POST OVERVIEW. The first in a two-part series of posts stating and justifying two key interpretive principles for Rev. 5-20 and presenting two crucial questions for applying these principles to a given text in Revelation.

This first post is about Key Interpretive Principle #1: Revelation 5-20 is not chronological.  

Interpreting and understanding the book of Revelation is a challenge for any student of the Bible. The rapidly changing scenes in Revelation and the visions of angels and dragons and beasts and creatures from the abyss can be very confusing. Where does the student begin?

The purpose of this two-post study is to present two powerful principles for helping the Bible student interpret the visions in Revelation 5-20 and to explain two crucial questions which emerge from these interpretive principles.

TWO PRINCIPLES AND TWO CRUCIAL QUESTIONS FOR REVELATION 5-20

TWO KEY PRINCIPLES STATED. The two key principles are 1) Revelation 5-20 is not written in chronological order, and 2) our default assumption is that the characters and events of Revelation 5-20 are to be understood figuratively or symbolically, not literally.

JUSTIFICATION OF “NOT CHRONOLOGICAL.” There are two features of the text that demonstrate that Rev. 5-20 is not read chronologically (Key Interpretive Principle #1). These features are, first, that there are similar or identical events and phrases which are repeated at several different points in these chapters, and second, there are some events that are clearly intended to be final that occur long before the end of the section. Examples of these follow.

REPEATED EVENTS AND PHRASES.

• In 16:14, we see the beast and the kings of the whole world gathering together for the war of the great day of God; but in 19:19, we again see the beast and the kings of the earth “assembled” (same Greek word as “gather” in 16:14) to make war against Him who sat on the horse; and finally, in 20:8, the recently-released Satan comes out to gather the nations together for the war. These three verses say essentially the same thing about the same event, but they are in three different sections of Revelation. Conclusion? The text is not chronological.
• In 14:8, we read, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality.” Then in 18:2-3, we read, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! For all the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her immorality.” Identical texts but separated by several chapters of intense activity means the book is not chronological.
• In 7:9-17, we see “a great multitude” praising God who sits on the throne and praising the Lamb. Then in Rev. 19:1, we hear the loud voice of “a great multitude” worshiping God who sits on the throne (19:4). (See also “the voice of a great multitude” in 19:6.) This repeated scene takes place in the new heaven and new earth where all the redeemed are worshiping God and the Lamb forever, but these passages are far apart in the book. Also, these scenes take place in eternity in the new heaven and new earth. As such, they belong in chapters 21-22, not in chapters 7 and 19. When we see the same scene in different places, it means that the book is not chronological.
• 6:14: “every mountain and island were moved out of their places.” 16:20: “every island fled away and the mountains were not found.” The identical event at two well-spaced places in the book means that the book is not chronological.
• In 8:5, we read, “There followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.” But in Rev. 11:19 we find peals of thunder, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. And in Rev. 16:18 we again have peals of thunder, flashes of lightning, and a great earthquake. The same event is found at three widely separated places in the text. This is more evidence that Revelation 5-20 is not read chronologically.

PICTURES OF FINAL JUDGMENT APPEAR LONG BEFORE THE END

• Picture #1. Rev. 6:12-17. 6:12-14 is filled with images from “the day of the LORD” passages in the Old Testament. This scene is a picture of the end. Then in 6:15-17 we see “the kings of the earth” (see 16:14, 18:3, 19:19) hiding themselves from “the presence of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” This is certainly the final judgment, yet, curiously, it is placed at the end of chapter 6. If the final judgment is presented in chapter 6, then Revelation is not chronological.
• Picture #2. Rev. 16:17-21. In 16:17, a loud voice says, “It is done,” which also appears in 21:6 (new heaven and new earth). We have already mentioned the peals of thunder, etc. (11:19; 8:5). In 16:19, figurative “Babylon” receives the cup of the wine of God’s fierce wrath (also in 6:12; 14:19; 19:15). The tone of the passage is one of final judgment, but we are still in chapter 16, not at the end of chapter 20 or in chapter 21. As above, if the final judgment is presented in chapter 16, then Revelation is not chronological.
• Picture #3. Rev. 19:11-21. The scene with the Rider on the white horse is the climax of the book of Revelation as the glorious Lamb comes from heaven to tread the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty (19:15). To emphasize the finality of this event, in 19:21 we read, “And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse.” If Revelation were chronological, this would be the end because there are no people living on earth after 19:21. But instead of the end coming here, we read of “the thousand years” (20:1-7) and of yet another war (20:8-9) and of Satan being thrown into the lake of fire (20:10) before we get to the great white throne (20:11-15). This is yet more evidence that Revelation is not read chronologically.

CRUCIAL QUESTION #1. Hopefully, by presenting this evidence, we have made the case that Revelation 5-20 should not be read chronologically. When we realize how not to read Revelation 5-20, our efforts at interpreting the text actually become easier because now, instead of trying to force these scenes into a bizarre chronological order, we can look carefully at the details of the text and at the interpretive clues that are available in the text and ask the crucial question, “WHEN does this event take place?” It is, therefore, incumbent upon the student of Revelation to become skilled at asking and answering crucial question #1, “WHEN does this event take place?”

AN EXAMPLE FROM REVELATION 6:12-17

To understand how to use the WHEN question, we will go quickly through an example. We have already mentioned Rev. 6:12-17 several times in this article, so let’s go there. In this passage, the Lamb breaks the sixth seal (the next to last seal, so we are probably nearing the end of the age) and we read of a great earthquake. (Think Rev. 16:18, which is in another “final judgment” passage.) The earthquake is followed by several “day of the LORD” events from the Old Testament. The sun became black (Joel 2:31; Matt. 24:29), the moon became blood, the stars fell from the sky, the sky was rolled up like a scroll (Is. 34:4), and every mountain and island was moved out of their place (Nah. 1:5; Rev. 16:20). Then notice at the conclusion of this pericope, we read (6:16-17) of the wrath of the Lamb. This is as clear a picture of the day of the Lord as we have in Scripture. The Lamb is certainly the Lord Jesus, the Rider on the white horse of Rev. 19:11-21, the Lord descending from heaven with a shout in 1 Thess. 4:16. This is the day of judgment, “that day,” when the wrath of God is poured out on the unrighteous. WHEN does the day of the Lord occur? We know that the Lord Jesus will return on the last day to destroy the unrighteous. Therefore, Rev. 6:12-17 is a scene from the last day of the age just before the great white throne judgment (Rev. 20:11-15).

For another extended example of using this crucial question #1, refer to my recent three-post study on Revelation 20:1-3 where we sought to determine WHEN in human history “the thousand years” occurs. (See posts #668, #669, and #670.) The WHEN question was used several times in this study.

SUMMARY. Stating and justifying Key Interpretive Principle #1, that Revelation chapters 5-20 are not to be read chronologically. Also, presenting crucial question #1, “WHEN does this event take place?”

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 9/15/2023                   #671