A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of Revelation 4-22
Part 1: A Chiastic Reconfiguration of Rev. 4-22 and a Commentary on Period 1

Kuruvilla Thomas
Bangalore
Published on 26 July 2025 *

Fig. 1

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Introduction

This study treats Revelation 4-22 as a cryptochiasmus in order to arrive at a coherent reconfiguration of the text ( see definition of cryptochiasmus in [1] ). If you wish to skip the technicalities of a chiastic parse, you may read starting from Section 4 of the Discussion section, which has the reconfigured text.

We will show that this apocalypse or revelation in Rev. 4-22 primarily details the periods of tribulation at the start and end of Christ's Millennial Reign. The passage is structured as a long, complex, multiply-applied cryptochiasmus that covers almost the entire book. Additionally, the sequence of the passages have been altered using the cryptotranspose mechanism - see details in the supplementary reconfigurations below. This is one of the chiastic passages that are designated as sealed (in Rev 22:10); others are Dan. 8, Dan. 10-12, Isa. 7-9, Isa. 28-33.

In Part 1 below, we perform a reconfiguration of Rev. 4-22 and comment on the historical passages related to Satan's Fall from heaven and Christ's First Coming (Period 1). Part 2 has commentary on Pre-Millennial Tribulations c. 2017AD-2027AD (Period 2) and Part 3 has commentary on the Last Days c. 2967AD (Period 3).

Note:
We will use the term "Judahite" to refer to the Israelites - primarily those of the tribe of Judah and their descendants - that remained after the Assyrian exile of the Northern Tribes.

Discussion

1. Presuppositions

We base our parse of this chiasmus on the assumption that it refers to 3 Periods:

1. The period starting from the sign of the dragon in heaven at creation (4034BC) to the First Coming of Christ and the escape of Judahite Christians during the First Jewish–Roman War (70-73AD). This period is covered in Revelation 4 and in Revelation 12 which, as we have seen in another paper [2], is in itself a cryptochiasmus. The 4034BC date is from our parse of Daniel 12 [6] and Rev 12 [2].
2. The time of tribulations before the Start of Christ's Millennial Reign (2017AD-2027AD). Satan will have absolute control through the Beast for a short time, but after that, his kingdom on earth, 'Babylon', will be destroyed. The two main types of tribulations in this Period are: those that affect the faithful, that come from the Beast system; and those that affect the wicked at the end of Satan's reign. This Period begins around the time of the sign of the Woman in Heaven in 2017AD, and ends with the start of Christ's Millennial Reign in 2027AD (the 2027AD date is from our parse of Isaiah 59-63 [4]).
3. The "End of the Age" or the last days (ending in 2967AD, the date is from [6]). The more cataclysmic tribulations of this Period come from God, and they affect the wicked of the earth - those that remain after the rapture of the faithful. The Period begins with Christ's return in glory and the rapture (unknown date), and it ends with the Final Judgement and the arrival of a new heaven and earth (2967AD).

2. Parsing the chiasmus

We will use the NIV Bible for this parse.

Parsing this chiasmus involves dividing portions of the text into three categories as above. We will call the period from the time of the Creation of the World to the First Jewish-Roman War (4034BC-73AD) Period 1, the tribulations before the Start of Christ's Millennial Reign (2017AD-2027AD) Period 2, and the "End of the Age" or the last days (circa 2967AD) Period 3.

We color-code the chiastic units below for easy visual identification using: red for Period 1, blue for Period 2, green for Period 3 and purple for text outside the chiasmus.

Categorizing Revelation Chapters 4-22

Chapter 4:1-2a lies outside the chiasmus.
Introductory passage.

Chapter 4:2b-11 belong to Period 1.
The heavenly assembly praises God at the time of creation (based on 4:11).

Chapters 5, 6:1-11 belong to Period 2.
Chapter 5 The successful search for someone who is worthy to open the scroll.
Chapter 6:1-11 The opening of the first 5 seals and the release of the four horsemen. The opening of the 5th seal belongs to this Period, because the saints are asked to wait for the rest of the faithful to be killed and this happens in Period 2 - the saints will not suffer after Period 2.

Chapter 6:12 to Chapter 11 belong to Period 3.
Chapter 6:12-17 The 6th seal, momentous events in heaven and on earth. The heavens are 'rolled up like a scroll' and the powerful on earth hide from God's wrath. In part, we place this passage in Period 3 so that it aligns with our parse of the Olivet discourse in Matt. 24 (especially Matt. 24:29,30) and Luke 21 (esp. Luke 21:25,26).
Chapter 7 The 144000 are sealed. The Multitude in White robes praise God in heaven (after they are raptured).
Chapter 8,9,10,11 The 7th seal, 7 trumpets (along with 3 woes), 7 thunders and the little scroll. The two witnesses. The announcement of the kingdom of the Lord.



We consider Ch 12, regarding the three "women", to be an embedded cryptochiasmus, and we have reconfigured it in another paper [2]. We treat the results of that reconfiguration as the next two subunits.

Chapter 12 verses 1-2,10-12 belong to Period 2.
Chapter 12 verses 1-2,10-12 The woman in the heavens is about to give birth. An announcement in heaven about the start of a new age. The Devil has a short time.

We rearrange and combine the next two units of the results of the previous Revelation 12 parse [2] in time sequence, as the rules of cryptochiasmi [1] allow.
Chapter 12 verses 3-4a,7-9,13 and Chapter 12 verses 4b-6, 14-17 belong to Period 1.
Chapter 12 verses 3-4a,7-9,13 Sign of the Dragon - Satan's Fall and Eve's temptation (4034-4032BC).
Chapter 12 verses 4b-6, 14-17 The Ministry of Christ and the Escape of The Early Church to the Wilderness (1st century).



Chapter 13 belongs to Period 2.
The reign of the beast out of the sea and the Beast out of the earth. The Mark of the Beast.

Chapter 14:1-5 appear to belong to Period 3.
The 144,000 sing a new song. (We had also categorized the passages on the 144,000 in Chapter 7 as belonging to Period 3.)

Chapters 14:6 to 20:10 appear to belong to Period 2.
Chapter 14:6-20 The 7 angels make predictions, announcements and warnings about the reign of the Beast and its aftermath.
Chapter 15-16 The last 7 plagues. These plagues seem like the cataclysmic tribulations of Period 3, but they only affect Satan's empire 'Babylon' and the Beast system. Also, because there is a reference to the Mark of the Beast and the destruction of 'Babylon', we believe this passage belongs to Period 2.
Chapter 17 A description of The Whore on the Beast. (In Ch 17:3, the angel takes John to a time shortly before the reign of the Beast.)
Chapter 18 The Fall of 'Babylon' is predicted.
Chapter 19 Threefold Hallelujah. The Rider on the White Horse is victorious (start of the Millennial Reign).
Chapter 20:1-10 Satan is bound. The 1000 year reign. Although verses 20:7-10 are about the end days, we will categorize them as belonging to Period 2 because the passage is framed as a future event in vs 7, "When the thousand years are over...", and because of sequence issues if categorized as Period 3.

Chapters 20:11 to 22:9 appear to belong to Period 3.
Chapter 20:11-15 The Final Judgement.
Chapter 21 to 22:5 The New Spiritual Jerusalem comes down from heaven.
Chapter 22:6-9 An epilogue to Period 3. The archangel Michael will return "soon". The angel refuses John's worship.

Chapter 22:10-15 appear to belong to Period 2.
Chapter 22:10-15 An epilogue to Period 2. We treat vs 10 as the start of the epilogue to Period 2, because it predicts the unsealing of this prophecy, something that occurs in Period 2. Also, we take the phrase "Then he told me" in vs 10 as indicative of the start of a new section.

Chapter 22:16-21 appears to belong to Period 1.
Chapter 22:16-21 An Epilogue to Period 1. We categorize this passage as belonging to Period 1, so that all three Periods have their own epilogue. By treating vs 16 as the start of this epilogue, we ensure that it has a set of epithets like the other two epilogues.

( We have split the rather long epilogue in Chapter 22:6-21 into 3 parts. Note that with this parse, the thrice-repeated phrase, "I am coming soon", appears once in each epilogue. Also, each epilogue has a set of epithets of the three entities that bring this Revelation to John: God, Christ and the Holy Spirit.)

Original text

We color-code the chiastic units of the original text (NIV) below for easy visual identification using: red for Period 1, blue for Period 2 , green for Period 3 and purple for text outside the chiasmus . We have retranslated parts of the text.

Revelation 4 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2a At once I was in the Spirit.
2b There [a] before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. 6 Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
“‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”
9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

Retranslation notes for Revelation 4
[a] vs 2 "Spirit. There" instead of "Spirit, and there". For the chiasmus.

Revelation 5 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing between the throne and [a] the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8 After he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp and holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones [b]. 9 And they sang a new song, saying:
“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”
11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they were saying:
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”
13 Then I heard every creature in the sky [c] and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”
14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Retranslation notes for Revelation 5
[a] vs 6 "standing between the throne and" instead of "standing at the center of the throne, encircled by". Based on the ESV.
[b] vs 8 "After he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp and holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones" instead of "And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people".
[c] vs 13 "the sky" instead of "heaven".

Revelation 6 I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” 2 I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he had been given a crown [a], and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.
3 When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.
5 When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6 Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”
7 When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 8 I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Thanatos [b], and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the creatures [c] of the earth.
9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw at the altar [d] the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” 11 Each [e] of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.
12 I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, 13 and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. 14 The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up. Every [f] mountain and island was removed from its place.
15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”

Retranslation notes for Revelation 6
[a] vs 2 "he had been given a crown" instead of "he was given a crown". Based on the ISV.
[b] vs 8 "Thanatos" instead of "Death".
[c] vs 8 "creatures" instead of "wild beasts".
[d] vs 9 "at the altar" instead of "under the altar".
[e] vs 11 "Each" instead of "Then each".
[f] vs 14 "up. Every" instead of "up, and every". For the chiasmus.

Revelation 7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: 3 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” 4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
5 From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000, from the tribe of Gad 12,000, 6 from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000, 7 from the tribe of Simeon 12,000, from the tribe of Levi 12,000, from the tribe of Issachar 12,000, 8 from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000, from the tribe of Joseph 12,000, from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.
9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:
“Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”
13 Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”
14 I answered, “Sir, you know.”
And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore,
“they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple. He [a] who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. 16 ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb at the center before [b] the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

Retranslation notes for Revelation 7
[a] vs 15 "temple. He" instead of "temple; and he". For the regular chiasmus.
[b] vs 17 "before" instead of "of".

Revelation 8 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
3 Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. 4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth. There [a] came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
6 Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.
7 The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
8 The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, 9 a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
10 The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water— 11 the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.
12 The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.
13 As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!”

Retranslation notes for Revelation 8
[a] vs 5 "earth. There" instead of "earth; and there". For the regular chiasmus.

Revelation 9 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. 2 When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. 3 And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes. 6 During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.
7 The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. 8 Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. 10 They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. 11 They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).
12 The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.
13 The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God. 14 It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.
17 The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. 18 A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. 19 The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.
20 The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Revelation 10 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. 2 He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. 4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.”
5 Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6 And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “Time will be no more! [a] 7 Indeed [b] in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”
8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”
9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’” 10 I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 11 Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”

Retranslation notes for Revelation 10
[a] vs 6 "Time will be no more" instead of "There will be no more delay".
[b] vs 7 "Indeed" instead of "But".

Revelation 11 I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. 2 But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. 3 And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4 They are “the two olive trees” and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.” 5 If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. 6 They have power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.
7 Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. 8 Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city—which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified. 9 For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. 10 The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
11 But after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on.
13 At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14 The second woe has passed. Behold the [a] third woe is coming soon.
15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.”
16 And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying:
“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. 18 The nations were angry, and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small— and for destroying those who corrupt [b] the earth.”
19 Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.

Retranslation notes for Revelation 11
[a] vs 14 "passed. Behold the" instead of "passed; the". For the regular chiasmus.
[b] vs 18 "corrupt" instead of "destroy".

Revelation 12

The passages of this chapter have been previously reconfigured - see [2] and categorization above.

1 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death." 12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.

3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. 4a Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth.
7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9a The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. 9b He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
13 When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.

4b The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. 6 The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.
14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. 15 Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. 16 But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.

Revelation 13 The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2 The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. 4 People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast. People worshiped [a] the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?”
5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7 It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain, from [b] the creation of the world.
9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.
10 “If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword they will be killed.”
This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.
11 Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. 14 Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, or [c] the name of the beast or the number of its name.
18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of man [d]. That number is 666.

Retranslation notes for Revelation 13
[a] vs 4 "beast. People worshiped" instead of "beast, and they also worshiped".
[b] vs 8 "slain, from" instead of "slain from".
[c] vs 17 "or" instead of "which is". Based on the KJV.
[d] vs 18 "of man" instead of "of a man". Based on the Legacy Standard Bible.

Revelation 14 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins, these following [a] the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.
6 Then I saw an [b] angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. 7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
8 A second angel followed and said, “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’ which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”
9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment will rise to ages of ages [c]. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.
13 I [d] heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”
14 I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” 16 So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
17 Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” 19 The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. 20 They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.

Retranslation notes for Revelation 14
[a] vs 4 "virgins, these following" instead of "virgins. They follow".
[b] vs 6 "an" instead of "another". From the Majority Standard Bible.
[c] vs 11 "to ages of ages" instead of "for ever and ever".
[d] vs 13 "I" instead of "Then I".

Revelation 15 I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. 2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God 3 and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb:
“Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the nations. 4 Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
5 Then I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened [a]. 6 Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues, dressed in clean, shining linen and wearing [b] golden sashes around their chests. 7 Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden vials [c] filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever. 8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

Retranslation notes for Revelation 15
[a] vs 5 "Then I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened" instead of "After this I looked, and I saw in heaven the temple—that is, the tabernacle of the covenant law—and it was opened". For chiastic balance, based on the Berean Bible.
[b] vs 6 "plagues, dressed in clean, shining linen and wearing" instead of "plagues. They were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore". For chiastic balance.
[c] vs 7 "vials" instead of "bowls".

Revelation 16 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go, pour out the seven vials [a] of God’s wrath on the earth.”
2 The first angel went and poured out his vial [b] on the land, and ugly, festering sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.
3 The second angel poured out his vial [c] on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died.
4 The third angel poured out his vial [d] on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. 5 Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say:
“You are just in these judgments, O Holy One, you who are and who were; 6 for they have shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.”
7 And I heard the altar respond: “Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments.”
8 The fourth angel poured out his vial [e] on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9 They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.
10 The fifth angel poured out his vial [f] on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in agony 11 and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.
12 The sixth angel poured out his vial [g] on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. 13 Then I saw three impure spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.
15 “Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.”
16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
17 The seventh angel poured out his vial [h] into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake [i]. 19 The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20 Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. 21 And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe [j].

Retranslation notes for Revelation 16
[a] vs 1 "vials" instead of "bowls".
[b-h] vs 2,3,4,8,10,12,17 "vial" instead of "bowl".
[i] vs 18 "great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake" instead of "severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake". From the ESV, for chiastic balance.
[j] vs 21 "And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe" instead of "From the sky huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, fell on people. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible". From the ESV for chiastic balance.

Revelation 17 One of the seven angels who had the seven vials [a] came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by many waters. 2 With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.”
3 Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. 5 The name written on her forehead was a mystery:
Babylon the great the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth.
6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.
When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. 7 Then the angel said to me: “Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns. 8 The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come.
9 “This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains [b] on which the woman sits. 10 They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while. 11 The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.
12 “The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. 13 They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast. 14 They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”
15 Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. 16 The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. 17 For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast their royal authority, until God’s words are fulfilled. 18 The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”

Retranslation notes for Revelation 17
[a] vs 1 "vials" instead of "bowls".
[b] vs 9 "mountains" instead of "hills".

Revelation 18 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2 With a mighty voice he shouted:
“‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’ She had [a] become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal. 3 All [b] the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from the power of her wantonness [c].”
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say:
“‘Come out of her, my people,’ so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; 5 for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. 6 Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Pour her a double portion from her own cup. 7 Give her as much torment and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, ‘I sit enthroned as queen. I am not a widow; I will never mourn.’ 8 Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, misery and dearth [d]. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.
9 “When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. 10 Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry:
“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city, you mighty city of Babylon! In one hour your doom has come!’
11 “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore— 12 cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; 13 cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves.
14 “They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’ 15 The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn 16 and cry out:
“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! 17 In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’
“Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. 18 When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city?’ 19 They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out:
“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!’
20 “Rejoice over her, you heavens! Rejoice, you people of God! Rejoice, apostles and prophets! For God has judged her with the judgment she imposed on you.”
21 Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said:
“With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again. 22 The sound of harpists and musicians, and flute players and trumpeters, shall never be heard in you any longer. And any craftsmen of any craft shall never be found in you any longer, and the sound of a millstone shall never be heard in you any longer [e]. 23 The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world’s important people. By your sorcery [f] all the nations were led astray. 24 In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people, of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”

Retranslation notes for Revelation 18
[a] vs 2 "had" instead of "has".
[b] vs 3 "All" instead of "For all".
[c] vs 3 "the power of her wantonness" instead of "her excessive luxuries".
[d] vs 8 "misery and dearth" instead of "mourning and famine".
[e] vs 22 "The sound of harpists and musicians, and flute players and trumpeters, shall never be heard in you any longer. And any craftsmen of any craft shall never be found in you any longer, and the sound of a millstone shall never be heard in you any longer" instead of "he music of harpists and musicians, pipers and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No worker of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again". From the Berean Literal Bible for chiastic balance.
[f] vs 23 "sorcery" instead of "magic spell".

Revelation 19 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:
“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, 2 for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”
3 And again they shouted: “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.”
4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: “Amen, Hallelujah!”
5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both great and small!”
6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
9 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” He said to me [a], “These are the true words of God.”
10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”
11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood. His [b] name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King of kings and Lord of lords.
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.”
19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 The [c] beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

Retranslation notes for Revelation 19
[a] vs 9 "He said to me" instead of "And he added".
[b] vs 13 "blood. His" instead of "blood, and his".
[c] vs 20 "The" instead of "But the".

Revelation 20 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Thanatos [a] and Hades gave up the dead that were in them. Each [b] person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then Thanatos [c] and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Retranslation notes for Revelation 20
[a] vs 13 "Thanatos" instead of "death".
[b] vs 13 "them. Each" instead of "them, and each".
[c] vs 14 "Thanatos" instead of "death".

Revelation 21 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
9 One of the seven angels who had the seven vials [a] full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 And he measured its wall to be 144 cubits, by the measure of man the angel was using [b]. 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.
22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The peoples will walk in its light. The [c] kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Retranslation notes for Revelation 21
[a] vs 9 "vials" instead of "bowls".
[b] vs 17 "And he measured its wall to be 144 cubits, by the measure of man the angel was using" instead of "The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick".
[c] vs 24 "The peoples will walk in its light. The" instead of "The nations will walk by its light, and the".

Revelation 22 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, producing twelve crops, yielding a crop [a] every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the peoples [b]. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
6 The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.”
7 “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.”
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. 9 But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!”
10 Then he told me, “When the words of the prophecy of this scroll are unsealed, then [c] the time is near. 11 Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.”
12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done— [d] 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” 17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.
18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely [e], I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.

Retranslation notes for Revelation 22
[a] vs 2 "producing twelve crops, yielding a crop" instead of "bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit".
[b] vs 2 "peoples" instead of "nations".
[c] vs 10 "When the words of the prophecy of this scroll are unsealed, then" instead of "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because". The typical translation of this verse cannot be right because, quite obviously, the book is sealed in many ways.
[d] vs 12 "done—" instead of "done.".
[e] vs 20 "Surely" instead of "Yes".

3. Building the reconfigured text

3.1 The Primary Reconfiguration

From this parse, it appears that Revelation 4-22 forms a cryptochiasmus as below:

A1   Ch 4:2b-11 Period 1. The Heavenly assembly at creation
  B1   Ch 5,6:1-11 Period 2. The opening of the first 5 seals...
    X   Ch 6:12-Ch 11 Period 3. 6&7th seal, 7 trumpets, 7 thunders..., announcement of the kingdom of God
  B2   Ch 12 verses 1,2,10-12 Period 2. Pregnant woman in heavens ...Devil has a short time.
A2   Ch 12 verses 3-4a,7,8,9,13,4b-6,14-17 Period 1. Fall of Satan... First Coming...escape of the early church c. 70AD

We now reconstruct the passages in the right order based on the chiastic structure above and based on the ordering rules of a cryptochiasmus [1].

We lead with central pivot point 'X'. The corresponding subunits (For example, subunit A1 corresponds to A2) are placed contiguously to form units (for example, A1,A2 is a unit) so that we get a list of such units.

The sequence selected for rearrangement is:

X  [B1,B2]  [A1,A2]        (1)

We have the following sequence when we include Ch 13:1 to Ch 14:5:
X         - Period 3
[B1,B2] - Period 2
[A1,A2] - Period 1
Ch 13 Period 2. The beasts out of the sea and earth...Mark of the Beast.
Ch 14:1-5 Period 3. The 144,000 sing a new song.

We still have text for the periods in a non-contiguous form. So we treat this as a multiply-applied cryptochiasmus as below. Pivot X will be treated as outside this second chiasmus.

M1   X Period 3
  N1   [B1,B2] Period 2
   XX   [A1,A2] Period 1
  N2   Ch 13 Period 2
M2   Ch 14:1-5 Period 3

The sequence selected for rearrangement is:
XX  [M1,M2]  [N1,N2]        (2)

Translating this sequence (2) into the sub-units of the first chiasmus, we get:

[A1,A2]  [X,Ch 14:1-5]  [[B1,B2],Ch 13]         (3)

Further translating (3) into verse numbers, we get:

[Ch 4:2b-11, Ch 12 verses 3-4a,7,8,9,13,4b-6,14-17]  [[Ch 6:12-Ch 11], Ch 14:1-5]  [[Ch 5,6:1-11, Ch 12 verses 1,2,10-12], Ch 13]        (4)

Below, we have another 4 subunits of the prophecy that remain to be integrated into the reconfiguration:

Ch 14:6 to 20:10 Period 2. The angels make predictions...7 bowl plagues...Whore on the beast... 1000 year reign.
Ch 20:11 to 22:9 - Period 3. Final judgement...new Jerusalem...epilogue.
Ch 22:10-15 - Period 2. Epilogue.
Ch 22:16-21 - Period 1. Epilogue.

These subunits are in the sequence Period 2, Period 3, Period 2, Period 1. The units in (2) above can trivially rearranged to form a chiasmus with the first two of these subunits so that the Periods are in the sequence [3,2,1,2,3], which can be reconfigured. This reconfiguration can be further rearranged to form a chiasmus with the last two subunits, so that the Periods are in the sequence [1,2,3,2,1] and reconfigured.

But we eschew the lengthy and complex formalism of a chiastic reconfiguration and, instead, use the expedient of appending the subunits to the Period to which they belong in (4), so that we get (5),(6) and (7) below.

[Ch 4:2b-11, Ch 12 verses 3-4a,7,8,9,13,4b-6,14-17], Ch 22:16-21 (Period 1)       (5)
[[Ch 5,6:1-11, Ch 12 verses 1,2,10-12], Ch 13] Ch 14:6 to 20:10, Ch 22:10-15 (Period 2)       (6)
[[Ch 6:12-Ch 11], Ch 14:1-5], Ch 20:11 to 22:9 (Period 3)       (7)

3.2 Supplementary Cryptotranspose Reconfigurations

We notice that a few passages of the Periods 1-3 in the sequences (5), (6) and (7) are not in their "proper places", so we perform a set of supplementary reconfigurations for these Periods. For these reconfigurations, we treat the passages of Period 1-3 as cryptotransposes (as we also do in Rev. 1-3 [5]).

Text that is arranged in the form of a cryptotranspose must be rearranged to be correctly interpreted (as in the case of a cryptochiasmus [1]). The rearrangement of a cryptotranspose is based on patterns and symmetries (as opposed to a cryptochiasmus, where rearrangement is based on chiastic structure and on the time-frame of events in the text).

3.2.0 Cryptotranspose Reconfiguration of Period 1

We rewrite sequence (5) above, splitting up the passages to facilitate the reconfigurations, as:
Ch 4:2b-11, Ch 12 verses 3-4a,7,8,9,13,4b-6,14-17, Ch 22:16, Ch 22:17, Ch 22:18-19, Ch 22:20a, Ch 22:20b-21       (8)

The Transpose of Ch 22:17 and Ch 22:20a: We believe these 2 passages have been interchanged, and so we move them to their proper places. ( This change only affects the epilogue of this Period.)
After this reconfiguration of (8), we get sequence (9) below:

Ch 4:2b-11, Ch 12 verses 3-4a,7,8,9,13,4b-6,14-17, Ch 22:16, Ch 22:20a, Ch 22:18-19, Ch 22:17, Ch 22:20b-21       (9)

3.2.1 Cryptotranspose Reconfiguration of Period 2

We rewrite sequence (6) above, splitting up the passages to facilitate the reconfigurations, as:
Ch 5,6:1-11, Ch 12 verses 1,2,10-12, Ch 13, Ch 14:6 to 19:9a, Ch 19:9b-10, Ch 19:11-20:10, Ch 22:10-15       (10)

The Transpose of Ch 12 verses 1,2,10-12 and Ch 19:9b-10: Although the passages of this revelation are not strictly in chronological order, we believe the passages in Ch 12 belong at the start, as the events in it occur at the very beginning of this Period. Also we move the passage in 19:9b-10 to the very end, as it appears to be a part of the epilogue. So with these passages moved to the very beginning and end, we have a symmetric transpose for the Period.
After this reconfiguration of (10), we get sequence (11) below:

Ch 12 verses 1,2,10-12, Ch 5,6:1-11, Ch 13, Ch 14:6 to 19:9a, Ch 19:11-20:10, Ch 22:10-15, Ch 19:9b-10       (11)

3.2.2 Cryptotranspose Reconfiguration of Period 3

We rewrite the sequence (7) above, splitting up the passages to facilitate the reconfigurations, as:
Ch 6:12-14 to Ch 7:8, Ch 7:9-17, Ch 8:1 to Ch 11:19, Ch 14:1-5, Ch 20:11 to Ch 21:1, Ch 21:2-8, Ch 21:9 to Ch 22:9       (12)

Transpose of Rev. 7:9-17 and Rev. 21:2-8: We move the passage regarding the raptured righteous in heaven to the beginning, as this Period begins with this event. Also, the passage in Rev. 21:2-8 appears to be a part of the epilogue, and so we move it the end. So we have a symmetric transpose with these passages moved to the beginning and the end of the Period.
After this reconfiguration of (12), we get sequence (13) below:

Ch 7:9-17, Ch 6:12-14 to Ch 7:8, Ch 8:1 to Ch 11:19, Ch 14:1-5, Ch 20:11 to Ch 21:1, Ch 21:9 to Ch 22:9, Ch 21:2-8       (13)

We arrive at the reconfigured passage in the next section by rearranging the verses of Rev 4-22 so they are in sequences (9),(11) and (13).

4. A Commentary on the Reconfigured Text

4.0 Introductory passage (Ch 4:1-2a)

Chapter 4 1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this. 2a At once I was in the Spirit.”

This passage that lies outside the cryptochiasmus introduces Rev 4-22. The angel who had appeared to John initially in Rev. 1:10 (the one with a "voice like a trumpet" ), the Archangel Michael [6], guides John through this vision of Rev.4-22. John is invited into heaven in the spiritual realm ("in the Spirit") through a portal between the physical and the spiritual ("door"). Most of the events mentioned in this prophecy are predictions that take place after John sees the vision ("after this"), except for those of Period 1, which is historical.

4.1 Period 1. From Creation to The End of the First Jewish Roman War (4034BC-73AD) (Ch 4:2b-11, Ch 12 verses 3-4a,7,8,9,13,4b-6,14-17, Ch 22:16, Ch 22:20a, Ch 22:18-19, Ch 22:17, Ch 22:20b-21)

4.1.1 Period 1 The Reconfigured Chiastic Structure

Chiasmus 1: The Heavenly Beings worship God at Creation (4034BC) (4:2b-11)


Chiasmus 2: The Sign of the Dragon, Satan's Fall and Eve's temptation (4034-4032BC) (12:3-4a,7-9,13)


Chiasmus 3: Christ's Ministry and the Escape of The Early Church (26AD-73AD) (12:4b-6, 14-17)


Chiasmus 4: Epilogue to Period 1 (Ch 22:16, Ch 22:20a, Ch 22:18-19, Ch 22:17, Ch 22:20b-21)

4.1.2 Period 1 Commentary

This Period is structured as a series of 4 chiasmi.

Chiasmus 1: The Heavenly Beings worship God at Creation (4034BC) (4:2b-11)

A1 4:2b-6a The Heavenly Beings praise God in the Throne Room: Description of the Throne Room
    X 4:6b-8a The Four Creatures represent all Living Things on Earth
A2 4:8b-11 The Heavenly Beings praise God in the Throne Room: They praise God for His Creation

The various visions of this prophecy in Rev 4-22 are located at different times and places, so in order to understand the visions, we must identify where and when they occur. The vision of this chiasmus of Rev. 4 appears to occur shortly after creation (4:11), and in the heavenly realm (see 4:1-2a). This chiasmus describes the spiritual beings at the highest levels of God's government, as they worship Him at creation.

Subunit A1: The Heavenly Beings praise God in the Throne Room: Description of the Throne Room (4:2b-6a)

In this subunit, the apostle John attempts to describe the "throne room" of God and the heavenly beings that he sees in the vision, though the awesome sight must beggar all description. This is a spiritual realm ("in the spirit" - vs 2), and this description uses the language of the physical world to detail spiritual qualities. Note the design of this subunit: details on heavenly beings in the throne room alternate with descriptions of "things" in the room that represent aspects of God's reign.

Chapter 4 2b There before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3a And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby.

The God of all things, sitting on His royal throne, looks like jasper (shiny red or yellow stones) and ruby (shiny red stones), like fire made of stone. We take this "fire" to represent the glory of God (fire has represented God on other occasions, as at the "burning bush" - Exodus 3:2). Note that there is but One God, the Great "I AM" (Exo. 3:14), who sits on the central Throne, and not a Trinity of coequals (the Lamb stands before the throne - see 5:6 below).

Note that in this revelation, things that are non-solids in the physical realm sometimes appear as solids in the spiritual realm: fire is made of stone in this vs 3, a rainbow is hard as emerald in vs 3, water is as glass in vs 6, Ch 15:2. Perhaps to indicate that the spiritual is more 'real', 'solid' and lasting than the physical.

Chapter 4 3b A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne.

The shining rainbow represents God's glorious benevolent reign over the universe (see also Genesis 9:9-16). Note that the rainbow shines like an emerald but is coloured like a rainbow - it is not emerald coloured.

Chapter 4 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.

The 24 "elder" angels wear crowns of victory ("stephanos") and not royal crowns ("diadema"), presumably to indicate that they were chosen from among the divisions of God's angels as leaders (the angels may be divided into 24 or one of its divisors, most likely 12), in the same way that a person of good character ("dressed in white") is chosen as an elder from a congregation (note that "elder" indicates their elevated rank and not their age) (see 1 Timothy 3:1-7).

Chapter 4 5a From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder.

The "flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder" represent the power and the righteous judgement of God (see also Rev 16:17-18, Rev 8:5).

Chapter 4 5b In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.

The 7 "lamps" are angels (see 8:2), and they are presumably called "lamps" to indicate that their primary function is to spread the truth from God (see also Rev. 1:4).

Chapter 4 6a Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

The "sea of glass" in this vision seems to be equivalent to a sea of water (see also Rev 15:2); and this "sea of glass, clear as crystal" presumably represents the purification of all those who approach God, as in the case of the Molten Sea at the temple in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 4:1–5).

Pivot X: The Four Creatures represent all Living Things on Earth (4:6b-8a)

Chapter 4 6b In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8a Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings.

The 4 "living creatures" are mighty angels (they are "in the center, around the throne", indicating their high rank), and their appearances - lion, ox, man and eagle (cf. Eze. 1:10) - are those of the "strongest" of each of the 4 categories of creatures listed as saved through Noah's Ark in Genesis 9:10 - wild animals, livestock, humans and birds - indicating that the "living creatures" are "princes" who control all living things on earth from the spiritual realm. The many eyes of the "living creatures" presumably represent their function of monitoring all living things on earth; their wings may be used to indicate their reverence and humility before God, on behalf of earthbound creatures, and indicate their need to travel around the earth in the discharge of their duties (as described in Isaiah 6:2).

These "living creatures", when they worship God in heaven, represent all life on earth.

Subunit A2: The Heavenly Beings praise God in the Throne Room: They praise God for His Creation (4:8b-11)

Chapter 4 8b Day and night they never stop saying:
“‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”

This subunit continues from the corresponding subunit A1, and so the "they" in this passage refers to all the heavenly beings in this throne room - not only the "living creatures". The glory, majesty and great love of the Creator of all things is such that all in His presence feel compelled to worship and give thanks to Him continually (note that "continually" does not mean "continuously" - these beings praise their God at intervals, and they continue to do so faithfully). God is praised as "Holy" thrice to indicate the superlative, the "Holiest" (see also Isa. 6:3), and He is described as almighty and eternal ("who was, and is, and is to come" - see also Rev. 1:4,8).

Chapter 4 9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10a the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever.

Whenever the "living creatures", who represent the earthly living, worship God, the "elders", who represent the angels in heaven, do likewise. They worship God by giving Him glory, honour and thanks.

Chapter 4 10b They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

The "elders" lay their crowns of victory before the throne as a token of surrender to the will of God, for they reign at the pleasure of God and they may be replaced at any time.

Chapter 4 11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

The heavenly beings praise God for creating all things, and so we propose that this assembly took place shortly after creation (Gen. 1).

Chiasmus 2: The Sign of the Dragon, Satan's Fall and Eve's temptation (4034-4032BC) (12:3-4a,7-9,13)

This chiasmus is regarding a sign in heaven at the time of creation (Genesis 1). This sign portends the fall of Satan with his angels and the Fall of Man (we believe that the woman in vs 13 is Eve and her child is mankind). This is the start of a battle for the souls of man that goes on to the end of the world. Note that the chiasmi of this prophecy are arranged by theme and are not strictly in chronological order - Subunit A1 of this Chiasmus 2 takes place before the events of Chiasmus 1

See Period 1 of our paper on Revelation 12 for a more detailed analysis of this chiasmus.

Fig. 2


Chiasmus 3: Christ's Ministry and the Escape of The Early Church (26AD-73AD) (12:4b-6, 14-17)

The "woman" of this chiasmus is the God-fearing Judahite community at the time of Christ, and the child is Jesus Christ. The dragon, or Satan, tried to tempt Jesus away from God and into worshipping him (he tried to "devour her child") at the very "birth" of Jesus' ministry (see Matthew 4:1-11). After his ministry and death, Christ was resurrected and ascended to heaven ("snatched up to God").

The community of Judahite Christians (the "woman") fled to the mountains for 3 1/2 years when the Romans attacked Jerusalem at the midpoint of the 7-year First Jewish-Roman War (66-73 AD). Satan was unable to wipe out the early Judahite Church, and so he sets off to war with the the other offspring of the early church - Christians worldwide.

See Period 2 of our paper on Revelation 12 for a more detailed analysis of this extract.

Chiasmus 4: Epilogue to Period 1 (Ch 22:16, Ch 22:20a, Ch 22:18-19, Ch 22:17, Ch 22:20b-21)

A1 22:16,20a The coming of Christ and his Messiah: The coming of the Messiah in Period 2 (circa 2027)
    X 22:18-19 A warning against altering this prophecy
A2 22:17,20b-21 The coming of Christ and his Messiah: The coming of Jesus in Period 3 (c. 2967)

This chiasmus predicts both the coming of the Messiah at the start of the Millennial Reign (circa 2027) and the coming of Christ at the start of his Heavenly Reign (c. 2967).

Subunit A1: The coming of Christ and his Messiah: The coming of the Messiah in Period 2 (circa 2027) (22:16,20a)

Chapter 22 16a “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches.

The Archangel Michael speaks as Jesus in this passage (angels, when they convey a message from a spiritual being speak in the first person, as though they themselves were that person). Jesus says that he has sent the Archangel Michael with this Revelation for the churches - both for the churches of Asia (Rev. 1:4a) and for the churches in the rest of the world (as we have shown in our parse of Rev 2-3 [5]).

Chapter 22 16b I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” 20a He who testifies to these things says, “Surely, I am coming soon.” Amen.

The Archangel Michael, the coming Messiah, speaks as himself this passage - the titles of Root of David and Morning Star apply to the coming Messiah and not Jesus (after his ascension, the "Son of David" is no longer an appropriate name for Jesus - see Romans 1:3,4). The coming Messiah will be of the line of David like Jesus was ("Root" here means a Branch or shoot from the dormant root of David's royal line - see Rev. 5:5, Isa. 11:1,10, Zech. 3:8, Zech. 6:12), and he will be given the title "Morning Star", an exalted priestly title (see Job 38:7), as promised in Rev 2:28 (see our parse of Rev 2 & 3 [7], 2 Peter 1:19). So the coming Messiah, like Melchizedek, will be both priest ("Morning Star") and king ("Offspring of David") (see also Rev. 2:26-28). The Archangel Michael ("He who testifies") says that he will soon come to lead the faithful during the Millennial Reign (around 2027AD). Although the angel speaks in the present tense, this passage is a prediction regarding the time of the Pre-Millennial Tribulation in Period 2, and it is a part of the seal of this prophecy.

The Seal

The word "soon" in this passage forms a part of the seal of this prophecy, as it ties this passage in Period 1 to the time of the Pre-Millennial Tribulation in Period 2 when the Messiah will unseal this prophecy (see Rev. 22:10-12 in Part 2).

Pivot X: A warning against altering this prophecy (22:18-19)

Chapter 22 18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.

Jesus issues a stern warning against altering this most important book of prophecy; those who do so, by claiming divine inspiration, will be severely punished and will be denied access to Tree of eternal Life and to the Holy City, the New Jerusalem that comes down from heaven (Rev 21:1-22:5). These extensive reconfigurations that cover the entire book would not have been possible if the text had been altered by false prophets. ( Note that the Holy City that comes down from heaven and the Holy City's Tree of Life that gives eternal life - see Period 3 - are alluded to in the pivots of the epilogues of all 3 Periods, and this serves to validate the reconfiguration of the epilogues.)

Subunit A2: The coming of Christ and his Messiah: The coming of Jesus in Period 3 (c. 2967) (22:17, 20b-21)

Chapter 22 17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

The Spirit (the archangel Michael - see Rev 2:7 - who represents the angels of God) and the "bride" (the personified New Jerusalem that comes down from heaven in Period 3 - Rev. 21:9) invite all who are lacking in spiritual nourishment from God ("thirst") to come to Jesus for the "water of life". Those who heed Jesus' words ("the one who hears") are also exhorted to call others to him. The "water of life", or spiritual nourishment that leads to eternal life, is freely given to all who seek it (as opposed to the high price of following Satan's doctrines) (John 4:14, 7:37-38, Matt. 7:7–8).

Chapter 22 20b Come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.

This Period ends with a closing prayer and a benediction from the apostle John (cf. 1 Cor. 16:23, Romans 16:20); he prays that Jesus will return for his glorious Heavenly Reign in Period 3. ( Note that both subunits A1 and A2 end with an "Amen".)

See Part 2 for commentary on Period 2 and Part 3 for commentary on Period 3.


Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

References

[1] A Definition of Cryptochiasmus
[2] A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of Revelation 12
[3] A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of "The 70 Weeks Of Daniel"
[4] A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of Isaiah 59-63
[5] A Reconfiguration of Revelation 2-3
[6] A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of Daniel 10-12. Part 2: Daniel 11-12





* First version published on 4 October 2019.