Table of Contents
General Editors' Preface 11
Acknowledgments 13
Abbreviations 15
Bibliography 19
Introduction 29
A The Importance of Revelation 29
B Authorship 30
C Place and Date of Writing 31
D Occasion and Purpose 33
E Literary Features and Structure 33
F Interpretive Perspectives 36
G Theological Themes 38
H The Text of Revelation 41
I Prologue (1:1-20) 43
A Title (1:1-2) 44
B Beatitude (1:3) 46
C Letter Opening (1:4a) 47
D Benediction (1:4b-5a) 47
E Doxology (1:5b-6) 48
F Christ's Return and God's Words (1:7-8) 49
G Inaugural Vision (1:9-20) 51
1 Setting (1:9-11) SI
2 Vision of Christ (1:12-20) 53
II The Letters to the Seven Churches (2:1-3:22) 61
A To the Church in Ephesus (2:1-7) 63
B To the Church in Smyrna (2:8-11) 66
C To the Church in Pergamum (2:12-17) 70
D To the Church in Thyatira (2:18-29) 74
E To the Church in Sardis (3:1-6) 79
F To the Church in Philadelphia (3:7-13) 82
G To the Church in Laodicea (3:14-22) 86
III Worship in the Court of Heaven (4:1-5:14) 91
A John's Heavenly Ascent (4:1-2a) 92
B The Heavenly Throne Room (4:2b-8a) 93
C Worship of God (4:8b-l I) 97
1 Hymn of the Four Creatures (4:8b) 97
2 Response of the Twenty-Four Elders (4:9-11) 97
D Worship of the Lamb and God (5:1-14) 99
1 Who Is Worthy? (5:1-4) 100
2 The Lamb Is Worthy (5:5-14) 101
a Description and Action of the Lamb (5:5-7) 101
b Praise from the Creatures and Elders (5:8-10) 103
c Praise from the Angels (5:11-12) 104
d Universal Doxology (5:13-14) 105
IV Breaking Six Seals (6:1-17) 109
A The First Four Seals: The Four Horsemen (6:1-8) 109
1 The White Horse (6:1-2) 110
2 The Red Horse (6:3-4) 112
3 The Black Horse (6:5-6) 112
4 The Pale Horse (6:7-8) 113
B The Fifth Seal: The Martyrs' Cry for Vengeance (6:9-11) 114
1 The Setting (6:9) 115
2 The Prayer (6:10) 115
3 God's Response (6:11) 116
C The Sixth Seal: The Day of Wrath (6:12-17) 117
1 Cosmic Upheavals (6:12-14) 117
2 Human Reactions (6:15-17) 118
V First Interlude: Visions of Earth and Heaven (7:1-17) 121
A Vision of Earth (7:1-8) 122
1 The Four Angels (7:1) 122
2 Angelic Speech (7:2-3) 123
3 Sealing of the 144,000 (7:4-8) 124
B Vision of Heaven (7:9-17) 125
1 Heavenly Multitude (7:9-12) 125
2 Explanation (7:13-17) 127
VI The Seventh Seal and Six Trumpets (8:1-9:21) 131
A The Seventh Seal (8:1) 132
B The Seven Trumpet Angels and Another Angel (8:2-5) 133
C The First Four Trumpets (8:6-12) 135
1 Preparation (8:6) 135
2 The First Trumpet (8:7) 135
3 The Second Trumpet (8:8-9) 136
4 The Third Trumpet (8:10-ll) 136
5 The Fourth Trumpet (8:12) 137
D The Last Three Trumpets and Two Woes (8:13-9:21) 137
1 Preparation (8:13) 137
2 The Fifth Trumpet or First Woe (9:1-11) 138
a The Abyss (9:1-2) 138
b The Locusts Power (9:3-5) 139
c Human Suffering (9:6) 140
d Description of the Locusts (9:7-10) 140
e The King of the Locusts (9:11) 141
3 Transition (9:12) 142
4 The Sixth Trumpet or Second Woe (9:13-21) 143
a Four Angels (9:13-15) 143
b The Demonic Cavalry (9:16-21) 144
(1) Description and Activity (9:16-19) 144
(2) Human Response (9:20-21) 145
VII Second Interlude (10:1-1 1:14) 149
A The Mighty Angel and the Little Scroll (10:1-11) 150
1 The Descent of the Mighty Angel (10:1 -3o) 150
2 The Seven Thunders (10;3b-4) 152
3 The Angel's Pronouncement (10:5-7) 153
4 John's Commission to Prophesy (10:8-11) 155
B The Temple, Two Witnesses, and Two Woes (11:1-14) 159
1 Measuring the Temple (11:1-2) 159
2 The Two Witnesses (11:3-13) 164
a Their Ministry (11:3-6) 164
b Their Death (11:7-10) 166
c Their Resurrection and Ascension (11:11-13) 170
3 Transition: The Third Woe(11:14) 172
VIII The Seventh Trumpet (11:15-19) 177
A The Song of Victory (11:15) 178
B The Response (11:16-18) 179
C Transition: From Praise to Conflict (11:19) 181
IX Conflict and Victory (12:1-14:20) 183
A The Woman, the Dragon, and the Child (12:1-17) 184
1 Introduction of Two Great Signs (12:1-4a) 185
a The First Sign: A Woman (12:1-2) 185
b The Second Sign: A Dragon (12:3-4a) 186
2 The Child and the Woman's Flight (12:4b-6) 188
3 The Dragon's Defeat (12:7-9) 189
4 A Song of Victory(l2:10-l2) 191
5 The Dragon Pursues the Woman and Her Offspring (12:13-17) 194
B Vision of Two Beasts (13:1-18) 199
1 Interlocking Transition (13:1 a) 199
2 The Beast from the Sea (13:1 b-10) 200
3 The Beast from the Earth (13:11-18) 205
X Triumph and Judgment (14:1-20) 213
A The Lamb and the 144,000 (14:1-5) 214
B Three Angels (14:6-12) 217
C Second Beatitude (14:13) 221
D The Harvest of the Earth (14:14-20) 222
XI The Seven Last Plagues (15:1-16:21) 229
A Introduction to the Seven Angels Vision (15:1) 230
B The Hymn of the Victorious Martyrs (15:2-4) 230
C The Commission of the Seven Angels (15:5-8) 233
D The Seven Bowls of God's Wrath (16:1-21) 235
1 The Commission (16:1) 235
2 The First Three Bowls (16:2-4) 236
3 Antiphonal Doxologies (16:5-7) 237
4 Fourth Bowl (16:8-9) 238
5 Fifth Bowl (16:10-11) 239
6 Sixth Bowl and Assembled Armies (16:12-16) 240
7 Seventh Bowl (16:17-21) 243
XII Judgment (17:1-20:15) 247
A The Judgment of Babylon (17:1-18:24) 247
1 Introduction to the Visions of Judgment (17:1-2) 248
2 Babylon the Great Prostitute (17:3-18) 250
a Description of the Prostitute (17:3-6a) 250
b Interpretation of the Vision (17:66-18) 252
(1) The Interpretation of the Beast's Heads (17:6b-11) 252
(2) The Interpretation of the Beast's Horns (17:12-14) 255
(3) Interpretation of the Prostitute (17:15-18) 256
3 Babylon's Fall (18:1-24) 258
a The Angel's Lament (18:1-3) 258
b Call to Escape (18:4-8) 260
c Earthly Laments (18:9-19) 262
(1) The Kings' Lament (18:9-10) 263
(2) The Merchants' Lament (18:11-1 la) 263
(3) The Seamen's Lament (18:1 lb-19) 265
d Call to Rejoice (18:20) 266
e Babylon's Destruction (18:21-24) 266
B Hallelujah Chorus (19:1-8) 270
1 Praise and Response (19:1-4) 271
2 Call to Praise and Response (19:5-8) 272
C Interlocking Transition (19:9-10) 275
D The Defeat of the Rest of God's Enemies (19:11-20:15) 277
1 Christ Defeats the Beast and His Armies (19:11 -21) 277
a The Victorious Christ Appears (19:11-16) 278
b The Beast and His Armies Destroyed (19:17-21) 280
2 The Defeat of Satan (20:1-10) 282
a Satan Is Bound (20:1-3) 283
b A Millennial Reign (20:4-6) 284
c Satan Is Destroyed (20:7-10) 286
3 Final Judgment (20:11-15) 287
XIII The New Heaven and Earth (21:1-22:5) 291
A The New Creation (21:1-8) 292
1 Two Visions (21:1-2) 292
2 The Voice from the Throne (21:3-4) 293
3 God's Voice (21:5-8) 294
B The New Jerusalem (21:9-22:5) 297
1 Introduction (21:9-10) 297
2 General Description (21:11-21a) 298
a External Description (21:11-14) 298
b Measurements (21:15-17) 300
c Materials (21:18-2la) 301
3 Internal Description (21:21b-22:5) 302
a Gold and Light (21:21 b-23) 302
b The Nations and Open Gates (21:24-27) 303
c The River of Life (22:1-5) 304
XIV Epilogue (22:6-21) 309
A Interlocking Transition (22:6-9) 310
B Concluding Oracles (22:10-17) 311
1 Do Not Seal (22:10-11) 312
2 Christ Is Coming (22:12-13) 313
3 Beatitude (22:14-15) 313
4 Jesus' Verification (22:16) 314
5 Call to Come (22:17) 315
C Final Warning and Affirmations (22:18-21) 316
