Revelation Outline

I. Prologue (1:1–8)

A. Title, transmission, promise of blessing (1:1–3)

B. Epistolary opening (1:4–6)

C. Announcement of the coming King (1:7–8)

II. Body (1:9–22:5)

A. “Things that are”: Christ’s presence with and knowledge of his churches (1:9–3:22)

  1. The Son of Man among his churches (1:9–20)
  2. Christ’s edict-letters to his seven churches (2:1–3:22) a. To Ephesus (2:1–7) b. To Smyrna (2:8–11) c. To Pergamum (2:12–17) d. To Thyatira (2:18–29) e. To Sardis (3:1–6) f. To Philadelphia (3:7–13) g. To Laodicea (3:14–22) B. “Things that shall take place after this”: Christ’s defense of his church and destruction of its enemies (4:1–22:5)
  3. The Lamb and the scroll: current and coming woes, precursors of the end (4:1–8:1) a. Heaven opened: the Lamb receives the scroll (4:1–5:14) b. The Lamb opens the scroll’s seven seals (6:1–8:1)
    • Interlude: the sealing of God’s international Israel (7:1–17)
  4. The angels and the trumpets: warnings of coming wrath (8:2–11:18) a. Heaven’s incense altar: the saints’ prayers, and fire flung to earth (8:2–5) b. Angels sound seven trumpets (8:6–11:18)
    • Interlude: the safety and suffering of God’s city-sanctuary, his witnessing church (10:1–11:14)
  5. The woman, her son, the dragon, and the beasts: the cosmic conflict between Christ and Satan (11:19–14:20) a. Heaven’s temple opened (11:19) b. The woman’s son defeats the dragon (12:1–6) c. Michael and heaven’s armies defeat the dragon (12:7–17) d. The beast from the sea (13:1–10) e. The false prophet from the land (13:11–18) f. The Lamb and his sealed victors (14:1–5) g. Angelic announcements of judgment (14:6–13) h. Harvests of earth and vine (14:14–20)
  6. The bowls of God’s final wrath (15:1–16:21) a. Heaven’s sanctuary filled with glory (15:1–8) b. Angels pour out seven bowls (16:1–21)
  7. Babylon the prostitute (17:1–19:10) a. Babylon’s power and luxury (17:1–15) b. Babylon’s fall lamented and celebrated (17:16–19:10)
  8. The defeat and destruction of the beasts, the dragon, and death (19:11–20:15) a. Christ defeats and destroys the beast, the false prophet, and their gathered armies (19:11–21)
    • Interlude: the thousand years of the dragon’s binding and the martyrs’ reign (20:1–6) b. God defeats and destroys the dragon and its gathered armies (20:7–10) c. The last judgment and the destruction of death, the last enemy (20:11–15)
  9. “All things new” (21:1–22:5) a. The new heaven and earth, home of the Lamb’s bride (21:1–8) b. The new Jerusalem, the Lamb’s pure bride (21:9–22:5)

III. Epilogue (22:6–21)

A. Transmission and trustworthiness of the Revelation, promise that Jesus is coming soon, promise of blessing (22:6–9)

B. Prohibition of sealing the book, promise that Jesus is coming soon, promise of blessing (22:10–15)

C. Transmission of the Revelation (22:16–17)

D. Prohibition of altering the book, promise that Jesus is coming soon, and final pronouncement of blessing (22:18–21)