Revelation
John's visions on Patmos — letters to seven churches, and the end and renewal of all things.
Overview
Revelation is the last book of the Bible, and the hardest to read plainly, because it speaks in visions and symbols. Exiled on the island of Patmos, John receives letters for seven churches, then a series of visions: a throne in heaven, seals and trumpets and bowls of judgment, a dragon and beasts, the fall of "Babylon," and finally a new heaven and new earth where God dwells with his people. It is a book of warning and hope for a persecuted church.
Book facts
- Author
- John, by traditionNames its author only as "John"; tradition identifies him with the apostle John.
- Date written
- c. AD 95Usually dated to the reign of the emperor Domitian.
- Original language
- GreekGreek full of Old Testament imagery and symbolic numbers.
- Setting
- The island of Patmos and the seven churches of Asia (c. AD 95)Written to churches under pressure, in vivid symbolic visions.
How it came to be
Revelation names its author simply as "John," writing from the island of Patmos. Tradition identifies him with the apostle John; it is addressed to seven real churches in Asia Minor.
It is written in the style called "apocalyptic" — truth told through vivid visions and symbolic numbers.
The whole book, chapter by chapter
| Chapter | What happens | Who is in it | Where it takes place |
|---|---|---|---|
The letters — the vision of Christ and letters to seven churches, chapters 1–3 | |||
| Chapter 1The vision of the Son of man | John, exiled on Patmos, sees a vision of the risen Christ among seven lampstands. | , | |
| Chapter 2The letters begin | Letters to four churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, and Thyatira. | , | , , , |
| Chapter 3The letters conclude | Letters to three more churches: Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. | Sardis, , | |
Seals, trumpets, and bowls — the visions of judgment, chapters 4–16 | |||
| Chapter 4The throne | John sees a throne in heaven surrounded by living creatures and elders in worship. | — | — |
| Chapter 5The scroll and the Lamb | Only the Lamb is worthy to open a sealed scroll, and all heaven worships him. | — | |
| Chapter 6The six seals | The Lamb opens six seals, releasing the four horsemen and cosmic upheaval. | — | — |
| Chapter 7The sealed multitude | A pause: 144,000 are sealed, and a great multitude worships before the throne. | — | — |
| Chapter 8The seventh seal | The seventh seal opens, and four trumpets bring disaster on the earth. | — | — |
| Chapter 9The trumpets of woe | The fifth and sixth trumpets release plagues of locusts and horsemen. | — | — |
| Chapter 10The little book | John is given a little book to eat, sweet in the mouth and bitter in the belly. | — | |
| Chapter 11The two witnesses | Two witnesses prophesy, are killed, and rise; the seventh trumpet declares God's reign. | — | — |
| Chapter 12The woman and the dragon | A woman, a child, and a dragon; Michael and his angels cast the dragon down. | — | |
| Chapter 13The beasts | Two beasts rise, demanding worship and marking their followers. | — | — |
| Chapter 14The harvest of the earth | The Lamb stands on Mount Zion, and the earth is reaped in judgment. | — | |
| Chapter 15The seven angels | Seven angels prepare the last seven plagues. | — | — |
| Chapter 16The vials poured out | Seven bowls of God's wrath are poured out on the earth. | — | — |
The end and the new creation — the fall of Babylon and the new Jerusalem, chapters 17–22 | |||
| Chapter 17The scarlet woman | A vision of a scarlet woman, "Babylon," riding a beast. | — | — |
| Chapter 18The fall of Babylon | Babylon the great falls, and the world mourns the loss of its riches. | — | — |
| Chapter 19The rider on the white horse | Heaven rejoices, and Christ rides out as a conquering king on a white horse. | — | |
| Chapter 20The thousand years | Satan is bound a thousand years, then loosed and defeated; the dead are judged. | — | — |
| Chapter 21The new Jerusalem | A new heaven and new earth, and the holy city coming down from God. | — | — |
| Chapter 22The river of life | The river and tree of life in the city, and the promise, "Surely I come quickly." | — | |
All 22 chapters. Start reading →
Worth knowing
Tap a name to see who they are.
Tap a place to see where it is.
Some of the book's best-known images — tap the verse to read it.
- The letters to the seven churchesRevelation 1:11
- The four horsemenRevelation 6:2
- The number of the beastRevelation 13:18
- A new heaven and a new earthRevelation 21:1