Things you have seen - an introduction to Revelation
The tone of Revelation is so different from the rest of the New Testament that it took the early Church some years of debate to agree that it was inspired Scripture. Eventually it was agreed that it indeed was Scripture, and is not simply "another" book, but is a very necessary book to give the Church a proper view of God.
Recall that the greatest thrust of the previous Epistles is to both correct false doctrine and to warn against false teachers. The most common warning concerns either a return to Law or to the adding of some "works" to the Gospel as necessary for Christians to really be righteous. Paul and the author of Hebrews agree that the purpose of the Law was to reveal sin and the need for God's grace. The threshold of "belief" is the realization that "my sin condemns me, so I have no hope but to trust in Christ and His work as my righteousness." Therefore for a Christian the Law had served its purpose, and had no further function for him.
A careful reading 1st John (along with 2nd John) indicates he is writing to a church that is being told (falsely) that "belief in Christ is not enough, they are not really righteous unless..." John writes to assure them that anyone claiming righteousness of themselves is not a believer, and that they should cling to his (John's) teaching and to continue to trust in their confession that there is no righteousness other than Christ's, which is counted to them simply because of their belief.
The reason false teaching is so dangerous is that it appeals to our sin nature, which wants to earn a pat on the back for our own efforts. Yet anything that adds our efforts to Christ's work by definition detracts from His work, claiming that it was not enough. We must cling to our confession of faith, that Christ's work is the only basis for my hope.
Paul also reveals to Timothy that the Spirit says in latter times churches will depart from the Gospel, so that while a church may continue to attract people, some will no longer carry the true Gospel, so will not lead to salvation. Thus Paul explains the reason for his emphasis to teach faithful men who can teach others, to be guardians of the trust of the Gospel. Paul knew the Gospel would eventually be diluted, but was determined that it not happen while Timothy was in leadership. In Revelation we are confronted by the fact of local churches that have strayed from the Gospel.
So with this background we come to Revelation, and we first encounter a very different glimpse of Christ than has been presented to the Church. This image is what John is told to write first, as "the things you have seen." This is a picture of Christ that the Church needs in order to see Him truly.
Christ confronts John in His glory as God, a glory that was veiled before his ascension in Acts. The picture we see is very much like the picture of God given in Genesis chapter one. In Genesis God is pictured as without equal, the Creator who is so much above His creation that all of creation must simply obey what He says. Revelation shows that Christ is this same God, One so above mankind that even "the disciple Jesus loved" can only fall at His feet.
This is Christ in His role as the God who will judge everyone. (John 5:22) That judgment will be based on belief in Christ as Savior (1 John 5:10).
This picture is necessary for the Church, because if the Church does not present Christ in this role, but only as a loving, forgiving Savior (which He is also), we give an incomplete picture, and thus not the true Christ.
The other two divisions of Revelation show why this view of Christ is first necessary. The next division, "the things that are," show Christ evaluating local assemblies or churches. The last division, "the things that will take place after these things," show Christ as Judge of the world after the Church Age.
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