August 17, 2006

proposed action plan

Here's my proposal. If it meets with folk's approval as a tentative plan I'll post the first section by the weekend. I'll aim for two sections a week -- tentatively Friday and Wednesday postings. If this turns out to be too fast or slow folks can advise me and we'll adjust.


  1. PROLOGUE (Ch. 1:1-3) + GREETINGS (Ch. 1:4-8)(AUG 19)


  2. VISION OF CHRIST (Ch. 1:9-20)(AUG 23)


  3. SEVEN CHURCHES (Ch. 2-3)

  4. Ephesus (Ch. 2:1-7)(AUG 26)
    Smyrna (Ch. 2:8-11)(AUG 30)
    Pergamum (Ch. 2:12-17)(SEP 2)
    Thyatira (Ch. 2:18-29)(SEP 6)
    Sardis (Ch. 3:1-6)(SEP 9)
    Philadelphia (Ch. 3:7-13)(SEP 13)
    Laodicea (Ch. 3:14-22)(SEP 16)

    INTERLUDE: Do we Continue with the Book? Adjust the postings?

  5. SEVEN SEALS (Ch. 4-8:5)

  6. The Throne of God (Ch. 4)
    The Lamb opens the Seven Seals (Ch. 5)
    Seal #1 (Ch. 6:1-2)
    Seal #2 (Ch. 6:3-4)
    Seal #3 (Ch. 6:5-6)
    Seal #4 (Ch. 6:7-8)
    Seal #5 (Ch. 6:9-11)
    Seal #6 (Ch. 6:12-17)
    144,000 Sealed (Ch. 7)
    Seal #7 (Ch. 8:1-5)

    INTERLUDE: Do we Continue with the Book?

  7. SEVEN TRUMPETS (Ch. 8:6-11:19)

  8. Trumpet #1 (Ch. 8:6-7)
    Trumpet #2 (Ch. 8:8-9)
    Trumpet #3 (Ch. 8:10-11)
    Trumpet #4 (Ch. 8:12)
    Trumpet #5 (Ch. 9:1-12)
    Trumpet #6 (Ch. 9:13-21)
    Ministering Angel and the Little Book (Ch. 10)
    Two Witnesses (Ch. 11:1-14)
    Trumpet #7 (Ch. 11:15-19)

    INTERLUDE: Do we Continue with the Book?

  9. THE DRAGON & THE BEAST(S) (Ch. 12-14)

  10. The Dragon (Ch. 12:7-12)
    The Woman (Ch. 12:13-17)
    The Beast from the Sea (Ch. 13:1-10)
    The Beast from the Earth (Ch. 13:11-18)
    The 144,000 (Ch. 14:1-5)
    The Fall of Babylon and Second Coming (Ch. 14:6-14)

  11. SEVEN PLAGUES OF WRATH (Ch. 15-16)

  12. Seven angels with Plagues (Ch. 15)
    Plague #1 Earth (Ch. 16:1-2)
    Plague #2 Sea (Ch. 16:3)
    Plague #3 Rivers (Ch. 16:4-7)
    Plague #4 Sky (Ch. 16:8-9)
    Plague #5 Torment (Ch. 16:10-11)
    Plague #6 Second Coming and Armageddon (Ch. 16:12-16)
    Plague #7 End (Ch. 16:17-21)

    INTERLUDE: Do we Continue with the Book?

  13. VICTORY OVER BABYLON (Ch. 17-19)

  14. Babylonian Woman (Ch. 17)
    Fall of Babylon (Ch. 18)
    Second Coming and The Last Battle (Ch. 19)

  15. VICTORY OVER SATAN (Ch. 20-22:7)

  16. Millennium and Second Coming (Ch. 20)
    New Jerusalem (Ch. 21-22:7)

  17. EPILOGUE & FINAL BENEDICTION (Ch. 22:8-21)

8 comments:

crystal said...

It should be a wild ride ... all I know about Revelation comes from those Left Behind novels and apocalyptic movies :-)

Anonymous said...

My working theory about Revelation at this point -- mostly from my interests rather than any real scholarly study -- is that Revelation is really about how to be a Christian church.

Larry Clayton said...

I fully approve your proposal, David. Go for it.

Anonymous said...

There are a LOT of different potential takes on this book. To the Jungian (Edward Eddinger, originally brought up as a Jehovah's Witness as it happens) it was a collective dream.

Now this could be a sort of "collective indigestion dream," but it doesn't really have that kind of randomness; too many people have found it meaningful in various ways. It might refer to our timeless historical condition--or simply be applicable to any particular world situation prior to the concrete establishment of the Kingdom here. It is not, most everyone I find plausible agrees, some sort of predictive riddle, to be decoded. But there are always, so far, good candidates available for the Beast & AntiChrist roles.

We do have it, on Jacques Ellul's authority, that no human beings are permanently damaged in the performance of this apocalypse. I certainly prefer it that way.

Anonymous said...

no human beings are permanently damaged in the performance of this apocalypse I like that!

I have been trying to locate an English transaltion of Ellul's study and not found the thing anyplace.

Anonymous said...

I'm not anonomous; that's just something that happened between my ineptitude and your comment page.

Jacques Ellul, _ApocalypseL The Book of Revelation_, Seabury Press 1977-- and I don't have a copy, but my library keeps it in storage because there isn't much demand for it. Maybe you were looking for a different title, & some internet dealer will have one?

I think you ought to go ahead & put me on here, myself.

Anonymous said...

Forrest Curo. I need two things. Your email -- send me a message at kwakersaur@lycos.com; and input from the the other two current members (Crystal & Larry) regarding your membership application.

I can access Ellul's Apocalypse through interlibrary loan -- typical down time is 5-6 months if past experience is evidence.

Rich in Brooklyn said...

I'm looking forward to this study.
- - Rich