The story in brief
An exile on a small island writes to seven churches about what he saw: four riders, a dragon and two beasts, a number that spells a name, a city on seven hills, and a new city with gates of pearl. A first-century vision about Rome, and the Bible’s last word.
The chapters
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Chapter 1 · 5 min · Free
Alpha and Omega
An old exile on an island writes to seven churches about what he saw.
Sources: Revelation 1–3; Suetonius, Domitian 13; Irenaeus, Against Heresies 5.30.3; Tacitus, Annals 14.27
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Chapter 2 · 5 min · Free
The Four Horsemen
A scroll with seven seals. Break four, and four riders gallop out.
Sources: Revelation 4:1–8:1; 8:10–11
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Chapter 3 · 5 min
The Number of the Beast
A dragon, two beasts, and a number that spells a name.
Sources: Revelation 12–13; Irenaeus, Against Heresies 5.30.1; Tacitus, Histories 2.8; Suetonius, Nero 57
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Chapter 4 · 5 min
Armageddon
The last battle takes the name of a real hill. The great city sits on seven.
Sources: Revelation 14:14–20; 16:12–16; 17–18; 2 Kings 23:29; 1 Peter 5:13
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Chapter 5 · 5 min
A New Heaven and a New Earth
The Bible began with a tree in a garden. It ends with a tree in a city.
Sources: Revelation 19:1–16; 20; 21:1–22:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:17; Augustine, City of God 20
Who’s who
The people you meet. Each one is a hero card you can collect.
- DomitianEmperor · “Lord and God”
- The Rider with the ScalesThird Horseman · Famine
- NeroEmperor · First Persecutor
- Babylon the GreatThe City on Seven Hills
- The New JerusalemThe City That Comes Down
- John of PatmosExile · Seer · Author of Revelation
What you’ll be able to tell
This story belongs to the journey “The First Witnesses”. By the end of it, you can tell why a road to Damascus moment means a sudden change of heart, and what 666 first meant.
Stories in this journey
- Peter: The Rock
- Paul: The Road to Damascus
- Revelation: The Four Horsemen
Sources
- Revelation 1–22 (selected)
Bible quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain.
