It’s widely agreed upon by biblical scholars that the book of Revelation can be divided into seven clear sections. These sections are sometimes described as parallel or cyclical. This is because each section portrays the same events from a different point of view. They each tell the story of God’s power over history from the first coming of Christ to his second coming. As you read through the seven sections of Revelation, you will find that they focus more and more on the second coming of Christ, the final judgment, and what comes after.
Here’s an outline of the seven sections:
- Lamb and Scroll (Rev. 4:1–8:1)
- Angels and Trumpets (Rev. 8:2–11:18)
- Woman, Son, Dragon, Beast (Rev. 11:19–14:20)
- Bowls (Rev. 15:1–16:21)
- Babylon the Prostitute (Rev. 17:1–19:10)
- Defeat of the Beasts, Drago, and Death (Rev. 19:11–20:15)
- New Heavens and New Earth (Rev. 21:1–22:5)
Understanding the structure of Revelation is key. If we don’t realize that John’s vision tells what will happen between Christ’s first and second coming seven times, then we might read Revelation as if it only applied to the original readers. Or we might think that it only applies to those in the future who live in the actual end times.
While this may seem a bit confusing at first, it really is quite helpful and frees us from some speculative and potentially frightening ways of reading Revelation.
Footnotes
William Hendriksen, More Than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1967), 21.
Outline adapted from Introduction to Revelation, ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008), 2462.
Adapted from the Core Christianity Bible Study, How to Read the Bible.
