Introduction to Revelation
Overview of the structure
- Seven series of seven visions (see handout: Overview of the structure of Revelation [pdf])
- The story told in 2 mins
The Four Approaches to Interpretation of Revelation
- Preterist
- The prophecies were entirely fulfilled in the first century
- Plus: It would have been intelligible to John’s readers
- Minus: It is not massively relevant for us
- Minus: To be consistent, it means that Jesus must have already returned 1900 years ago
- Historicist
- The book is a description of European history over 2000 years
- Plus: It is interesting for us
- Minus: Every age has had a different interpretation, relevant to themselves
- Minus: Everyone disagrees what it means
- Minus: It would not have been intelligible to John’s readers
- Futurist (Dispensational)
- Apart from the first few chapters the book is exclusively concerned with events right at the end of the age
- Christians will not even be on earth for most of it (raptured)
- Minus: The book is not very relevant for us
- Minus: Much of the detail will not be understood till it happens, so it would not have been very intelligible to John’s readers (or to us)
- Minus: The Dispensational view makes the 7 churches = 7 ages
- The last age (Laodicea) is a total failure and then Christ returns
- Very pessimistic about the Kingdom and demotivating for the church
- Idealist
- The book is not about specific events, but patterns of events that occur right through the age
- It sets out principles for how God works in human history
- Plus: It would have been intelligible to John’s readers
- Plus: It is relevant for us and for Christians in all ages
- Plus: There are examples of “repeated fulfillment” in O.T. prophecy
- e.g. some of Daniel’s prophecies which are already fulfilled in Antiochus Epiphanes are repeated by Jesus with future application
- Minus: The meaning can end up being so vague and general that the value of the book is much reduced
- Minus: This would make it different to all other “apocalyptic” literature in the Scriptures which tends to be more specific
- So what is the solution? All of them seem badly flawed?
- I am going to go with an approach which is:
- mostly a modified Futurist (but non-Dispensational)
- some aspects Historicist
- some Idealist which make it relevant and intelligible to John’s readers
- “repeated fulfillment” makes it relevant to all ages
Good Principles for Interpreting the Book
- Allow the simple and straightforward parts of Scripture to interpret the complex and difficult
- Jesus’ teaching on the events preceding his coming in Matt 24
- Paul also gave similar teaching in II Thessalonians
- Understand the language of symbols from other similar literature in the Bible
- Symbols can be understood from other prophetic (apocalyptic) literature in the Scriptures (e.g. Daniel)
- e.g. dragon/serpent → Satan
- e.g. Sun darkened & stars fall → collapsing of earthly powers
Ez 32:1-10 (Pharoah), especially v.7 & 8Daniel 8 (Macedonian empire), see v.10Joel 2:1-11 (Great army), see v.10
The language of Symbols
- Have to be consistent as much as possible
- Scripture (e.g. Rev 12)
- Vision recorded (A sign appeared in heaven...)
- symbol in vision (e.g. Dragon)
- meaning of symbol (e.g. Satan)
- symbol in vision (e.g. Dragon)
- Vision recorded (A sign appeared in heaven...)
- so, if he sees a vision of a great battle, this does not necessarily mean a physical battle
Analysis of the Structure of the book
- There are several options
- All in sequence:
- Christ’s first coming — 1 — 2 — 3 — 4 — 5 — 6 — 7 — eternity
- All in parallel:
Christ’s first coming | —1— —2— —3— —4— —5— —6— —7— |
eternity |
- Some combination, e.g. telescope all of 2 inside the last 7th of 1
- We are going to see four parts to the book:
Vision | Division of Book |
---|---|
—1— | Part 1. Letters to the Seven Churches [1-3] |
—2— —3— |
Part 2. The First Scroll: The Seven Seals and the Seven Trumpets [4-11] |
—4— —5— —6— |
Part 3. The Second Scroll: Warfare (Seven Visions, Seven Plagues and Seven Visions of Victory) [12-19] |
—7— | Part 4. The Second Scroll: The End of the Age and the New Creation [20-22] |
Updated on 2011-05-27 by Andrew Fountain - loveintruth.com/teaching
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