Revelation: An Expositional Study

Revelation 1:1–11

Introduction I — The Historical World Into Which Revelation Was Written

The Roman world, the province of Asia, the emperors Nero and Domitian, the destruction of Jerusalem, the authorship and dating of Revelation, and why the historical setting is essential for reading the book faithfully.

Revelation 1:1–8; 22:6–21

Introduction II — Understanding the Revelation of Jesus Christ

The genre of Revelation as apocalyptic prophecy, its literary structure, the interpretive principle of reading symbols through Scripture and first-century context, and the four major interpretive frameworks.

Revelation 1:1–20

Module 1 — The Unveiling of the Risen Lord

The prologue and its chain of revelation, the salutation from the triune God, the doxology of the Lamb, the vision of the glorified Son of Man, and the interpretive key of the seven stars and seven lampstands.

Revelation 2:1–29

Module 2 — Christ Addresses His Churches

The letters to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, and Thyatira: their historical settings, the pattern of each letter, the specific commendations and warnings, and the promises to those who overcome.

Revelation 3:1–22

Module 3 — The Churches of Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea

The letters to Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea: the church with a reputation for life but spiritually dead, the church of the open door, and the church whose self-sufficiency concealed its poverty.

Revelation 4:1–11

Module 4 — The Throne Room of Heaven

The open door, the throne and its occupant, the twenty-four elders, the four living creatures, the sea of glass, and the ceaseless worship that establishes the interpretive framework for all that follows.

Revelation 5:1–14

Module 5 — The Scroll and the Worthy Lamb

The sealed scroll in the right hand of God, the challenge of the mighty angel, the weeping of John, the Lion who is the Lamb, and the expanding circles of worship that fill heaven and earth.

Revelation 6:1–17

Module 6 — The Lamb Opens the Seals

The four horsemen, the cry of the martyrs beneath the altar, the cosmic signs of the sixth seal, and the question that closes the chapter: who is able to stand?

Revelation 7:1–17

Module 7 — Who Is Able to Stand?

The four angels holding the winds, the sealing of the 144,000 from the tribes of Israel, the great multitude from every nation before the throne, and the promise that God will wipe every tear from their eyes.

Revelation 8:1–13

Module 8 — The Seventh Seal and the First Four Trumpets

The half-hour silence, the golden censer and the prayers of the saints, the first four trumpets affecting earth, sea, rivers, and sky, and the eagle’s announcement of three coming woes.

Revelation 9:1–21

Module 9 — The Fifth and Sixth Trumpets: The First Two Woes

The fallen star and the abyss, the locust army with its torment, the release of the four angels at the Euphrates, the vast cavalry, and the sobering conclusion that those who survived still did not repent.

Revelation 10:1–11

Module 10 — The Mighty Angel and the Little Scroll

The mighty angel with the little scroll, the seven thunders whose words are sealed, the oath that there will be no more delay, and John’s commission to eat the scroll and prophesy again.

Revelation 11:1–19

Module 11 — The Two Witnesses and the Seventh Trumpet

The measuring of the temple, the two witnesses and their ministry, their death and resurrection, the seventh trumpet and the heavenly declaration that the kingdom belongs to Christ, and the opening of the heavenly temple.

Revelation 12:1–17

Module 12 — The Woman, the Dragon, and the Male Child

The woman clothed with the sun, the great red dragon, the birth and ascension of the male child, the war in heaven and the casting down of Satan, and the dragon’s pursuit of the woman and her offspring.

Revelation 13:1–18

Module 13 — The Beasts and the Demand for Worship

The beast from the sea and its authority, the fatal wound and its healing, the beast from the earth and its deceptive signs, the mark of the beast, and the call for the wisdom and endurance of the saints.

Revelation 14:1–20

Module 14 — The Lamb, the Three Angels, and the Harvest of the Earth

The 144,000 with the Lamb on Mount Zion, the three angels with their proclamations, the blessing of those who die in the Lord, and the two harvests—the grain harvest of the redeemed and the grape harvest of judgment.

Revelation 15:1–8

Module 15 — The Song of Moses and the Lamb

The seven angels with the seven last plagues, the sea of glass mingled with fire, the victorious saints singing the Song of Moses and the Lamb, and the filling of the temple with the glory and smoke of God.

Revelation 16:1–21

Module 16 — The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath

The seven bowls poured on earth, sea, rivers, sun, the throne of the beast, the Euphrates, and the air; the gathering at Armageddon; and the great earthquake that brings Babylon into remembrance before God.

Revelation 17:1–18

Module 17 — The Woman, the Beast, and Babylon the Great

The great prostitute seated on many waters, the scarlet beast and its seven heads and ten horns, the mystery of Babylon, the angel’s interpretation, and the declaration that God has put it in the hearts of the kings to fulfill His purpose.

Revelation 18:1–24

Module 18 — The Fall of Babylon the Great

The angel’s announcement of Babylon’s fall, the call to come out of her, the lament of the kings and merchants and seafarers, the millstone cast into the sea, and the declaration that in her was found the blood of prophets and saints.

Revelation 19:1–21

Module 19 — The Marriage Supper of the Lamb and the Return of the King

The fourfold hallelujah of heaven, the marriage supper of the Lamb, the rider on the white horse whose name is Faithful and True, the armies of heaven, and the defeat of the beast and the false prophet.

Revelation 20:1–15

Module 20 — The Thousand Years, the Final Rebellion, and the Great White Throne

The binding of Satan, the thousand years and the reign of the saints, the release and final defeat of Satan, the great white throne judgment, and the lake of fire as the second death.

Revelation 21:1–27

Module 21 — A New Heaven, a New Earth, and the New Jerusalem

The new heaven and new earth, the holy city descending from God, the declaration that God will dwell with His people, the description of the New Jerusalem with its foundations and gates, and the exclusion of all that defiles.

Revelation 22:1–21

Module 22 — The River of Life, the Face of God, and the Final Invitation

The river of the water of life, the tree of life, the removal of the curse, the promise that His servants will see His face, the angel’s testimony, the warnings about the book, and the final invitation: Come.