Revelation: Chapters 4 and 5 Timelines

Setting

Revelation 4 and Revelation 5 provide a new division in John’s narrative from preparing the Jewish churches as they are about to enter the seven years of tribulation, to the activity around God's throne in heaven. This new activity in heaven occurs during the pre-tribulation period in the tan rectangle, as shown below.

Being implied in the graph between the church age and the beginning of the seven years of tribulation is a time interval wherein several events that are not tied to either the snatching away (rapture) of the New Testament church or when the tribulation begins. Arguably, the fighting associated with Psalms 83 is ongoing today, but the other earthly events are still awaiting their fulfillment, as shown in the following graphic.

The graph below will serve as the base chart for all the remaining timelines for the information in the book of Revelation, which this website will cover. Each new event will appear on this chart before being included in the aggregate chart of the cumulative events that have been revealed up to that point.

Though John observes enormous praise and glory in Revelation 4, a single icon, the harp, represents that activity. Admittedly, by itself, it is not sufficient to portray the magnificence John experienced, but it at least shows a point on the timeline when it occurs.

The following chart is similar to the previous one, except it shows an icon representing the most critical event in Revelation 5: revealing the slain Lamb. The Lamb is the Lord Jesus Christ, who was slain for the forgiveness of our sins, John 1:29.

The last chart is simply an aggregate of Revelation 4 and 5, on top of the previous timelines for the first three chapters in Revelation.