2 Cents

Continuing in this series of posts on what I've learned about the book of Revelation, I'd like to share what perhaps has been the one most enlightening thing of them all:

Revelation is not a description of one successive vision but rather multiple descriptions of multiple visions portraying the same events over and over.  This is often referred to as recapitulation.

What this means, for example, is that Rev. 20:7-10 describes the same events - although from a different angle so to speak - as Rev. 19:11-21.  The events in chapter 20 do not follow sequentially after those of chapter 19, even though it was written in that order.

How do we know this?  Well there are many clues.

One clue is when you see the same exact language or almost the same exact language being repeated time and time again.  For example, in Rev. 20:8 Satan is seen "gathering them for battle," (them being those who oppose God from all over the world).  We see almost the exact same wording in Rev. 16:14 and 19:19.

Another example of this repeated language can be found in Rev. 16:18, where we read, "And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth."  You find almost the exact same wording in Rev. 4:5, 8:5, and 11:19.

Finally, in Rev. 19:10 we see John fall to the feet of an angel to worship him, but the angel rebukes him saying only God should be worshipped.  The same event is recorded in Rev. 22:8-9.  It seems very hard to believe that John would make this same mistake again after he had already been told once not to worship any being other than God.  The events must be one and the same described multiple times.

Throughout Revelation you will find descriptions of the 7 Seals, the 7 Trumpets, and the 7 Bowls.  Each group is describing the same succession of events leading up to the final judgment and ushering in of the full Kingdom of God.

So when you read Revelation, don't read it like a linear novel.  John had numerous visions which portrayed the same succession of events from different angles.