Book Of Revelation Chronological Order

January 12, 2019October 25, 2024
by Kevin Bart

Book Of Revelation Chronological Order

The Book of Revelation unfolds in a chronological order that details a series of visions and prophecies concerning the end times.

The book of Revelation is written by the Apostle John. He wrote it after Christ appeared to Him and gave him a revelation of the things to come in the end times. John was exiled on the island of Patmos at the time he wrote the Book of Revelation. John was the only one of the original apostles not killed for his faith in Jesus Christ.

The following phrases and verses show that the Book of Revelation has a chronological order. There are some “parenthetical” sections and chapters in the book of Revelation that appear in the midst of the chronological order to present more details. Or to take a break from the chronological order for a moment.

Book Of Revelation Chronological Order

The following is the chronological order of the Book of Revelation, in which Jesus revealed the things to come.

The Revelation To John

1.”Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later” (Rev. 1:19)

2. The Letters To The 7 Churches

Jesus writes letters through John to 7 churches, located in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. These represent the modern or present church age.

Some notable verses:

Revelation 2:4-5 (to the church in Ephesus) “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.”

Revelation 2:10 (to the church in Smyrna) “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.”

Revelation 3:2-3 (to the church in Sardis) “ Wake up ! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent.

Revelation 3:15-17; 20 (to the church in Laodicea) “ I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked… Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.”

3.”After this (the present Church Age in Revelation 2 & 3) … the voice I had first heard … “I will show you what must take place after this” (Rev. 4:1)

4. The Rapture Of The Saints

No specific verses in Revelation chapters 4 and 5 refer specifically to the rapture of the saints. But it is believed by most to occur sometime between the letters to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3, and the beginning of the tribulation. The beginning of the 7 year tribulation begins in Revelation 6.

Book Of Revelation Chronological Order

5. Beginning of the Tribulation

The Great Tribulation lasts 7 years. It begins in Revelation 6 with the opening of the first 6 of 7 seals.

By the opening of the 6th seal 1/4th of the world population is wiped out (Revelation 6:8). This will truly be a horrible time to be alive on earth without Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

Opening of the 7 Seals

6. The First Seal – “I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.” (Revelation 6:1-2)

7. The 2nd Seal – “When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill” (Revelation 6:3-4)

8. The 3rd Seal – “When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!”. I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!” (Revelation 6:5)

9. The 4th Seal – “ When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.” (Revelation 6:7-8)

10. The 5th Seal – “When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood ? Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.” (Revelation 6:9-11)

11. The 6th Seal – “I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from it’s place. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face 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 can withstand it ?” (Revelation 6:12-17)

Revelation Chapter 7

12. “After this I saw…” (Revelation 7:1)

There is a parenthetical portion, or a break from the chronological order. It details the sealing of 144,000 Israelites during the first half of the Tribulation. These are soul winners who win many people to Christ, but are murdered sometime during the first half or at the mid-point of the Tribulation (Revelation 7:3-8)

13. “after this…” (Revelation 7:9-17) – A look at the great number of people that were won for Christ during the Great Tribulation period

The Opening Of The 7th Seal

14.”When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.” (Revelation 8:1-2)

Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.” (Revelation 8:3-5)

Book Of Revelation Chronological Order

The First 4 of 7 Trumpets

God’s wrath continues to be poured out on the sinful people that refused to humble themselves and repent.

15. The 1st Trumpet – “The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.” (Revelation 8:7)

16. The 2nd Trumpet – “The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.” (Revelation 8:8-9)

17. The 3rd Trumpet – “Then the third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star burning like a torch fell from heaven and landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.” (Revelation 8:10-11)

18. The 4th Trumpet – “The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.” (Revelation 8:12)

The Final 3 Trumpets

“As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels” (Revelation 8:13)

19. The 5th Trumpet – “he fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. (Revelation 9:1-4)

“They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes. During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them. The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. 8 Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth.” (Revelation 9:5-8)

“They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. They had tails with stingers like scorpions, which had the power to injure people for five months. They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer). (Revelation 9:9-11)

20. “One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter” (Revelation 9:12)

21. The 6th Trumpet – “The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God. It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, that had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, that they should kill the third part of men. And the number of the armies of the horsemen was twice ten thousand times ten thousand: I heard the number of them. (Revelation 9:13-16)

“The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury. (Revelation 9:17-19)

Up to this point 1/2 of Earth’s population has been wiped out. 1/4th were killed in Revelation 6:8. Another 1/3rd of who was left were killed in Revelation 9:15. This all takes place in the first half of the Tribulation.

The Middle Of The Great Tribulation

Chapters 10 through 14 in Revelation are parenthetical chapters which give details about the middle of the Tribulation.

a mighty angel with a little book (Chapter 10)
God’s 2 witnesses and the passing of the second “woe” (Chapter 11)
Satan is cast out of Heaven and his attempts to destroy Israel (Chapter 12)
the Antichrist, his False Prophet and the Image of the beast (Chapter 13)
the revealing of the 144,000 in Heaven, angels flying in heaven preaching the everlasting Gospel to them that dwell on the earth and prophesying doom to the lost, and the reaping of the lost and the treading of the winepress of the wrath of God (Chapter 14)

22. “The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe comes quickly.” (Revelation 11:14)

23. The 7th Trumpet – “The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15)

“And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying: “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.” (Revelation 11:16-17)

24. “But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” (Revelation 12:12)

“Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.” (Revelation 12:17)

Book Of Revelation Chronological Order

25. Next John Sees The 7 Plagues Coming – “I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues — last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. (Revelation 15:1)

The 7 plagues will complete God’s wrath that is poured out upon any that refuse to humble themselves, repent, and believe in God’s Son Jesus Christ.

26. The Temple Of God Is Opened To Release The 7 Plagues – “After this I looked, and I saw in heaven the temple—that is, the tabernacle of the covenant law—and it was opened. (Revelation 15:5)

Book of Revelation Chronological Order

The First 4 of The 7 Plagues

The 7 plagues are the final part of God’s wrath that will be poured out upon anyone who refuses to humble themself, repent, and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

“I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues — last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. (Revelation 15:1)

27. The First Plague – “The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly, festering sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.” (Revelation 16:2)

28. The 2nd Plague – “The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died.” (Revelation 16:3)

29. The 3rd Plague – “The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: “You are just in these judgments, O Holy One, you who are and who were, for they have shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve. And I heard the altar respond: “Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments.” (Revelation 16:4-6)

30. The 4th Plague – “The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him. (Revelation 16:8-9)

Book Of Revelation Chronological Order

31. The 5th Plague – “The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.” (Revelation 16:10)

32. The 6th Plague – “The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. Then I saw three impure spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. “Look, I come like a thief ! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed. Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.” (Revelation 16:12-16)

33. The 7th Plague – “The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is done !” (Revelation 16:17)

Book Of Revelation Chronological Order

After the 7 plagues will be poured out as the final part of God’s wrath, the following takes place.

34. The Largest Earthquake Ever – “Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found.” (Revelation 16:18-20)

35. Huge Hailstones – “From the sky huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, fell on people. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.”

36. 2 more parenthetical chapters that describe the fall of Religious Babylon (Revelation 17) and Economic Babylon (Revelation 18)

37. After these things there is great joy in Heaven in anticipation of the coming of the Lord (Revelation 19)

The Lord Jesus Christ Returns To Reign

Finally in Revelation 19 Jesus and His army of angels defeats the enemies of God

38. The Lord Jesus comes to destroy all of God’s enemy that remain on Earth – “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King of kings and Lord of lords. (Revelation 19:11-16)

39. Battle of Armageddon – “Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army.” (Revelation 19:19)

40. The beast and his false prophet thrown alive into the lake of fire – “But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.” (Revelation 19:20)

41. Satan is cast into the abyss for 1000 years – “And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. (Revelation 20:1-3)

Book of Revelation Chronological Order

The Lord Jesus Will Reign On Earth For 1000 Years

42. The Lord raises all the Tribulation martyrs – “I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands.“ (Revelation 20:4)

43. The Lord Jesus reigns on Earth for 1000 years – “They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4-6)

The End Of Jesus’ 1000 Year Reign & The Final Judgement

44. the rest of the saints that died before the Tribulation and were raptured await the end of the 1000 year reign (Revelation 20:5)

But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. (Revelation 20:5)

45. When the 1000 years reign on Earth are over those who were born during this time who did not receive Christ will rebel when He releases Satan for a short while (Revelation 20:7-9)

“When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.” (Revelation 20:7-9)

46. Satan is thrown into the lake of fire forever – “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (Revelation 20:10)

47. White throne/final judgment – the Lord will judge all people and cast those without true faith in Christ into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15)

“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:11-15)

Book of Revelation Chronological Order

The New Heaven & Earth, and the New Jerusalem

48.The description of the New Heaven and New Earth

“Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:1-4)

49.The description of the New Jerusalem

“And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:10-14)

“The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.” (Revelation 21:15-21)

Book of Revelation Chronological Order

The River of Life, A Final Invitation & A Final Warning

50. The River of the Water of Life – “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.” (Revelation 22:1-5)

51. Final Invitation – “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star. The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.” (Revelation 22:12-17)

52. Final Warning – “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.” (Revelation 22:18-19)

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