I. Prologue (1:1–8)
- A. Title: The revelation of Jesus Christ (1:1–2)
- B. Beatitude (1:3)
- C. Epistolary prescript (1:4–5c)
- D. Doxology (1:5d–6)
- E. Two prophetic oracles (1:7–8)
II. John’s vision and commission (1:9–3:22)
- A. Vision of “one like a son of man” (1:9–20)
- B. Proclamations to the seven churches (2:1–3:22)
- The proclamation to Ephesus (2:1–7)
- The proclamation to Smyrna (2:8–11)
- The proclamation to Pergamon (2:12–17)
- The proclamation to Thyatira (2:18–29)
- The proclamation to Sardis (3:1–6)
- The proclamation to Philadelphia (3:7–13)
- The proclamation to Laodicea (3:14–22)
III. The disclosure of God’s eschatological plan (4:1–22:9)
- A. John’s heavenly ascent (4:1–2a)
- B. The sovereignty of God, the investiture of the Lamb, and the first six seals (4:2b–7:17)
- The vision of the heavenly throne room (4:2b–5:14)
- a. The heavenly worship of God (4:2b–11)
- b. The investiture of the Lamb (5:1–14)
- The Lamb breaks the first six seals (6:1–17)
- a. The first four seal visions (6:1–8)
- b. The fifth seal (6:9–11)
- c. Vision of the sixth seal (6:12–17)
- The protective sealing of the 144,000 (7:1–17)
- a. The sealing of the 144,000 (7:1–8)
- b. Vision of a triumphant throne in the heavenly throne room (7:9–17)
- C. The seventh seal and the first six trumpets (8:1–11:14)
- The seventh seal (8:1)
- Vision of the first six trumpets (8:2–9:21)
- a. Prologue: the third throne-room scene (8:2–6)
- (1) Commission of the seven angels (8:2)
- (2) Metaphor of the incense offering: the prayers of the saints for revenge are heard by God (8:3–5)
- (3) The seven trumpet angels prepare to sound their trumpets (8:6)
- b. The first four trumpets (8:7–12)
- (1) The first trumpet plague (8:7)
- (2) The second trumpet plague (8:8–9)
- (3) The third trumpet plague (8:10–11)
- (4) The fourth trumpet plague (8:12)
- c. The last three trumpets or the three woes (8:13–9:21)
- (1) Introduction to the last three trumpets as the three woes (8:13)
- (2) The fifth trumpet, or first woe: demonic locusts (9:1–12)
- (3) The sixth trumpet, or second woe: a demonic cavalry (9:13–21)
- The angel and the little scroll (10:1–11)
- a. The introduction of “another mighty angel” (10:1–3b)
- (1) Description of the mighty angel (10:1–2a)
- (2) The actions of the mighty angel (10:2b–3b)
- b. The episode of the seven thunders (10:3c–4)
- c. The stance and oath of the mighty angel (10:5–7)
- d. The eating of the scroll: a symbolic commission to prophecy (10:8–11)
- The temple and the two witnesses (11:1–14)
- a. The command to measure the temple (11:1–2)
- b. The careers of the two witnesses (11:3–13)
- (1) Their mission and authority (11:3–6)
- (2) The fate of the two witnesses (11:7–10)
- (3) The ultimate triumph of the two witnesses (11:11–12)
- (4) Concluding scene of judgment and repentance (11:13)
- c. The second and third woes (11:14)
- (1) The announcement that the second woe has passed (11:14a)
- (2) The imminence of the third woe (11:14b)
- D. The seventh trumpet and the seven bowls (11:15–16:21)
- The seventh trumpet (11:15–18)
- The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon (11:19–12:17)
- (a) Introductory divine manifestations (11:19)
- (b) Introduction of the dramatis personae: The Pregnant Woman and the Dragon (12:1–4a)
- The first great sign in heaven: a pregnant Woman (12:1–2)
- The second great sign in heaven: a great red Dragon (12:3–4a)
- (c) The first stage of conflict: the birth and escape of the Child and the flight of the Woman (12:4b–6)
- The Dragon’s attack (12:4b–d)
- The Woman gives birth to a child (12:5a–b)
- The Child escapes the Dragon (12:5c)
- The Woman flees from the Dragon (12:6)
- [a] To the wilderness (12:6a)
- [b] To a place prepared by God (12:6b)
- [c] To be nourished there (12:6c)
- [d] For 1,260 days (12:6d)
- (d) The second stage of the conflict: the Dragon’s defeat and its positive and negative effects (12:7–12)
- The battle in heaven (12:7–9)
- A heavenly commentary: a song of victory (12:10–12)
- (e) The third stage of the conflict: the Dragon pursues the Woman and her offspring (12:13–17)
- Introduction (12:13)
- The second escape of the Woman (12:14)
- The serpent attacks the Woman (12:15–16)
- The Dragon then turns his wrath on the offspring of the Woman (12:17)
- The two Beasts (12:18–13:18)
- (a) Introductory transition: the Dragon stood on the sand of the sea (12:18)
- (b) The emergence of the first Beast from the Sea (13:1–10)
- Introductory vision formula: Then I saw (13:1a)
- Subject of vision: a Beast emerges from the sea (13:1a)
- The description of the Beast (13:1b–2a)
- The Dragon commissions the Beast (13:2b)
- The healed wound of the Beast (13:3a)
- The reactions of the people of the world to the Dragon and the Beast (13:3b–4)
- The program of the Beast (13:5–10)
- (c) Another Beast emerges from the land (13:11–18)
- Introductory vision formula: “Then I saw” (13:11a)
- Subject of vision: another Beast ascending from the earth (13:11b)
- Description of the second Beast (13:11c)
- Relationship to the first Beast (13:12ab)
- The second Beast’s program promoting the worship of the first Beast (13:12c–17)
- (d) Concluding numerical riddle (13:18)
- Visions of eschatological salvation and judgment (14:1–20)
- (a) Eschatological salvation: the Lamb and the 144,000 (14:1–5)
- (b) Vision of three angelic speeches (14:6–12)
- (c) Audition of antiphonal beatitude (14:13)
- (d) Vision of angelic reapers of the earth (14:14–20)
- The grain harvest (14:14–16)
- The grape harvest (14:17–20)
- The seven bowls (15:1–16:21)
- (a) Prologue (15:1–4)
- (b) The commission of the seven angels (15:5–8)
- (c) The seven last plagues (16:1–21)
- The commission of the bowl angels (16:1)
- The bowl angels go forth (16:2–21)
- [a] The first angel with the first bowl (16:2)
- [b] The second angel with the second bowl (16:3)
- [c] The third angel with the third bowl (16:4–7)
- [d] The fourth angel with the fourth bowl (16:8–9)
- [e] The fifth angel with the fifth bowl (16:10–11)
- [f] The sixth angel and the sixth bowl (16:12–16)
- [g] The seventh angel with the seventh bowl (16:17–21)
- E. Revelations of the judgment of Babylon (17:1–19:10)
- Introduction to the revelations (17:1–2)
- The allegorical vision of Babylon as the great Whore (17:3–18)
- (a) The vision of the Whore (17:3–6b)
- Angel transports John (17:3a)
- The vision of the Woman (17:3b–6b)
- (b) The interpretation of the vision (17:6c–18)
- Introduction to the interpretation (17:6c–7)
- The angel’s interpretation (17:8–18)
- [a] The mystery of the Beast (17:8–17)
- [b] [Interjection: The meaning of the waters: the people of the world (17:15)]
- [c] The mystery of the Woman (17:18)
- The destruction of Babylon (18:1–24)
- (a) An angelic taunt song (18:1–3)
- (b) Speech by the unidentified heavenly voice (18:4–20)
- Speaker: “another voice” from heaven (18:4a)
- Summons to flight (18:4b–8)
- Three songs of lament (18:9–20)
- [a] The kings of the earth and their lament (18:9–10)
- [b] The merchants and their lament (18:11–17a)
- [c] The sea captains and sailors and their lament (18:17b–20)
- (c) Vision of the symbolic destruction of Babylon (18:21–24)
- Symbolic action: a mighty angel threw a huge stone into the sea (18:21a)
- Primary interpretation (18:21b)
- The interpretation elaborated: negative vignettes of Babylon’s fate (18:22–23b)
- Babylon’s past economic power: her merchants were world power brokers (18:23c)
- Babylon’s universal evil influence (18:23d)
- Babylon’s murderous past (18:24)
- Heavenly throne-room audition (19:1–8)
- (a) Two-part hymn of praise and the response (19:1–4)
- First part of the hymn of praise (19:1–2)
- Second part of the hymn of praise (19:3)
- The response of the heavenly court (19:4)
- (b) Call to praise and hymnic response (19:5–8)
- The voice from the throne (19:5)
- The hymn of praise (19:6–8)
- Concluding angelic revelation (19:9–10)
- F. The final defeat of God’s remaining foes (19:11–21:8)
- The divine warrior and his conquests (19:11–21)
- (a) Description of the divine warrior (19:11–16)
- (b) The divine warrior defeats the Beast and his armies (19:17–21)
- The final defeat of Satan (20:1–10)
- (a) Vision of Satan’s temporary thousand-year imprisonment (20:1–3)
- (b) Vision of Christ’s thousand-year reign (20:4–6)
- (c) Prophecy of Satan’s release, defeat, and punishment (20:7–10)
- Vision of the judgment of the dead (20:11–15)
- (a) The majesty of the Enthroned One (20:11)
- (b) The final judgment of the dead (20:12–15)
- The transition to the new order (21:1–8)
- (a) Summary of the vision (21:1–2)
- (b) Audition of a voice from the throne (21:3–4)
- (c) Audition of a speech of God, consisting of seven sayings (21:5–8)
- G. The vision of the New Jerusalem (21:9–22:9)
- Introduction to the vision (21:9–10b)
- The seer visits the New Jerusalem (21:10c–22:5)
- (a) Object of vision: New Jerusalem (21:10c)
- (b) External description of the city (21:11–21)
- (c) Internal description of the city (21:22–22:5)
- Transitional conclusion (22:6–9)
- (a) The angelic guide speaks (22:6)
- (b) The exalted Christ speaks (22:7)
- (c) John and his angelic guide (22:8–9)
IV. Epilogue (22:10–21)
- A. Concluding parenesis (22:10–20)
- Admonitions of the angelic guide (22:10–11)
- Sayings of the exalted Christ (22:12–13)
- Beatitude (22:14–15)
- Concluding attestation of the exalted Jesus (22:16)
- Invitation to the water of life (22:17)
- Jesus addresses conditional curses to those who hear this book (22:18–19)
- Jesus, who attests this revelation, promises to return soon (22:20a)
- Responses of the author (22:20b)
- B. Epistolary postscript (22:21)
David E. AuneRevelation 1–5 (WBC)Escatología