Purpose of this Section

Use these 7 keys to unlock the rich details Christ has tucked within each symbol, chapter, & verse in Revelation so you can understand, apply, & share its truths correctly. Christ wants us to read & follow these truths (Rev. 1:3).

Key 1

Two Divisions

Mirrored Parts – Revelation can be divided into two halves that mirror each other. This is called a chiasm and generally looks like this: A, B, C, C’, B’, A’. For more details on chiasms, read God Cares, by C. Mervyn Maxwell, vol. 2, pp. 54 – 62. I’ve abbreviated Maxwell’s book as GC through the rest of this chart.

Historic Half, 1 to 14 – The Great Controversy In Progress

7 Churches
(1:10 to 3:22)
Christ counsels
His church at
war scattered
in many cities.

7 Seals
(4:1 to 8:1)
Christ shields His afflicted people.

7 Trumpets
(8:2 to 11:18)
Intercessory
judgments on world kingdoms.

Great Controversy
(11:19 to 14:20)
Trials of true mother & her children.

End Time Half, 15 to 22 – The Great Controversy Consummated

7 Last Plagues
(15:1 to 16:21)
Very severe judgments punish the world.

Fall of Babylon
(17:1 to 19:10)
Downfall of the false mother.

Millennium
(19:11 to 21:8)
Christ enthrones His resurrected people.

New Jerusalem
(21:9 to 22:9)
Christ rewards His church at peace gathered into one city.

Key 2

Chapter Outline

Introduction 1:1 – 9 Introductory Material

Historic Half Chap. 1 to 14 Christ’s Holy Place Ministry in Heaven
7 Churches 1:10 to 3:22 AD 31 to 2nd Coming
7 Seals & God’s Throne 4:1 to 8:1 AD 31 to 2nd Coming
7 Trumpets 8:2 to 11:18 AD 70 to 2nd Coming
The Great Controversy 11:19 to 14:20 Pre-Earth Rebellion In Heaven (Rev. 12:7-9) to Time of the End
End Time Half Chap. 15 to 22 Christ’s Most Holy Place Ministry in Heaven
7 Last Plagues 15:1 to 16:21 Close of Probation to Second Coming
Fall of Babylon 17:1 to 19:10 1798 (Papacy temporarily in obscurity: 1798 – NSL) – 2nd Coming
Millennium 19:11 to 21:8 After Second Coming
New Jerusalem 21:9 to 22:9 Second Coming to Eternity Future
Conclusion 22:10 – 21 Concluding Material

Key 3

Sanctuary Connection

Christ built the book of Revelation around the heavenly sanctuary with its High Priest, furniture, and daily and yearly services. And through the sanctuary, God shows how He (1) saves mankind (Panels A & B), (2) answers Satan’s false accusations (Front Cover), (3) removes sin and sinners completely from His universe forever, and (4) fully restores face-to-face communion with God & Christ once again in the earth made new (Rev. 21, 22; Panel A, the 1st 3 boxes).

Then Christ our High Priest guides the student of Revelation through its 22 chapters by the same path He leads the repentant sinner through His sanctuary from a forgiven sinner in the courtyard to face-to-face communion with God in the earth made new! Thus, the better the student of Revelation understands the sanctuary & this path with its furnishings, High Priest, & daily & yearly services, the better he understands the events Christ has outlined in Revelation from Rev. 1:1 to their glorious climax in Rev. 22:21.

(1) There is a sanctuary in heaven (Rev. 11:19; 15:5; 16:17; GC, vol. 2, pp. 162-173); (2) each piece of furniture is mentioned in Revelation, albeit, some more explicitly than others; & (3) each part in Key 1 above is connected to a piece of furniture or location in the sanctuary with its function in the daily or yearly services. These 3 points & the following 8 point model help us interpret & apply the truths connected to each part above in salvation’s history in its progress from Calvary in the courtyard to face-to-face reunion with God for eternity in Rev. 21 & 22 – the ultimate focal point of the sanctuary. For example, Christ connects… 1. Part: 7 Churches to… 2. Furniture / Location: 7 Candlesticks with the… 3. Function: Shedding light in the sanctuary during… 4. Ministry / Timeframe: Daily & yearly services*; 5. OT Links (Key 5): Through Baalam (Rev. 2:14), Satan sought to destroy Israel – the light to the nations; 6. Character Connection (Key 7): Christ calls His people the light of the world (Mt. 5:14), specifically the light of the gospel seen in the sanctuary; 7. Reunion with God: One step closer at that furniture / location; 8. Application: Christ connects the 7 churches to the candlesticks in the Holy Place whose function was to shed light in the sanctuary during the daily & yearly ministries thus revealing (1) truths connected to His people’s shedding the light of the gospel with the world from Calvary to full reunion with God & (2) where we are in His sanctuary bringing us that much closer to face-to-face reunion with our Father in heaven (Try this model with the other parts).

Start Here

• Christ leads the student of Rev. thru His sanctuary.

Sanctuary Ministry Begins

Courtyard

(Daily & Yearly Ministry)

Christ’s work on Earth: Birth, c. 3 BC – Ascension, AD 31

(1.) Christ pardons our sins and credits His perfect life to our account.

Step 1c.

Christ Our High Priest [Our Sanctuary Tour Guide] meets Us – Repentant Sinner

Courtyard:

Step 1a.

Laver (1:5; 7:14) Baptism (AD 27)

Step 1b.

Altar (1:5; 6:9; 7:14) Calvary (AD 31)

Courtyard (Daily & Yearly Min.)

Veil [Outer] – (AD 31 – Ascension)

Step 2:

7 Churches – Candlestick (1:12, 13, 20; 2:1)

Step 3:

7 Seals – Table (God’s Throne, Rev. 4 & 5)

Step 4:

7 Trumpets – Altar of Incense (8:3, 5; 9:13)

Holy Place:

• Christ continued His work in Heaven after His ascension till Oct. 22, 1844.
• (2) Christ restores His image within us cleansing our sins away & conforming our wills to His.

[Inner] Veil – MHP (Yearly Min.) (Tue., Oct. 22, 1844)

Step 5: Great Controversy

• Ark of the Covenant (11:19; Ex. 34:28)
• Most Holy Place: Christ completes His ministry.
• (3) Christ removes our record of sin to restore us to Himself forever!

Step 6: 7 Last Plagues

Step 7: Fall of Babylon

Step 8: Millennium

Sanctuary Ministry Ends

Step 9: New Jerusalem

*Daily Service: Passover (AD 31) to Day of Atonement (Oct. 22, 1844). See Parallels in Panel D.

*Yearly Service: The Great Day of Atonement (Oct. 22, 1844 to CP). See Parallels Between 2 Sanctuaries in Panel D.

The sanctuary entrance faced East so God’s people had their backs to the sun & sun worship & their faces to God in His sanctuary, His worship, & His plan of salvation. This panel switches East & West due to the flow of thought from left to right.

Key 4

Retrace, Repeat, & Enlarge Principle

Revelation also uses the retrace principle to share its rich detail in its 22 chapters & 404 verses just like Daniel does, its OT companion book on prophecy. That is, Revelation takes us over many of the same events & time frames several times in its 22 chapters because its chapters & verses are not written in chronological order. For example, Christ specifically mentions His Second Coming at least 4 times in Revelation in non-consecutive order: (1) in the introduction (Rev. 1:7), (2) at the conclusion of the 7 Seals (Rev. 6:14-17), (3) at the end of the Three Angels’ Messages (Rev. 14:14-20), & (4) after the Fall of Babylon (Rev. 19:11-21). If Christ gave Revelation in chronological order, He would only need to mention His Second Coming once: at the end of Revelation. This example shows that Christ gave John a view of certain events in salvation’s history in groups of chapters or verses up to a certain point in time (many times His SC: Panel F, Key 2), then retraces His steps to a given time in history & moves forward again showing John much of the same time frame just like He had Daniel write Daniel 1-12 (Panel E-Key 3) with a new theme, focus, & more detail. Furthermore, Christ uses this retrace principle in the 8 sections in Key 1 up to His SC in context of the sanctuary with its High Priest, furniture, & daily & yearly services:

Historic Half

Holy Place

7 Churches (AD 31 to SC)

Condition of Christ’s Church

7 Seals (AD 31 to SC)

World’s Response to Gospel

7 Trumpets (AD 70 to SC)

Intercessory Judgments on World’s Kingdoms’ Rejecting Gospel

Most Holy Place

Great Controversy

Rebellion in heaven to Last Days. Issue: God’s character as seen in His law, thus the focus of Satan’s attack. Christ maintains God’s character & law while Satan attacks & tries to destroy both, & those who honor & keep it (Ps. 119:126, 127; Rev. 12:17).

Last Days’ Half

Courtyard

7 Last Plagues – SC

Fall of Babylon – SC

Millennium

Sanctuary Min. Ends

New Earth

New Jerusalem

Why is this key so important? It helps all who read Revelation to correctly interpret, apply, & share Christ’s messages to all mankind to be prepared for Last Day Events, His Second Coming, & life with Him in the new earth. Otherwise, the reader who assumes Revelation is written in chronological order will misinterpret & misapply the messages Christ gave to the world & thus will not be prepared for Last Day Events, Christ’s SC, & life with Him in the new earth.

Key 5

Old Testament Links

OT Stories Shed Light on Revelation’s Symbols. John directs us, his readers, to OT stories (links) he alludes to, & from them, he invites us to consider the issues in those OT stories, glean the points from them, then bring those points back to Revelation to more fully understand the issues he is sharing with us in Revelation. For example, in Rev. 13:13, John speaks of a power that calls fire down from heaven in the sight of men. Question: What OT story speaks about someone calling fire down from heaven in the sight of men? Answer: Elijah, in the sight of Israel & the 450 prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel (1 Kg. 18). What were the issues on Mt. Carmel for God’s people? (1) Who is the true God? (2) God’s people were called to decide which God they’d serve: God or Baal?, and (3) Fire proved Who the true God is. Granted, there are many other equally rich lessons tucked within 1 Kg. 18 that explain more of the points Christ shares with us in Rev. 13. Check them out. Then take all those OT insights you find in 1 Kg. 18 back to Rev. 13 & see if they fit. Then ask yourself, How do those OT lessons more clearly explain the issues in Rev. 13 & how am I to live today in light of Last Day Events given those truths? Now apply this same key to the other symbols in Revelation.

Key 6

Worship Theme

Revelation, the sanctuary, & the Great Controversy revolve around worship: God or self. The Great Controversy began in heaven when Lucifer, a created being, sought the worship that belongs to God alone. His self worship (1) started in heaven (Isa. 14:12-14; Eze. 28:15), (2) extended to this earth, (3) was seen in his third temptation of Christ (Mt. 4:9) where Christ said to him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” (Mt. 4:10), & (4) is the show down in the last days between God (Rev. 14:6, 7) & the beast (Rev. 13). Furthermore, we are warned twice in Revelation not to worship anyone but God alone (Rev. 19:10; 22:8, 9), & worship shows who has our loyalty: Christ or Satan. This worship / loyalty / character theme is seen throughout Daniel & Revelation. The sanctuary is the center of worship (Jer. 26:2; Ps. 138:2) & shows the character all must develop to enter heaven at last – the character of Christ (Key 7). In other words, the sanctuary cleanses & removes self-worship from the hearts of all who come there & let the Great Physician remove self-worship from them & thus from the entire universe forever. Revelation: Notice how many times Revelation mentions worship: 22 times in 22 verses (3:9; 4:10; 5:14; 7:11; 9:20; 11:1, 16; 13:4, 8, 12, 15; 14:7, 9, 11; 15:4; 16:2; 19:4, 10, 20; 20:4; 22:8, 9). Therefore, Revelation, the sanctuary, & the Great Controversy show we will either worship God or a created being / object we create (e.g., idols, money, power, fame, etc.). And all three invite us to worship God alone! For in God alone we find life & that more abundantly (Jn. 10:10)!

Key 7

Character Theme = Be Like Jesus

Remember the 1st three boxes in Panel A: (1) God made us in His image; (2) we marred His image by sin; yet (3) He devised a plan to restore His image in us once again (Panels A & B). This plan is what Daniel & Revelation are built on (Panels E-Key 1 & F-Key 3). In fact, in John 5:39, Jesus said Scripture testifies of Him; Daniel & Revelation = Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16, 17); thus, when we study these two books, we should see Jesus; & by beholding Him in both books, we should be changed into His likeness (2 Cor. 3:18). This is a key focus in both books: To be like Jesus in character…the image God created us in in the beginning (Gen. 1:26); & His image looks like this: (1) living for others’ happiness (our Leader washing His disciples’ feet, Jn. 13:1-17) & (2) submitting to God’s will (Christ’s yielding to God’s will in Gethsemane, Mt. 26:39). This means if all we gain from our reading Daniel & Revelation is just facts about dates, symbols, & a flawless sequence of events but do not come from our study more like Christ in character (i.e., more willing to live for others’ happiness…more submitted to God’s will…& having more of His 1 Cor. 13 love in our hearts & lives), we’ve gained no eternal value (1 Cor. 13:1-3). Therefore, let’s read & apply the truths in Daniel & Revelation to be more like Jesus in character. This thought is beautifully brought out in the following quotation from the Spirit of Prophecy (Rev. 12:17; 19:10; 2 Chr. 20:20; 3 Jn. 2), “When the books of Daniel and Revelation are better understood, believers will have an entirely different religious experience. They will be given such glimpses of the open gates of heaven that heart [affections] & mind [intellect] will be impressed with the character that all must develop [Lk. 6:46-49] in order to realize the blessedness which is to be the reward of the pure in heart.” Testimonies to Ministers, 114:3, emphasis supplied; see Rev. 3:21; 21:7; 22:14. This character is possible through Christ!