REVELATION STUDIES part 1

REVELATION STUDIES

There are four classical approaches to interpreting Revelation. 

            They are as follows.

    Idealist – symbolic language is striped of any value regarding specific future events considering such as just a general description of the ongoing struggle between good and evil. Does not accept predictive prophecy.

   Preterist – all events described were taking place at the time of the writer and are therefore all in the past. As far as relevance for modern times, this view resorts to the Idealist view. There has arisen a spin off group who call themselves “Semi- Preterorists”. These hold to the classical Pretorist view up to the point of the literal Second Coming of Christ, whereupon they spiritualize the language surrounding the event but confirm the actual occurrence in the future.

   Historicist – sees the book of Revelation as the story of the Christian Church from Apostolic times till the return of the Lord. There is no wide spread agreement as to the meanings of the symbols, or the interpretive method itself.

ó  Futurist – recognizes the pressure put on the Church by Rome at the time of the writing of Revelation and its historical significance, but holds to the view that the majority of the events in the book refer to the future. The bulk of which are clustered together at the end of the age. This view sees the scriptures in the most literal sense unless clearly warranted to do otherwise (as in Rev.1: 20)

The Millennium

 Other major distinctions among schools of prophetic interpretation center around the thousand-year     reign of Christ referred to in Rev.20: 4- 7, known as “the Millennium”.

Amillennialism – there will never be a literal Millennium. First introduced by Augustine. Later adopted by the Catholic Church and held by most of the Reformers. The Christian church will transform the world into the kingdom of God, then Christ will return and there will be a general resurrection followed by a general judgement of all people. Others see prophetic fulfillment only in Heaven. There is no distinct Tribulation Period just general tribulation that the church undergoes throughout the ages, and no Rapture (viewed as a non-Biblical concept). There is no distinction between Israel and the Church in this view, since the old covenant has been “replaced” with the new. This view is held by modern Historicists, Pretorists, Semi- Pretorists, Reformed, and Covenant theologians.

Postmillennialism – similar to the Amillennial position in that it teaches that the kingdom of God is now being extended throughout the world by the Church resulting in the Christianization of the whole world, culminating in a long period of peace and righteousness known as the “Millennium”. After which Christ returns followed by the general resurrection, the general judgement, and the full implementation of Heaven and Hell. The tribulation is only general and there is no Rapture as such, only a momentary meeting in the air between the Lord and the saints of all ages, both living and dead, and then an immediate return to the earth with Christ, which altogether constitutes the second coming. Held by traditional Historicists, some Preterists, Liberals, and Theonomists (the institution of the Mosaic Law over all mankind).

ó   Premillennialism – there will be a literal thousand year reign of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Saints on the earth at the end of the age. Here again differing prophetic schools, all of whom are Futurists, make major distinctions, revolving around the timing of the “Rapture of the Saints”

The Rapture

                                        I Cor.15: 51-52 ; I Thes.4: 13- 18

I) ó Pretribulationism – The church will be caught up into the air to meet Christ in the clouds prior to the beginning of the Tribulation Period, and will return with Christ to the earth at the end of the Tribulation to rule and reign with Him for the literal 1,000 yr. Millennium.

               II)      Partial Rapture theory – Only the godly Christians will be

                         raptured before The Tribulation and the rest of the church 

                         will remain on earth to suffer through it.

  III)      A second Partial Rapture theory is that there will be a series

             of small raptures wherein groups of Christians will go as 

             they are ready.

IV)     Midtribulationism — The church will be on earth for the 

           first 31/2 yrs. of the Tribulation but will be taken out before

           the beginning of the Great Tribulation, which is the 

           second half.  

V)     Posttribulationism — The church will be raptured at the 

           end of the Tribulation Period and then immediately 

          return to the earth.