I. PROLOGUE: Christ Communicating (1: 1-8)
1. Forward (vs.
1-3).
2. Salutation
and Doxology (vs. 4-7).
3. Self-identification
of Source (v. 8).
II. VISION ONE: Christ in the Church; The Living One – Place:
Patmos (1:9 - 3:22)
1. The Eternal
Christ (1:9-20).
2. Messages to Seven
Churches in Asia (2:1 - 3:22).
a. To
Ephesus (2:1-7) – a church of diminishing love.
b. To
Smyrna (2:8-11) – A persecuted but faithful church.
c. To
Pergamum (2:12-17) --- tolerant of false doctrines.
d. To
Thyatira (2:18-29) – tolerant of false prophetess.
e. To
Sardis (3:1-6) – a dead church, except for a faithful few.
f. To
Philadelphia (3:7-12) – a weak, faithful, missionary church.
g. To
Laodicea (3:14-22) – a lukewarm and arrogant church.
III. VISION TWO: Christ in the Universe; The Redeemer – Place:
Heaven (4:1 - 16:21).
1. Scenes in
Heaven (4:1 - 5;14).
a. The
reigning God (4:1-11).
b. The
redeeming Lamb (5:1-14).
2, Opening of
Book with Seven Seals (6:1 - 8:5).
a. First
seal: white horse (6:1-2).
b. Second
seal: red horse (6:3-4).
c. Third
seal: black horse (6:5-6).
d. Fourth
seal: pale horse (6:7-8).
e. Fifth
seal: souls of martyrs under the alter (6:9-11) – cf. 20:4-6.
f. Sixth
seal: great earthquake (6:12-17).
g. Interlude
(7:1-17).
(1)
Sealing of 144,000 (7:1-8).
(2)
Tribulation saints in heaven (7:9-17).
h. Seventh
seal: preparation for seven trumpets (8:1-6).
3. Sounding of Seven
Trumpets (8:7 - 11:19).
a. First
trumpet: hail, fire, and blood upon earth (8:7).
b. Second
trumpet: sea becomes blood (8:7).
c. Third
trumpet: a falling star (8:10-11).
d. Fourth
trumpet: darkening of sun, moon, and stars (8:10-11).
e. Fifth
trumpet (first woe): opening of bottomless pit – locusts (9:1-12).
f. Sixth
trumpet (second woe): four angels at river Euphrates released, and a
mighty, devastating Calvary appearing (9:13-20).
g. Interlude
(10:1 - 11:14).
(1)
Little open book (10:1-11).
(2)
Measuring of temple (11:1-2).
(3)
Two witnesses (11:3-14).
h. Seventh
trumpet (third woe): sovereignty of world passing to Lord and his Christ
– thanksgiving
of 24 elders – temple of God opened in heaven,
with ominous sights and sounds (11:15-19).
4. Appearance of Seven
Mystic Figures (12:1 - 16:21).
a. Woman
– a great sign in heaven (12:1-2).
b. Dragon
– another sign in heaven (12:3-4).
c. Man
child (12:5-6).
d. Michael,
the archangel (12:7-17).
e. Beast
from the sea (13:1-10).
f. Beast
from the earth (13:11-18).
g. Lamb
on Mount Zion (14:1-5).
h. Interlude:
angelic messages (14:6-20).
(1)
Announcement of God’s judgment (vs. 6-7).
(2)
Announcement of BABYLON’S fall (v.8).
(3)
Warning of wrath on worshippers of beast (vs. 9-12).
(4)
Blessedness of dead who die in Lord (v.13).
(5)
Call for Harvesting of the earth (vs.14-16).
(6)
Call for gathering of the grapes of wrath (vs.17-20).
5. Pouring of Seven
Bowls of Wrath (15:1-16-21).
a. Seven
angels with seven last plagues (another sign in heaven) – song of
victors over beast – preparation of pouring
out the plagues (15:1-16:1).
b. First
plague: sores on men (16:2).
c. Second
plague: sea turned to blood (16:3).
d. Third
plague: rivers and fountains of water turned to blood (16:4-7).
e. Fourth
plague: scorching heat form the sun (16:8-9).
f. Fifth
plague: darkness (16:10-11).
g. Sixth
plague: river Euphrates dried up to allow crossing of the kings from
the east, and unclean spirits going forth
from the beast and false prophet to
recruit them for the BATTLE OF ARMEGEDON
(16:12-16).
h. Seventh
plague: great earthquake and consummation of fury upon BABYLON (16:17-21).
IV. VISION THREE: Christ in Conquest; The Warrior – Place: Wilderness
(17:1 - 21:8).
1. BABYLON destroyed
(17:1 - 19:10).
a. Babylon
seen as a great harlot sitting on a scarlet beast – shown to John by
one of the angels with the seven last plagues
(17:1-6).
b. Mystery
of the harlot and beast explained by the same angel (17:7-18).
c. Doom
of Babylon announced by another angel from heaven (18:1-3).
d. Another
voice from heaven heard (18:4-20).
(1) Issuing a call to come out of Babylon
and share not in her plagues (vs.4-8).
(2)
Describing the lament of the world over the fall of Babylon (vs. 9-19)
(3)
Calling on heaven and apostles and prophets to rejoice because of
Babylon’s judgment (v.20).
e. Babylon’s doom symbolically portrayed
by a strong angel casting as it were a
millstone into the sea (18:21-28).
f. Exultation
heard in heaven (19:1-8).
(1)
Multitude praising God for his judgment (vs.1-4).
(2) A voice coming from the throne and calling
praise to God from all his servants (v. 5).
(3) A voice, coming as it were from a great
multitude, praising God and
announcing the coming MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB
(vs.6-8) –
anticipating (21:9 - 22:5), with the events
of Chapter 20 seeming to intervene.
g. Someone speaking to John (evidently an
angel), refusing to be worshipped and instructing
him to record the blessedness of those invited
to the marriage feast (19:9-10).
2. Beast and false
prophet overthrown (19:11-21 – in Battle of Armageddon and final
fury upon Babylon (19:12-21)?
a. Crowned,
warrior appearing in heaven, followed by armies of heaven, who will
smite the nations and rule with a rod of
iron (19:11-16).
b. Beast
and false prophet defeated and cast alive into lake of fire (vs.17-20).
c. Those
that had not received the mark of the beast or worshipped his image
were
killed with the sword that proceeded out
of the mouth of the warrior form heaven
(v.21) – possibly referring to conversions
to Christ on a grand scale.
3. Satan bound and
eventually overthrown (20:1-10).
a. Satan
bound 1,000 years (vs. 1-3) – result of Armageddon?
b. Soul
of the martyrs and faithful reign with Christ during the 1,000 years
Satan is bound
– the first resurrection (vs. 4-6).
c. Satan
loosed a little season, and leading a universal assault against the
saints and the church,
but defeated and cast into the lake of fire with the beast and false
prophet (vs.7-10).
4. Last enemies destroyed
in connection with general resurrection and judgment before
the great white throne (20:11-15).
a. Heaven
and earth fled away, and no more place found for them (v.11) – cf. 2
Peter 3:10-13.
b. Dead,
small and great, stand before God and are judged according to their
works (v.12).
c. Sea,
death, and Hades give up the dead in them (v.13) – cf. John 5:28-29;
1 Corinthians 15:2 0-23
d. Death and Hades cast into the lake of fire, which is the second
death (v.14) –
cf. 1 Corinthians 15:24-26.
e. Any
not found written in book of life cast alive into the lake of fire (v.15).
5. New heaven and
new earth seen for the righteous (21:1-8) – introductory to next vision;
cf. 2 Peter 3:13.
a. No
more sea (v.1) – in which many had died, and was therefore a dreaded
enemy –
which also separated John from his brethren.
b. New
Jerusalem, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband (v.2) cf. 19:6-10.
c. Tabernacle
of God with men (v.3).
d. No
more death, crying, or pain (v.4).
e. The
ungodly excluded – their lot being the second death, in the lake of
fire (vs.5-8).
V. EPILOGUE: Christ Challenging (22:6-21).
1. Challenges of Christ
(vs.6-9).
a. To
obedience – an appeal to the will (vs.6-7).
(1)
John reporting what Christ said through angel (vs.6-7).
(2)
John reporting his own reaction and angel’s response (vs.8-9).
b. To
receive reward – an appeal to the intellect (vs.10-15) – John reporting
what Christ said through the angel.
c. To
fellowship – an appeal to the emotions (vs.16-20).
(1)
Christ speaking in person (vs. 16-20a).
(2)
John’s response (v. 20b).
2. Benediction (v.20)
– language of John.
Note: The forgoing
outline is for the most part not interpretative, but is designed primarily
to present a overview "The Revelation of Jesus Christ" in
its symbolic aspects and provide a perspective for each particular segment
and sub-segment. Its major divisions are referred to as "visions,"
and are determined by location from which received, whether bodily,
as on Patmos, or "in the spirit," as in heaven, in a wilderness,
and on a high mountain.. Each of these contains various parts and sub-parts
which could be designated as Acts, Scenes, etc., which has not been
done in this outline.