Revelation the Book
—A complete study
A comprehensive outline, overview, and verse-by-verse study of the Book of Revelation. The many lessons show you how to understand the book. Several core lessons deal with subjects such as times and seasons, tribulation, the dragon, heaven, etc. These support the detailed exposition. The work is divided into four sections. Tap any title next to an arrow in the list below.
1. The Revelation of Christ (Revelation 1-5)
➤ (YouTube) Is the Book of Revelation for You? —Half hour video. (Revelation 1:1-8) A study of Revelation 1:1-8 about the book's relevance for you. We look at the revealing benediction (words of blessing), the salutation (words of greeting) and the doxology (words of praise). We also discuss the title "him who is, who was, and who is to come", and the warning, "the time is near".
➤ Is Revelation a Book for You? —(Revelation 1:3) First we look at the benediction (word of blessing) and note the blessings of the book of Revelation to the modern reader.
➤ The Relevance of Revelation —(Revelation 1:4) Now we look at the salutation (word of greeting) because it too indicates the relevance of the book for people today.
➤ Him Who Is, Was, and is To Come —(Revelation 1:4-7) Thirdly, we look at the doxology (word of praise) describing Christ as him who is, was and is to come (Revelation 1:4).
➤ A Useful Outline of Revelation —Before we proceed further with our studies of the book of Revelation, I would like to provide you with an outline of the Book of Revelation as a useful guide to your study of the book. This outline shows you the structure of the book. Use this outline for reference as you study.
➤ Don't Skip Over the Title —(Revelation 1:1-3) Before we advance in our our studies in the book of Revelation, we are going to step back to its very first words. These first words of Revelation may be the most ignored words of the entire book.
➤ The Seven Spirits —(Revelation 1:4-7) This lesson looks at the seven spirits mentioned in Revelation 1:4 in connection with the seven churches of Asia.
➤ What Were John’s Sources? —When John wrote the book of Revelation, what were his sources? Is his book apocalyptic literature?
➤ John’s Seven Declarations (Revelation 1) —(Revelation 1:4-7) We are looking at John’s prologue to the Book of Revelation. In this lesson, we consider the seven declarations that John makes about Jesus Christ. A verse by verse exposition of Revelation One, verses 5-7.
➤ By Command of the Christ —(Revelation 1:9-11) This page looks at the portion of John’s prologue to Revelation where he informs us of the circumstances that caused him to write the book. The book was written because Jesus commanded it to be written. Lesson provides information about John, Patmos, the Lord's Day, Asia, and the seven churches.
➤ Seven Powers of Christ —We learn more about Christ in chapters 1-3. At least seven aspects of Christ’s power and authority may be noticed in these chapters, both in the first vision of Christ, and in the letters Christ has John write to the seven churches.
➤ (YouTube) Who Is Jesus? —Half hour video. A study of what the Book of Revelation says about our Lord Jesus. Includes three senses in which the book is "The Revelation of Jesus Christ" (the book's title). Looks at the songs of Revelation 4 and 5, and their revealing descriptions of Jesus the Lamb. Likewise, the messages to the seven churches. And there's more.
➤ Alpha and Omega - Jesus is God —(Revelation 1:8) In the book of Revelation Jesus, the Alpha and Omega, shows himself to be God just like his Father.
➤ The Vision of Christ —(Revelation 1:12-16) An Exposition of the first vision (Revelation 1) which is, appropriately, a vision of the glorified Christ.
➤ Christ Speaks to John —(Revelation 1:17-20) Continuing the exposition of the Vision of Christ in Revelation One.
➤ Notes on the Seven Messages —The messages to the seven churches (Revelation 2-3) all start with the same elements. The messages all end in a similar way too. Rather than clutter the commentary on each message with repetition, we treat these elements in this separate reference.
➤ Message to Ephesus —(Revelation 2:1-7),
➤ Message to Smyrna —(Revelation 2:8-11),
➤ Message to Pergamum —(Revelation 2:12-17),
➤ Message to Thyatira —(Revelation 2:18-29),
➤ Message to Sardis —(Revelation 3:1-6),
➤ Message to Philadelphia —(Revelation 3:7-13),
➤ Message to Laodicea —(Revelation 3:14-22).
➤ Spiritualizing Prophecy —A lesson answering common criticisms about spiritualizing prophecy. Explains what it means to spiritualize prophecy.
➤ The Elders Around the Throne —(Revelation 4:1-5) Lesson on the first of seven scenes in heaven in the second vision that John saw.
➤ The Four Living Creatures —(Revelation 4:6-11) Study of the second of seven scenes in the second vision, a vision of Heaven.
➤ The Scroll and the Lamb —(Revelation 5:1-7) Third and fourth scenes of the vision of Heaven.
➤ Songs of Heaven —(Revelation 5:8-14) The last three of the seven scenes of the heavenly vision. These are all scenes in which songs of praise are sung in heaven.
2. The Times of Tribulation (Revelation 6-11)
➤ The White Horse —(Revelation 6:1-2) You may have heard of the "four horses of the apocalypse". These four horses which John saw represent tribulations. The white horse and its rider stands for earthly rule and authority and dominion.
➤ The Red Horse —(Revelation 6:3-4) The red horse and its rider with the sword represents slaughter and bloodshed, people killing people.
➤ The Black Horse —(Revelation 6:5-6) The black horse and its rider with the scales represents commerce and the economic system with all of its problems such as corruption, poverty, debt, inflation, boom and bust, unemployment, financial loss, etc.
➤ The Pale Horse —(Revelation 6:7-8) The pale horse and its rider leading Hades (the realm of the dead) represents death. Every human being is subject to death.
➤ Through Much Tribulation —This study in Revelation helps us understand the troubles and suffering we go through.
➤ (YouTube) Revelation and Tribulation —Half hour video. The middle chapters of the Book of Revelation, are visions of woes and troubles, plages and disasters. Not until chapter 19 does the end of sufferings come with victory in Jesus. The visions help us understand our sufferings and the principles of endurance.
➤ Tribulation Principles —Another study that helps us understand the troubles and suffering we go through. Outlines seven principles of tribulation.
➤ A Little Time —What is the short time or little season that appears many times in Revelation?
➤ The Dragon's Short Time —Another look at the little season.
➤ Three Time Spans —Lesson on symbolic periods in prophecy, especially the three time spans within the Christian age.
➤ The Symbolic Calendar —Lesson on symbolic periods in prophecy, especially the calendar used in the book of Revelation.
➤ Three and a Half —Another lesson about symbolic periods in prophecy, especially the three-and-a-half symbol, a time, times, and half a time.
➤ A Time, Times, and Half a Time —This lesson is also about symbolic periods in prophecy, especially the 'time, times, and half a time' symbol as it relates to tribulation.
➤ The Many Days of Daniel —An interpretation of the days at the end of Daniel (Daniel 12:7-13) which are along similar lines to the days and times in Revelation.
➤ Vengeance and Wrath —(Revelation 6:9-17) We consider two visions, each portraying the Christian or gospel age and the day of God’s wrath at the end.
➤ The Multitude Saved —(Revelation 7:1-17) Now, as a counterpoint to the previous vision, John sees the multitude of those saved from God’s wrath.
➤ The Silence in Heaven —(Revelation 8:1-5) A study about a silence in heaven that preceded the four scourges on earth.
➤ The Four Scourges —(Revelation 8:6-13) A study about the four scourges on earth that followed a silence in heaven.
➤ The Bottomless Pit —(Revelation 9:1-2) John sees a vision of a bottomless pit out of which come a cloud of very strange locusts. This lesson is about the pit or abyss.
➤ The Locusts Like Scorpions —(Revelation 9:3-12) The creatures that John calls locusts were strange indeed. They had a sting in their tails like scorpions, and a few other surprises.
➤ Four Killer Angels —(Revelation 9:13-21) We now look at the vision of the four angels released at the river Euphrates to go and kill.
➤ The Little Book —(Revelation 10:1-11) The angel tells John to eat a little book which would taste sweet in his mouth, but become bitter in his stomach.
➤ The Two Witnesses Prophesy —(Revelation 11:1-6) The two witnesses in John’s vision signify the oaths God swore that Christ, as head of the church, would have two anointings. He would be both king and high priest.
➤ The Two Witnesses are Killed —(Revelation 11:7-13) The death, resurrection, and ascension of the two witnesses.
➤ The Eternal Kingdom —(Revelation 11:14-19) A vision of the saints entering the eternal kingdom on the great day of God’s judgment and wrath.
3. The Judgment of Beasts (Revelation 12-20)
➤ (YouTube) The Dragon in Revelation —Half hour video. Three beasts are among the main characters in the visions of Revelation, the last book of the Bible. The Dragon is one of these beasts. We learn about the Dragon and the signs associated with him.
➤ (YouTube) The Dragon’s Friends —Half hour video. Following our study of the Dragon in the book of Revelation, we now consider the Dragon’s three friends: the Beast, the False Prophet, and the Abominable Woman. In this lesson we study the meaning of these three signs in the visions John received and saw.
➤ Satan the Failure —(Revelation 12:1-17) A very strong theme in the Book of Revelation is the frustration of Satan. The story of his failures is told in the visions in chapter 12.
➤ The Three Beasts —About the Dragon, the Beast, the False prophet, the three Beasts in Revelation 12-13.
➤ Women Splendid and Atrocious —About a very splendid and heavenly woman of great power in chapter 12, and an atrocious and disgusting harlot who rides on the Dragon in chapter 17.
➤ The Beast from the Sea —(Revelation 13:1-10) The leopard-like beast with ten horns and seven heads serves the dragon. He blasphemes against God and heaven, and leads the whole world into evil. He makes war against the saints.
➤ The Beast from the Earth —(Revelation 13:11-17) Another beast rises up to make a threesome. He serves the dragon and the beast from the sea. He is a false prophet who deceives or coerces people into idolatry, and into being marked with evil.
➤ The Number of the Beast —(Revelation 13:18) Who hasn't heard about 666 the number of the beast, and a lot of rubbish about it too?
➤ The Lamb and his First Fruits —(Revelation 14:1-5) In contrast to the antichristian kingdom of the Beast whose subjects have the mark of his name upon them, John now has a vision of the kingdom of Christ the Lamb. His 144,000 followers have the mark of another name upon them, the name of Christ and his Father.
➤ Three Angelic Messengers —(Revelation 14:6-13) Three angels fly through the sky calling out their messages. One brings the gospel and a call to worship God. The second brings an announcement of the fall of Babylon. The third warns of the wrath of God upon all who worship the Beast and have his mark upon them.
➤ The Two Reapers —(Revelation 14:14-20) John sees a vision of two reapers. One is like the Son of Man. He reaps from the earth what is his. Another angel then comes to reap the clusters of grapes that remain. He casts them into the winepress of the wrath of God.
➤ Scenes in Heaven —(Revelation 15:1-8) An exposition of the scenes in heaven, the vision recorded in Revelation 15, in which heavenly singers praise God, the sanctuary of the temple is opened, and the seven angels are given the bowls of wrath for the Last Judgment..
➤ Bowls of God’s Wrath —(Revelation 16:1-21) An exposition of the vision of the Bowls of God’s Wrath in Revelation 16:1-21. This is another vision about the Great Day of God and God’s judgment and punishment of the wicked. Behind this vision of doom, there is good news.
➤ Mother of Harlots —(Revelation 17:1-18) John sees an abominable woman, the Mother of Harlots, sitting on a scarlet beast. She signifies the great city that rules over the kings of the earth. Her name in the vision is Babylon. She is seen drunk with the blood of the saints.
➤ An Angel Explains —(Revelation 17:7-18) An Angel gives some guidelines to John, to help him comprehend the meaning of the judgment visions that he has been seeing and will continue to see, about the beasts and the kingdoms they signify.
➤ Satan the Loser —Another look at Satan’s frustrations and failures in chapters 18-20..
➤ The Anti-Christian Kingdom —Revelation is largely about the opposition between two kingdoms, and the victory that Christ’s kingdom will have over Satan’s.
➤ (YouTube) The Great Day of God - Symbols in Revelation —Half hour video. This lesson in the book of Revelation deals with two great days, three short times, the battle, the second death, the first resurrection, the throne and books, the city and crowns, and two invitations.
➤ The Great Day of God —This is one of the great themes of the visions which John recorded in the book of Revelation.
➤ Woe Songs to Babylon —(Revelation 18:1-24) An exposition of chapter 18 where John hears six woe songs about the fall of Babylon.
➤ The Seventh Song —(Revelation 19:1-10) An exposition of the seventh song about Babylon. During this final song, John is taken in vision back to the throne in heaven.
➤ The King in His Glory —(Revelation 19:11-21) John sees a vision of a rider on a white horse who has wonderful names and is too powerful for his enemies to even begin their battle with him.
➤Binding of Satan 1000 Years —(Revelation 20:1-10) This lesson is about a vision that covers a broad sweep of time on earth —the time between the ascension and second coming of Christ. The focus is on the binding of Satan during the reign of Christ. The climax is the demise of Satan who gets out of the frying pan into the fire.
➤ The Battle of Armageddon — Who hasn't heard of “The Battle of Armageddon”? Those who believe in a future reign of Christ on earth for 1000 years, see this battle as the final great war on earth leading up to Judgment Day. But in the visions of Revelation there was no battle. It was planned. The armies gathered. But the battle did not happen.
➤ Satan at War —Some people think of the war visions as describing physical battles, one between the Satan and Michael in the long distant past, and the other between Satan and Christ in the very near future. In fact, these visions symbolise a spiritual battle (but a real battle nevertheless) being waged in everybody’s present life and experience, including yours and mine.
➤ The Throne and the Books —(Revelation 20:11-15) These key verses tell especially of the heavenly throne before which stands every person, great and small, all who have ever lived.
➤ The Second Death —the Beast, the False prophet, the Dragon, and all who follow them, are thrown in turn into the lake of burning sulphur, "the second death".
4. The Beauty of Heaven (Revelation 21-22)
➤ The City and a Crown —(Revelation 21-22 overview) In Revelation’s last two chapters there is a beautiful vision of The New Jerusalem the heavenly City of God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a precious jewel (Revelation 21:11).
➤ Six Things We'll Enjoy in Heaven —(Revelation 21-22 overview) The hope of Heaven is a main theme in the book of Revelation. In this lesson we take an overview, looking at six amazing things we will enjoy in heaven.
➤ What Eternity Lacks —(Revelation 21-22 overview) The closing chapters of Revelation make us think about eternity, especially what eternity lacks. When we leave this present temporal world and enter eternity, some things we take for granted here will be no more and gone forever.
➤ The Light of Christ —(Revelation 21 overview) Heaven is a place of eternal light and no darkness at all. In that place the light of God and his Son will shine forever.
➤ No Night There —(Revelation 21-22 overview) In the last two chapters of the book of Revelation, a vision of Heaven is presented symbolically as a jewelled city of light and, “There will be no night there”.
➤The Bride, the Lamb’s Wife —(Revelation 18-22 overview) Some of the visions in Revelation chapters 18-22 refer to a marriage between the Lamb and his bride. We know that the Lamb is Christ, but who is the bride, the Lamb’s wife?
➤All Things Made New —(Revelation 21:1-8) This old world passes away, but Jesus has prepared a bright new world in heaven, a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
➤The Heavenly Jerusalem —(Revelation 21:9-27) A vision of the glorious city that John had seen come down from heaven into the new heavens and the new earth. This jewelled city of light is the climax of the book of Revelation.
➤The Heavenly Eden —(Revelation 22:1-2) At the beginning of the Bible we are told about the Garden of Eden. At the end of the Bible we find its counterpart, the heavenly Eden. This new Eden is the final vision that John saw in the book of Revelation.
➤In God’s Very Presence —(Revelation 22:3-5) We continue to study the vision of the new Eden, the final vision that John saw and recorded in the book of Revelation.
➤The Last Words of Jesus —(Revelation 22:6-21) We complete our studies in the book of Revelation by looking at the final words of Jesus recorded in the Bible.