Summary of the Changes of SCENE Which Take Place in the Revelation

In the first chapter John is in Patmos, and the Lord Jesus comes in there.
In the fourth chapter, John is caught up into heaven, where he finds the Lord Jesus as the Lamb in the midst of the throne. From whom, as being there, certain actions flow, and in connection with whom various scenes are shown as about to take place both in heaven and on earth.
In the tenth chapter, the Lord, as the Mighty Angel, comes down from heaven, and He sets His right foot upon the sea, and His left upon the earth. The work is for John, viz., to prophesy again before men; and in the next chapter the scene is in Jerusalem; although the chapter ends with the opening of the temple of God in heaven, and the ark of His covenant; which connects itself, probably, with what follows, for-
In the twelfth chapter, counsels in heaven lead to war in the heavenlies, and to the ejection therefrom of Satan and his angels, whose labor is now and henceforth limited to the earth.
But the Lord is not brought forward in person again until the fourteenth chapter; and then, in the heavenlies, as a Lamb on the Mount Sion, and with Him an hundred and forty and four thousand, having His Father's name written on their foreheads.
So, again (ver. 6), the scene is not above; but the angel flies through the midst of heaven, "having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying,..... Fear God," etc.
So again (ver. 8), another angel announces Babylon is fallen.
Then again (ver. 9), a third angel warns as to what is upon earth, and the locality is marked (ver. 13), a voice from heaven declaring the blessedness of those that die in the Lord.
But in the fourteenth verse, the Son of Man is seen upon a cloud, and a voice out of the temple cries to Him to thrust in His sickle (ver. 15) and reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
So in verses 17-20 we have an angel coming out of the temple which is in heaven, and another coming out from the altar: the latter of whom invokes the vintage of the earth.
Chapter 15 gives scenes in heaven, which issue in heaven-sent judgments recorded in chaps. 16-18.
In chapter 19 we first get a scene perfectly heavenly and in heaven-the marriage of the Lamb; and this is followed, secondly, by the Lord coming forth to take vengeance on His enemies, to bind Satan and to establish His reign.
Thus, in brief, we have-1st. ON EARTH, Christ and John, and the Churches (in chaps. 1-3). 2nd. IN HEAVEN, Christ and John, and actings of Divine Providence from springs hidden, and for motives and objects known only in heaven, chap. 4-9. The Lamb being still on the throne, and the scene of testimony in heaven. 3rd. More open actings in the heavenly and earthly places, Christ connecting Himself therewith, and showing Himself therein, 10-19.
Rev. 1:2. "John who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw."
Wyclif, 1380.-"Ioon, whiche bare witnessynge to the word of God: witnessynge of Ihesus Crist in thes thingis what euer thingis he saie."
Tyndale, 1534.-" Iohn, which bare recorde of the worde of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christe, and of all thinges that be sawe.."
Cranmer, 1539.-"Iohn, I which bare recorde of the worde of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all thynges that he sawe."
Geneva, 1557.-" John who bare recorde of the worde of God, and of the testimonie of IESUS Christ, and of all thinges that he sawe."
Rheims, 1582.-" Iohn, who hath given testimonie to the word of God, and the testimonie of IESUS Christ, vvhat things soever he hath seen.")
The more literal rendering would be-" John who testified the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ," etc.
John is here presented more as a servant in testimony of revealed truth than (as in his gospel and epistles) as a quiet communicator of revelation. There are at least two subjects of testimony also here given, viz., the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ. The former is much more comprehensive in its range than the latter. It includes creation, providence, etc., subjects which were displays of the glory of Him who is Jesus Christ, even God the Son; though not necessarily in the position of, or revealed as, Jesus Christ. He testified the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
The word "testified" - "bare record of"-ought not to be passed over without notice. It is the verb of the word "martyr," and certainly has a distinctive force of its own. We read of "confessing Christ,"-" professing the faith,"-" holding forth the word of life,"-" preaching the gospel," etc., etc.; but none of these acts have the same strength or force as this word for being a witness of or to. Our English word martyr is of too narrow a meaning, being, in its common use, limited to those who lay down their lives for the faith's sake: "bearing record of," "being a witness to," are also expressions too wanting in energy to represent it "Solemnly testified and recorded" might give the sense.
Of the six English translations that of Wickliffe alone leaves out the disputed "τε" rendered "and," in the expression, " and of all things that he saw." The critics do so also.
In considering this verse, however, it is not a critical apparatus which decides the sense after all. For, first, one has to weigh how far the expression, " Bare record of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus," was said of John, as descriptive of his general service, at this date; or, on the contrary, as distinctively limited to this present service of giving forth the Revelation. That the bearing record was a peculiar service, I conceive would be admitted by most. Another question, also, may be weighed, and that is, how far it is true or not, that the book before us contained nothing but that which John saw:-his visions.
But, secondly; the peculiarly abstract character of mind and manner of the communication is remarkable, and must be observed; it leads me myself to take the verse as giving a characteristic description of John; and it seems to me to predicate these three things of his solemn testimony: viz., the word of God-the testimony of Jesus -visions.