A Summary of Revelation (Taken largely from Paradise Restored by David Chilton)

CHAPTER ONE

Introduces the subject of the prophecy and the time of the prophecy, assuring the readers that Christians, even while under persecution, are still chosen as kings and priests by God. It closes with John's first vision of Christ as the glorified Son of Man.

CHAPTERS TWO AND THREE

Contain short "letters" from the Lord to seven churches in Asia Minor. The letters deal with the major themes of the prophecy, particularly the problems of Judaism, hedonism, and persecution. Christ declares that His church is the true Israel, the rightful inheritor of the covenant promises, and encourages His people to overcome to conquer and to reign in His Name. Although these letters are often neglected, they comprise the central purpose of the prophecies: to encourage and build up and warn Christ's churches. The later visions can be considered illustrations of the themes in this section. Ultimately, interpretations of the rest of the book have validity if they are also relevant to the churches to which the book was originally written.

CHAPTERS FOUR AND FIVE

Give a Biblical philosophy of history: all things are seen from the perspective of the throne of God. Christ is revealed as the Conqueror, worthy to open the scroll of God’s judgments; creation and history are centered in both Him AND the Father.

CHAPTERS SIX AND SEVEN

Show the breaking of the seven seals on the scroll, symbolizing the judgments about to fall upon the enemies of the church (most notably, apostate Israel). These judgments are specifically shown to be divine responses to the prayers of the saints against their tormentors.

CHAPTERS EIGHT AND NINE

Extend this message of chapters six and seven by the actual opening of the scroll. Jerusalem is given over to Satan and his demonic legions, which flood the city to possess and consume its ungodly inhabitants, until the entire nation is driven to suicidal madness.

CHAPTERS TEN AND ELEVEN

Again present a vision of Christ, who announces that the New Creation and the New Covenant have become an accomplished fact. The faithful Church, seemingly annihilated by Jewish (and Roman) persecution, is resurrected; and it is their persecutors who are crushed. With the destruction of Jerusalem and the fulfillment of the Jewish Dispensation, the New Temple is revealed to the world.

CHAPTER TWELVE

A dramatic interlude, portraying the basic battle of history as the conflict between Christ and Satan. The Son of God victoriously ascends the throne of His kingdom, and Satan turns to persecute the Church. Again, this assures God’s people that all their persecutions originate in the total warfare of Satan the deceiver against

Christ, the one who has been predestined to shatter the Dragon’s head and deliver His people.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Reveals the unholy alliance arrayed against the faithful Church: the Dragon, the Beast, and the Little Beast (false prophet). God’s people are warned that the religious forces of rebellious Judaism will be aligned with the

Roman State, seeking to enforce the worship of Caesar in place of the worship of Jesus Christ. With confident faith in Christ’s lordship, the Church is enjoined to exercise patience.

CHAPTERS FOURTEEN, FIFTEEN, AND SIXTEEN

Reveal the victorious army of the redeemed, standing on Mount Zion singing a song of triumph. Christ is seen coming in the Cloud in judgment upon rebellious Israel, trampling on the ripened grapes of wrath. The Temple is opened, and while the Glory-Cloud fills the sanctuary the divine judgments are outpoured from it, bringing Egyptian-style plagues upon those who turned against the truth of God.

CHAPTERS SEVENTEEN AND EIGHTEEN

Expose the essence of Jerusalem’s sin as spiritual adultery. She has forsaken her rightful husband and is committing fornication with pagan rulers, worshiping Caesar. “Drunk with the blood of the saints”; the once holy city has become Babylon, the whore. God issues one final call for His people to separate themselves from

Jerusalem’s spiritual whoredom, and abandons her to the ravaging armies of the Empire. At the sight of the utter ruin of apostate Israel, the saints in heaven and earth rejoice.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Begins with the joyful wedding feast of Christ and His Bride, the Church. The scene then shifts to reveal the coming worldwide dominion of the gospel, as the King of kings rides forth with His army of saints to wage holy war for the spiritual conquest of earth. The agent of victory is His Word, which proceeds from His mouth as a sword.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Gives a capsulized history of the new world order, from the first coming of Christ until the end of the world. The Lord binds Satan and enthrones His people as kings and priests with Him. Satan’s final attempt to overthrow the King is crushed, and the Last Judgment is ushered in. The righteous and the wicked are eternally separated, and God’s people enter into their eternal inheritance.

CHAPTERS TWENTY-ONE AND TWENTY-TWO

Record a vision of the Church in its ultimate glory, as it is finally delivered up to become the City of God, the beginning of the New Creation, one glorious Temple eternally dedicated to the praise of God and the Lamb that was slain.

            This is a good logical overview of the whole book. While some claim that the book is still unfulfilled and others claim the fulfillment is in the overthrow of Rome, not Jerusalem, this seems to be the most consistently logical and scripturally supported. This is the preterist (or partial preterist) view of Revelation.