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Table of Contents

SHOWING THE DESIGN AND ARGUMENT OF THE BOOK

1 General Introduction, Chap. i.The title and design of the book, chap. i. 1–3.Dedication to the seven churches of Asia, chap. i. 4–8.Vision of the Redeemer, chap. i. 9–18.Commission to write to the seven churches, chap. i. 19, 20.

2 Epistles to the Seven Churches of Asia, Chap. ii. iii.Epistle to the church at Ephesus, chap. ii. 1–7.Epistle to the church at Smyrna, chap. ii. 8–11.Epistle to the church at Pergamos, chap. ii. 12–17.Epistle to the church at Thyatira, chap. ii. 18–29.Epistle to the church at Sardis, chap. iii. 1–6.Epistle to the church at Philadelphia, chap. iii. 7–13.Epistle to the church at Laodicea, chap. iii. 14–22.

3 Preparatory Vision, Chap. iv.The scene laid in heaven, chap. iv. 1, 2.The vision of God, of the elders, and of the living creatures, ch. iv. 3–8.The worship rendered to God, chap. iv. 9–11.

4 The external relations of the Church—the relation to secular affairs—political changes and revolutions, as bearing on the Church, Chap. v.–xi. 1–18.The Sealed book, containing the record of these events, in the hand of him that sat on the throne. The Lamb of God only could open it. The joy in heaven that one was found who could open the seals, chap. v.The opening of the sealsThe opening of the first seal, chap. vi. 1, 2.The white horse.—Peace, prosperity, and triumph, fulfilled in the state of the Roman empire from the death of Domitian, A.D. 96, to the accession of Commodus, A.D. 180.The opening of the second seal, chap. vi. 3, 4.The red horse.—Bloodshed, discord, civil strife; fulfilled in the state of the Roman empire from the death of Commodus, A.D. 193, and onward.The opening of the third seal, chap. vi. 5, 6.The black horse.—Calamity, distress, want, trouble; fulfilled in the Roman empire, in the scarcity of food that prevailed; the excessive taxation; the special order not to destroy the olive-yards and vine-yards; the sources of revenue, in the time of Caracalla, A.D. 211, and onward.The opening of the fourth seal, chap. vi. 7, 8.The pale horse.—The reign of death, in the form of famine, pestilence, disease; fulfilled in the Roman empire in the bloodshed, famine, and pestilence that prevailed in the time of Decius, Gallus, Æmilianus, Valerian, and Gallianus, A.D. 243–268.The opening of the fifth seal, chap. vi. 9–11.The martyrs.—Fulfilled in the Roman empire in the persecutions, particularly in the time of Diocletian, A.D. 284–304; the last of the efforts in the Pagan world to extinguish the Christian name.The opening of the sixth seal, chap. vi. 12–17.Consternation and alarm as if the world was coming to an end; fulfilled in the Roman empire in the threatening invasions of the Goths in the neighbourhood of the Danube, pressed on by the Huns, and producing universal alarm and consternation, A.D. 365, and onwards.Intermediate vision between the opening of the sixth and seventh seals. A view of the persecution of the church, and the glory of the saints in heaven, designed to sustain the mind in the midst of so much gloom, and to furnish the assurance that innumerable multitudes of men would be brought to glory, chap. vii.(a) The impending storm of wrath that seemed to threaten universal destruction is suspended in order that the servants of God might be sealed, chap. vii. 1–3.(b) The sealing process, indicating the preservation of the church in these times of danger, and the influences that would designate and save the true people of God in all time to come, chap. vii. 4–8.(c) A vision of an immense host before the throne, gathered out of all people and all lands, chap. vii. 9–12.(d) A view of the martyrs who would be saved; a view designed to give comfort in the trials that would come upon the people of God in this world, chap. vii. 13, 14.(e) A view of the happiness of heaven, where all suffering will cease, and all tears be wiped away, chap. vii. 15–17.The opening of the seventh seal, chap. viii.–xi. 1–18.Seven trumpets given to seven angels to sound, and the preparatory arrangements for sounding, chap. viii. 1–6.Two series of events referring to the West and the East in the downfall of the Roman empire:—The West—to the fall of the Western empire—four trumpets.(1) The first trumpet sounded, chap. viii. 7.The invasion of the Roman empire by Alaric, king of the Goths, A.D. 395–410.(2) The second trumpet sounded, chap. viii. 8, 9.The invasion of the Roman empire by Genseric, king of the Vandals, A.D. 428–468.(3) The third trumpet sounded, chap. viii. 10, 11.The invasion of the Roman empire by Attila, king of the Huns, the “Scourge of God,” A.D. 433–453.(4) The fourth trumpet sounded, chap. viii. 12, 13.The final conquest of Rome and the Western empire by Odoacer, king of the Heruli, A.D. 476–490.The East—to the fall of the Eastern empire—two trumpets, chap. ix.(5) The fifth trumpet sounded, chap. ix. 1–12.The Mahometans, or Saracens.(6) The sixth trumpet sounded, chap. ix. 13–19.The Turkish power.The interval between the fall of the Eastern empire and the sounding of the seventh trumpet, chap. ix. 20; xi. 13:—(a) The result of these judgments, chap. ix. 20, 21.They produce no change in the moral condition of the world; fulfilled in the state of the Papal world after the conquest of Constantinople, and before the Reformation.(b) An angel is seen descending from heaven with emblems of majesty, joy, and peace, chap. x.; fulfilled in the Reformation:—(α) The angel with the rainbow on his head, and his face like the sun, a proper symbol of the Reformation as a work of peace, and accompanied with light and knowledge, chap. x. 1.(β) The little book in his hand, a symbol of the principal agent in the Reformation—a book—the Bible, chap. x. 2.(γ) His crying with a loud voice, symbolical of the Reformation as arresting the attention of the nations, chap. x. 3.(δ) The seven thunders—the anathemas of Papal Rome—the thunder of the seven-hilled city, chap. x. 3.(ε) The purpose of John to record what the seven thunders had uttered, and the command not to write; the mistake which the Reformers were in danger of making, by regarding the doctrine of the Papacy as the truth of God, chap. x. 4.(ζ) The solemn oath of the angel that the time predicted would not then occur, but would occur in the time when the seventh angel should sound, chap. x. 5–7; fulfilled in the anticipations of the Reformers that the world was about to come to an end, and the reign of Christ about to commence, and the assurance of the angel that this would not then occur, but that a long and important interval must take place.(η) The command given to John to go and take the little book from the hand of the angel, chap. x. 8; fulfilled in the delivery of the Bible again to the church.(θ) The command to eat it, and the consequences—sweet in the mouth, and bitter to the belly, chap. x. 9, 10; the effect of the pure word of God on the soul indicated by the one; the bitter consequences, in persecution and opposition, that would result from the attempt to make the truth known to the world, indicated by the other.(ι) The assurance that he would yet prophesy before many people, and nations, and tongues, and kings, chap. x. 10; fulfilled in the restoration of preaching in the church, founded on the Bible, and in the immediate and ultimate influence of the Bible in making the gospel known to the world.(c) The measuring of the holy city, chap. xi. 1, 2; the determining of what constituted the true church at the time of the Reformation.(d) The two witnesses, chap. xi. 3–13. Those who bore faithful testimony to the truth in all the corruptions of the church; their trials and their triumph; fulfilled in the succession of true and sincere Christians whom God raised up from time to time to testify to the truth. They would be persecuted, and many of them would be put to death; they would seem to be finally silenced, and would be treated with great indignity, as if their dead bodies should remain unburied; they would, however, come to life again, that is, at the time of the Reformation they would rise and testify against the corruptions of the Papacy, and would triumph as if they ascended visibly and gloriously to heaven.(7) The sounding of the seventh trumpet. The final triumph of the church, and the establishment of the kingdom of God in the overthrow of all its enemies, chap. xi. 14–18. This ends the first series of visions; and this expresses in general terms what is drawn out more in detail in the next series of visions, Part V., embracing more particularly the rise and progress of Antichrist.

5 The Church internally—the rise of Antichrist, and the effect of that formidable power on the internal history of the Church, to the time of the overthrow of that great power, and the triumphant establishment of the kingdom of God, Chap. xi. 19; xii.–xx.General Introduction to this series of visions, Chap. xi. 19; xii.A new vision of the temple of God opened in heaven, chap. xi. 19.A representation of the church, under the image of a beautiful woman, chap. xii. 1.The particular thing designed to be represented—the church about to increase and to fill the world, chap. xii. 2.The deadly hostility of Satan to the church, and his purpose to destroy it, represented by a great red dragon waiting to destroy the man-child, chap. xii. 3, 4.The ultimate safety of the church, represented by the child caught up to heaven, chap. xii. 5.The fact that the church would be a long time obscure and hidden—represented by the woman fleeing into the wilderness, chap. xii. 6.A scenic representation of the great contest going on in the universe about the church—represented by a conflict in heaven between Michael, the protector of the church, with his angels, and Satan, the great enemy of the church, with his angels, chap. xii. 7.The ultimate discomfiture of Satan, represented by his being overcome and cast out of heaven, chap. xii. 8, 9.A song of victory in view of this triumph, chap. xii. 10, 11.The fact that Satan would be allowed, for a limited time, to persecute the church, chap. xii. 12, 13.The church in the wilderness, chap. xii. 14–17.(a) The church would be driven into obscurity, like a woman fleeing into a desert—representing the condition of the church while the Papacy should have the ascendency, ver. 14.(b) The church would still be preserved, though in obscurity—represented by the woman nourished by some unseen power, ver. 14.(c) Satan would still rage against the church—represented by the dragon pouring forth a flood of waters to overwhelm the woman, ver. 15.(d) The church would be protected, as if the earth should open its mouth to swallow up the water—representing the interpositions from an unexpected quarter in delivering the church from its perils, ver. 16.(e) The wrath of Satan against the remnant—representing the attempts of the Papacy to cut off individuals when open and general persecution no longer raged, ver. 17.The two beasts, representing the great persecuting power in the church, Chap. xiii.The first beast, representing the Roman civil or secular power that sustained the Papacy in its career of persecution, chap. xiii. 1–10.The second beast, representing the Papal ecclesiastical power, giving life to the former, and perpetuating its influence on the earth, chap. xiii. 11–18.A representation designed, under a succession of symbols, to cheer and sustain the church in its present and prospective trials, with the assurance of its final triumph, and the ultimate destruction of all its foes, Chap. xiv.A vision of the redeemed in heaven, triumphant and rejoicing, ver. 1–5.The ultimate spread of the gospel through all the world, ver. 6, 7.The fall of Babylon, the great Antichristian power, ver. 8.The final overthrow of all the upholders of that Antichristian power, ver. 9–12.The blessed state of those who should die in the Lord in any time, whether of persecution or peace, ver. 13.The consummation of all things—the final triumph of the church, and the overthrow of the wicked, ver. 14–20:—(a) The great harvest of the world by the Son of God—the gathering in of the righteous, ver. 14–16.(b) The final overthrow and destruction of the wicked, ver. 17–20.Preparation for the final judgment on the beast and his image, Chap. xv.A new wonder is seen in heaven; seven angels appear, having the seven last plagues, to fill up or complete the wrath of God, ver. 1.Those who in former times had suffered from persecution by the power represented by the beast, but who, in the midst of trial and temptation, had maintained their faith steadfast, now appear to celebrate with a song of victory the prospective downfall of the great foe, ver. 2–4.Arrangements made for executing the wrath of God. The temple is open in heaven; seven angels come out having the seven last plagues; one of the four living creatures gives command to them to go and execute the divine purpose, presenting seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God; the temple is forthwith filled with smoke, preventing all access to the mercy-seat, and indicating that the divine purpose was inexorable, ver. 5–8.The execution of the purpose, Chap. xvi.The first vial, ver. 1, 2. The first blow struck on the Papacy in the French Revolution.The second vial, ver. 3. The scenes of blood and carnage in that Revolution.The third vial, ver. 4–7. The calamities brought by the French invasions upon the countries where the most bloody persecutions had been waged—the north of Italy.The fourth vial, ver. 8, 9. The overturning of the governments that sustained the Papal power, in the wars consequent on the French Revolution.The fifth vial, ver. 10, 11. The direct assault on the Papal power; the capture of the pope himself, and the temporary entire subjugation of Rome by the French arms.The sixth vial, ver. 12–16. The decline of the Turkish power; the rapid extension of the gospel in the East; the rallying of the strength of Paganism, Mahometanism, and Romanism—represented by the three frogs that came out of the mouth of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet: the preparation of those powers as if for some great conflict, and the decisive struggle between the church and its foes, as if the issue were staked on a single battle—in Armageddon.The seventh vial, ver. 17–21. The complete and final overthrow of the Papal power, as if in a tremendous storm of hail, lightning, and thunder, accompanied with an earthquake.A particular description of the judgment on this formidable Antichristian power, under a new image of a harlot (Chap. xvii.) in the form of an explanatory Episode.Introduction to the Episode; the vision of the woman sitting on many waters, ver. 1–3.A particular description of the Antichristian power referred to, under the image of an abandoned and gaily-attired woman, ver. 3–6.A particular explanation of what is designed to be represented by the image of the scarlet-coloured woman, ver. 7–18:—(a) The angel promises to explain it, ver. 7.(b) A symbolical representation of the design of the vision, ver. 8–14.(c) A more literal statement of what is meant, ver. 15–18. The whole designed to characterize Papal Rome, and to describe the manner of its rise and the means of its ultimate destruction.A description of the effect of that judgment in pouring out the seventh vial on that formidable Antichristian power, under the image of a rich and luxurious city; a further explanatory Episode, Ch. xviii.A vision of an angel coming from heaven, ver. 1–3.A warning voice calling on the people of God to come out of the mystical Babylon, and not to partake of her sin and her doom, ver. 4–8.Lamentation over her fate:—(a) By kings, that had lived delicately with her, ver. 9, 10.(b) By merchants that had been enriched by her, ver. 11–17.(c) By mariners that had trafficked with her, ver. 17–19.Rejoicing over her fate, ver. 20.The final destruction of the mystical Babylon—the Papal power—represented by a millstone cast by an angel into the sea, ver. 21–24.A further episodical representatation of the effects that would result from the fall of the powers that opposed the reign of the Son of God and the introduction of the Millennium, with an account of the final destruction of these powers, Chap. xix.A hymn of the heavenly hosts in view of the destruction of the mystical Babylon, ver. 1–7:—(a) A voice of many people in heaven, shouting Hallelujah, ver. 1, 2.(b) The sound echoed and repeated as the smoke of her torment ascends, ver. 3.(c) The four and twenty elders, and the four living creatures unite in the song, ver. 4.(d) A voice heard commanding them to praise God, ver. 5.(e) The mighty shout of Hallelujah echoed and repeated from unnumbered hosts, ver. 6, 7.The marriage of the Lamb as the reason of this increased joy, ver. 8, 9.John, overcome with this scene, and filled with rapturous joy in view of the final triumphs of the church, prostrates himself before the angel to worship him, ver. 10.The final conquest over the beast and the false prophet, ver. 11–21:—(a) A description of the conqueror—the Son of God—as he goes forth to victory, attended by the armies of heaven, ver. 11–16.(b) An angel is seen standing in the sun, calling on all the fowls of heaven to come to the great feast prepared for them in the destruction of the enemies of God, ver. 17, 18.(c) The final war, ver. 19–21. The beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gather together for the battle; the beast and the false prophet taken, and cast into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone; the remainder of the enemies of the church slain. The last enemy of the church on earth is destroyed, and the way is prepared for its universal triumph.The Millennial period and the final judgment, Ch. xx.The binding of Satan, ver. 1–3.The Millennium, ver. 4–6. Thrones are placed as if there were to be a judgment; the spirit of the martyrs and saints is revived again as if they were raised from the dead, and lived again on the earth; Satan is confined, and the church enjoys a state of repose and prosperity, for the period of a thousand years.The release of Satan for a little time. ver. 7, 8. After the thousand years are expired, he is permitted to go forth again among the nations, and to awaken a new form of hostility to Christ and the church.The final overthrow, subjugation, and punishment of Satan and those opposing hosts, and the final triumph, therefore, of the church, ver. 9, 10.The final judgment on all mankind, ver. 11–15. All the dead are raised; the sea gives up its dead; Death and Hades give up their dead, and a solemn and just judgment is pronounced on all mankind, and the wicked are consigned to the lake of fire.

6 The final condition of the righteous—the state of future blessedness, Chap. xxi.; xxii. 1–5.A vision of the new heavens and new earth, as the final abode of the righteous, chap. xxi. 1.That blessed future abode represented under the image of a beautiful city descending from heaven, chap. xxi. 2–4.A particular description of the city, as the final abode of the righteous; its general appearance, its walls, its gates, its foundations, its size, its light, its inmates, &c., chap. xxi. 9–27; xxii. 1–5

7 The epilogue, or conclusion, Chap.. xxii. 6–20.A solemn declaration that the things revealed in this book are true, ver. 6, 7.The effect of those revelations on John, ver. 8, 9.A command not to seal up what had been revealed, ver. 10.The unchangeable condition of the righteous and the wicked in the future state, ver. 14, 15.The blessedness of those who have a right to enter into the Holy City, ver. 15.Jesus declares himself to be the author of all these revelations, ver. 16.The free invitations of the gospel to all men, ver. 17.A solemn injunction not to change anything that had been written in this book, ver. 18, 19.The assurance of the Saviour that he would come quickly, and the joyous assent of John to this, and prayer that it might occur, ver. 20.The benediction, ver. 21.