Revelation Ultra-Simplified
Jesus Christ returns, banishes Satan and evil, and reigns with His Saints forever!
Don’t be intimidated into not reading Revelation because of all its symbolisms or because it has a lot of disturbing predictions. There’s also a promise of blessing to those who read, hear and keep “the words of this prophecy.” (Rev 1:3) Furthermore, it is the “Revelation of Jesus Christ”! And to know Him more should be our goal. (See previous blog “The Revelation of Jesus Christ”) Additionally, there are numerous promises to which the saints can look forward! Here are just a few:
Jesus Christ is revealed as the omnipotent King!
Evil is judged and banished forever! (Rev 20)
No curse, no death, no tears, no sorrow, no crying, no pain for the saints! (Rev 21)
The saints of God are rewarded!
The saints of God spend Eternity with God!
Revelation Simplified
St. John has a vision of the Lord Jesus Christ who then gives warnings, commendations and promises to the churches, words to heed, considering what will soon come to pass. John is transported to heaven where he sees creatures and saints worshiping God. Jesus Christ, as the sacrificial Lamb, alone is deemed worthy to open the scroll disclosing things to come. The Savior holds history in His nail-scarred hands. He looses one by one the seals from the scroll, unleashing the judgments warranted by wickedness. But first, those from the twelve tribes of Israel are sealed for protection from these coming plagues. Nonetheless, evil inherent in the beastly religious and political world systems (aka Babylon) has throughout time persecuted and killed God’s people and that persecution continues. So John sees in heaven many white-robed saints from every tribe and nation who have died in that great and final tribulation. Amid lightnings, thunders, and earthquakes, Jesus Christ opens the last seal and the “trumpet” judgments begin. Still the unrepentant cling to their idols, demons, witchcraft and sexual immorality. The even more dreadful “bowl” judgments, the “wrath of God”, are poured out on those with the mark of the beast, on those who will not turn to God Almighty. Pompous Babylon falls. Christ returns astride a white horse with the heavenly hosts to crush His enemies at Armageddon. “The dragon, that serpent of old” is defeated and thrown in the “bottomless pit” for “a thousand years”, after which he is released for a short time. So Satan goes out again to make war against the saints. This time, the devil is thrown into the “lake of fire” where he’s forever tormented. And “anyone not found in the Book of Life is cast into the lake of fire.” A new heaven and a new earth is established. God dwells with His blessed people. There is no more curse, no death, no tears, no sorrow, no crying, no pain for the saints! Ultimately and everlastingly, Jesus Christ reigns with His saints. Therefore, we pray, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”
Is your name written in the Lamb’s “Book of Life”?
Revelation Simplified
INTRODUCTION 1:1-8
Rev 1:9-3:22 1st VISION: OF JESUS CHRIST who gives letters to the 7 CHURCHES
Rev 4:1-6:17 2nd VISION: PRAISE in HEAVEN and the LAMB opening the 7 SEALS on the scroll
Rev 7:1-7:8 3rd VISION: SEALING of the 144,000 of the 12 TRIBES of the children of Israel
Rev 7:9-15:4 4th VISION: 7th Seal = 7 ANGELS with 7 TRUMPETS
Rev 15:5-17:18 5th VISION: 7 ANGELS pour out 7 BOWL JUDGMENTS: the WRATH of God
Rev 18:1-18:24 6th VISION: The Fall of Babylon “Come out of her, my people” v.18:4
Rev 19:1-22:5 7th VISION: Marriage, Second Coming of Christ, Armageddon, Millenium, Eternity
EPILOGUE 22:6-22:21
(Each new vision, not excepting first because it is first, begins with “After these things….” This is seen more readily maybe in the KJ or NKJ versions. Studying the whole book with this outline brings clarity to some chronological questions such as why the Lord returns/appears more than once within the book of Revelation. There does seem to be a chronological order within each vision.)
Carolyn Anne Venable