Revelation Explained: Hope for Persecuted Christians

How the Tribulation, Rapture, and Martyrs’ Triumph Reveal God’s Plan

We were driving down to the coast yesterday when my wife told me about a dream she had the night before. In it, Jesus was returning to the earth, riding on the clouds. She said, “You know what? The strangest thing was that I wasn’t afraid. All I felt was peace.” She described how the Lord’s light filled the sky and only grew brighter as He approached. Then she remembered how she used to think about Christ’s return: “I remember hearing all that stuff about end times, tribulation, the return of Christ and the rapture when I was a younger Christian and I just felt terrified about it all. I kind of buried my head in the sand and didn’t want to focus on that stuff.” But in this dream she felt peace and comfort.

That is exactly what the book of Revelation is meant to do. It is not a coded horror film trailer. It is a vision of Jesus for a suffering, pressured church and a lifeline of hope for those who feel like they are at the edge of collapse. John’s first readers were not speculating about the Antichrist or drawing charts of future events. They were being arrested, tortured and exiled. Into that world Jesus gave a revelation of Himself as the Lamb who was slain and the King who is coming.

When you read Revelation in that light the whole thing shifts. Yes there are beasts and bowls and judgments, but threaded through it are worship scenes, visions of the throne and a steady drumbeat: “Hold fast. Endure. The Lamb wins.” It is an apocalypse that produces courage, not panic.

This is also why the older, historic view of the church has typically been what we now call post-tribulation. For most of Christian history believers assumed we would go through tribulation before Christ returns, not be pulled out of it. That is not bad news. It is a call to faithfulness. God preserves His people in the fire, not from it. Think of Israel in Egypt, Daniel in Babylon or the early church under Rome. The pattern is endurance and deliverance, not escape.

For persecuted Christians around the world today that is still good news. Revelation shows them and us that Christ is with His people in suffering and will return to vindicate them. The rapture is not a secret evacuation. It is the great public reunion when the King comes on the clouds. That is a hope you can anchor your soul to.

Western believers like me and my wife may not be under open persecution, but we can still prepare our hearts by shifting our focus from escape timelines to Christ Himself. Revelation blesses “the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy” (Rev 1:3) because it is meant to be lived, not feared.

The dream my wife had captured the heart of Revelation perfectly. When Christ comes His people will not be terrified. They will be at peace, filled with hope, because the Lamb who was slain is also the Lion who reigns. Revelation is not about scaring us. It is about steadying us until He comes.

The Original Setting of Revelation

The book of Revelation was written around AD 95 during the reign of Emperor Domitian. Most people know about the brutality of Nero toward the early church, but Domitian was even worse. Nero’s effect was mostly local and he tended to make examples of outspoken Christian leaders. Domitian’s persecution was systemic and spread across the Roman Empire.

Domitian ruled as a divine monarch, seeing himself as a god. Once a year everyone in his empire had to bow before him and declare “Caesar is Lord” to avoid higher taxes or harsher punishment. That was no problem for most Roman citizens, who were polytheistic and could add one more deity without conscience. For Jews and Christians, who worship one God alone, the rule became a direct act of persecution. Refusing to comply was an act of treason.

There is evidence of this context and audience right in John’s own words:

“I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.”

— Revelation 1:9 ESV

John was on the island of Patmos because of persecution, a prisoner for the Lord. He appeals to the churches in Asia as a “partner in tribulation.” He is saying, in effect, “I am suffering for Jesus just as you are suffering for Jesus.” This is where the book of Revelation was born.

In the modern West we tend to read this book from an academic angle, as something to be studied and pulled apart at great length. In doing so we often miss the big picture and the obvious message the revelation of Jesus to John was meant to communicate.

This was written to ordinary first-century Christians under the pressure of persecution. They would have taken the symbols and apocalyptic language at face value and understood a simple truth: it is going to be hard, in fact it already is, but Jesus is coming out on top. That reality would have brought deep comfort to a church hurting and suffering for the gospel.

Endurance and God’s Justice

This theme of endurance runs right through the book. In His letters to the seven churches Jesus commends the believers in Ephesus with these words:

“I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.”

— Revelation 2:3

Right from the start of Revelation Christ is telling His church, “I see your suffering. I know your endurance. I am with you in it.” That is the heartbeat of the whole book.

This call to endurance is not just a passing thought in Revelation; it is the refrain at the end of every one of Jesus’ letters to the churches. Again and again He says something like:

“The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.”

— Revelation 3:5

He is giving promises to Christians to endure, persevere, overcome and prove themselves as conquerors. These aren’t empty slogans; they are pledges from Christ Himself to His people under pressure.

And John, the same apostle who wrote down these visions, had already recorded Jesus’ words in his Gospel:

“In the world you will have trouble. But take courage; I have conquered the world.”

— John 16:33

Revelation is the extended picture of that very statement. Trouble will come, but Christ has already conquered, and His people are called to share in His victory.

Later, in the visions of the seven seals, trumpets and bowls, we see that part of God’s judgment on the world is connected to His justice for the martyrs. John writes:

“When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, ‘O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’”

— Revelation 6:9-10

The suffering of God’s people does not go unnoticed. Their prayers rise to heaven. Their blood is not forgotten. The judgments are not random acts of destruction but God’s response to evil, injustice and persecution. For John’s audience this would have been a powerful reassurance: God sees, God hears and God will set things right.

Facing the Tribulation

John’s vision in chapter 7 makes the same point even more vivid:

“Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ‘Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?’ I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’”

— Revelation 7:13-14

Still think Christians will escape the tribulation? Here we have clear evidence that believers pass through it, and there are places of honour reserved for those who do. Imagine you’re a Christian in the persecuted church of the first century. You wouldn’t be reading this thinking it was some horror you would never have to face, because in your eyes the tribulation had already begun. Persecution and suffering were already all around you. The blood of the martyrs was already crying out for Christ’s return.

For those believers, the promise of white robes in the great throne room of God was not a distant, abstract reward. It was a word of comfort and courage. To hear that those who endure the tribulations of persecution will stand before God, clothed in purity and vindicated by the Lamb’s blood, would have struck their ears with gladness and joy.

The Coming Victory of Christ

The timeline of Revelation continues with a seven-year tribulation, which the church will endure. After that, the rapture happens, but not as a secret disappearance. The Christians who have died are resurrected, and the Christians who are alive meet Jesus in the clouds as He comes to the earth. It’s like the King returning to rule His kingdom once again.

There’s a parallel with Palm Sunday: Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey as a humble servant, but this time He returns as King, riding a white horse, ready for battle. The battle of Armageddon takes place on the plains of Megiddo, but it isn’t a fight the saints will struggle through. All the resurrected saints, martyrs, and Christians are there with Him, and with one word Jesus defeats the enemy. The Antichrist and the false prophet are thrown into hell, the first humans to go there, and Satan is imprisoned for 1,000 years.

This begins Christ’s reign on earth, with His faithful people given authority alongside Him. Those who were slain for their faith will form the new government. After 1,000 years, Satan is released again to test humanity one final time. Then Jesus finally destroys him and throws him into hell forever.

Finally comes the great white throne judgment. All the dead rise, the second resurrection. People are judged according to whether their names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Justice is served, God’s kingdom is established, and the faithful inherit the new heaven and new earth.

Revelation’s Hope for Today

Revelation is not about scaring us. It is a survival manual for hope. It tells us ahead of time that things will be hard, but it also shows us that the Lamb wins and His people stand with Him at the end. It was written to give courage to ordinary believers under pressure, not to fuel endless speculation or fear.

For believers in the West who may not yet face persecution, Revelation is a wake-up call to prepare our hearts. It trains us to shift our focus from escaping hardship to trusting Christ through it. The blessing promised to “the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy” (Revelation 1:3) is not about decoding hidden timelines but about living faithfully in the present.

For believers in places where persecution is real and constant, the message of Revelation is even more immediate: Christ sees, Christ knows, and Christ will vindicate His people. The white robes, the throne room, the promise of reigning with Him; these are not symbolic extras, they are rewards for endurance.

And for all of us, Revelation ends not with darkness but with a wedding. The new Jerusalem comes down. God dwells with His people. Every tear is wiped away. Death is no more. The King returns, the kingdom is restored, and His loyal subjects - resurrected, purified, and victorious - welcome Him with joy.

This is the hope my wife glimpsed in her dream. When Christ returns, His people will not be afraid. They will be at peace. They will see the King on His throne, and the faithful will be there with Him, clothed in white, vindicated and rejoicing. Revelation is a promise of hope that endures all trials, all persecution, and all suffering until the Lord comes again.