Timeline for the Book of Revelation

• Vision of Christ and revelation given to the apostle John (A.D. 90?) – Revelation 1
• Messages to the churches – Revelation 2&3
• [A gap now of nearly 2,000 years]
• Vision of Heaven and the opening of the scrolls of judgment – Revelation 5&6
• The Rapture. Not mentioned in the Book of Revelation but precedes the judgments beginning in chapter 6
• The Beast (Man of Sin, 2 Thessalonians 2) makes a 7-yr covenant with Israel that allows them to rebuild the temple, Daniel 9. This is not mentioned in the Book of Revelation, but the breaking of the 7-yr covenant mentioned in Daniel 9, 3½ years into the 7-yrs,, the last 7 years of Daniel’s 490 year prophecy is the basis for the main timing of Revelation, the 3½ years of what Jesus calls the great tribulation (Matthew 24:15-20), described as the judgments and Satanic actions of Revelation 16-18.
• Casting of Satan out of heaven, the short time he has (3½ years) necessitating his sped up nefarious plan for world domination using the beast and the false prophet – Revelation 12&13 (during this time the beast breaks covenant with Israel, takes over the temple and defiles it with a statue of himself, 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 13:14,15; he wages war against all believers, successfully martyring many. During this time 144,000 Jewish men are sealed for protection, presumably so they can witness to Israel and the world about Jesus the Messiah (Revelation 7), and two witnesses in particular are protected from the beast until God allows them to be killed (Revelation 11)
• Beginning of the Seal Judgments poured out on earth – Revelation 6 (probably beginning after the beast takes the temple in Israel; confer Matthew 24:15-20)
• Trumpet Judgments poured out on earth (Revelation 8-11)
• Babylon the Great is defeated in war by the Beast (Revelation 14, 17-18)
• Bowl Judgments are poured out on the earth (Revelation 15&16)
• Jesus returns from the clouds (where he has been since the rapture, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, and defeats the Beast and False Prophet, casting them into the Lake of Fire, and casts the Devil, Satan, into the abyss for 1,000 years (Revelation 19)
• Jesus sets up his kingdom ruling from Jerusalem for 1,000 years, after which he releases Satan from the abyss, who is then able to rouse an army of unbelievers to attack Jesus but only to be defeated. Satan is cast into the Lake of Fire, where the Beast and the False Prophet already are, and all the unbelievers, past and present, are judged at the Great White Throne judgment and cast into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20)
• God remakes the earth and brings the heavenly Jerusalem (heaven itself) to earth for all believers to dwell in forever (Revelation 21&22)