Outline Of The Book of Revelations
A brief introduction and overview of the book of Revelations (also called ‘The Apocalypse of John’) As recorded in ‘The Bible Brief‘ (Amazon link).
The Bible Brief’s Revelations Summary:
When Revelations was written:
Written around A.D. 95.
Who wrote it: The Apostle John.
People & Places of note:
Christ; John; Michael; Satan; The Beast; Angels
Babylon; Ephesus; Smyrna; Pergamum; Thyatira; Sardis; Philadelphia; Laodicea; Heaven
Sound-Bites:
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Ch.1:8)
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” (Ch.3:20)
Here is wisdom. “Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.” (Ch.13:18)
“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.” (Ch.20:11)
The Messianic Link:
The First and the Last (Ch.1:17)
The Lion from the Tribe of Judah (Ch.5:5)
The Lamb that was slain (Ch.5:12)
The Word of God (Ch.19:13) and the King of kings and Lord of lords (Ch.19:16)
The Bright Morning Star (Ch.22:16)
The Book in brief:
The book of revelation starts with a warning to the seven churches scattered throughout the known world at that time; and follows a general theme, emphasizing that the ‘end of days’ is near and that the church must be prepared for the events that are to come. It has both present and future implications for the Christian Church.
In graphic and figurative form, John describes the breaking of the seven seals (Chaps. 6-8) and the devastation that follows. The seven headed dragon and the beast from the sea and from the earth (Ch.13); and the doom waiting for the bearers of his mark (or number 666).
The seven ‘bowls of wrath’ and the fall of Babylon are described in graphic detail in Chaps 17,18.
Chapter 19 relates the ‘marriage supper of The Lamb’ and the coming of Christ to wage war on the beast and his followers. Satan is bound then freed again in chapter 20, in order to face his final judgement, along with the unbelievers, in the great, white throne Judgement of God.
Chapters 21-22 finish with a vision of the new Heaven and Earth, where there is no longer any curse of death or pain or suffering; and God Himself rules the Kingdom in perfect harmony and peace.
Notes & Quotes:
The book of Revelations, it must be admitted, is perhaps not the lightest read in the Bible! In fact, a lot of people find it both confusing and frightening, heavily accentuated as it is with allegory and terrifying visions of locusts with a sting like a scorpion’s and teeth like the teeth of lions and other no less terrifying accounts of dragons & plagues, disease and pestilence.
Are all these things for real? Well the Apostle John ( Johns gospel summary) certainly seemed to think so and indeed he was instructed by the Angel of the Lord to record these visions in the first verse and in the last chapter of the book.
In my own opinion, these visions are meant to frighten and scare people—because the Judgement at the ‘end of days’ is a frightening prospect for those who do not know Christ, or have not repented and accepted him as their saviour.
Am I saying then that we should be scaring people into the kingdom of Heaven? Hmmm, perhaps scaring them out of Hell would be a better way of putting it. The fact remains, though, that there is a Judgement day coming—and by all accounts it is not that far away!
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