to write “what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.” So, Revelation is going to talk about the past, the present (what was going on when John was writing) and of course, the future.