Outline of Revelation

This outline of Revelation is intended to assist you as you investigate God’s Word. May you deepen your understanding of His character as you study.

The book was written by the Apostle John from the isle of Patmos. While some have asserted that this was another John, there is an impressive list of early church fathers in favor of John the Apostle, including Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement, Origen, Tertullian and Hippolytus. Irenaeus (175-195)
states that John the Apostle wrote the book somewhere near the end of the reign of Domitian. This would place the date of writing somewhere around 95-96 A.D. Most scholars agree with this date.

The book of Revelation is a book about Jesus Christ. The book is entitled in verse one as the revelation of Jesus Christ. It is the Greek word “apocalupsis” meaning to unveil. When Christ came the first time, He was veiled in human flesh. Now, in this book, He is unveiled. Jesus is mentioned in each of the first two verses and in each of the last two verses, and 222 times in between. There are 406 references to God in 404 verses. The book is about Jesus Christ. To read Revelation without seeing Christ is like looking at a picture of Mt. Rushmore and not seeing the faces of the Presidents. There are 39 different images and revelations about Jesus Christ in this book. Who is Jesus Christ in Revelation?

  1. Believable and trustworthy 1:5; 3:7, 14; 19:11
  2. Conqueror of death 1:5
  3. Ruler 1:5; 11:15; 19:12, 20:4, 6
    • with a rod of iron 12:5; 19:15
    • overcomer 17:14
    • the King of kings 17:14; 19:16
    • King of the saints 15:3
  4. Lover of us 1:5
  5. The King who was killed
    • Pierced 1:7
    • Slain 5:6, 9, 12; 13:8
    • Crucified 11:8
  6. Freed us from our sins 1:5
  7. Redeemed us to God 5:9
  8. Made us a kingdom of priests 1:6; 5:10
  9. The Lord 1:8; 11:8; 22:20, 2; and the Lord of lords 17:14; 19:16;
  10. God 1:8; 21:7
  11. Encompassing all:
    • alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end  1:8; 21:6; 22:13
    • the first and the last  1:17; 22:13
    • the beginning of the creation of God  3:14
  12. Eternal:
    • the one who is and was and is to come 1:8
    • lives and was dead and lives forevermore 1:18
  13. Returning 1:7
    • as a thief 16:15
    • suddenly 22:7, 12
    • a Conqueror 19:11-16
  14. Judges and makes war in righteousness 19:11; and judges the lost 20:11-15
  15. The Almighty 1:8
  16. The powerful one 12:10
  17. Heaven and earth flee from Him 20:11
  18. The Glorified One 1:12-16
  19. Holds the keys of hell and death 1:18
  20. With His churches 1:12-13, 16, 20; 2:1
  21. Oversees the churches and grants promises to them 2-3
  22. Has the 7 Spirits of God 3:1; 5:6
  23. Holy 3:7; 15:4
  24. Lion from Judah 5:5
  25. Progenitor of David 5:5; 22:16
  26. Offspring of David 22:16
  27. The Male Child 12:1-5
  28. The Lamb 5:6
  29. Receives our prayers 5:8
  30. Pours out wrath 6:16
  31. Treads the winepress of God’s wrath 19:15
  32. Possesses salvation 7:10
  33. Shepherd 7:17
  34. Identifies with His servants 14:1
  35. Light 21:23
  36. Rewarder 22:12
  37. The Great Reaper 14:14-16;
  38. The Word of God 19:13
  39. The bright and morning star 22:16

There are five great and sometimes extended images of Christ Jesus in the book. Chapters 1-3 display Christ glorified among His churches; chapters 5-22 display Christ as the slain little lamb. Chapter 12 displays Christ as the male child. Chapter 14 displays Christ as the great reaper. Chapter 19 displays Christ as the returning conqueror. These all form powerful images in the book.

The book portrays Jesus in equality with the Father and as God. Compare “who is and was and is to come” (1:4 & 8; 16:5); and “the Lord God Almighty” (1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3). Of the 10 times the word “almighty” is found in Scripture, nine of these are in Revelation (the other time is in 2 Corinthians 6:18) and the word always references God. See wrath as it pertains to Jesus and the Father (6:16; 11:18). Jesus and the Father are both recipients of glory, honor, and power (4:11; 5:12, 13). Jesus is called God (21:7). Jesus as Father (21:7).

Although seen often as a protagonist to man, only once is Satan viewed as a protagonist to God (Chapter 12). Otherwise, he is viewed as a tool of God’s wrath. There is no equality of power portrayed between God and Satan. God holds the keys of hell and death. God sends an angel to fight with Satan. Satan is bound without difficulty by an angel and is thrown later into the lake of fire.

Besides the great Christology, the book reveals the future. Revelation 19:10 tells us that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. The book is prophetic. Jesus Himself outlines the book in 1:19 when He tells John to write what he had seen, the things that are, and the things that will take place afterwards. Chapter 1 are the things that John had seen. Chapters 2-3 are the things that are (the churches), and Chapters 4-22 are the things that are afterwards.

The word “angel” is found 186 times in the New Testament and 76 times are in this book. “Heaven” is found in Revelation 54 times out of a total of 280 times in the New Testament. The word “war” is found 25 times in the New Testament and 15 of those times are in this book. The word “blood” (19 times) is found more here than anywhere else.

The book is much into numbers. Every number from one to 12 is found in this book in one form or another. See the following table:

NumberHow Many Times Used
113
1st19
28
2nd12
39
3rd22
3.52
419
4th7
53
5th4
61
6th5
752
7th5
8th2
9th1
109
10th2
11th1
128
12th1

24 is used seven times; 42 is used two times; 144 is used one time; 666 is used one time; 1000 is used six times; 1260 is used two times; 1600 is used once; 7000 is used once; 12,000 is used 13 times; 144,000 is used three times; 100,000,000 is used one time; 200,000,000 is used one time; and w/o number one time. Of the 86 times in the New Testament that the word “seven” is found, 53 are in this book. God keeps count.

There has been a great deal of disagreement on the proper interpretation of Revelation. I take a straightforward interpretation of the text, in line with the way Scripture interprets itself. The book has a beginning and an end and a clear progression in between. At points, the author carries a thought through and then goes back to bring another story line up to the present time. However, the author never retreats from the progression he has in mind.

Date: 95 A.D.

I. Introduction 1:1-8

II. The things that were (The vision of Christ) 1:9-20

III. The things that are (The letters to the seven churches) 2-3

  1. Ephesus (lost their first love) 2:1-7
  2. Smyrna (persecuted church) 2:8-11
  3. Pergamos (tolerating church) 2:12-17
  4. Thyatira (immoral church) 2:18-29
  5. Sardis (dead church) 3:1-6
  6. Philadelphia (missionary church) 3:7-13
  7. Laodicean (lukewarm church) 3:14-22

IV. The things that are to come 4-22

  1. The Scene in Heaven 4-5
    1. God the Father 4
    2. The Lamb 5
  2. The Seven Seals 6-8:6
    1. The conqueror 6:1-2
    2. Taking away peace 6:3-4
    3. Famine 6:5-6
    4. Fourth of earth killed 6:7-8
    5. The cry for vengeance 6:9-11
    6. Unsettling phenomena 6:12-17
    MIDPOINT OF TRIBULATION
  3. Two great groups of people 7
    1. 144,000 Jews 7:1-8
    2. Great multitude of Gentiles 7:9-17
  4. Silence 8:1-6
  5. The Seven Trumpets 8-11
    1. First four trumpets 8
      1. 1/3rd of vegetation destroyed
      2. 1/3rd of sea destroyed
      3. 1/3rd of fresh water destroyed
      4. 1/3rd of day destroyed
    2. The three woes 9-11
      1. Tormenting locusts for 5 months 9:1-12
      2. Destroying army kills 1/3rd of men 9:13-21
        1. Seven thunders 10:1-7
        2. Little book 10:8-11
        3. Two witnesses 11:1-14
      3. The announcement in heaven 11:15-19
    END OF TRIBULATION
  6. Related Events 12-14
    1. The Coming of Satan 12
      1. Satan’s loss of the manchild 12:1-6
      2. Satan’s loss of heaven 12:7-12
      3. Satan’s rage on the earth 12:13-17
    2. The Coming of the Antichrist 13:1-10
    3. The Coming of the False Prophet 13:11-18
    4. The View from God’s Eyes 14
      1. The Lamb with the 144,000 14:1-5
      2. The Proclamation of the three angels 14:6-13
        1. The everlasting gospel 14:6-7
        2. The destruction of Babylon 14:8
        3. The end of the antichrist worshippers 14:9-13
      3. The Great Harvest 14:14-20
        1. The Great Reaper 14:14-16
        2. The gathering 14:17-20
  7. The Seven Bowls 15-16
    1. Prelude 15-16:1
    2. Foul and terrible sore 16:2
    3. Complete corruption of the sea 16:3
    4. Complete corruption of fresh water 16:4-7
    5. Sun grows hotter 16:8-9
    6. Darkness and pain 16:10-11
    7. The gathering together for battle 16:12-16
    8. The final cataclysmic events 16:17-21
  8. Babylon Destroyed 17-18
    1. Religious Babylon 17
    2. Economic Babylon 18
  9. The End of the Earth 19-20
    1. Praise to God for His righteous judgments 19:1-10
    2. The return of Christ 19:11-21
    3. The 1000 years of Christ’s reign 20:1-6
    4. The final insurrection 20:7-10
    5. The great white throne judgment and end of the earth 20:11-15
  10. Eternity 21-22:5
    1. Life in the new heaven and earth 21:1-8
    2. The new Jerusalem 21:9-22:5

V. Conclusion 22:6-21

  1. Promise of a quick return 22:6-12
  2. The last invitation 22:13-17
  3. The last warnings 22:18-19
  4. The last exchange 22:20-21

Key Idea: The revealing of Jesus Christ

Key Passage: 16:15

Key Lesson: Be always prepared

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