Structure of Revelation 1-16
Study:
Notice, that Revelation has 4 ordered groups of seven. I say ordered because, unlike the Lamb's seven eyes or seven horns (Rev. 5:6), each member of the group is distinct and has an ordinal position in the group.
The Seven Churches:
"Unto the angel of [1] the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;" vs. 2:1
"And unto the angel of [2] the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;" vs. 2:8
"And to the angel of [3] the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;" vs. 2:12
"And unto the angel of [4] the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;" vs. 2:18
"And unto the angel of [5] the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead." vs. 3:1
"And to the angel of [6] the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;" vs. 3:7
"And unto the angel of [7] the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; vs. 3:14
The Seven Seals:
"And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see." vs. 6:1
"And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see." vs. 6:3
"And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand." vs. 6:5
"And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see." vs. 6:7
"And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:" vs. 6:9
"And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;" vs. 6:12
"And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour." vs. 8:1
The Seven Trumpets:
"The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up." vs. 8:7
"And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;" vs. 8:8
"And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;" vs. 8:10
"And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise." vs. 8:12
"And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit." vs. 9:1
"And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God," vs. 9:13
"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever." vs. 11:15
The Seven Plagues:
"And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image." vs. 16:2
"And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea." vs. 16:3
"And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood." vs. 16:4
"And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire." vs. 16:8
"And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain," vs. 16:10
"And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared." vs. 16:12
"And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done." vs. 16:17
So, as we have seen, there are four ordered sevens: the seven churches, the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven plagues or bowls.
Note: these four sevens have their origin in Creation, being patterned after the seven Days of Creation, unique and consecutive (forming a sequence) just as they are.
But notice that of the four sevens, the seven seals and seven trumpets are different from the others and similar to one another. Both have a 4:3 split.
The first four seals are the four horsemen of Revelation:
"And I saw, and behold [1] a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer." vs. 6:2
"And there went out [2] another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword." vs. 6:4
"And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo [3] a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand." vs. 6:5
"And I looked, and behold [4] a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth." vs. 6:8
The last three trumpets are called the three woes:
"And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!" vs. 8:2
"One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter." vs. 9:12
"The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly." vs. 11:14
More importantly, both the seals and the trumpets, are not strictly consecutive, that is they do not strictly follow one another. Both have intervening material between the 6th and 7th seals/trumpets. The 6th seal is found at the end of Revelation 6 while the 7th seal is found at the start of Revelation 8; and the 6th trumpet is found at the end of Revelation 9 while the 7th trumpet is found at the end of Revelation 11.
The Sixth and Seventh Seals:
"And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" vss. 6:12-17
"And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour." vs. 8:1
The Sixth and Seventh Trumpets:"And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts." vss. 9:13-21
"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail." vss 11:15-19
Partial Structure:
But there is more that verifies this structure as well as solidifies its existence. Notice that associated with the seven churches and the seven plagues is the Second Coming of Christ.
"Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen." vs. 1:7
"And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs." vss. 14:14-20
But that is not all. Just before both pictures of the Second Coming is a set of three: the three of the Godhead or the Trinity and the three angels' messages.
"John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from [1] him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from [2] the seven Spirits which are before his throne; And from [3] Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." vss. 1:4-6
"And I saw [1] another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. And there followed [2] another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them." vss. 14:6-13
Partial Structure:
There is one last obvious indicator of this structure, also involving a set of three. The first three are found in Revelation 4 & 5, another picture of the three of the Godhead or the Trinity, and its parallel three is found in Revelation 12 & 13, the anti or false three or false-Trinity.
The THREE:
"And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and [1] one sat on the throne." vs. 4:2
"And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were [2] seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God." vs. 4:5
"And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood [3] a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth." vs. 5:6
The False three:
"And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold [1] a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads." vs. 12:3
"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw [2] a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy." vs. 13:1
"And I beheld [3] another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon." vs. 13:11
Partial Structure:
(chs. 4 & 5)
(chs. 12 & 13)
Based on this structure and an analysis of the text of Revelation 1-16, we obtain the following final structure.
Structure:
To be continued...
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