Bible 107 Return to Syllabus

OUTLINE OF REVELATION

Chapter
1    I. INTRODUCTION--Chap. 1
    II. Messages to the Seven Churches--Chap. 2-3
2          1. Ephesus--left first love
           2. Smyrna--commended but will have tribulation
           3. Pergamum--hold teachings of Balaam and Nicolaitans
           4. Thyatira--tolerate prophetess Jezebel
3          5. Sardis--name of being alive, but dead 
           6. Philadelphia--commended
           7. Laodicea--lukewarm
   III. SEQUENCE #1--Chap. 4-11
4       A. Heavenly Worship--Chap. 4
5       B. Prelude--Chap. 5
        C. Seven Seals--Chap. 6-8:1
6          1. White horse (conquest)
           2. Red horse (war)
           3. Black horse (famine)
           4. Green [pale] horse (Death/disease)
           5. Souls of Martyrs under the Altar
           6. Signs in heavens--cf. Mt. 24:29; Joel 2:31; 3:15; Acts 2:20
               (cf. also Is. 13:10 which refers to the destruction of 
               Babylon by the Medes--Is. 13:1, 17)
              v. 17 great day of wrath--cf. Matt. 24:30
7          Interlude 
              a. The sealing of God's servants--cf. Ezek. 9:4
                 144,000 (tribe of Dan is omitted) ON EARTH
              b. Great multitude (who had been through great tribulation--
                 cf. Matt. 24:21) IN HEAVEN
8          7. Silence for half an hour
        D. Seven Trumpets--Chap. 8:2-11:19 (warning plagues--symbolic?)
           Do the seven trumpets a) begin a new sequence, or b) as is more
           probable, make up a subsequence under the seventh seal?
           1. 1/3 of earth destroyed
           2. 1/3 of sea destroyed 
           3. 1/3 of rivers destroyed
           4. 1/3 of heavens destroyed 
9          5. Locusts from bottomless pit torture non-sealed (cf. 7:3) 5 months
           6. 1/3 of mankind destroyed by cavalry of 200 million wearing 
              breastplates of fire-orange, hyacinth-blue, & sulphur-yellow
              v. 20--but still not repent
10         Interlude
              a. Seven thunders (sealed up)
              b. John eats scroll--cf. Ezek. 2:8-3:3
11            c. Two witnesses--cf. Zech. 4:2-3, 11-14--outer court given over
                 to nations (Gentiles)--cf. Luke 21:24
                 42 months = 1260 days = 3-1/2 years = time, times, and half
                 a time--cf. Rev. 12:14; 13:5; Dan. 7:25; 9:27 (?); 12:7
                 = a time of persecution
           7. Reigning in Kingdom and dead judged (end of world)
              v. 19  temple opened--cf. Rev. 15:5
                     lightning, noises, thunder, earthquake, hail--
                     cf. Rev. 16:18-21 and 4:5; 8:5
    IV. SEQUENCE #2--Chap. 12-14 (start over)
12       Woman with child = Israel (?)--cf. Gen. 37:9-10
         Great red dragon (7 heads and 10 horns) = Satan
         Male child (Christ)
         v. 7 war in heaven (flashback--v. 6 = v. 14), Satan thrown to earth
         v. 10 Now have come salvation (death of Christ), power (resurrection), 
               kingdom (Pentecost) & authority (cf. Matt. 28:18)
         v. 15 flood--cf. Dan. 9:26 (?)
         Offspring of woman = Christians
13       Beast from sea (7 heads & 10 horns; image of Satan) = political power
           (some connection with lawless one--II Thess. 2:3-4, 8--
           Antichrist?--cf. Rev. 13:6)
           This beast is a combination of Daniel's 4 beasts of Dan. 7:
           lion (1 head; Babylon) + bear (1 head; Medo-Persia) +
           leopard (4 heads; Greece) + terrible beast (1 head & 10 horns; Rome)
         Beast from earth = religious power
           works great signs--cf. Matt.24:24; II Thess. 2:9
14       Lamb (= Christ) & 144,000
         3 proclaiming angels announcing gospel, fall of Babylon, & judgment
         Son of man on clouds--cf. Dan. 7:13; Matt.24:30
         Reaping of ripe harvest = resurrection of just--cf. Joel 3:13; 
           Matt. 13:30
         Reaping of grapes & winepress of wrath = resurrection of unjust--
           cf. Joel 3:13
     V. SEQUENCE #3--Chap. 15-16 
15       This section would seem to fit in the middle of Rev. 11:19.
         Compare 15:5 & 16:18-21 with 11:19; this is apparently a 
         flashback & expansion.
         Seven bowls of wrath = last seven plagues (cf. warning plagues in 8)
16       1. Earth destroyed 
         2. Sea destroyed 
         3. Rivers destroyed 
         4. Sun destroyed 
         5. Throne of beast destroyed
         6. Preparation for Armageddon
              Euphrates--cf. Rev. 9:14
              Compare Dragon, Beast, & False Prophet with Father, Son, & Spirit
         7. Destruction of Babylon
    VI. SEQUENCE #4--Chap. 17-18 (draws from chapters 13 and 16)
17       Harlot on 7-headed beast = great city with dominion (Rome; cf. 17:18)
           contrast harlot (17:1) with bride of Christ (21:2)
           v. 10--seven kings: possibly Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, 
                            Greece, Rome ("one is"; 17:10), Muslim rule?]
18       Destruction of Babylon (an expansion of 16:19)
   VII. SEQUENCE #5--Chap. 19-20
19       Invitation to the marriage supper of the Lamb
         Defeat of beast & false prophet--cf. sixth bowl of wrath (16:12-16)
20       Thousand year reign (of martyrs for Christ [first resurrection])
         Defeat of Satan (thesis of the book [?]) in lake of fire & sulphur
         Judgment with books & great white throne; second death (lake of fire)
  VIII. The New Jerusalem--Chap. 21-22:5 
21       Symbolic of the glorified church = bride of Christ
         Compare Ezekiel's city (Ezek. 47:1, 12; 48:30-34)
22  IX. CONCLUSION--Chap. 22:6-21
         Blessing (22:14), invitation (22:17), and warning (22:18-19)


See also the one page outline of Revelation
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