The Book Of Revelation - An Introduction

The Book Of Revelation – An Introduction

This chapter initially marked the background and overview for the letters to the seven churches recorded in Revelation chapters 2 and 3. What started as general Bible studies has developed into indepth commentary on the whole book. This introduction and the following studies are based on the King James Bible (KJB). I encourage you strongly to look up each reference in your Bible and even the context of each verse quoted to see how what I am saying here lines up or doesn’t line up with God’s Word. At the end of the day what I have to say does not matter. What matters is what God has already stated in His Word. Check out each part, each word study, and see how it fits with the overall message and order of the book of Revelation. If what I say (or even what another teacher or commentator says) does not line up with the Scriptures, throw it out. Be a Berean, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. See 1 Corinthians 2:13 and Acts 17:11. Let the Bible itself be your measuring rod to gauge all else by. Hebrews 5:11-14.

In the year AD 95 or 96, the Apostle John (the last remaining Apostle) was exiled to the Isle of Patmos under the second great persecution by a Roman Emperor. The first one was Nero and his son-in-law Titus, who burned the city of Jerusalem and destroyed the second Jewish temple. Now John faced persecution by the emperor Domitian, during the second Roman persecution. While on this prison island, he is given new revelation from the Lord Jesus Christ – in fact, he is given the book of Revelation, by a series of visions. This marks God’s final written revelation to mankind, and covers everything from the church age (marked by seven distinct eras in church history) to the tribulation, beyond that to the Millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ, then to His judgement of all the wicked at the Great White Throne Judgement, then onwards to eternity in the new heaven and new earth.

The following is based on my studying and understanding of the order and timing of the events of the book of Revelation. Each chapter will explain these events in greater depth.

Outline of Events of the Book of Revelation:

Chapter One – John’s sevenfold vision of Jesus at the end of the first century.

Chapters Two and Three - The seven churches and the church age. Each letter portrays a different era in church history, in the order they are presented.

Chapters Four and Five - The rapture and what transpires in Heaven moments before the opening of the first seal and the unfolding of the tribulation.

Chapter Six - The tribulation begins with the opening of the first seal, and the Antichrist riding onto the scene. In this chapter, which covers the first three and ½ years of the tribulation period, five more seals follow thereafter. This marks the first half of the seven year tribulation that Daniel foretold in Daniel 9:27.

Chapter Seven – This is the midpoint of the tribulation when the sealing of the 144,000 witnesses (the firstfruits) occurs, and then we see the great harvest resulting from their ministry around the world during the next three and ½ years.

Chapter Eight – The seventh seal opens, leading to the sounding of the trumpet judgements. This is the start of the second half of the tribulation period, referred to by Jesus as the “Great Tribulation” (see Matthew 24:21). This chapter contains the first four of the trumpet judgements.

Chapter Nine – The fifth and sixth trumpet judgements unfold, carrying us to the very end of the seven year tribulation.

Chapter Ten - Jesus (pictured here symbolically as the Mighty Angel) landing on the earth and reclaiming it, all Israel is now saved, and we reach the literal end of the tribulation period (ie. Daniel’s seventieth week, the final seven years of Daniel’s prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27 are now over).

Chapter Eleven - The ministry of the two Jewish witnesses, then their death and resurrection, the gathering together of the tribulation saints by the angel (see Matthew 24:29-31). We are now four days into the thirty days leading to Armageddon, as spoken of by Daniel (see Daniel 12:11).

Chapter Twelve – This chapter begins with the birth of Jesus Christ, the casting of the Devil and his fallen angels out of Heaven at the midpoint of the tribulation, the Antichrist (possessed by the Devil) now seeking to destroy the remnant of Israel, but they have fled to the place prepared for them by God (ie. Bozrah) literally thousands of years before.

Chapter Thirteen - The Antichrist’s origin and his reign, the false prophet and the enforcing of the mark of the beast - onward to Armageddon.

Chapter Fourteen - The 144,000 evangelists (the firstfruits of Israel) are now on Heavenly Mount Zion, the recounting of the wheat harvest, then of the harvesting of the wicked (the grapes of wrath), while the Antichrist’s armies that are gathered in the Megiddo Valley are being conquered by Jesus on His way back from Bozrah with the Jewish remnant.

Chapter Fifteen - The harvest of the believers (which could not be numbered, from chapter seven) are now seen protected in Heaven before the final seven vials of God’s wrath are poured out on the earth.

Chapter Sixteen - The last of the major judgements (the seven vials) are all poured out on the Antichrist and his kingdom (including those who worshipped him or received his mark).

Chapters Seventeen and Eighteen – Here is Mystery Babylon (both politically – ie. the city on seven hills, and spiritually - the final form of the endtime one-world religion) revealed and its final destruction.

Chapter Nineteen - The marriage supper of the Lamb, Jesus returning with the saints from Heaven, and then heading off to Armageddon to destroy His enemies, all the hostile armies of the world destroyed, the Antichrist and the false prophet thrown alive into the Lake of Fire.

Chapter Twenty - Satan bound for 1000 years, the tribulation martyrs resurrected, Christ reigning for 1000 years literally on earth from Jerusalem, followed by the Great White Throne Judgement where all the wicked are judged and thrown forever into the Lake of Fire.

Chapters Twenty One and Twenty Two - Eternity in the New Heaven and New Earth, all sin and traces of sin removed forever, the New Jerusalem coming down from Heaven, earth is restored to an Edenic state forever.

One final detail worth mentioning is the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is portrayed in seven different ways in seven different locations in the book of Revelation.

Jesus Christ is portrayed seven different ways in the book of Revelation:

1)      The Son of Man in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, in Revelation 1:12-16.

2)      The Lamb in the midst of the throne, in Revelation 5:5-7.

3)      The Mighty Angel setting His feet on the earth and the sea, in Revelation 10:1-6.*

4)      The Son of Man on the cloud, in Revelation 14:14-16.

5)      The Rider (the Word of God) on the white horse, in Revelation 19:11-16.

6)      The Judge on the Great White Throne, in Revelation 20:11-12.

7)      The Temple and the Light of it in the New Jerusalem, in Revelation 21:22-23.

* (The Mighty Angel referring to His two witnesses in Revelation 11:3 proves this is the Angel of the LORD of the OT, Jesus Christ of New Testament.)

Just another example, yeah even proof, of God’s inspiration of the Scriptures and choice of each jot and tittle, each word literally chosen by the Holy Spirit as His penmen wrote down exactly what He wanted them to write (working through their personalities and reins), to give us exactly the final product that He desired – His Word that has been settled in Heaven from all eternity (see Psalm 119:89). We can see God’s handprint, both in the preserved underlying texts in the original languages (ie. the Hebrew Masoretic Text and the Greek Textus Receptus), and in the English of our King James Bible, the Bible which we can hold in our hands today, read from today, yeah even study from today. The Bible never lost its inspiration, despite the claims of modern higher criticism. Today I can hold God’s exact literal words in my very hands. How about you?

Jerry Bouey
October 2025