Introduction to Revelation

The Four Approaches to Interpretation of Revelation

1. 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
2. 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
3. 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 detain 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
4. 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
  • 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
  • Look at other “apocalyptic” literature in the Scriptures (e.g. Daniel)
  • A vocabulary of symbols is built up

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)
• e.g. 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

1. All in sequence: Christ’s first coming — 1 — 2 — 3 — 4 — 5 — 6 — 7 — eternity
2. All in parallel:
   

   Christ’s first coming

   —1— —2— —3— —4— —5— —6— —7—

   eternity

3. Some combination, e.g. telescope all of 2 inside the last 7th of 1
4. We are going to see four parts:
   
   1. Letters to the Seven Churches [1-3]
   2. The First Scroll: The Seven Seals and the Seven Trumpets [4-11]
   3. The Second Scroll: Warfare (Seven Visions, Seven Plagues and Seven Visions of Victory) [12-19]
   4. The Second Scroll: The End of the Age and the New Creation [20-22]