Sequence of Events

1.       Chapter 1 – Introduction. This chapter tells who the writing comes from, who writes it down, and who gets the writing.  It must be understood that only those people who understand and are an active member of one of the Lord’s local churches will be able to understand the book of Revelation.  Revelation presupposes local church doctrine.

2.       Chapter 2-3 – Church age.

3.       Chapter 4 – symbolic of the rapture, and the beginning of the tribulation period.  Note the sounding of the trumpet, compared with the sounding of the trumpet of I Thess. 4:16.  There are many trumpet soundings in the Bible (which come from men and for earthly purposes), but there are not very many trumpet soundings that come from God.  Check out Exodus 19 and 20 for trumpet soundings from God.

4.       Chapter 5 – Introduction to the seals, and to the only one who is able to open the seven sealed book.  He is our Saviour, and also our judge.

5.       Chapter 6 – The opening of the first six seals.

6.       Chapter 7 – Interim – description of those saved during the first 3-½ years of the tribulation, Jew and Gentile.

7.       Chapter 8:1-2 – The opening of the seventh seal, which reveals the seven trumpets.

8.       Chapter 8:7 – The sounding of the first trumpet.

a.       I believe this trumpet and the trumpet of I Thess 4:16 are different.

b.       The trumpet in Revelation is a trumpet of war, but the trumpet of I Thess 4:16 is a trumpet announcing Jesus Christ.

c.       A type of this same trumpet can be found in Exodus 19:16, and 20:18 when God announced himself to Israel when he gave them the law.

d.       The trumpet of I Thess 4:16 and the trumpet of I Cor. 15:52 is the same, as both speak of the rapture of the saints.

e.       The trumpet of I Thess 4:16 and the trumpet of Rev. 1:10 is the same as both are announcement of the presence of God.

9.       Chapter 8:8 – The sounding of the second trumpet.

10.   Chapter 8:10 – The sounding of the third trumpet.

11.   Chapter 8:12 – The sounding of the fourth trumpet.

12.   Chapter 8:13 – the announcing of the three woes.  Each woe accompanies the sounding of a trumpet.

13.   Chapter 9:1 – The sounding of the fifth trumpet and the first woe.

14.   Chapter 9:12 – The first woe is past.

15.   Chapter 9:13 – The sounding of the sixth trumpet and the second woe.

16.   Chapter 10:1-4 – The seven thunders utter their voices and John is restricted from writing about them.

17.   Chapter 10:5-11 – The angel proclaims that when the seventh trumpet is sounded, time shall be no more, and the mystery of God should be finished.

18.   Chapter 11:1-13 – The measurement of the temple of God, the altar, and the people who worship there.  The two witnesses during the first half of the tribulation period, their deaths and resurrection, and the destruction of a 1/10 part of Jerusalem.

19.   Chapter 11:14 – The second woe is past.

20.   Chapter 11:15 – the seventh trumpet sounds.  The third woe is the plagues contained within the seventh trumpet, which includes the seven vials of the wrath of God.  The seventh trumpet proclaims the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of God, the wrath of God which comes on all the world, the judgment upon the lost, and rewards given to the saved. The temple of God in heaven is opened.

21.   Chapter 12-15:4 – Interim.

a.       Chapter 12 describes Jesus coming to the earth through the nation of Israel, and Satan’s attempt to destroy him, and Israel.

b.       Chapter 13 describes the history of Satan’s kingdom and it ultimate destruction.

c.       Chapter 14 describes the victory God will have over Satan, and the people involved in this victory, and the destruction of all who are against God and his eternal kingdom.

d.       Chapter 15:1-4 describes the sea of glass, which is first mentioned in Revelation 4:6.  When we first saw the sea of glass, there was no mention of anybody standing on it.  In Revelation 15:2, however, we find many people standing on the sea of glass, which is located right in front of the throne of God.  Who are these people?  Verse 3 explains the victory of those that die during the tribulation period, who stand upon the sea of glass before the throne of God.  Chapter 4:6 notes the sea of glass is empty at the time of the rapture.  After the tribulation saints have all given their lives for the name of Christ, then and only then will God pour out his wrath on the earth.  I Thess 5:9 states, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,”  This verse not only applies to the saints during the tribulation period, it also applies to saints during the tribulation period, or any other period..

22.   Chapter 15:5 continue from chapter 11:15, describing the same scene.  When the vials are poured out on the earth, this is the wrath of God.

23.   Chapter 16:2 – The pouring out of the first vial.

24.   Chapter 16:3 – The pouring out of the second vial.

25.   Chapter 16:4 – The pouring out of the third vial.

26.   Chapter 16:8 – The pouring out of the fourth vial.

27.   Chapter 16:10 – The pouring out of the fifth vial.

28.   Chapter 16:12 – The pouring out of the sixth vial.  The nations are gathered together at Armageddon to fight God.

29.   Chapter 16:17 – The pouring out of the seventh vial.

30.   Chapter 17-18 – Interim – A description of the history of the great whore and her ultimate destruction.

31.   Chapter 19 – Continues from chapter 16:21 – After the wrath of God is finished, there is great rejoicing because God has defeated his enemies.  The marriage of the Lamb takes place.  The rebellious are cast into the lake of fire.

32.   Chapter 20 – The Devil is cast into the bottomless pit for 1,000 years while Christ rules and reigns on the earth with a rod of iron.  At the end of the 1,000-year reign, Satan is loose from the bottomless pit, and he goes forth, deceives the nations once again, and gathers them together at the battle of God and Magog, which isn’t really a battle.  God destroys them all.  Satan is cast into his final abode, the lake of fire. The judgment of the lost, who are all cast into the lake of fire where death, the anti-Christ, the unholy spirit of Satan and Satan is.  Their eternity of torment begins.

33.   Chapter 21 – The destruction of this present heaven and earth and the creation of the new heaven and new earth.  Christ comes down to the new earth to rule forever.  God wipes away all tears.  The description of the New Jerusalem.

34.   Chapter 22:1-15 – A description of the greatness of the eternal kingdom of God.  Assurances that all who are not in the eternal kingdom of God are wicked and are bound in eternal destruction.

35.   Chapter 22:16-21 – The final invitation.