As far as possible a perpendicular line marks the chronology of the Book—the line being broken to show where parenthetic matter is introduced.
Whenever practicable the line is given in regard to happenings ON THE EARTH.
Revelation 1.
Vss. 1-3: Introduction.
Vss. 4-8: Salutations to the Seven Churches which are in Asia.
Vss. 9-11: The Apostle John tells how he was commissioned to write, and to whom.
Vss. 12-18: John describes what he saw—the first of the three great sections of the Book.
Vs. 19: Threefold Divine Division Of The Book.
Vs. 20: Explanation of the seven stars and seven candlesticks.
Revelation 2 and 3.
These constitute the second division of the Book—“The things which are.”
Revelation 2.
Vss. 1-7: Address to the angel of the church of Ephesus.
Vss. 8-11: Address to the angel of the church in Smyrna.
Vss. 12-17: Address to the angel of the church in Pergamos.
Vss. 18-29: Address to the angel of the church in Thyatira.
Revelation 3.
Vss. 1-6: Address to the angel of the church in Sardis.
Vss. 7-13: Address to the angel of the church in Philadelphia.
Vss. 14-22: Address to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans.
Close of “The Things which are.”
Coming of the Lord for His own, and the spueing out of His mouth the false profession.
Revelation 4.
Beginning of the third great division of the Book—“Things which must be hereafter,” that is, after the Church is raptured to heaven.
Vs. 1: John called up to heaven—type of Church's translation.
Vss. 2-8: John sees (1) the throne; (2) its glorious Occupant; (3) the four and twenty elders; (4) the seven lamps, symbolical of the Holy Spirit; (5) the sea of glass, symbolical of fixed purity; (6) the four living creatures, symbolical of God's attributes.
Vss. 9-11: Ascription of praise by the four living creatures, and worship of the four and twenty elders.
Revelation 5
Vss. 1-7: The Book of Seven Seals—God's providential judgments upon the earth—seen in the right hand of Him who sits on the throne, and opened by the Lamb as it had been slain.
Vss. 9-14: Ascription of praise by angels, the four living creatures, and the elders. Response made by every creature in heaven, on the earth, under the earth, and such as are in the sea. The four living creatures say “Amen,” and the four and twenty elders worship.
Revelation 6
Vss. 1, 2: 1st Seal opened.
Vss. 3, 4: 2nd Seal opened.
Vss. 5, 6: 3rd Seal opened.
Vss. 7, 8: 4th Seal opened.
Vss. 9-11: 5th Seal opened.
Vss. 12-17: 6th Seal opened.
Revelation 7
Parenthetic.
Vss. 1-8: 144,000 of Israel sealed for preservation—probably a symbolical number.
Vss. 9-17: The great Gentile multitude, who have been preserved through the tribulation that will sweep over the earth, leading up to the time when Christ shall establish His Millennial Kingdom.
Revelation 8.
Vs. 1: 7th Seal opened (releasing and ushering in the Seven Trumpet judgments).
Vs. 2: The Seven Angels seen with Seven Trumpets.
Vss. 3, 4: Imprecatory prayers of the earthly saints about to be answered.
Vs. 5: Symbolical action of the Angel casting the censer filled with fire from the altar to the earth, and its result.
Vs. 6: Seven angels prepare to sound.
Vs. 7: 1st Trumpet sounds.
Vss. 8, 9: 2nd Trumpet sounds.
Vss. 10, 11: 3rd Trumpet sounds.
Vs. 12: 4th Trumpet sounds.
Vs. 13: Angel cries “Woe, woe, woe,” because of the three closing trumpets about to sound.
Revelation 9.
Vss. 1-12: 5th Trumpet sounds. (First Woe.)
Vss. 13-21: 6th Trumpet sounds. (Second Woe.)
Revelation 10.
Vss. 1-6: Mighty angel with little book in his hand. Seven thunders utter their voices.
John bidden to seal up those things uttered by the seven thunders.
Vs. 7: Angel declares there shall be no more delay, and that the mystery of God should be finished in the days of the voice of the seventh trumpet.
Vss. 8-11: The little book taken and eaten by John.
Revelation 11.
Vss. 1-2: Temple, altar, and worshippers measured. Holy City to be trodden down for years, that is, during “the great tribulation.”
Vss. 3-12: Two witnesses, symbolical of a representative remnant standing for God, and martyred during the great tribulation, that is, during the second half of Daniel's 10th week.
Vss. 15-17: 7th Trumpet sounds. (Third Woe.)
The end of all things in judgment has arrived.
“The Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ is come, and He shall reign to the ages of ages” (JND)
The four and twenty elders worship and give thanks.
The nations are angry.
The time of the dead to be judged is come: this is the great white throne judgment.
The time of rewards for prophets and saints is come.
The time for the destroyers to be destroyed is come.
This verse is a rapid summing up of things to the end without respect to strict chronological order. They are rather stated in moral order.
The import of verse 18 should be particularly grasped.
The temple of God opened.
Ark of Testament seen, that is Christ about to intervene personally.
Conclusion of third woe in lightnings, voices, thunderings, earthquake, great hail.
Finish of Judgments.
Revelation 12.
Parenthetic.
Vss. 1-17: A history of the Jewish nation from the birth of Christ up to the great tribulation.
Revelation 13.
Parenthetic.
Vss. 1-10: A history of the Gentile power in connection with the Roman Empire. Rise of the first beast, the political and military head of the Fourth Empire.
Vss. 11-18: Rise of the second beast, the false prophet (antichrist).
Revelation 14
Parenthetic.
Vss. 1-5: The Jewish Remnant (144,000, probably a symbolical number) martyred during the tribulation.
Vss. 6, 7: An angel proclaims the everlasting Gospel.
Vs. 8: An angel proclaims the fall of Babylon.
Vss. 9-11: A third angel announces the doom of the followers of the beast.
Vss. 11-13: The happiness of the faithful and the blessedness of those who should die in the Lord henceforth announced.
Vss. 14-16: The Harvest Of The Earth. Matthew 13 gives result.
Vss. 17-20: The Vintage Of The Earth. Finishes up with Armageddon and Zechariah 14.
Revelation 15.
Vs. 1: Seven angels with seven last plagues introduced. These are more or less contemporaneous with the seven trumpets, the seventh in each case occurring simultaneously, bringing God's judgment to an end prior to introducing the Millennium, according to Zechariah 14.
Vss. 2-4: The Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb.
Vss. 5-7: The angels prepare to pour out the seven last plagues. One of the living creatures hands to each of the angels a golden vial full of the wrath of God.
Vs. 8: The temple filled with glory. None able to enter till the plagues of the seven angels should be fulfilled.
For the sake of clearness we reproduce the chronological line, setting forth the order of the seven, trumpets, and set alongside what we believe to be approximately the order of the seven vials in relation to the seven trumpets.
Revelation 16.
Seven Trumpets
Seven Vials
Ch. 8:7
1st Trumpet
Ch. 8:8- 9
2nd Trumpet
Ch. 16:2
1st Vial
Ch. 8:10-11
3rd Trumpet
Ch. 16:3
2nd Vial
Ch. 8:12
4th Trumpet
Ch. 16:4-7
3rd Vial
Ch. 16:8-9
4th Vial
Ch. 9:1-12
5th Trumpet (1st Woe)
Ch. 16:10, 11
5th Vial
Ch. 9:13-21
6th Trumpet (2nd Woe)
Ch. 16:12-16
6th Vial
Ch. 9:3-14
Ch. 9:15-19
7th Trumpet (3rd Woe)
Ch. 16:17-21
7th Vial
Including rapid summary up to the end of all things in verse 18.
Finish Of Judgments
Revelation 17.
Parenthetic. Babylon, that great ecclesiastical system of corruption, the Roman Catholic Church, described.
Revelation 18.
This gives us the details of the fall of Babylon as announced in previous chapter.
Revelation 19.
Vss. 1-6: Great rejoicing over the fall and destruction of the false Bride—Babylon—making room for the introduction of the true Bride.
Vss. 7, 8: Announcement of the true Bride. This is the first mention of THE Church as such in the Book. Revelation 2, and 3, speak of churches—local assemblies typical of the professing Church in a sevenfold way. Here it is THE Church.
Vss. 11-21: Detailed account of the great battle of Armageddon, occurring as the finish of the seventh trumpet and seventh vial.
Revelation 20.
Vss. 1-3: Satan bound in abyss for 1000 years.
Vs. 4: Millennial reign of Christ during same period.
Vss. 5, 6: Two resurrections contrasted.
Vs. 7: Satan released from abyss at the close of the Millennium.
Vs. 8: Satan gathers the nations in last final rising against God.
Vs. 9: Last siege of Jerusalem.
God's intervention complete and final.
God's enemies destroyed.
The devil cast into the lake of fire.
The resurrection of the wicked dead.
Vs. 11: The heavens and the earth flee away from the face of Him who sits upon the throne.
The Eternal State.
(Time no longer.)
Vss. 12-15 The great white throne judgment.
Revelation 21.
Vss. 1-7: Description of a new heaven and a new earth, and the bliss of those who shall dwell there.
Vs. 8: Description of the everlasting doom of the wicked dead.
Revelation 21:9-27, Revelation 22: Vss. 1-5 — Parenthetic.
Gives us detailed description of the Church in her relation to the earth during the Millennium.
Revelation 22.
Vs. 6: John tells us that these sayings are faithful and true, that is, all that has been unfolded in the Book.
Vss. 7-21: These verses carry us back to the time of “the things which are.” The Lord thrice announces His coming, testifying, “SURELY I COME QUICKLY.”