Editor's Note: This is an older and more concise overview of the Book of Revelation. For a more detailed and comprehensive study, see Bud's post on The Revelation.

Chapter 1

The Revelation to Christ Jesus which God gave to Him to show His servants. So, Jesus sent His Angel to John.

Grace and peace from God and from the seven Spirits and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the first born of the dead and ruler of kings on earth. He has freed us from our sins by His blood and made us a Kingdom of priests to His God and Father. The One who is, who was and who is to come.

He is coming with the clouds and every eye will see Him, every one who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him, even so, be it.

John was in the Spirit on the Day of the Lord and commanded to write what he saw in a book and send it to the seven churches in Western Asia.

Chapters 2 and 3

What John was to see was prefaced by an exhortation to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, by Christ Jesus Himself, to be followed by the revelatory vision of the Day of the Lord.

Christ was giving His personal seal and endorsement to the following vision or revelation accounted by John.

Chapter 4

After this, John saw an open door in Heaven and a voice told him to come up and he would be shown what would take place after this. He was immediately in the Spirit and translated to the third Heaven.

The first thing that he saw was the Throne of God. The second thing he saw was God in a symbolic form. The third thing he saw was the twenty four elders, twelve sons of Jacob and twelve Apostles. The fourth thing he saw was the seven Spirits of God. The fifth thing he saw was the living creatures, Seraphim and Cherubim.

Chapter 5

God then gives the revelatory scroll to Christ Jesus, who was the only one worthy to open its seals. Christ is portrayed by a Lamb that had been slain with seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven Spirits of God.

One of the elders told John Christ is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David.

Chapter 6

Christ then starts opening the seals one by one, which is the beginning of the Revelation.

He opens the first four seals and we see a rider on a white horse with a bow and a crown going forth to conquer, followed by a red horse whose rider takes peace from the earth, followed by another rider on a black horse with a balance in his hand bringing famine, followed by the fourth horse who is pale and the rider’s name is Death.

They were all given power over a fourth of the earth to kill with sword, famine, pestilence, and wild beasts.

The fifth seal reveals the souls of the martyrs under the altar of God asking for vengeance. They were slain for the Word of God, not the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The sixth seal is an earthquake followed by the sun becoming black, the moon turning red as blood, and Satan and his angels falling to earth, and the people of the earth fleeing from the presence of Christ and His angels.

Chapter 7

In this chapter we see the 144,000 Israelites sealed against the outpouring of God’s wrath so they may go through the last three and one half years protected by God.

The Bride of Christ is raptured to the Throne of God where they will remain three and one half years to return with Christ when He comes back to earth to fight in the Battle of Armageddon. They will remain on earth as God’s priests ruling and reigning with Christ for one thousand years.

Chapters 8 through 11

This begins the outpouring of God’s wrath. It involves the seven angels who stand before God with seven trumpets.

The first angel blew his trumpet. One third of the earth is burned up.

The second angel blew his trumpet. One third of the sea becomes blood.

The third angel blew his trumpet. Angel Wormwood falls and one third of the rivers were made bitter.

The fourth angel blew his trumpet. One third of the sun, moon, and stars were darkened.

The fifth angel blew his trumpet. This is the first woe. Angel Apollyon is given the key to the bottomless pit releasing locusts on the earth with the power of scorpions. They torture but do not kill men for five months.

The sixth angel blew his trumpet. This is the second woe. Four angels were released from the river Euphrates with two hundred million horsemen to kill one third of mankind.

The two witnesses, Moses and Elijah, are given power to prophesy for three and one half years. They are then killed by the Beast and resurrected three and one half days later and ascend to Heaven.

The seventh angel blew his trumpet. This is the third woe. The dead are judged, prophets and saints rewarded, the Ark of the Covenant is seen in God’s Temple in Heaven, and there are heavy hail storms and an earthquake.

Chapter 12

This is an allegory of Israel, Christ, and Satan, from the birth of Jesus until His second coming. It shows how God will protect Israel from Satan in the last three and one half years.

Chapter 13

Satan gives his authority to the Beast, the son of perdition, for seven years, although the first Beast only rules for three and one half years and is slain by the appearing of Christ Jesus.

He is allowed to make war on the saints and conquer them. The second Beast, or false prophet, rules for the last three and one half years causing the world to worship the first Beast and making an image of him that actually speaks.

He causes mankind to take the mark of the Beast on their right hand or forehead. The number of the Beast is six hundred sixty six. Anyone not taking the mark or number is not allowed to buy or sell.

Chapter 14

Christ and His firstfruits. These are the 144,000 resurrected with Him almost two thousand years ago.

Chapters 15 and 16

This is a continuation of the outpouring of the wrath of God. The seven angels with the seven plagues. These are the last, for with them the wrath of God is ended.

The first angel poured his bowl. Sores came on mankind who had the mark of the Beast.

The second angel poured. The seas became as blood.

The third angel poured. Rivers became as blood.

The fourth angel poured. The sun scorched men with fire.

The fifth angel poured. The throne and kingdom of the Beast was put in darkness.

The sixth angel poured. The river Euphrates dried up to make a highway.

The seventh angel poured. The greatest earthquake ever. Islands and mountains disappeared and hailstones of one hundred weight fell on mankind. This ended God’s wrath.

Chapters 17 and 18

The judgment of the mother of harlots seated on the scarlet Beast drunk with the blood of martyrs.

She is a city seated on seven hills. She has control over most of the kings of the earth and she is drunk with the blood of martyrs. She is known allegorically as Babylon. She could only be Papal Rome.

Chapter 19

The marriage supper of the Lamb and His Bride.

The battle of Armageddon.

Chapter 20

Satan bound.

The Bride rules for one thousand years.

Satan loosed and comes against Israel one more time. He is defeated and thrown in the lake of fire.

The Great White Throne Judgment.

Chapter 21

The new Heaven and new Earth.

God moves His Throne from the far north, the third Heaven, to the planet Earth.

Explanation of the new Holy City Jerusalem.

Chapter 22

The river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the Throne.

On either side of the river the Tree of Life with its twelve kinds of fruit yielding its fruit each month, and the leaves of the tree are for healing of the nations.

The God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show His servants what must soon take place. "And behold I (God) am coming soon."

"Behold I (God) am The Alpha and The Omega."

Blessed are thos who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the Tree of Life and they many enter by the city gates.

I Jesus, have sent my Angel to you (John) with this testimony for the Churches.