BOOK OF REVELATION: SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

The next area of major disagreement, whatever the time scope, concerns the order in which Revelation 

is organized: chronologically or according to some other scheme. Four major options will be 

considered as possibilities here, each of which contains minor variations:

    A. chronological or modified chronological

    B. cyclic -- 2 to 7 cycles

    C. progressive recapitulation

    D. chiastic

Chronological View

This approach has the advantage of being seemingly the most straightforward way to understand the 

book. But actually the first evidence we have of such an understanding wasn't until the year 1340 by a 

French theologian (Nicolas of Lyra). The major drawback to such an approach is that it invariably 

leads to multiple occurrences of similar events.

 

For example, according to a straightforward chronological reading of Revelation, there will be three 

separate times that forces of evil would arise, each followed by godly reigns on earth. As another 

example, believers in a strictly chronological view have to propose seven different “last” judgments 

occurring throughout the book. These have been called The Great White Throne Judgment, Judgment 

of Israel at Christ's Second Coming, of Living Gentiles, of Old Testament Saints, of Satan, of the 

Church, and of the Tribulation Saints.

Other examples of these duplications:

Trumpets (Revelation 8:2-11:18) and Bowls (Revelation 15-16): There is the same order of events in 

both series: A. Earth B. Sea C. Rivers D. Sun E. Throne of the beast F. Euphrates G. Second Coming in

     Judgment

Gathering together of enemies for the great battle: 16:12-16; 19:19; 20:8 (but no actual battle occurs)

Babylon has fallen: 14:8; 16:19; chs. 17-18

Satan is cast down and his influence curbed: 11:2-6; 12:9; 20:2-3

Satan rises from the pit: 11:7; 20:7

People suffer torment but do not repent: 9:20-21; 16:9-11

Third of the stars are swept from heaven: 8:12; 12:4

John falls down to worship an angel and is chastised: 19:10; 22:8-9 (You would think he had learned 

    his lesson the first time.)

All of these duplications result in a very complicated time line that only an expert in the field can lead 

you through. There are some possible explanations for these duplications that we will discuss next.

You may have noticed that the scenes in Revelation appear to alternate between events on earth and 

events in heaven. It could be proposed that these are paired together as occurring simultaneously (just a 

different perspective of the same event). This could be called a modified chronological scheme. 

Unfortunately, this approach has little effect on the number of duplications still present.

Cyclic View

Beginning in the 3^rd cent. AD with Victorinus, the recapitulation view was proposed in which each 

cycle (usually counted as seven, but some only see two) was said to recap history from the first to the 

second coming of Christ (which would explain, for example, the many judgments which end most of 

the cycles). Let's consider the scheme involving seven sections (by far the most common).

Major Sections in Revelation

1. Seven Letters to the Churches (Rev. 1-4)

2. Seven Seals (Rev. 5:1-8:1)

3. Seven Trumpets (Rev. 8:2-11:18)

4. Bizarre Beasts (Rev. 11:19-14:20)

5. Seven Bowls (Rev. 15-16)

6. Downfall of Harlot and Beasts (Rev. 17-19)

7. Defeat of Satan; New Heaven & Earth (Rev. 20-22)

This scheme fits in perfectly with amillennialism, seen most clearly in the last cycle in Chapter 20 with 

Christ's first coming resulting in the limiting of Satan's power until the end when he is released for a 

short period (tribulation), Jesus comes to judge, and the New Creation is set up.

Each section is identified by either a common theme, a set of seven, or use of another literary 

technique. Section 6 is not as obvious as the others as a discrete section but it is held together by at 

least two literary techniques. First is the inclusio roughly marking the bounds of the section:

Lord of lords and King of kings (17:14)

King of kings and Lord of lords (19:16)

Also note the symmetrical pattern:

I saw (3x in 17:3-18:1)

                I heard (3x in 18:14-19:6)

I saw (3x in 19:11-17)

The cyclic method does a good job of explaining the repetitions that are obviously present — all of 

them now disappear because each duplication occurs in a different cycle.

 

Con -- Some feel that this is an unnatural way to write a book and wouldn't have been comprehended 

by audiences in any age. As a rejoinder to this, it should be noted that I have analyzed each of the books

in the Bible, and every single one of them is characterized by some type of major repetition (see the 

various postings entitled "Introduction to the Literary Structure"). We will show some pertinent examples in a minute.

 

 Progressive recapitulation

The only problem with a cyclic view is that it doesn't seem to take into account the progressive 

development of certain themes and events that occurs as the book proceeds. As an example, consider 

the word "lamb," which occurs numerous times throughout the Revelation. It is associated with the 

terms "blood" and "slain" in chapters 5-13, with believers in chapters 19-21, and finally with "throne" 

in Chapter 22. In addition, the judgments on the earth become more widespread as the book progresses, 

affecting a fourth of the earth in 6:8, a third of the earth in 8:7-12, and the whole earth in 15:1. Also, 

the clearest description of the New Heaven and New Earth only appears in the last chapters.

A final example of progressive development throughout Revelation comes from the similar phrases derived from allusions to the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai:

    lightnings and sounds and thunders (4:5)

    thunders and sounds and lightnings and quaking (8:5)

    lightnings and sounds and thunders and quaking and great hail (11:19)

    lightnings and sounds and thunders and great quaking...and great hail (16:18-21)

There is a lot of repetition, indicating that the same basic phenomena are involved each time, but a little more detail is given with each repetition. So one other way of viewing the sequence of events in Revelation is to recognize that it is both chronological and cyclic. This view has been labeled “progressive recapitulation.” And it turns out that this is a common feature of apocalyptic literature elsewhere in the Bible. For example:

Cycles in Ezekiel 38-39

Introduction (38:1-6)

A. Readiness for attack on Israel (38:7-13)

B. The attack (38:14-16)

C. Judgment on Gog (38:17-23)

Introduction (39:1-3)

B. The attack (39:4a)

C. Judgment on Gog (39:4b-20)

D. Restoration of Israel (39:21-29)

The eight visions in Zechariah 1 - 6 provide an excellent example of the same theme (God rebuilding Zion) presented over and over with only slight chronological progression. The Book of Daniel also provides a particularly close parallel to this understanding of cycles in Revelation, as can be seen in the chart below:

Progressive Cycles in Daniel

Ch.     Image (Kingdoms)

2         gold          silver          bronze         iron and clay                                      stone/mountain

        (Babylon)     (Media)      (Persia)     (Greece up to Antiochus)                 (eternal kingdom)

7     lion/eagle     bear         leopard/bird         beast with horns                                  Son of Man

        (Babylon)     (Media)     (Persia)      (Greece up to Antiochus)                 (eternal kingdom)

8      ----------     ram and horns                      goat                                              sanctuary restored

                        (Media and Persia)          (mainly Antiochus)

10-12 ----------     -------- four kings         kings of the north and sout                 resurrection and

                                (Persia)         (Seleucids and Ptolemies)                     last judgment

By the way, the above is only one possible understanding since some scholars see the fourth column extending into the Roman Empire. In either case, the principle of progressive cycles remains the same. Movement is both left to right and up to down at the same time.

Also note that the language used becomes clearer and more literal with each cycle: nations = (in order) metallic parts of a statue, bizarre animals, animals, kings. Also, the clearest description of Final Events is saved for the last cycle. The same phenomenon occurs in Revelation.

The Book of Daniel plays a large part in most detailed schemes of the future for those who see no past historical fulfillment for the events in the last cycles especially involving Antiochus IV, a Greek ruler over Israel for about ten years beginning in 175 BC. This is ironic considering that skeptics of the Bible see so many specific details of what historically happened during this time period that they say Daniel could not have possibly predicted these events so accurately in advance; they must have been written down by someone else after the fact. But Futurists point to the description of the ruler in these visions and say that it obviously is no mere human being, but the Antichrist that is being described.

Consider Daniel 11:36 for example:

“The king shall act as he pleases. He shall exalt himself and consider himself greater than any god, and shall speak horrendous things against the God of gods.” But this literally applies to Antiochus. Coins that he had minted during his reign either read “King Antiochus, the image of God (or God incarnate)” or picture him as the sun god with rays of light coming out of his head. He not only spoke against God but desecrated the Jewish temple by sacrificing a pig in it and setting up a pagan idol to worship. We can view him as a type of the Antichrist to come, but he was also a historical character of the past.

Chiastic Ordering can be seen in the letters to the seven churches:

1. Ephesus                      (threat of rejection)

        2. Smyrna                      (warning of persecution)

                3. Pergamum                  (opposition from Christ)

                    4. Thyatira                         (threat addressed only to false prophetess)

                5. Sardis                         (opposition from Christ)

        6. Philadelphia                (warning of persecution)

7. Laodicea                      (threat of rejection)

There also at least seven other examples of chiastic pairings within these letters besides the warnings above: (a) the similar condemnations of Ephesus (1) and Laodicea (7), (b) promises to these same churches both involving eating, (c) lack of a condemnation for churches 2 and 6, (d) the phrase "those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan" in letter 2 and the same phrase with the two clauses chiastically reversed in letter 6, (e) promises involving new names to churches 3 and 5, and (f) the identical opening phrase “The words of him who has” found only in letters 3 and 5.

The central letter to Thyatira is the only one in which the warning does not apply to the whole church and also the only one in the series that uses the phrase “all the churches.”

Is it possible that the whole Book of Revelation is organized this way rather than chronologically, or as cycles, or as progressive cycles?

Chiastic Structure to the Book of Revelation

I. Introduction (1:1-4:11)

II. Destruction on the Earth and its Inhabitants (5:1-11:19)

III. Judgment on God’s Enemies (12:1-20:15)

A. Demonic Forces on the Earth (12:1-16:1)

B. The Seven Plagues (16:2-21)

A'. The Fall of the Demonic Forces (17:1-20:15)

II'. The New Heaven and Earth and their Inhabitants (21:1-22:5)

I'. Conclusion (22:6-21)

I'll give just three pieces of evidence in favor of this viewpoint:

1. In Section III, the demonic forces are destroyed (IIIA') in the opposite order of their appearance in IIIA (a symmetrical pattern).

2. Also, “The seventh bowl (16:17-21) marks the climax of God’s action,” as one prominent commentator states. This explains the meaning of the seventh angel’s proclamation in 16:17 (“It is done!”) which is almost identical to Jesus’ words on the cross. Those who believe there are only two cycles to Revelation also recognize that these verses mark a high point in the book before it starts over again.

3. There are an amazing number of exact parallels in language between Section I and Section I'.

Introduction                                                                         Conclusion

Jesus/come quickly (3x)                                                 Jesus/come quickly (3x)

Revelations come from God, Christ                         Revelations come from God, Christ

and angels (1:1)                                                              and angels (22:6, 16)

“Show his servants what must soon tak                “Show his servants what must soon take

    place” (1:1-2; 4:1)                                                         place” (22:6)

“Blessed is he who reads this prophecy” (1:3)         “Blessed is he who reads this prophecy”

                                                                                            (22:7b)

Greeting from John: “Grace and peace...                  Final greeting from John: “Grace...

AMEN” (1:4-6)                                                                  AMEN” (22:21)

“Behold, he is coming. AMEN” (1:7)                  “Behold, I am coming soon: (22:7a and

                                                                                    22:12)

                                                                                “I am coming soon. AMEN.” (22:20)

“I am the Alpha and Omega” (1:8)                          “I am the Alpha and Omega” (22:13)

“The first and the last” (1:17)                                 “The first and the last” (22:13)

Vision, self-description and words of                      Self-description and words of Jesus

    Jesus (1:12-20)                                                                  (22:16-19)

“When I saw him, I fell at his feet.” (1:17)             “When I... saw them, I fell down...

                                                                                            at the feet.” (22:8)

“He put...on me” (1:17)                                              “God will put on him.” (22:18)

grant to eat of the tree of life” (2:7)                     “have the right to the tree of life” (22:14)

“give...as your works deserve” (2:23)                 “repay according to everyone's work” (22:12)

“the morning star” (2:28)                                              “the morning star (22:16)

“people who have not soiled their garments”         (3:4) “those who wash their robes” (22:14)

“the key of David” (3:7)                                                  “the root of David” (22:16)

“spirits of God” (4:5)                                                         "God of the spirits" (22:6)

“fall down...and worship” (4:10)                                      “fell down to worship (22:8)

So in conclusion, if we don't really know whether the book is arranged chronologically, as parallel cycles, as progressive cycles, or topically as a chiasm, then trying to pin down a time line or even a general order of events is a futile exercise. It was probably not intended that we do so in the first place.

If the book is arranged as a chiasm, then it is a topical rather than chronological arrangement. In addition, each separate section within this chiasm possesses its own internal symmetrical and topical arrangement, as demonstrated elsewhere (see the post on Revelation: Introduction to the Literary Structure). And even within several of the sub-sections, the same events appear to be described twice in succession using slightly different imagery (i.e., 7:4-8 // 7:9-16; 12:4 // 12:9; 12:5-6 // 12:14; 14:14-16 // 14:17-20; 16:8-9 // 16:10-11; 21:2-3 // 21:9-14, etc.).