Covenant Treaty Format in the book of Revelation

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COVENANT TREATY FORMAT IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION

COVENANT TREATY FORMAT	REVELATION'S DIVISIONS In the Covenant Lawsuit
PREAMBLE: Identifies the lordship of the Great King stressing his greatness, power and his nearness and presence	VISION OF THE SON OF MAN Chapter 1: history of the Covenant
	Four sets of 7 judgements
HISTORICAL PROLOGUE: Surveying the king's previous relationship of the vassal, especially emphasizing the blessings bestowed	THE SEVEN LETTERS Chapters 2-3: Specific stipulations dealing with false prophets, persecution, lawlessness, love grown cold, duty of perseverance
ETHICAL STIPULATIONS: Expounding the vassal's obligations, his "guide to citizenship" in the covenant	THE SEVEN SEALS Chapters 4-7: Concerned with wars, famine and earthquakes
SANCTIONS: Outlining the Blessings for obedience and Curses for disobedience	THE SEVEN TRUMPETS Chapters 8-14 tell of the Church's witness to the world, her flight into the wilderness, the great Tribulation and The False Prophet
SUCCESSION ARRANGEMENTS: Dealing with the continuity of the covenant relationship over future generations	THE SEVEN CHALICES Chapters 15-22 describe the darkening of the Beast's kingdom, the destruction of the Harlot, gathering of eagles over Jerusalem's corpse & gathering of the Church into the kingdom

In the Ancient Near East treaties between nations and between kings and their vassals were typically expressed in a five-part format as was the legal document which pronounced the violation of the treaty-the Covenant Lawsuit. This format is found in both the Covenant treaty between Yahweh and His Covenant people in the Book of Deuteronomy and in the Covenant Lawsuits Yahweh's prophets bring against an apostate people [see Hosea]. The Covenant Lawsuit is structured in terms of the penalty of five fold restitution, since those who have rebelled against the covenant are revolting against their divinely ordained authority. In the Book of Revelation St. John, as God's prophet and chief prosecutor, brings the lawsuit against Judea (Israel) for the rejection of Jesus Christ. Judgement is called down in four sets of 7s: 7 letters, 7 seals, trumpets, 7 chalices. In the Sinai Covenant, the Blessings and Curses are given in Leviticus chapter 26 and are repeated in Deuteronomy chapter 28 (to the new generation). There is a an interesting connection between the four sets of 7s in Revelation and the four sets of 7s in Leviticus chapter 26 where Yahweh says "I will punish you 7 times" four different times: v. 18, 21, 24, and 28. There is also a link between John's visions in Revelation and the great covenant lawsuit expressed in Ezekiel's visions. Ezekiel 17:18 "He (Israel/ Judah) has disregarded the oath by breaking the treaty to which he had pledged himself and, having done all this, will not go unpunished." The Prophet Ezekiel is given a series of visions by God that follow almost the same chronological order as those in Revelation. One significant difference is Ezekiel's lament over Tyre which becomes John's lament over Jerusalem and her magnificent Temple. [See the chart that compares the visions in Ezekiel with the visions of St. John in the Book of Revelation and also see in the Documents and Resources section The Covenant Treaty in Sacred Scripture].