[edit] Please take this chronology with a grain of salt. It is not meant to be exact, but I just felt that it makes some pretty good sense out of Revelation from the pre-wrath rapture position. I need to revise the chronology with new things that I've learned, but I'm not yet ready to do so.
[edit In the following post I'm going to try and keep a running log of edits to the chronology so that anyone who has already looked at it, can quickly evaluate changes]
The overview of the end times is given by Jesus in Mathew 24 (and in similar detail in Luke 17 and 21 and Mark 13). Pay careful attention to these descriptions since they dictate the order of the events in Revelation and other prophetic end times material. Before you make any judgments about the chronology based on your current beliefs (especially in regard to the location of the rapture), please review my entire chronology and consider it carefully.
I'm expecting resistance from the pre-tribulationists and post tribulationists. This chronology posits a "Pre-Wrath" and "Post tribulation" rapture which combines the two. A detailed description of the location of the rapture is at the bottom of rollinTHUNDER's second pre-trib rapture post: http://www.christianforums.com/threads/32372.html It's post number 27, 28 and 29. Please consider that argument since the coincident, singular second coming/rapture (both at the same time) is the key to this entire chronology.
Summary
Mathew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 17 and 21 summarize the end time events, but they are kept in a relatively determinable order. It's important to note the break in chronology at Mathew 24:15 which takes the reader back to the persecution mentioned in 24:9 and then to the end yet again (Mathew 24:14 "then the end will come." and Mathew 24:30 "the son of man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn."
Revelation conforms to the Mathew chronology when read carefully. You have Revelation 6 to 11, Revelation 12 to 14 and Revelation 15 and 16 which are each discreet chronological sections. Yet their events and detail overlap in many places. Revelation 17 and 18 are individual accounts of things that occur during the wrath of God and are complimentary with Revelation 15 and 16. Revelation 19 to 22 is the final section and presents the chronology from Armageddon onwards. It includes the 1000 year reign of Christ on Earth and the judgment.
I'll present the integrated verses below along with Mathew 24 and first and second Thessalonians. Try reading Revelation with this chronology in mind. Look for the breaks in chronology (in the text) between chapters 11 and 12 and chapters 14 and 15 of Revelation. Remember that John is in heaven receiving the Revelation and that signs appear in Heaven at these points which breaks the chronology (in which case, events must be examined to reestablish location in time). Also notice the "zoom-in" nature of chapters 17 and 18, in particular chapter 17 which has a tricky timeline. This is followed by the finishing chronology of chapters 19 to 22. Don't forget how Mathew 24 ties it all together. I'll also present the end times summaries of Paul in the letters to the Thessalonians.
And try to remember that chapter's and veres were divided up about 100 years ago and do not necessarily work properly with the original text of the Bible (keep this in mind particularly in regards to 1 Thessalonians chapters 4 and 5).
Here we go. If anyone notices any clear problems, please let me know.
Revelation chapters 1 to 3 (these chapters include the letters to the seven chuches which have often been understood as literal and prophetic)
Revelation 4:1-11 (John is called into Heaven to receive the revelation)
Revelation 5:1-14 (the sealed scroll is introduced)
Mathew 24:5 (Jesus begins the signs of the end with the coming of false christs)
Revelation 6:1-2 (1st seal -- the white rider who will conquer; note, Jesus is the Lamb not the rider in white which is probably the Anti-Christ)
Mathew 24:6-7 (wars and rumors of wars, nation will rise against nation)
Revelation 6:3-4 (2nd seal -- wars)
Mathew 24:7 (famines and earthquakes)
Revelation 6:5-6 (3rd seal -- famine)
2 Thessalonians 2:3 ("the man of lawlessness" is revealed)
Revelation 11:1-13 (two witnesses begin preaching)
Mathew 24:9-13 (persecution of the faithful because of Jesus' name)
Revelation 6:7-8 (4th seal -- persecution of a 4th of the Earth via murder, famine and plague (literally "death" in the Greek) and "wild beasts of the Earth"; note that the Greek word used for "wild beast" is translated "the beast" everywhere else in Revelation)
Mathew 24:15 (the intro of this verse "So when you see...", takes us backwards into the persecution of those who are faithful to God)
2 Thessalonians 2:4 (the abomination in the temple)
Mathew 24:16-28 (Jesus tells Israel that they must flee into the mountains when they see the abomination in the temple, and that the elect might even be deceived by false miracles in those days)
2 Thessalonians 2:11 (counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders)
Mathew 24:22 (those days will be cut short)
Revelation 12:1-17 (the dragon chases the woman, which is Israel, into the wilderness, but God will protect her for 42 months so the dragon pursues Christians instead)
Revelation 13:1-18 (the beast (Anti-Christ) is allowed to make war against the saints for 42 months and prevents the unmarked from buying or selling which would result in murder and famine for the saints. Perhaps plague results from the unsanitary living conditiosn of being driven into hiding and being cut off from medical supplies and hospitals)
2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 (believers must stand firm and keep the teachings of Jesus)
Revelation 6:9-11 (5th seal -- number of Christian martyrs must be completed before the end can come)
Mathew 24:29 (the sign in the sun moon and stars)
Revelation 6:12-17 (6th seal -- sign in the sun moon and stars)
Revelation 7:1-8 (sealing of the 144,000 Jews)
Revelation 14:1-5 (the 144,000 meet the Lamb at "mount Zion")
Mathew 24:14 ("this gospel ... will be preached to all the world ... then the end will come")
Revelation 14:6-7 (the gospel proclaimed to every nation)
Revelation 14:8 (fall of Babylon announced)
Revelation 14:9-12 (coming wrath pronounced upon those who worship the beast and take his mark)
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 5:1-9(the rapture of the church will occur before the "wrath")
2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 (the rapture cannot occur until...[see placement of 2 Thessalonian scriptures above]).
Mathew 24:30-31, 36-41 (the rapture of the church precedes God's wrath)
Revelation 14:13-16 (the rapture of the church)
Revelation 7:9-17 (appearance of raptured saints in Heaven)
Revelation 14:17-20 (the winepress of God's wrath is trampled)
Revelation 8:1-5 (7th seal -- the beginning of the wrath of God which will start with 7 trumpets)
Revelation 9:6-12 (trumpets 1 to 4)
Revelation 9:13 (three "woes" anounced)
Revelation 9:1-11 (trumpet 5)
Revelation 9:12 (first "woe" has passed)
Revelation 13-21 (trumpet 6)
Revelation 11:14 (second "woe" has passed)
Revelation 11:15-19 (trumpet 7; earth quakes and hail storms; note, the passing of the third "woe" is never written explicitly)
Revelation 11:1-13 (two witnesses are killed by the Beast and resurrected 3 days later - this position is a guess at the moment.)
Revelation 15:1-8 (seven bowls of wrath are prepared; the start of the third woe?)
Revelation 16:1-11 (bowls 1 to 5)
Revelation 16:12-16 (bowl 6 - armies are prepared for Armageddon; note that Jesus' interjection in verse 15 seems to be to the reader of Revelation and thus has nothing to do with the chronology)
Revelation 16:17-21 (the fall of Babylon)
Revelation 17:1-18 (a complete description of the great prostitute including its roll in the persecution of Christians during the tribulation and its destruction)
Revelation 18:1-24 (a complete description of the fall of Babylon using many quotes of OT prophesy)
Revelation 19:1-10 (marriage supper of the lamb announced)
Revelation 19:11-21 (Armageddon in detail)
Revelation 20:1-3 (binding of the dragon)
Revelation 20:4-6 (those beheaded by the beast for their testimony of Jesus are resurrected on Earth to reign with Christ for 1000 years; the rest of the Christians are apparently still in heaven, having been raptured there, and we're told they'll join those on Earth at the end of the 1000 years)
Revelation 20:7-10 (Satan is tossed into the Lake of Fire with the beast and the false prophet to be tormented "forever and ever"; there's also a final battle with some people? This is difficult to understand though since it's after the 1000 years. My thinking currently is that "a day is as a 1000 years to the Lord" This 1000 year period may actually be a single day which makes sense of the nations that Satan gathers to make one last attack on Israel).
Revelation 20:11-15 (the judgment of the dead takes place, the wicked are tossed into the lake of fire and then "death and Hades" follows; the lake of fire is described as "the second death" in relation to people)
Revelation 21:1-27 (all the saved are ushered into New Jersuselum which is described in detail)
Revelation 22:1-6 (the tree of life will apparently be an important fixture in New Jeruselum)
Revelation 22:7-21 (the closing words of the Bible)
I'm sure there is a problem or two with this chronology, but I'm absolutely convinced that it is very close to being accurate. Notice that the rapture occurs before the wrath of God, but after the persecution of the Anti-Christ. Hard-core pre-tribulationists won't like this, but I don't think that the pre-trib rapture is a tenable position in light of 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5 (which ties the rapture to the "Day of the Lord" which is the wrath of God presented in Revelation).
I originally got the idea from Robert Van Kampen's book "The Rapture Question Answered: Plain and Simple". The rest of the end times chronology basically fell into place once I was convinced of the pre-wrath position of the rapture.
[edit In the following post I'm going to try and keep a running log of edits to the chronology so that anyone who has already looked at it, can quickly evaluate changes]
The overview of the end times is given by Jesus in Mathew 24 (and in similar detail in Luke 17 and 21 and Mark 13). Pay careful attention to these descriptions since they dictate the order of the events in Revelation and other prophetic end times material. Before you make any judgments about the chronology based on your current beliefs (especially in regard to the location of the rapture), please review my entire chronology and consider it carefully.
I'm expecting resistance from the pre-tribulationists and post tribulationists. This chronology posits a "Pre-Wrath" and "Post tribulation" rapture which combines the two. A detailed description of the location of the rapture is at the bottom of rollinTHUNDER's second pre-trib rapture post: http://www.christianforums.com/threads/32372.html It's post number 27, 28 and 29. Please consider that argument since the coincident, singular second coming/rapture (both at the same time) is the key to this entire chronology.
Summary
Mathew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 17 and 21 summarize the end time events, but they are kept in a relatively determinable order. It's important to note the break in chronology at Mathew 24:15 which takes the reader back to the persecution mentioned in 24:9 and then to the end yet again (Mathew 24:14 "then the end will come." and Mathew 24:30 "the son of man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn."
Revelation conforms to the Mathew chronology when read carefully. You have Revelation 6 to 11, Revelation 12 to 14 and Revelation 15 and 16 which are each discreet chronological sections. Yet their events and detail overlap in many places. Revelation 17 and 18 are individual accounts of things that occur during the wrath of God and are complimentary with Revelation 15 and 16. Revelation 19 to 22 is the final section and presents the chronology from Armageddon onwards. It includes the 1000 year reign of Christ on Earth and the judgment.
I'll present the integrated verses below along with Mathew 24 and first and second Thessalonians. Try reading Revelation with this chronology in mind. Look for the breaks in chronology (in the text) between chapters 11 and 12 and chapters 14 and 15 of Revelation. Remember that John is in heaven receiving the Revelation and that signs appear in Heaven at these points which breaks the chronology (in which case, events must be examined to reestablish location in time). Also notice the "zoom-in" nature of chapters 17 and 18, in particular chapter 17 which has a tricky timeline. This is followed by the finishing chronology of chapters 19 to 22. Don't forget how Mathew 24 ties it all together. I'll also present the end times summaries of Paul in the letters to the Thessalonians.
And try to remember that chapter's and veres were divided up about 100 years ago and do not necessarily work properly with the original text of the Bible (keep this in mind particularly in regards to 1 Thessalonians chapters 4 and 5).
Here we go. If anyone notices any clear problems, please let me know.
Revelation chapters 1 to 3 (these chapters include the letters to the seven chuches which have often been understood as literal and prophetic)
Revelation 4:1-11 (John is called into Heaven to receive the revelation)
Revelation 5:1-14 (the sealed scroll is introduced)
Mathew 24:5 (Jesus begins the signs of the end with the coming of false christs)
Revelation 6:1-2 (1st seal -- the white rider who will conquer; note, Jesus is the Lamb not the rider in white which is probably the Anti-Christ)
Mathew 24:6-7 (wars and rumors of wars, nation will rise against nation)
Revelation 6:3-4 (2nd seal -- wars)
Mathew 24:7 (famines and earthquakes)
Revelation 6:5-6 (3rd seal -- famine)
2 Thessalonians 2:3 ("the man of lawlessness" is revealed)
Revelation 11:1-13 (two witnesses begin preaching)
Mathew 24:9-13 (persecution of the faithful because of Jesus' name)
Revelation 6:7-8 (4th seal -- persecution of a 4th of the Earth via murder, famine and plague (literally "death" in the Greek) and "wild beasts of the Earth"; note that the Greek word used for "wild beast" is translated "the beast" everywhere else in Revelation)
Mathew 24:15 (the intro of this verse "So when you see...", takes us backwards into the persecution of those who are faithful to God)
2 Thessalonians 2:4 (the abomination in the temple)
Mathew 24:16-28 (Jesus tells Israel that they must flee into the mountains when they see the abomination in the temple, and that the elect might even be deceived by false miracles in those days)
2 Thessalonians 2:11 (counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders)
Mathew 24:22 (those days will be cut short)
Revelation 12:1-17 (the dragon chases the woman, which is Israel, into the wilderness, but God will protect her for 42 months so the dragon pursues Christians instead)
Revelation 13:1-18 (the beast (Anti-Christ) is allowed to make war against the saints for 42 months and prevents the unmarked from buying or selling which would result in murder and famine for the saints. Perhaps plague results from the unsanitary living conditiosn of being driven into hiding and being cut off from medical supplies and hospitals)
2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 (believers must stand firm and keep the teachings of Jesus)
Revelation 6:9-11 (5th seal -- number of Christian martyrs must be completed before the end can come)
Mathew 24:29 (the sign in the sun moon and stars)
Revelation 6:12-17 (6th seal -- sign in the sun moon and stars)
Revelation 7:1-8 (sealing of the 144,000 Jews)
Revelation 14:1-5 (the 144,000 meet the Lamb at "mount Zion")
Mathew 24:14 ("this gospel ... will be preached to all the world ... then the end will come")
Revelation 14:6-7 (the gospel proclaimed to every nation)
Revelation 14:8 (fall of Babylon announced)
Revelation 14:9-12 (coming wrath pronounced upon those who worship the beast and take his mark)
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 5:1-9(the rapture of the church will occur before the "wrath")
2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 (the rapture cannot occur until...[see placement of 2 Thessalonian scriptures above]).
Mathew 24:30-31, 36-41 (the rapture of the church precedes God's wrath)
Revelation 14:13-16 (the rapture of the church)
Revelation 7:9-17 (appearance of raptured saints in Heaven)
Revelation 14:17-20 (the winepress of God's wrath is trampled)
Revelation 8:1-5 (7th seal -- the beginning of the wrath of God which will start with 7 trumpets)
Revelation 9:6-12 (trumpets 1 to 4)
Revelation 9:13 (three "woes" anounced)
Revelation 9:1-11 (trumpet 5)
Revelation 9:12 (first "woe" has passed)
Revelation 13-21 (trumpet 6)
Revelation 11:14 (second "woe" has passed)
Revelation 11:15-19 (trumpet 7; earth quakes and hail storms; note, the passing of the third "woe" is never written explicitly)
Revelation 11:1-13 (two witnesses are killed by the Beast and resurrected 3 days later - this position is a guess at the moment.)
Revelation 15:1-8 (seven bowls of wrath are prepared; the start of the third woe?)
Revelation 16:1-11 (bowls 1 to 5)
Revelation 16:12-16 (bowl 6 - armies are prepared for Armageddon; note that Jesus' interjection in verse 15 seems to be to the reader of Revelation and thus has nothing to do with the chronology)
Revelation 16:17-21 (the fall of Babylon)
Revelation 17:1-18 (a complete description of the great prostitute including its roll in the persecution of Christians during the tribulation and its destruction)
Revelation 18:1-24 (a complete description of the fall of Babylon using many quotes of OT prophesy)
Revelation 19:1-10 (marriage supper of the lamb announced)
Revelation 19:11-21 (Armageddon in detail)
Revelation 20:1-3 (binding of the dragon)
Revelation 20:4-6 (those beheaded by the beast for their testimony of Jesus are resurrected on Earth to reign with Christ for 1000 years; the rest of the Christians are apparently still in heaven, having been raptured there, and we're told they'll join those on Earth at the end of the 1000 years)
Revelation 20:7-10 (Satan is tossed into the Lake of Fire with the beast and the false prophet to be tormented "forever and ever"; there's also a final battle with some people? This is difficult to understand though since it's after the 1000 years. My thinking currently is that "a day is as a 1000 years to the Lord" This 1000 year period may actually be a single day which makes sense of the nations that Satan gathers to make one last attack on Israel).
Revelation 20:11-15 (the judgment of the dead takes place, the wicked are tossed into the lake of fire and then "death and Hades" follows; the lake of fire is described as "the second death" in relation to people)
Revelation 21:1-27 (all the saved are ushered into New Jersuselum which is described in detail)
Revelation 22:1-6 (the tree of life will apparently be an important fixture in New Jeruselum)
Revelation 22:7-21 (the closing words of the Bible)
I'm sure there is a problem or two with this chronology, but I'm absolutely convinced that it is very close to being accurate. Notice that the rapture occurs before the wrath of God, but after the persecution of the Anti-Christ. Hard-core pre-tribulationists won't like this, but I don't think that the pre-trib rapture is a tenable position in light of 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5 (which ties the rapture to the "Day of the Lord" which is the wrath of God presented in Revelation).
I originally got the idea from Robert Van Kampen's book "The Rapture Question Answered: Plain and Simple". The rest of the end times chronology basically fell into place once I was convinced of the pre-wrath position of the rapture.