The Structure of the Book of Revelation – Part I

Charles Cooper

As an advocate for the PreWrath rapture view I find it unfortunate, yet necessary, that a good portion of my time is spent disproving claims. For example, the confusion about the structure of the book of Revelation naturally leads to erroneous views regarding the timing of the rapture. Any similarity, detail, parallel or whisper of a heavenly descent or ascent may present the opportunity for someone to argue for his own rapture position preference based on that particular passage. Perhaps the greatest obstacle is uncertainty about the structure of the book. Until there is a consensus about the structure of the book, little will be accomplished regarding a consensus about the timing of the rapture in the book of Revelation.

A Short List of Proposed Rapture Passages in the Revelation

Passage	Event	Rapture Position
Revelation 4:1-2	John called up to Heaven	Pretribulation
Revelation 7:9-17	Innumerable Universal Multitude in Heaven	Pretrib and Prewrath
Revelation 11:11-19	Two witnesses taken up to Heaven	Midtribulation
Revelation 12:5	The Man-Child taken to Heaven	?
Revelation 14:14-16	The harvests of the earth	Pre, Post, and PreWrath
Revelation 19:11-20:6	Armageddon	Posttribulation

 

Since Revelation 14:14-16 is seen by pretrib, posttrib, and prewrath adherents as a possible or even likely depiction of the rapture, I shall ultimately turn my attention to this passage. Dr. Alan Hultberg in the new book, Three Views on the Rapture, argues for a prewrath understanding of Revelation 14:14-16 as indicating the timing of the rapture. I fundamentally disagree with this conclusion and see Revelation 14:14-20 as a preview of the judgments of God that follow in chapters 16-19. Both angels and the Son of Man pronounce and execute judgment during the “the hour of his judgment.” (14:7). These are the conclusions I shall seek to defend in this series of articles.

Revelation 14:14-16 states,

Then I looked, and a white cloud appeared, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man! He had a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. (v. 15) Then another angel came out of the temple, shouting in a loud voice to the one seated on the cloud, “Use your sickle and start to reap, because the time to reap has come, since the earth’s harvest is ripe!” (v. 16) So the one seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped. (NET Bible)

The arguments set forth in support of Revelation 14:14-16 as a rapture passage are these:

1. The Lord Jesus predicted that He would come “on the clouds of heaven” as the Son of Man (Matt 26:64). Revelation 14:14 is seen as a fulfillment of that prophecy since it emphasizes “one like a son of man” seated on a cloud.
2. The apostle Paul informs us that the saints will be caught up in the air to meet the Lord

(1 Thessalonians 4:17). Revelation 14:14-16 foretells that earth’s harvest will be “reaped”. While the text does not specifically indicate what happens to those reaped, the assumption is that the reaper takes them up to the clouds.

3. Before the earth is reaped, an angel calls out in a loud voice for the Son of Man to “reap” the earth. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 indicates that the trumpet of God will sound before the saints are taken up into the air, which could potentially fulfill Paul’s “trumpet call”.
4. The sequence of the book of Revelation places the reaping of the earth in close proximity to the sounding of the 7^th trumpet (the last of seven trumpets). I Corinthians 15:52 places the gathering of God’s elect at the last trumpet.
5. Revelation 14 adds the detail that there will be angelic involvement in the reaping of the earth, which may explain how the elect are gathered into the air.
6. Two harvests are detailed in Revelation 14:14-20. Some see this as a harvest of the righteous (the grain) and a harvest of the wicked (the grapes), especially since the New Testament speaks of a harvest in a similar sense (Matt 13:30).

The standard arguments against seeing the rapture in Revelation 14:14-16 are these:

1. Joel 3:11-16 utilizes harvest and vintage images to signal judgment, which reinforces Revelation 14:14-20. This confirms that the nature of Revelation 14 is one of judgment and not deliverance.
2. The harvest motif of Mark 4:20 and Matthew 13:30, 39 is more naturally the outcome of Revelation 14, but the point cannot be dogmatically proven.

I am personally unconvinced that Revelation 14:14-16 deals with the rapture. There are three reasons for my conclusion:

1. The structure of the book of Revelation
2. The nature and structure of  Revelation 14
3. The nature of the harvest described in Revelation 14:14-16

The Structure of the Book of Revelation

It is not an overstatement to say that for every interpreter of the book of Revelation, one will find a different way of ordering the content of the book.[1] Therefore, no rapture position is going to gain a consensus on the basis of a prediction regarding the structuralization of the book of Revelation. Yet, within the past 40 years much has been written on this subject. A comparison of the many offered opinions about the structure of the book reveals only a few aspects that are gaining consensus among the book’s interpreters.

In 1982, in an unpublished doctoral dissertation, W.R. Kempson reported the results of his survey of proposals for the structure of the book of Revelation. He concluded that the majority of views derive from either external or internal influences.[2] Perhaps the most prominent exponent who thinks external factors influenced how the author of the book of Revelation structured his work would be E. Schussler Fiorenza’s work, The Book of Revelation: Justice and Judgment.[3] Internal clues such as Revelation 1:19, clauses such as “And I saw,” “in the Spirit,” and “come and see” are among the list of possible internal clues to the structure of the book.

Kempson is correct that all interpreters can be categorized regarding how they arrive at their notion of the structure of the John’s apocalypse. Christopher R. Smith summarizes the study of Domingo Muňoz León who correctly concludes that regardless of how interpreters think the structure of the Revelation is to be obtained, there are three main schemes. Thus, whether an interpreter believes the structure of the Revelation follows a previous genre or that the author includes in the work itself textual marks that indicate his structural intent, there are three possible themes. Smith concludes,

Léon effectively classifies Revelation’s structural interpreters in three main groups, according to whether they favor a septenary, chiastic, or bipartate scheme.[4]

The majority of interpreters who are most often quoted regarding the structure of the book of Revelation fit within at least one of these categories.

Adela Yarbro Collins[5] – Septenary Structure

1. Prologue 1:1-8

2. The seven messages 1:9-3:22

3. The seven seals 4:1-8:5

4. The seven trumpets 8:2-11:19

5. Seven unnumbered visions 12:1-15:4

6. The seven bowls 15:1-16:21

Babylon appendix 17:1-19:10

7. Seven unnumbered visions 19:11-21:8

Jerusalem appendix 21:9-22:5

8. Epilogue 22:6-21

Felise Tavo[6] – Septenary Structure

Prologue 1:1-3

1. Seven Messages 1:4-3:22

Transition 4: 1-5:14

2. Seven Seals 6:1-7:17

Transition 8: 1-5

3. Seven Trumpets 8:6-11:14

Transition 11:15-19

4. Series of Visions I 12:1-14:20

Transition 15:1-8

5. Seven Bowls 16:1-16

Transition 16:17-19:10

6. Series of Visions II 19:11-20:15

Transition 21:1-8

7. New Jerusalem 21:9-22:5

Epilogue 22:6-21

E. Schussler Fiorenza[7] – Chiastic Structure

A Prologue 1:1-8

B         Inaugural vision and letter septet 1:9-3:22

C                     Seven-sealed scroll vision 4:1-9:21; 11:15-19

D                                 Small prophetic scroll 10:1-15:4

C’                     Seven-sealed scroll vision, continued 15:1, 5-19:10

B’         Visions of judgment and salvation 19:11-22:9

A’ Epilogue 22:10-22:21

Kenneth A. Strand[8] – Chiastic Structure

A  Prologue 1:1-10a

B         Church Militant on Earth 1:10b-3:22

C                     God’s On-going Work of Salvation 4:1-8:1

D                                 Trumpet Warnings 8:2-11:18

E                                              Evil Powers Opposing God and His Saints 11:19-14:20

E¹                                            Bowl Plagues 15:1-16-17

D¹                                Evil Powers Judged by God 16-18-18:24

C¹                    God’s Judgment Finale 19:1-21:4

B¹        Church Triumphant 21:5-22:5

A¹  Epilogue 22:6-21

W.R. Kempson[9] – Four Visions (Based on “In the Spirit” Phraseology)

PROLOGUE 1:1-8

VISION I 1:9-3:22

VISION II 4:1-16:21

A. Introduction: Revealing Heaven’s Purpose 4:2-5:14

B. The Scroll Unsealed (7 Seals) 6:1-8:1

C. The Scroll Heralded and Summarized (7 Trumpets) 8:2-11:19

D. The Scroll Opened and Executed (3 Signs)

1. & 2. The Woman and the Dragon 12:1-14:20

3. The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath 15:1-16:21

VISION III 17:1-21:8

A. The Harlot and the Beast 17:3-18

B. The Dirge Over Babylon 18:1-19:10

C. The Final Victory 19:11-21:8

VISION IV 21:9-22:5

EPILOGUE 22:6-21

Domingo Muñoz León¹⁰ – Two Sections: Seven-Part Structure

1. Prologue (1:1-1:20)

2.         Exhortation (2:1-3:22)

3.                     Apocalypse of the Day of Yahweh (4:1-9:21)

4.                                 Transition (10:1-11:19)

5.                     Apocalypse of the Beasts (12:1-16:21)

6.         Concluding section: interweaving of two apocalypses (17:1-22:5)

7. Epilogue (22:6-22:21)

Charles R. Smith[10] – Four Visions (Based on the Phraseology: In the Spirit)

(Prologue 1:1-1:8)

“In the Spirit” on Patmos

Letters 1:9-3:22

“In the Spirit” in Heaven

Heavenly journey 4:1-9:21 + 11:14-19

Transition 10:1-10:11

Historical Vision 11:1-13 + 12:1-16:21 + 19:11-21:8

“In the Spirit” in the Wilderness

Babylon Vision 17:1-19:10

“In the Spirit” on a Mountaintop

Jerusalem Vision 21:9-22:9

(Epilogue 22:10-22:21)

Ralph J. Korner[11] – Six Visions (Based on “And I Saw” Phraseology)

I. Prologue: 1:1-8

II. Vision Block #1 (1:9-3:22): the Seven Letters

[1 individual vision]: 1:9-3:22

III. Vision Block #2 (4:1-6:17): the Six Seals

[11 individual visions]: 4:1-11; 5:1; 5:2-5; 5:6-10; 5:11-14; 6:la; 6:lb-4; 6:5-6; 6:7-8; 6:9-11;

6:12-17

IV. Vision Block #3 (7:1-8): the 144,000 Sealed

[2 individual visions] 7:1; 7:2-8

V. Vision Block #4 (7:9-15:4) the Seventh Seal/the Six Trumpets/the Seventh Trumpet/the

Seven Bowls

[12 individual visions]: 7:9-8:1; 8:2-12; 8:13; 9:1-21; 10:1-12:18; 13:1-10; 13:11-18;

14:1-5; 14:6-13; 14:14-20; 15:1; 15:2-4

VI. Vision Block #5 (15:5-17:18): the Seven Bowls and Babylon Described

[4 individual visions]: 15:5-16:12; 16:13-21; 17:1-5; 17:6-17:18

VII. Vision Block #6 (18:1-22:21): Babylon Falls and the New Jerusalem Descends

[10 individual visions]:1 8:1-19:10; 19:11-16; 19:17-18; 19:19-21; 20:1-3; 20:4-10;

20:11; 20:12-15; 21:1; 21:2-22:21

David E. Aune[12] – Two Major Sections

Prologue 1:1-8

John’s Vision and Commission 1:9-3:22

The Disclosure of God’s Eschatological Plan 4:1-22:9

Epilogue 22:6-21

This sampling of the structuralization of this book demonstrates the lack of consensus about this very matter. It also suggests that no one is going to win an argument about the timing of the rapture in the book of Revelation on the basis of his view of the structure of the book. Yet, in an article entitled, “The Structure of the Book of Revelation and Its Implication for the Pre-Wrath Rapture (Part One),” published in the Michigan Theological Journal of 1991, John A. Mclean attempts to disprove the prewrath rapture in this way. He offers his own position regarding the structure of Revelation. He states,

[T]he author will suggest an alternative proposal contending that the Apocalypse is shaped primarily by three basic principles: 1) the broad framework recorded in Revelation 1:19; 2) the continuation and sequential understanding of the septet judgments; 3) the impact of the seventieth week of Daniel 9:27 on the judgments section of Revelation (chapters 4–19).^[13]

Following these principles, Mclean offers the following outline for the book of Revelation:

1A Prologue: “Things Which You Have Seen,” 1:1–20

2A Letters to the Seven Churches: “Things Which Are,” 2:1–3:22

3A God’s Wrath and Great Tribulation: “Things Which Shall Take Place After These Things,” 4:1–19:21

1B Introduction to the Seven Seal Judgments 4:1–5:14

2B The Six Seal Judgments 6:1–7:17

3B The Seventh Seal Judgment 8:1–18:24

4B The Advent of Jesus Christ 19:1–21

4A Millennial Kingdom of God: “Things Which Shall Take Place After These Things,” 20:1–15

5A The New Jerusalem 21:1–22:5

6A Epilogue 22:6–21^[14]

I have intentionally collapsed Mclean’s outline for space, emphasis, and clarity. Following Mclean’s view, there are three major divisions in the book of Revelation. This comports with his view that Revelation 1:19 offers a three-part chronological structural intent.

However, it is with relative ease that we can dispense with Mclean’s outline for the book of Revelation. First, there is no exegetical basis for the claim that the author of the book of Revelation intended a threefold division of his work by Revelation 1:19.  This is a convention adopted by many pretribulationists to support their position. That this is true can be discerned from Mclean’s own admission that:

This threefold division does not control the major content of the book as evidenced by the disproportional character of the three sections (1:1–20; 2:1–3:22; 4:1–22:5).^[15]

John is instructed in Revelation 1:19 to “write the things that you have seen, those that are, and those that are to take place after this.” If in fact John was being instructed to write of past, present, and future events, then we would expect the text to reflect it in the command itself. If John has already seen the content of “the things that you have seen,” then he stands ready to see the content of “the things that are.” One would expect the text to say, “the things you are about to see,” since those things have not begun to be visible. Yet, there are no indicators of a shift in time between chapter one and chapters two and three. The reader has no clue that John has moved from the past to the present. The book of Revelation is punctuated with “and I saw,” “then I saw,” “after this I saw,” and “when I saw” phrases that clearly indicate sequence. Yet no such marker is anywhere near the beginning of chapter two. This seems highly problematic for McLean’s position given that chapters two and three are supposed to be a major section of the book. Equally questionable is the fact that Revelation 2-3 contains material that will be fulfilled in the eschatological future, while material in Revelation 4-19 clearly refers to events that occurred before John began to write.

Revelation 1:19 was not the first time John was instructed to write. Revelation 1:11 states “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches….” An interesting question is this: why do most pretribulationists salute Revelation 1:19, but completely ignore Revelation 1:11 with regard to the structure of the book of Revelation? The answer is obvious.

That the phrase, “those things that are to take place after these things,” cannot be a temporal marker for the content of Revelation 4-21 is self-evident when compared to the rest of the occurrences of the phrase μετὰ ταῦτα (after these things). This phrase occurs nine times throughout the book of Revelation (1:19, 4:1(2x), 7:9, 9:12, 15:5, 18:1, 19:1, and 20:3). If by it John intended to indicate divisions of the book, particularly at 4:1, then why use it eight additional times throughout the book when division is not intended? It is clear that John only intends chronology by that phrase, i.e., one vision follows another. However, whether one vision must occur before a following vision appears is not indicated by this term. Therefore, Revelation 1:19 at best indicates a sequence of the visions as John saw them, but not as divisions of the book.

That Revelation 4:1 contains the phrase μετὰ ταῦτα requires that all that comes after verse one of chapter four and the rest of the book of Revelation must follow all that occurs before chapter four. We concede that the use of the verb δεῖ, which indicates those things ordained of God, must occur as God has willed it. In this case, the events detailed after 4:1 must follow the events detailed before 4:1. Still, the nature of these events cannot be purely temporal in every detail. Revelation 2:26-27 promises the overcomer “authority over the nations” to “rule them with a rod of iron.” Revelation 3:21 also promises the overcomer the right “to sit with,” the Lord Jesus on his throne. These promises cannot find fulfillment until the events that must follow 4:1 have occurred. Therefore, the relationship between what happens before Revelation 4:1 and what happens after it are not hard and fast events. These are matters which seriously undermine McLean’s view that Revelation 1:19 determines the divisions of the book.

If Revelation 1:19 does not determine the structure of the book of Revelation and there is no consensus on a possible structure for the book, then McLean cannot prove the PreWrath position wrong by merely arguing on the basis of his structure. His structure is no more compelling than anyone else’s and it certainly does not prove that the PreWrath view is incorrect.

A Critical Verse for the Structure Question: Revelation 10:11

As is always my method, I begin with what is explicitly stated in the text. Revelation 10:11 states,

Revelation 10:11 Chart

 

Revelation 1:3 explicitly identifies the book of Revelation to be a prophecy, which is confirmed again in Revelation 22:18-19. Therefore, that John is told in Revelation 10:11 to “prophesy again” is crucial, and particularly so if we can show that chapter ten introduces the second half of the book. Revelation 1:1 reports that God the Father gave Jesus Christ a revelation which an angel was to deliver to God’s bondservants. That we are told of John’s participation in the prophetic office is critical. John is no mere recorder of visions, his work is prophetic in nature. Thus, that which precedes Revelation 11:1 is prophetic, and what follows it is also.

In recent years, several scholars have recognized the importance of Revelation 10. Frederick Mazzaferri[16]  goes so far as to say that chapter, “10 is one of John’s most important periscopes. It certainly takes considerable priority over his initial vision in terms of his call.” We made reference earlier to the conclusions of Christopher R. Smith and Domingo M. León regarding the structure of the book of Revelation. Both men analyzed the previous works of several scholars concerning the structure of the book, and even though their works are separated by almost ten years, they conclude that Revelation 10:1 through either 10:11 or 11:19 serves as a transition from the first major section of the book to the other.¹⁷ The implication of Smith’s work with respect to chapter ten is that Revelation 9:21 ends a major section and Revelation 10:1 bridges to a new section.

Just how critical is this? Mark Seaborn Hall’s article written in 2002 entitled, “The Hook Interlocking Structure of Revelation: The Most Important Verses in the Book and How They May Unify Its Structure,” argues that

The meaning and impact of verses 10:11-11:1 of the book of Revelation have been either ignored or glossed over in commentaries, monographs, and critical articles on the structure of Revelation. Yet, these verses are the key to the outline of the book, pointing to a division of two primary cycles held together by an interlocking center.[17]

Thus, in Hall’s view, Revelation 10:11 divides the book of Revelation into two major sections, and it provides a key to discern the structure of the book. Hall is convinced that Revelation 11:1 begins a second cycle, which consists of

A prophetic measurement of three elements that fit “back” into a part of the first cycle…These three elements are the temple (11:19-15:4), the altar (15:5-16:21), and the worshipers (17:1-22:7).[18]

It is Hall’s contention that

The nature of the section from 10:1-11:18 goes further than just a mere bridge section (or, a typical, dovetail interlock), to the extent that it should be called a hook interlock. The initiative of the first cycle of prophecy passes over, or hooks—interlocks with—the initiative of the second cycle of prophecy. Interlocking in Rev. 10:1-11:18 is not just a bridge or transition linked by common elements to parts before and after, but is this—the overlapping of hooking of initiative of action that locks two parts together. As such, it involves an initiator of action. It is in this way that it acts as a transition, a conclusion to the first cycle and an introduction to the second cycle.[19]

Hall defends this conclusion that a completely new cycle is begun at Revelation 11:1 by making the following observations:

There are three primary arguments for a two cycle division being indicated here. They relate to λέγουσίν, πάλιν, and the dative ἐν αὐτῷ.[20]

Hall writes,

First, it is the strong angel speaking all the words from 11:1-14. The significance of this is that the initiation of action changes and this points to the beginning of a completely new cycle of prophecy.[21]

Hall’s second proof for his position is the basic meaning of the term πάλιν (again). He contends that the meaning should be “It is necessary that you prophesy a second time.” In the context, John is re-commissioned to prophesy a second time because the subject matter changes. “Where before he was involved in the writing of a book and the opening of a book, now he is commanded to measure.”[22] Hall’s final argument in support of his conclusion concerns the dative ἐν αὐτῷ (in it). It is Hall’s opinion that this Greek phrase “implies that the command to measure is three distinct elements that encompass the remainder of the book.”[23]

Antonius King Wai Siew takes exception with some of Hall’s conclusions. Wai Siew speaks favorably regarding Hall’s argument that Revelation 11:1 marks a major division within the book of Revelation.[24] But he is not convinced that the book divides into two neat sections. Neither is he sure that that Hall’s division of the second half of the book of Revelation has textual support. In this regard, he concludes that Hall’s findings are “arbitrary.”[25] It is my conviction that Hall correctly grasps the importance of Revelation 10:11 in his discussion about the structure of the book of Revelation. However, he fails to grasp the central message, purpose, and structure of the second half of the book.

In his book, Antonius King Wai Siew argues that Revelation 11:1 -15:4 is a major section of the book of Revelation that is built on a chiastic framework. However, he offers no detailed understanding regarding how Revelation 11:1-15:4 fits into the structure of the book as a whole. Regarding Revelation 10:11, Wai Siew posits that it is a “frame passage,” which he defines as

a spring-board from which to launch into a chiasmus, or a section which acts as a tail piece to a chiasmus without being part of the chiastic pattern.[26]

Regarding Revelation 10:11, it is my view that both Hall and Wai Siew correctly understood that this verse indicates the beginning of a new section in the book of Revelation. Hall fails to appreciate the second half of verse 11 of chapter 10 that specifically speaks of “many peoples and nations and languages and kings.” Thus, the focus of the second cycle is defined in verse 11 and not Revelation 11:1. Wai Siew fails to tie his conclusions about Revelation 11:1-15:5 with the whole book. For John to have applied such a detailed construction of Revelation 11:1-15:5, but failed to do so with the rest of the book, does not make sense. One cannot be certain of his exegesis of Revelation 11:1-15:5 until he has thoroughly understood the first ten chapters of the book and the role they play in what follows in the remaining chapters. Wai Siew’s observations are of no help regarding the matter of the structure of the book of Revelation as a whole.

It is my view that the events connected with the 10^th chapter have occurred and will not be repeated during the eschatological fulfillment. Several factors seem to make this conclusion necessary. First, the prophetic content of John’s vision has already been given and recognized as Scripture. Second, John is dead. Third, John ate the little book. These facts make it impossible for the scene that fills Revelation 10 to be repeated in the future. In other words, the strong angel will not come down from heaven, place one foot on the sea and the other on the land, and then declare that the end of the mystery of God will occur just days before the seventh and final trumpet sounds. The events connected with the sixth trumpet will give way to the events connected with the seventh trumpet without this angelic being coming down from heaven and making a speech. We know what he said. We await the fulfillment.