Book of Revelation

== Structure and content ==
=== Literary structure ===
Divisions in the book seem to be marked by the repetition of key phrases, by the arrangement of subject matter into blocks, and associated with its [[Christological]] passages,{{sfn|Tenney|1988|pp=32–41}} and much use is made of significant numbers, especially the number seven, which represented perfection according to ancient numerology.{{sfn|Senior|Getty|1990|pp=398–399}} Nevertheless, there is a "complete lack of consensus" among scholars about the structure of Revelation.{{sfn|Mounce|1998|p=32}} The following is therefore an outline of the book's contents rather than of its structure.

=== Outline ===
{{Main|Events of Revelation}}
{{See also|Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse}}
Outline of the book of Revelation:
#[[File:BambergApocalypseFolio003rAngelWith7Candlesticks.JPG|right|thumb|Illustration from the [[Bamberg Apocalypse]] of the Son of Man among the seven lampstands.]]The Revelation of Jesus Christ
##The Revelation of Jesus Christ is communicated to John through prophetic visions. (1:1–9)
##John is instructed by the "one like a son of man" to write all that he hears and sees, from the prophetic visions, to [[Seven Churches of Asia]]. (1:10–13)
##The appearance of the "one like a son of man" is given, and he reveals what the seven stars and seven lampstands represent. (1:14–20)
# Messages for seven churches of Asia
##[[Ephesus]]: From this church, he "who overcomes is granted to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God." (2:1–7)
### Praised for not bearing those who are evil, testing those who say they are apostles and are not, and finding them to be liars; hating the deeds of the [[Nicolaitan]]s; having persevered and possessing patience.
### Admonished to "do the first works" and to repent for having left their "first love."
##[[Smyrna]]: From this church, those who are faithful until death, will be given "the crown of life." He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the [[second death]]. (2:8–11)
### Praised for being "rich" while impoverished and in tribulation.
### Admonished not to fear the "[[synagogue of Satan]]", nor fear a ten-day tribulation of being thrown into prison.
##[[File:Bamberg Apocalypse - To the Church in Pergamum and Thyatira.jpg|thumb|To the Church in Pergamum and Thyatir.]][[Pergamum]]: From this church, he who overcomes will be given the hidden [[manna]] to eat and a white stone with a secret name on it." (2:12–17)
### Praised for holding "fast to My name", not denying "My faith" even in the days of [[Antipas of Pergamum|Antipas]], "My faithful martyr."
### Admonished to repent for having held the doctrine of [[Balaam]], who taught [[Balak]] to put a stumbling block before the [[children of Israel]]; eating things sacrificed to idols, committing sexual immorality, and holding the "doctrine of the Nicolaitans."
## [[Thyatira]]: From this church, he who overcomes until the end, will be given power over the nations in order to dash them to pieces with a rod of iron; he will also be given the "morning star." (2:18–29)
### Praised for their works, love, service, faith, and patience.
### Admonished to repent for allowing a "prophetess" to promote sexual immorality and to eat things sacrificed to idols.
##[[Sardis]]: From this church, he who overcomes will be clothed in white garments, and his name will not be blotted out from the [[Book of Life]]; his name will also be confessed before the Father and his angels. (3:1–6)
###Admonished to be watchful and to strengthen since their works have not been perfect before God.
##[[Alaşehir|Philadelphia]]: From this church, he who overcomes will be made a pillar in the temple of God having the name of God, the name of the city of God, "[[New Jerusalem]]", and the [[Son of God]]'s new name. (3:7–13)
### Praised for having some strength, keeping "My word", and having not denied "My name."
### Reminded to hold fast what they have, that no one may take their crown.
##[[Laodicean Church|Laodicea]]: From this church, he who overcomes will be granted the opportunity to sit with the Son of God on his throne. (3:14–22)
### Admonished to be zealous and repent from being "lukewarm"; they are instructed to buy the "gold refined in the fire", that they may be rich; to buy "white garments", that they may be clothed, so that the shame of their nakedness would not be revealed; to anoint their eyes with eye salve, that they may see.
#[[File:BambergApocalypseFolio013vLambAndBookWith7Seals - crop.jpg|thumb|The Lamb with the Book with Seven Seals.]]Before the Throne of God
## The [[Throne of God]] appears, surrounded by twenty four thrones with twenty-four elders seated in them. (4:1–5)
## The four [[Living creatures (Bible)|living creatures]] are introduced. (4:6–11)
## A scroll, with seven seals, is presented and it is declared that the [[Lion of Judah|Lion of the tribe of Judah]], from the "Root of [[King David|David]]", is the only one worthy to open this scroll. (5:1–5)
## When the "Lamb having seven horns and seven eyes" took the scroll, the creatures of heaven fell down before the Lamb to give him praise, joined by myriads of angels and the creatures of the earth. (5:6–14)
#[[Seven Seals]] are opened
##[[File:White Rider from Tolkovy Apocalyps 17th century.jpg|thumb|"And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer." White Rider from ''Tolkovy Apocalyps'', Moscow, 17th century]]First Seal: A white horse appears, whose crowned rider has a bow with which to conquer. (6:1–2)
##Second Seal: A red horse appears, whose rider is granted a "great sword" to take peace from the earth. (6:3–4)
##Third Seal: A black horse appears, whose rider has "a pair of balances in his hand", where a voice then says, "A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and [see] thou hurt not the oil and the wine." (6:5–6)
##Fourth Seal: A pale horse appears, whose rider is [[Death (personification)#In Christianity|Death]], and [[Hades in Christianity|Hades]] follows him. Death is granted a fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and with the beasts of the earth. (6:7–8)
##Fifth Seal: "Under the altar", appeared the souls of martyrs for the "word of God", who cry out for vengeance. They are given white robes and told to rest until the martyrdom of their brothers is completed. (6:9–11)
##Sixth Seal: (6:12–17)
### There occurs a great earthquake where "the sun becomes black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon like blood" (6:12).
### The stars of heaven fall to the earth and the sky recedes like a scroll being rolled up (6:13–14).
### Every mountain and island is moved out of place (6:14).
### The people of earth retreat to caves in the mountains (6:15).
### The survivors call upon the mountains and the rocks to fall on them, so as to hide them from the "wrath of the Lamb" (6:16).
##Interlude: The 144,000 Hebrews are sealed.
###[[The 144,000 of the Book of Revelation|144,000]] from the [[Twelve Tribes of Israel]] are sealed as servants of God on their foreheads (7:1–8)
###A great multitude stand before the Throne of God, who come out of the [[Great Tribulation]], clothed with robes made "white in the blood of the Lamb" and having [[Martyr's palm|palm branches]] in their hands. (7:9–17)
##Seventh Seal: Introduces the seven trumpets (8:1–5)
###"Silence in heaven for about half an hour" (8:1).
###Seven angels are each given trumpets (8:2).
###An eighth angel takes a "golden [[censer]]", filled with fire from the heavenly altar, and throws it to the earth (8:3–5). What follows are "peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake" (8:5).
###After the eighth angel has devastated the earth, the seven angels introduced in verse 2 prepare to sound their trumpets (8:6).
#[[File:BambergApocalypseFolio019v7AngelsWith7TrumpetsAnd1WithCenser.JPG|thumb|The Seven Trumpets and the angel with a censer.]][[Seven trumpets]] are sounded (Seen in Chapters 8, 9, and 12).
##First Trumpet: Hail and fire, mingled with blood, are thrown to the earth burning up a third of the trees and green grass. (8:6–7)
##Second Trumpet: Something that resembles a great mountain, burning with fire, falls from the sky and lands in the ocean. It kills a third of the sea creatures and destroys a third of the ships at sea. (8:8–9)
##Third Trumpet: A great star, named [[Wormwood (Bible)|Wormwood]], falls from heaven and poisons a third of the rivers and springs of water. (8:10–11)
##Fourth Trumpet: A third of the sun, the moon, and the stars are darkened creating complete darkness for a third of the day and the night. (8:12–13)
##Fifth Trumpet: The First Woe (9:1–12)
### A "star" falls from the sky (9:1).
### This "star" is given "the key to the bottomless pit" (9:1).
### The "star" then opens the bottomless pit. When this happens, "smoke [rises] from [the Abyss] like smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky [are] darkened by the smoke from the Abyss" (9:2).
### [[File:B_Escorial_94v.jpg|thumb|The Fourth Angel sounds his trumpet, Apocalypse 8, [[Commentary on the Apocalypse|Beatus Escorial]], {{circa|950}}]]From out of the smoke, locusts who are "given power like that of scorpions of the earth" (9:3), who are commanded not to harm anyone or anything except for people who were not given the "seal of God" on their foreheads (from chapter 7) (9:4).
### The "locusts" are described as having a human appearance (faces and hair) but with lion's teeth, and wearing "breastplates of iron"; the sound of their wings resembles "the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle" (9:7–9).
##Sixth Trumpet: The Second Woe (9:13–21)
###The four [[angel]]s bound to the great river [[Euphrates]] are released to prepare two hundred million horsemen.
### These armies kill a third of mankind by plagues of fire, smoke, and brimstone.
## Interlude: The little scroll. (10:1–11)
###An angel appears, with one foot on the sea and one foot on the land, having an opened little book in his hand.
###Upon the cry of the angel, seven thunders utter mysteries and secrets that are not to be written down by John.
###John is instructed to eat the little scroll that happens to be sweet in his mouth, but bitter in his stomach, and to prophesy.
###John is given a measuring rod to measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there.
###Outside the temple, at the court of the holy city, it is trod by the nations for forty-two months ({{frac|3|1|2}} years).
###[[Two witnesses]] prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth. (11:1–14)
##Seventh Trumpet: The Third Woe that leads into the [[seven bowls]] (11:15–19)
###The temple of God opens in heaven, where the ark of his covenant can be seen. There are lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.
#The Seven Spiritual Figures. (Events leading into the Third Woe)
##[[File:BambergApocalypseFolio031vDragonPursuingWomanInWilderness.JPG|thumb|The Woman and the Dragon.]]A Woman "clothed with a white robe, with the sun at her back, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars" is in pregnancy with a male child. (12:1–2)
##A great Dragon (with seven heads, ten horns, and seven crowns on his heads) drags a third of the stars of Heaven with his tail, and throws them to the Earth. (12:3–4). The Dragon waits for the birth of the child so he can devour it. However, sometime after the child is born, he is caught up to God's throne while the Woman flees into the wilderness into her place prepared of God that they should feed her there for 1,260 days ({{frac|3|1|2}} years). (12:5–6). War breaks out in heaven between [[Michael (archangel)|Michael]] and the Dragon, identified as that old Serpent, the [[Devil]], or [[Satan]] (12:9). After a great fight, the Dragon and his angels are cast out of Heaven for good, followed by praises of victory for God's kingdom. (12:7–12). The Dragon engages to persecute the Woman, but she is given aid to evade him. Her evasiveness enrages the Dragon, prompting him to wage war against the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (12:13–17)
##[[File:B Escorial 108v.jpg|thumb|A seven-headed leopard-like beast.]]A Beast (with seven heads, ten horns, and ten crowns on his horns and on his heads names of blasphemy) emerges from the Sea, having one mortally wounded head that is then healed. The people of the world wonder and follow the Beast. The Dragon grants him power and authority for forty-two months. (13:1–5)
##The Beast of the Sea blasphemes God's name (along with God's tabernacle and his kingdom and all who dwell in Heaven), wages war against the Saints, and overcomes them. (13:6–10)
##Then, a Beast emerges from the Earth having two horns like a lamb, speaking like a dragon. He directs people to make an image of the Beast of the Sea who was wounded yet lives, breathing life into it, and forcing all people to bear "[[Number of the beast|the mark of the Beast]]". The number of the beast the Bible says is "666". Events leading into the Third Woe:
##The Lamb stands on [[Mount Zion]] with the 144,000 "first fruits" who are redeemed from Earth and victorious over the Beast and his mark and image. (14:1–5)
###The proclamations of three angels. (14:6–13)
###One like the Son of Man reaps the earth. (14:14–16)
###A second angel reaps "the vine of the Earth" and throws it into "the great winepress of the wrath of God... and blood came out of the winepress... up to one thousand six hundred [[Stadion (unit)|stadia]]." (14:17–20)
###The temple of the tabernacle, in Heaven, is opened (15:1–5), beginning the "Seven Bowls" revelation.
###Seven angels are given a golden bowl, from the Four Living Creatures, that contains the seven last plagues bearing the wrath of God. (15:6–8)
#[[File:BambergApocalypseFolio038vAngelWith7Plagues.JPG|thumb|Angels with the seven the seven plagues.]][[Seven bowls]] are poured onto Earth:
##First Bowl: A "foul and malignant sore" afflicts the followers of the Beast. (16:1–2)
##Second Bowl: The Sea turns to blood and everything within it dies. (16:3)
##Third Bowl: All fresh water turns to blood. (16:4–7)
##Fourth Bowl: The Sun scorches the Earth with intense heat and even burns some people with fire. (16:8–9)
##Fifth Bowl: There is total darkness and great pain in the Beast's kingdom. (16:10–11)
##Sixth Bowl: The Great River Euphrates is dried up and preparations are made for the kings of the East and the final battle at [[Armageddon]] between the forces of good and evil. (16:12–16)
##Seventh Bowl: A great earthquake and heavy hailstorm: "every island fled away and the mountains were not found." (16:17–21)
#Aftermath: Vision of John given by "an angel who had the seven bowls"
##The great Harlot who sits on a scarlet Beast (with seven heads and ten horns and names of blasphemy all over its body) and by many waters: Babylon the Great. The angel showing John the vision of the Harlot and the scarlet Beast reveals their identities and fates (17:1–18)
## New Babylon is destroyed. (18:1–8)
##The people of the Earth (the kings, merchants, sailors, etc.) mourn New Babylon's destruction. (18:9–19)
##The permanence of New Babylon's destruction. (18:20–24)
#The Marriage Supper of the Lamb
##A great multitude praises God. (19:1–6)
##The marriage Supper of the Lamb. (19:7–10)
#The Judgment of the two Beasts, the Dragon, and the Dead (19:11–20:15)
##The Beast and the False Prophet are cast into the Lake of Fire. (19:11–21)
## The Dragon is imprisoned in the Bottomless Pit for a thousand years. (20:1–3)
##The resurrected martyrs live and reign with Christ for a thousand years. (20:4–6)
##After the Thousand Years
###The Dragon is released and goes out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the Earth—[[Gog and Magog]]—and gathers them for battle at the holy city. The Dragon makes war against the people of God, but is defeated. (20:7–9)
###The Dragon is cast into the Lake of Fire with the Beast and the False Prophet. (20:10)
###The Last Judgment: the wicked, along with Death and Hades, are cast into the Lake of Fire, which is the second death. (20:11–15)
#[[File:BambergApocalypseFolio055rNew Jerusalem.JPG|thumb|The angel showing John the New Jerusalem, with the Lamb of God at its center.]]The New Heaven and Earth, and [[New Jerusalem]]
##A "new heaven" and "new earth" replace the old heaven and old earth. There is no more suffering or death. (21:1–8)
##God comes to dwell with humanity in the New Jerusalem. (21:2–8)
##Description of the New Jerusalem. (21:9–27)
##The River of Life and the Tree of Life appear for the healing of the nations and peoples. The curse of sin is ended. (22:1–5)
#Conclusion
##Christ's reassurance that his coming is imminent. Final admonitions. (22:6–21)