The Book Of Revelation, Simplified…

Revelation is a tough book to read for most, but it’s the ONLY book in the Blessed Divine Bible that guarantees a blessing to whoever reads and keeps the things that are written therein.

This post has every chapter of the book of Revelation summarized, so you can easily follow and grasp what you’re reading. God Bless You dear reader!

Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

Revelation 1:3 KJV

Chapter 1

The apostle John begins this chapter by stating that he received the revelation of Jesus Christ by divine activity.

God sent this vision to John while he was on the island of Patmos, likely as a punishment from the Roman government.

This book follows John’s four prior messages contained in the New Testament: the Gospel of John and the letters 1, 2, and 3 John.

Chapters 2 and 3 tell what Jesus dictated to seven churches in Asia Minor, while the rest of John’s message concerns future events.

Chapter 2

Here in this chapter, John writes to the church in Ephesus, the church in Smyrna, the church in Pergamum, and the church in Thyatira.

Chapter 3 will continue with messages to the other three churches. The rest of Revelation will explain future events connected to the ”end times.”

Chapter 3

This chapter concludes the letters Jesus instructed the apostle John to write to seven churches in Asia Minor.

Those messages began in chapter 2. This passage ends the section of Revelation that describes the things that are (Revelation 1:19), meaning the things which existed in John’s lifetime.

Chapter 4

Chapter 3 concluded the description of ”the things that are” (Revelation 1:19).

Chapter 4 begins the final section of Revelation, regarding ”the things that are to take place after this” (Revelation 1:19).

Because the word ”church” does not appear in this section of Revelation, we may assume the church does not experience the judgments described in chapters 6 and beyond.

Chapter 5

John introduced God seated upon His throne, with twenty-four elders and four angelic creatures nearby.

Chapter 5 focuses on a scroll containing God’s judgments on sin, and a search for someone to open it.

Only Jesus is worthy to open it.

When Jesus receives the scroll from God, He receives praise from every creature in heaven and on earth.

Chapter 6

When Jesus took the scroll from God, He received praise from every creature in heaven and on earth.

Now, in chapter 6 our attention focuses on the events that transpire when Jesus opens six of the seven seals, one at a time.

This process will continue through chapter 8.

Chapter 7

Chapters 4 and 5 describe what John saw in heaven, including a scroll of God’s judgments.

Chapter 6 focused on the events that transpire when Jesus opens six of the seven seals on that scroll, one at a time.

Now, in chapter 7, an interlude occurs between the opening of the sixth seal and the seventh seal.

In the interlude an angel seals 144,000 saved Jews as God’s servants. Chapter 8 will describe the seventh seal, and the beginning of the ”trumpet” judgments.

Chapter 8

Chapter 8 introduces the second series of judgments, the trumpet judgments. They begin when Jesus the Lamb opens the seventh seal.

The trumpet judgments seem to follow the seal judgments without overlapping them.

They are more severe than the seal judgments, resulting in catastrophic damage to plant life, salt waters, fresh waters, and light.

Even so, this passage warns that the remaining judgments are even worse.

Chapter 9

The ninth chapter of Revelation continues the report of what happens when the seven angels blow their trumpets.

Chapter 8 described the first four trumpet judgments; chapter 9 reports the fifth and sixth. The events in chapter 9 are much more severe than those which came before.

The severity of judgments increases dramatically with each trumpet blast. These judgments precede the final series of events, called the bowl judgments.

Revelation chapters 15 and 16 will reveal what happens under these judgments.

Chapter 10

The tenth chapter of Revelation provides an interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpet judgments.

Chapter 9 described the fifth and sixth trumpet judgments, which were somehow even worse than the first four, as described in chapter 8.

Here the apostle John reports that he saw a mighty angel descend from heaven and place his right foot on the sea and his left foot on land.

He predicted that in the days of the seventh trumpet judgment the mystery of God would be fulfilled. God will soon complete His program for Israel and the Gentiles.

In the remaining chapters of Revelation, we see how God deals with apostate Israel, Jewish believers, and the unbelieving Gentiles.

This chapter is related to Isaiah 42, Jeremiah 33, and Daniel 2:31–45.

Chapter 11

The eleventh chapter of Revelation provides information about an event that transpires between the sounding of the sixth and seventh trumpets.

It involves two powerful witnesses that God raises up in the middle of the tribulation. These two witnesses minister throughout the second half of the tribulation.

They are martyred, but God raises them up and lifts them to heaven. Concurrent with their ascension a mighty earthquake destroys one tenth of Jerusalem and kills seven thousand people.

This is the second woe. The first woe is described in chapter 9 as an invading army of locusts.

Chapter 12

Preceding verses have brought us to the middle of the tribulation, after the seal judgments and very near the end of the trumpet judgments.

Now, the focus shifts to symbolically introduce a series of important figures. These are mentioned in various eras, not as part of the earlier chronology of Revelation.

This passage relates to Matthew 24:15–26 and Isaiah 16:1–4. Ezekiel 38 and Joel 1 describe an invasion into Israel from the north, and Revelation 9 identifies the invading army as demon inspired.

Revelation 13 continues to describe major end-times figures, focusing on ”the beast,” also known as the Antichrist, and the False Prophet.

Chapter 13

Revelation 13 introduces the last two major figures described in this extended section. Two ”beasts,” which are actually evil, powerful men, corrupt Israel by forcing idolatry on everyone.

While not explicitly given these names in the Bible, the two men mentioned here are most often referred to as the Antichrist and the False Prophet.

Later, The Lord sends the northern aggressor into Israel to punish their idolatry. This text also mentions two other infamous concepts: the mark of the beast, and the number 666, which are mentioned in later verses as identifying those who have rejected God in favor of Satan.

Related Scriptures are Exodus 20:1–6; Daniel 2:31–43; 7:1–8; and Revelation chapters 9 and 12.

Chapter 14

This chapter continues a segment of Revelation which deviates from the chronological account of the end times.

These events occur at the end of the tribulation, when Christ returns to defeat all the remaining wickedness on earth. This event is given more details in chapter 19.

In Acts 14:19–22 we learn that Paul and Barnabas returned to the cities of Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, where they strengthened the believers.

They encouraged the believers by saying believers must endure many tribulations before they enter the kingdom.

Revelation 14 and 15 offer similar encouragement to stay loyal to Christ in the face of persecution.

Chapter 16 resumes a step-by-step account of the end times.

Chapter 15

Revelation 15 falls between the trumpet judgments and the bowl judgments. Like the events described in chapter 14, the events given in chapter 15 do not occur in chronological order.

Like the opened seals and the trumpets, the judgments introduced in this chapter number seven.

They are said to be the final judgments. They involve terminal judgments on the empire of the beast from the sea and the beast from the land (Revelation 13).

Chapter 16

Revelation 16 resumes the account of God’s judgments on the wicked. It describes the bowl judgments, the third and final series of judgments.

The seven seal judgments of Revelation 6:1–17 and 8:1 are the first series of judgments. The trumpet judgments of Revelation 8:1—9:21 and 11:15 are next.

All of these judgments vent God’s wrath and are recognized as the day of his wrath and the wrath of the Lamb (Revelation 6:17).

Chapters 17 and 18 further describe the destruction caused by the judgments.

Revelation 19 and 20 will describe the culmination of God’s wrath and the final events of the end times.

Chapter 17

Chapter 16 resumed explaining God’s pattern of end times wrath, this time describing the seven bowl judgments.

As the last bowl is poured out, John is called to see a vision, which seems to incorporate events occurring throughout the tribulation.

This chapter focuses on the fall of religious Babylon. Revelation 14:8 and 16:19 mention Babylon’s collapse under the wrath of God in the tribulation.

Babylon’s ultimate fall may actually occur before the bowl judgments, anytime during the second half of the tribulation.

Isaiah 13 and Jeremiah 50 and 51 predict the fall of Babylon.

Revelation 18 also speaks of the ruin of Babylon, but from a political and economic perspective.

Chapter 18

Revelation 18:1–8 contains a glorious angel’s pronouncement of doom on Babylon. This Babylon here appears to be a literal physical city, whereas the Babylon described in chapter 17 is a corrupt religious system.

The Babylon of chapter 17 was associated with a political system but was not the political power. The Babylon of chapter 18 is the center of a demonic political, commercial, and economic system.

The fall of Babylon parallels what happened to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:1–29). Religious Babylon falls in the middle of the tribulation to the delight of kings.

Commercial Babylon falls at the end of the tribulation, and kings lament her fall.

Chapter 19

This chapter describes the victorious second coming of Christ, His victory over the Antichrist and the False Prophet after the fall of Babylon (Revelation 17—18).

Christ’s first arrival on earth was to redeem (Matthew 2; Luke 2:1–21; John 1:1–14; Galatians 4:1–5).

The purpose of His second coming is judgment and the establishment of His reign on earth (Psalm 2). This is separate from the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13–17), the event in which Jesus returns in the air to take Christians from earth to be with Him.

Jesus’ second coming begins the millennial kingdom, leading up to the final judgments and the appearance of the New Jerusalem.

Chapter 20

This chapter comes between the account of our Lord’s decisive victory at Armageddon and the descent of the New Jerusalem from heaven to earth.

It focuses on the beginning of Jesus’ reign on the earth and the great white throne judgment when unbelievers from all periods of history are judged and sentenced to eternal suffering in the lake of fire.

Daniel 7:18, Isaiah 11, Joel 3:16–21, Obadiah 1:21, and Micah 4:2 are just a few of the Old Testament references to the reign of Jesus on the earth.

After this point in the end times, evil has been entirely and completely defeated.

Chapter 21

Leading up to this chapter, all sin and evil have been entirely defeated. Satan is banished to hell, along with every person who rejected Christ, as seen in chapter 20.

Here, John describes the nature of the New Jerusalem, the heavenly city which descends onto earth after the ultimate victory over evil.

Chapter 22 is a further description of this perfect eternity, and last messages from Jesus to those who read John’s words.

Chapter 22

This passage completes the description of New Jerusalem. Earlier chapters in Revelation described the final judgments against sin and death.

Genesis chapter 3 described humanity’s loss of paradise; Revelation 22 describes paradise regained.

Concluding remarks by Jesus begin in verse 6 and continue through verse 20. Verse 21 records the apostle John’s benediction, which marks the end of the New Testament canon.