A Proposed Structure for Revelation
There’s a special blessing for those who ‘keep’ what’s written in the book of Revelation, so it would be nice if we could identify a structure that helps us remember its contents.
It feels like such a thing should exist because the book is replete with heptads (groups of seven). But almost everyone who analyses the book sees a different structure in it.
Perhaps the structure outlined below will simply be another one to add to the list (or perhaps it’s already been proposed; I don’t know). Either way, I think it’s defensible and intuitive.
My proposed structure emerges from three simple observations.
Observation 1
The book of Revelation starts with an prologue and closes with an epilogue, and these ‘bookends’ mirror one another in certain respects.
They both describe the book as a soon-to-be-fulfilled revelation that’s been given to John (by Jesus’ angel), and that now needs to be passed on to John’s fellow men (1.1, 22.6).
They both pronounce blessings on those who ‘keep’ the book’s contents (1.3, 22.7).
In case we missed it, they both reiterate that the time of the fulfilment of John’s visions is ‘near’ (1.3, 22.10).
And, fittingly, they both declare that God is ‘the Alpha and Omega’ of history (1.8, 22.13).
So far so good.
Observation 2
Revelation is built around four heptads—the visions of the seven churches, the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls (ch. 16)1—, and each of these heptads is preceded by a concrete event that occurs in heaven and explains what John’s about to see.
Prior to the vision of the seven churches (chs. 2–3), Jesus speaks to John and shows him a vision of the lampstand-churches that he’s about to address (1.9–20).
Prior to the seven seals (6.1–8.1), Jesus takes a scroll from the Father’s hand and prepares to open it (chs. 4–5).
Prior to the seven trumpets (8.6–11.19), seven trumpets are given to seven angels, and the prayers of the saints are poured out on a heavenly altar (8.2–5).
And, prior to the seven bowls, the heavenly sanctuary is opened, and seven bowls are given to seven angels (15.5–8).
Treating each of these heptads-and-preludes as an individual unit, the structure below emerges.
01.01--01.08: Prologue
# 01.09--01.20: [Prelude to the Seven Churches]
02.01--03.22: [1] The Seven Churches
# 04.01--05.14: [Prelude to the Seven Seals]
06.01--08.01: [2] The Seven Seals
# 08.02--08.05: [Prelude to the Seven Trumpets]
08.06--11.19: [3] The Seven Trumpets
12.01--15.03: [4] The Church & Beast's Battle
# 15.04--15.08: [Prelude to the Seven Bowls]
16.01--16.20: [5] The Seven Bowls
17.01--22.05: [6] Babylon's Fall, Jesus' Return, & New Creation
22.06–21: Epilogue
Observation 3
This structure is relatively attractive. The only problem is that the final section of the book seems to include too much material. It feels like chapter 20, where Satan is bound in the aftermath of his defeat and the beleaguered saints are finally vindicated, should mark the start of a new section.
Suppose, then, we divide 17.1 to 22.5 in half, as shown below.
01.01--01.08: Prologue
# 01.09--01.20: [Prelude to the Seven Churches]
02.01--03.22: [1] The Seven Churches
# 04.01--05.14: [Prelude to the Seven Seals]
06.01--08.01: [2] The Seven Seals
# 08.02--08.05: [Prelude to the Seven Trumpets]
08.06--11.19: [3] The Seven Trumpets
12.01--15.03: [4] The Church & Beast's Battle
# 15.04--15.08: [Prelude to the Seven Bowls]
16.01--16.20: [5] The Seven Bowls
17.01--19.21: [6] Babylon's Fall & Jesus' Return
20.01--22.05: [7] Resurrection & New Creation
22.06–21: EpilogueThe book now consists of seven sections (which seems apt), central to which are the Church and beast’s battles (which also seems apt).2 And the book’s final section now isn’t too long. Moreover, the seven sevens around which Revelation is based echo the seven schematic ‘weeks’ around which the Gospel of John is based.
The structure outlined above is also attractive for a further reason: it means that every section of the book of Revelation has a connection with the number seven. This is the case because the sections between the book’s heptads have a discourse-related connection to the number seven. The book of Revelation is punctuated by John telling us that he’s seen certain things (‘And I saw…’)—(kai) eidon/eida (or in one case idon)—, which John does seven times in each of the book’s non-heptadic sections.3 That is to say, John uses the phrase (kai) eidon/eida/idon seven times in 12.1–15.3, seven times in 17.1–19.21, and seven times in 20.1–22.5, as shown below.
kai eidon (13.1, 13.11, 14.1, 14.6, 14.14, 15.1, 15.2)
kai eidon (17.3, 19.11, 19.17, 19.19), kai eida (17.6), idon (17.6), eidon (18.1)
kai eidon (20.1, 20.4, 20.11, 20.12, 21.1, 21.2), kai ouk eidon (21.22)
The last of these makes a particularly apt final marker, since it describes something that John doesn’t see. John doesn’t see a temple in the new Jerusalem, ‘since its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb’.
The beast’s seven heads are part of a broader vision (ch. 17’s), and the seven trumpets aren’t written down. What’s proclaimed in Revelation 11 onwards is the contents of the eaten open book rather than the sealed thunders.
The book’s symmetrical prologue and epilogue suggest that what stands at the centre of it is significant.
I haven’t included cases where John’s not actually describing an action on his behalf, e.g., in 13.2 where John refers to ‘the beast that I saw’.
Thanks for this. I think there are a few things you are missing (though you might be adding them in later).
1. The prologue and epilogue are also linked by seven, in that there are seven 'blessings' and when you add 'Alpha and O', 'first and last' and 'beginning and end' you get seven.
2. The second, third, and possibly fourth of your sevens have intervals between the sixth and seventh, and that really matters.
3. I think you are hampered by working with chapter and verse divisions, which I think can be misleading. Would the discussion work better with either word numbers or sentence numbers?
4. I don't think your seven kai eidons works. You either need to be strict or flexible to make an argument. Why do you include the variations in 17.6 but not the one in 15.5?
5. Why should there be *one* structure? I think different elements offer different structures. For example, there is a striking absence of 'and I saw' in chapters 11 and 12, and though everyone agrees that 12.1 marks a major change (with 'a sign appeared') suggesting disjunction, in fact chapters 11 and 12 and linked together both by the absence of 'and I saw' (since the account of the two witnesses is described to him) but also by the time spans of 42 months = 1260 days = 3.5 times. And when you look at other patterns of word frequency occurrences, this will give yet another set of structural markers.
6. I think you miss some other major literary markers. The threefold hallelujahs in 19.1–8 belong with the threefold lament of chapter 18, not least because of the 'rejoice' and 'woe' in 12.12—but 19.9 then marks a shift.
And I think that Richard Bauckham is right to count seven unnumbered visions of The End from 19.11 to 21.1. Note also that 21.1 to 22.5 are set apart, like cos 11 and 12, by the absence of 'then I saw', being replaced by 'and he showed me'. Note also the parallel between 19.10 with 22.8–9.
Hope that is all useful.
Hello James, this is very interesting as always. Many thanks. One strange detail which might be a typo? You say in Observation 1 that it starts with an epilogue and closes with a prologue. Did you mean to say this, or the other way 'round? If you meant it, I don't know, as some kind of reverse of the Alpha/Omega thing, I wonder if you would elaborate a bit on the reversal? Seems a bit Eliot-esque, In my beginning is my end...