Introduction—the revelation of Christ and the testimony of Jesus (1:1-8)

“The things which you have seen” (1:9-20)

1. Seven golden lampstands—the shining churches
2. The Son of Man—the living Christ
3. Seven stars—the bright messengers of the churches

“The things which are”—the seven local churches (2:1—3:22)

1. The church in Ephesus—the church at the close of the initial stage (2:1-7)
2. The church in Smyrna—the church under persecution (2:8-l1)
3. The church in Pergamos—the church married to the world (2:12-17)
4. The church in Thyatira—the church in apostasy (2:18-29)
5. The church in Sardis—the church in reformation (3: 1-6)
6. The church in Philadelphia—the church in recovery (3:7-13)
7. The church in Laodicea—the church in degradation (3:14-22)

“The things which are about to take place” (4:1—22:5)

1. The first section, giving a general view of the things to come, from Christ’s ascension to eternity future (4:1—11:19)
   1. The scene around the throne in the heavens-only the Lion-Lamb (the victorious and redeeming Christ) being worthy to open the mystery of God’s economy (4:1—5:14)
      
   2. The seven seals-the mystery of God’s economy (6:1—8:5)
      1. The first seal: a white horse and its rider—the preaching of the gospel (6:1-2)
      2. The second seal: a red horse and its rider—the spread of war (6:3-4)
      3. The third seal: a black horse and its rider—the increase of famine (6:5-6)
      4. The fourth seal: a pale horse and its rider—rampant death (6:7-8)
      5. The fifth seal: the cry of the souls underneath the altar—the prayer of the martyred saints from Paradise for vengeance (6:9-11)
      6. The sixth seal: the shaking of the earth arid heaven, the beginning of the great tribulation—a warning to earth’s dwellers (6:12-17)
      7. The visions inserted between the sixth and seventh seals (7:1-17)
         (1) 144,000 of the twelve tribes sealed—the chosen Israelites preserved on earth (7:1-8)
         (2) A great multitude serving God in the heavenly temple—the redeemed saints raptured to heaven to enjoy God’s care and the Lamb’s shepherding (7:9-17)
      8. The seventh seal: seven trumpets brought in—the answer to the martyred saints’ prayer in the fifth seal (8:1-2)
      9. The scene in heaven after the opening of the seventh seal—Christ as the High Priest offering the prayers of the saints to God (8:3-5)
   3. The seven trumpets—the execution of God’s economy (8:6—11:19)
      1. The first trumpet: judgment on the earth (8:7)
      2. The second trumpet: judgment on the sea (8:8-9)
      3. The third trumpet: judgment on the rivers (8:10-11)
      4. The fourth trumpet: judgment on the sun, moon, and stars (8:12)
      5. The fifth trumpet—the first woe: judgment on men—Satan and Antichrist collaborating to torment men (8:13—9:11)
      6. The sixth trumpet—the second woe: further judgment on men—two hundred million horsemen killing the third part of men (9:12-21)
      7. The visions inserted between the sixth and seventh trumpets (19:1—11:13)
         (1) Christ coming to possess the earth (10:1-7)
         (2) John charged to prophesy again (l0:8-11)
         (3) The temple measured and the court cast out—the heavenly temple sanctified and preserved and the earthly one given to the Gentiles (11: 1-2)
         (4) The two witnesses—Moses and Elijah (11:3-12)
         (5) A great earthquake—the third earthquake predicted in this book (11:13)
      8. The seventh trumpet—the eternal kingdom of Christ, the third woe comprising the seven bowls; the judgment of the dead, the giving of the reward to the prophets, to the saints, and to the God-fearing people, and the destruction of the destroyers of the earth (11:14-18)
      9. The scene in heaven after the trumpeting of the seventh trumpet—the temple opened and the ark seen (11:19)
2. The second section, giving details of the important things and the crucial matters covered in the first section (12:1—22:5)
   1. A woman who brings forth a man-child, and a great red dragon—Satan (12:1-18)
      1. The woman in travail (12:1-2)
      2. The great red dragon against the woman (12:3-4)
      3. The man-child born and caught up to God and to His throne (12:5)
      4. The woman fleeing (12:6)
      5. War in heaven (12:7-9)
      6. The triumphant shout in heaven (12:10-12)
      7. The dragon persecuting the woman (12:13-16)
      8. The dragon making war with the rest of the woman’s seed (12:17-18)
   2. The two beasts (13:1-18)
      1. The beast out of the sea—Antichrist (13:1-10)
      2. The beast out of the earth—the false prophet (13: 11-18)
   3. Three reapings (14:1-20)
      1. The first fruits of the believers before the great tribulation (14:1-5)
      2. The eternal gospel in the great tribulation (14: 6-7)
      3. The fall of religious Babylon in the great tribulation (14:8)
      4. The warning against the worship of Antichrist in the great tribulation (14: 9-12)
      5. The blessing of the martyrs in the great tribulation (14:13)
      6. The harvest of the believers near the end of the great tribulation (14:14-16)
      7. The gathering of the grapes (the evildoers) at the end of the great tribulation (14:17-20)
   4. The outpouring of the seven bowls (15:1—16:2)
      1. The last seven plagues (15:1)
      2. The praise of the late overcomers (15:2-4)
      3. The scene in heaven before the outpouring of the seven bowls (15:5-8)
      4. The first bowl: a malignant sore Upon the worshippers of Antichrist (16:1-2)
      5. The second bowl: the sea becoming blood (16:3)
      6. The third bowl: the rivers and springs becoming blood (16:4-7)
      7. The fourth bowl: the sun burning men with fire (16:8-9)
      8. The fifth bowl: the kingdom of Antichrist becoming darkened (16:10-11)
      9. The sixth bowl: the Euphrates dried up (16:12)
      10. The vision inserted between the sixth and seventh bowls: the gathering at Armageddon (16:13-16)
      11. The seventh bowl: the greatest earthquake and the great hail (16:17-21)
   5. Babylon the Great and her destruction (17:1—19:4)
      1. The religious aspect (17:1-18)
         (1) The great harlot (17:1-6)
         (2) The interpretation of the woman and the beast (17:7-15, 18)
         (3) The destruction of the harlot by the beast (17:16-17)
      2. The material aspect (18:1-24)
         (1) The shout of Christ: “Babylon the Great is fallen” (18:1-3)
         (2) The call for separation: “Come out of her” (18:4-5)
         (3) Babylon’s pride and destruction (18:6-8)
         (4) The weeping over Babylon (18:9-19)
         (5) The rejoicing in heaven (18:20)
         (6) The declaration of Babylon’s absolute destruction (18:21-24)
      3. The praise in heaven (19:1-4)
   6. The marriage of the lamb (19:5-10)
      1. The praise of a great multitude (19:5-6)
      2. The lamb’s marriage and His marriage dinner (19:7-9)
      3. The spirit of the prophecy (19:10)
   7. The war at Armageddon (19:11-21)
      1. Christ coming to tread the great winepress (19:11-16)
      2. A great dinner (19:17-18)
      3. The defeat and perdition of Antichrist and the false (19:19-21)
   8. The imprisonment of Satan (20:1-3)
      1. For one thousand years (20:1-2)
      2. In the abyss (20:3)
   9. The millennial kingdom (20:4-6)
      1. In the best resurrection (20:4-5)
      2. With the priesthood and the kingship for one thousand years (20:6)
   10. The last rebellion (20:7-10)
       1. The release of Satan (20:7)
       2. The rebellion of the nations and their destruction (20:8-9)
       3. Satan’s perdition in the lake of fire (20:10)
   11. The judgment of the great white throne (20:11-15)
       1. Earth and heaven fleeing away (20:11)
       2. The unbelieving dead being judged (20:12)
       3. The demons being judged (20:13)
       4. Death and Hades being cast into the lake of fire (20:14)
       5. The perdition of the unbelievers and demons in the lake of fire (20:15)
   12. The new heaven and the new earth (21:1-8)
       1. The first heaven and the first earth having passed away being no more (21:1)
       2. New Jerusalem coming down to the new earth (21:2)
       3. The peoples on the new earth (21:3-4)
       4. The sons of God in eternity (21:5-7)
       5. The perished in the lake of fire (21:8)
   13. New Jerusalem (21:9-27)
       1. The bride, the wife of the lamb (21:9)
       2. The holy city (21:10)
       3. Her glory and appearance (21:11)
       4. Her structure and measurement (21:12-21)
       5. The enlarged temple (21:22)
       6. Her light and lamp (21:23)
       7. The nations around her (21:24-27)
   14. The river of water of life and the tree of life (22:1-2)
       1. The river of water of life (22:1)
       2. The tree of life (22:2)
   15. The blessings of God’s redeemed in eternity (22:3-5)
       1. No more curse
       2. Having the throne of God and of the Lamb
       3. Serving God and the Lamb (22:3)
       4. Seeing the face of God and of the Lamb
       5. The name of God and of the Lamb being on their foreheads (22:4)
       6. Being under the illumination of the Lord God
       7. Reigning forever (22:5)

3. Conclusion—the Lord’s last warning and the apostle’s last prayer (22:6-21)

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