REVELATION and You

Contributed the following article to the Nov '18 issue of VANAMUTHAM,

a Tamil Christian Monthly magazine published by Serve India Mission,

that attempts to connect the world (with its events and practical issues) to God's word.

 The book of Revelation includes 2 things.

One: What was given by God to Jesus Christ, who in turn revealed it to his servant John through an angel, about what must soon take place.

Two: What John saw and testified regarding the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

John wrote it down so that the one who reads it aloud and those who hear it, will obey God and keep what is written, taking to heart all that must soon take place, namely His Coming, Final Judgment and Rewards for our actions.

The purpose of having revealed what must soon take place is not that we may speculate what will now happen and predict what will happen next.

Moreover, the book of Revelation has been written in symbolic or apocalyptic language. Therefore, this book is full of strange symbols such as White, Red, Black and Pale horses, a beast with crowns on its 10 horns that emerges from the sea, another beast with 2 horns like that of a sheep speaking with the voice of the serpent, and many more.  For some reason, those who consider all the above to be symbols, interpret certain other things such as the Mark of the Beast (Rev 13:16-18), waters of Euphrates drying to pave way for Kings from the East (16:12), Kings being gathered at Armageddon (16:16), Satan being bound and those beheaded ruling with Christ for Thousand Years (20:2-6) literally.

While John has written this with a specific purpose, how fair is it to interpret some of it in one way, and understand the rest of it in quite another way, without any regard for its intended purpose? Now, let us again return to the Purpose. What need did John have to make his readers obey God and to instruct them to announce Christ as a witness through their lives? While thousands all through the Roman Empire were undergoing persecution for Christ’s Name, John himself had been deported to Patmos, and logical questions like “What good is it to obey God’s Word? Is not persecution all that comes our way? Is not the Roman Emperor appearing to be all-powerful? Where is our Lord Jesus? How long will we have to suffer?” were weighing down the hearts of the believers, it was to encourage them that the Lord gave this special Revelation through apostle John.

It is in this context that he reminds them, that they are not only companions in suffering but also in Christ’s Kingdom and hence called to endure with patience (1:9). “Christ rules. The dominion of all other powers has been permitted for a season under God’s sovereignty. But end is certain. Those who trust Satan’s deception and spend their present time in pleasure, will take part in Satan’s final destruction too. On the other hand, those who faithfully serve Christ amidst persecution, will enter glory and receive their reward.” This is the sum and substance of the lesson that Revelation teaches.  Trying to interpret each symbol individually while ignoring the purpose this book was written for, will make us lose sight of the prime lesson that this book is intended to teach.

If we read this book, keeping in mind the central purpose of this book, we will be able to identify in its pages two sets of people - those who keep God’s word faithfully and those on the other side who deny God and live only to gain this world, having been deceived by the devil’s schemes. When we recognize this, a question that naturally arises in our mind would be if we are faithfully following the Lord or if we have been deceived by the devil. Even in the seven churches in Asia Minor (Rev 2,3) that the Lord used to symbolize world-wide Church across the ages, we can find both these set of people.

GROUP FAITHFULLY SERVING THE LORD 

They have the seal of the Living God on their foreheads, so that they are protected amidst tribulation (Rev 7:1-4). They are the great multitude from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and giving the glory of salvation to God (7:9,10). They are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation, having washed their robes white in the blood of the Lamb (7:14). They have the Father’s Name written on their foreheads (14:1). These are the men and women who have not defiled themselves. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. No lie is found in their mouth. They are blameless (14:4-5). They keep God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus, with patient endurance. They take their deeds with them to eternity (14:12-13).

They are victorious over the beast and its image and the number of its name (15:2). They stay away from the sinful ways of the world, pictured as the Great Babylon and as the adulteress riding the beast, ensnaring people with her immorality, riches, power and spiritual/ religious deception (18:4). They have prepared themselves as the universal Church, the bride of Christ. They have received their righteousness to be worn as fine linen, bright and clean. They are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb (19:7-9). They are the armies of heaven following Christ, dressed in fine linen, white and clean, and riding on white horses (19:14).

They had offered themselves to be beheaded for the testimony or Jesus and for the Word of God. They had not worshipped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or on their hand. They will come to life and reign with Christ (20:4). They will serve God in eternity, see Him face to face, have His Name on their foreheads, and reign for ever and ever (22:3-5). They are those who continue doing right, continue being holy, and about to receive the reward according to what they have done (22:11,12). They wash their robes so that they have the right to go through the gates into the Holy and Eternal city (22:14). They will partake in the eternal inheritance from God.

GROUP FELLED BY THE DEVIL'S DECEPTION 

They do not have the seal of the Living God on their foreheads. Hence, they are not protected from the plagues, that the Lord permits (Rev 9:1-4). When they happen to escape death by the plagues, they do not repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts. They exalt what are not Gods to be equal to or higher than God, trusting and worshipping them (9:20-21). They are tormented by God’s words spoken through God’s ministers, and they gloat and celebrate when the ministers die (11:10).

They worship the Anti-Christ and the devil who gave authority to him (13:4). Their names are not written in the Book of Life, of the Lamb slain from the creation of the world (13:8). They had received the mark of the Beast on their right hands or foreheads, so that they survive, do business and enjoy the world (13:16,17). They await torment by drinking the wine of God’s fury, and by burning by sulfur in the presence of the holy Angels and of the lamb (14:10-11). When God sends great plagues to convict these who have the mark of the beast and worship its image, they refuse to repent of what they have done and instead curse God (16:2,9,21).

They have grown rich from the excessive luxuries offered by the spirit of the world that is called as the Great Babylon and as the Adulteress as it lures them with its intoxicating mix of immorality, materialism, power and spiritual/religious deceptions (18:2). They will throw dust on their heads and weep and cry that they have been brought to ruin (18:14-19), when the Lord suddenly puts an end to the world’s power/ economic/ religious system that they so greatly trusted for their wealth and enjoyment (18:8,9). They are going to be thrown into the lake of fire, as their names are not found in the Book of Life (20:15).  They await being consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur as they are the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and liars (21:8). They will be kept out of the eternal holy city, having sought eternal destruction for themselves (22:15).

Where do you belong? The question that we need to ask when studying the book of Revelation is, “which group do I belong to?” Do I belong to the first group that contains the blessed ones? Or do I belong to the second group that appears wise at the present but is truly awaiting disaster? If we are convicted that we indeed belong to the second group today, it should push us to gain entry into the first group. The Lord has given us this book for this very purpose.

On the contrary, we get stuck in unnecessary controversies whenever we see new systems and technological advancements being introduced into the world. The devil is diverting us with questions like, Can I receive the ‘PAN’ card? Can I apply for the ‘Smart Card’? Is it ok to register for ‘Aadhaar’?, Is it right to accept ‘Digital tattoo’, and so on. People who are constantly matching each symbol in the book of Revelation with current developments, can be blinded to their own “sorry” spiritual state by the devil’s deception.

The Lord is coming. Here are what the Lord has clearly stated about His Coming. “Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced him; and all peoples on earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be, Amen!” are His first words in this book concerning His Coming. And in the final chapter, this warning appears thrice. “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll” (22:7).  “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what he has done” (22:12). He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon” (22:20).

If you have closely followed, it is Repentance, Works emanating from a repentant heart, and our eternal Rewards that are going to accompany the Lord when He comes, that are being emphasized again and again in this book. Those who faithfully follow him are sure to suffer. But it is going to be only for a season. Gracefully, he also warns (through plagues) those who have compromised with the world. Eternal destruction awaits the unrepentant. But eternal joy awaits those who have put their trust in Him. They are going to rule forever.

Trying to individually interpret the symbols, on the other hand, will be a futile and diversionary exercise. It will be missing the Forest for the Trees. Therefore, let us avoid all speculation about His Coming, and get ready to meet Him. Let us announce the Salvation He offers as Good News. Hallelujah!

(RELATED POST . . . WHAT DOES BIBLE SAY ABOUT END TIMES )

God's sure Judgment and a New BEGINNING

[Continuing from Chapter 16 of Revelation. This concludes my 4-part summary of Greg Albrecht's Exposition of Revelation (in Revelation Revolution)]

In Chapter 16, the angels pour out the bowls in quick succession. Those who follow the beast are stricken with boils, the sea turns to blood, the rivers and springs turn to blood, the sun becomes intensely hot, and the kingdom of the beast is plunged into darkness. River Euphrates is dried up, preparing the way for the evil kings of the east to come and battle the army of God at Armageddon. These judgments are most possibly not a blow-by-blow description of coming judgment but graphic, metaphorical illustrations of the sure judgment of God.

We see (in chapters 17-18 of Revelation) a portrait of God’s earthquake-like devastation on the religious-political system of Babylon. God minces no words, comparing the enticements, temporary pleasures and ultimate emptiness of religion to a whore. This whoredom is not sexual prostitution. This is a sign of infidelity and includes power and money, key elements of prostitution. Many who profess the name of Christ can fall for the temptation of selling themselves for the price of self-sufficiency and vanity. The whore is described as riding the beast with seven heads and ten horns, introduced in Ch 13.

An angel explains that the seven heads of the beast represent seven hills or mountains and seven kings. The ten horns are ten lesser kings who rule with the beast. The beast revolts against the whore, who represents a religious system that rules the world.

For Christians in the first century, this city would have represented Rome. The beast would have represented the political power of Rome; its seven heads corresponding to the seven hills of Rome as well as the succession of emperors in the first century. However, the whore and the beast are the archetypes of every evil system opposed to God throughout the ages. The whore is the great religious system that has controlled the history of the world. She is the economy and the culture. The rulers of the world hate her because she controls them; but they are in bed with her because they want what she provides. This system could be communism, materialism, atheism, or even counterfeit Christianity. Chapter 18 gives a detailed account of God’s judgment on this system. It contains a funeral dirge for the system of Babylon.

In Chapter 19, Jesus is the rider on a white horse. He has destroyed Babylon. The chapter contrasts the whore and her lovers from Babylon with the Lamb and his bride. The bride is the church, the people of God down through time. Christ’s bride wears white clothing in contrast to the purple and red clothing of the great whore. The whore of Babylon earns her purple and red clothing by her profession that degrades and abuses her. The bride is given her garments, which symbolize righteousness, reminding us that our righteousness is given to us because of Jesus Christ, by God’s grace. She accepts the love of the Lamb who died and gave Himself for her. A wedding supper is given for her.

The battle between the forces of Christ and the armies of the Kings of the world turn to be a non-contest. The beast and the false prophet are thrown into a lake of fire and the rest of the army is killed, the birds gorging themselves on their flesh in a great supper of God to which all the fowls are invited.

Chapter 20 talks about a thousand-year reign of the saints. In Psalms 50:10, the psalmist tells us that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. The one thousand years of Revelation could well be symbolic of a long, long period. Three views have prevailed about the one-thousand years. Postmillennialism was the prevailing Protestant idea until about mid-nineteenth century. In this view, Jesus’ second coming occurs after the millennium. It looks for a thousand year period of peace brought about by the evangelistic work of Christianity, after which Christ will return to defeat Satan and rule forever. Obviously, such a millennium has not started as peace does not reign supreme on earth. Premillennialism is now popular among evangelicals and teaches that Christ will return, followed by an exact thousand year reign followed by Satan’s removal. Dispensational Premillenialists believe that Christians will be raptured seven years before the millennium, requiring two second comings of Jesus. Historic Premillennialists see rapture at Christ’s second coming, immediately preceeding the one thousand years. Ammillennialsm believes that the thousand years is symbolic of an imprecise period of time of the ‘Church age’ between Christ’s resurrection and his return.

What can we know for sure? During this time, Christ and the saints reign and Satan is bound and sealed in the abyss. Initially, earth is a ‘Satan-free’ zone but towards the end he is released, deceives and is again soundly defeated by fire from heaven. This points out that even under the best of circumstances the human heart is deceitful. Perhaps Satan will be allowed back to prove that even when we have been exposed to perfection, we are still capable of being deceived. This lesson may not be for some future time, it could be for Christians of all times. Satan is finally cast into the lake of fire where the beast and the false prophet await him. We come back to the heart and core of GOSPEL: We are saved by grace.

The next scene depicts Judgment. At least two books are opened. One of them includes names of those who will be judged ”according to their works”. We might call this ‘The book of Human Merit and Works’. We often think that our evil deeds will be outweighed by our good deeds. But James 2:10 says that anyone who stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all the law. No one can come out of the Last Judgment looking good based on his or her deeds. This book is contrasted with another book, the book of Life. Only those whose names are written in this book is saved from eternal damnation.

At the end (chapters 21 & 22) of the book of REVELATION, Jesus tells us that all things will become new. We have only known an earth of suffering, sin, pain, heartache, warfare, inhumanity lust and greed. A new world is coming that will be without all these. The new Jerusalem is referred to as a bride, which tells us about God’s personal relationship with his people, for all eternity. Towards the end of the book Jesus reminds us that He is coming soon. Twenty centuries from the time the book was written does not appear to be “soon”. Some say that these prophecies have already been fulfilled but it is obvious that many of these have not. Death still lurks, the first heaven and earth are still around and the bodily second coming of Jesus has yet not taken place. “Soon” could therefore be when the believer dies and goes to be with God. It is just that since we do not live longer than 70 or 80 years, on average. Whether we live in the first or the twenty first century, Jesus is coming soon. The Revelation is always current.

[The CROSS was in essence God's LOVE at cross-roads with God's Righteousness and Judgment.  God's REVELATION to John too, was of God's LOVE at cross-roads with God's righteous judgment.  If only we understand its message, will we accept his Grace, become his Bride and join him for eternity.  Greg Albrecht of PLAIN TRUTH MINISTRIES has fascinatingly brought out this clear message in his exposition. I recommend that you read this book to soak yourself with a clear understanding of God's message of love and hope, conveyed through John's REVELATION.]


(PREVIOUS                . . . To Understand Chapters 16-22 )
(RELATED ARTICLE . . . REVELATION AND YOU      )

Sealed of God, kept through centuries-old conflict

[Picking up my summary of Greg Albrecht's Exposition of Revelation (in Revelation Revolution) from Chapter 12 of Revelation. We had left at the end of chapter 11 in my previous post.]

The woman (in chapter 12 of Revelation) is the eternal home and dwelling place of Jesus Christ. Galatians 4:26 uses similar language when speaking of Jerusalem above as our mother. Jesus is the male child who came out of eternity to become one of us. The enormous red dragon identified clearly as ‘that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world’, persecutes the woman who not only symbolizes heaven but also the individual Christian within the body of Christ in whom Jesus lives his risen life. Christians live physical lives in which we suffer pain and tribulation, but the spiritual reality is that we are saved. After Jesus’ bodily ascension to heaven, the woman is in conflict with the dragon and all who represent him. The woman is taken care of by God for 1,260 days probably not a literal time period but a limited period of human history that the church will be subject to the dragon’s anger.

The beast (in chapter 13 of Revelation) that comes out of the sea represents political authorities, religious powers and civil governments that have opposed authentic Christianity through the ages. Multiple heads and crowns represent not just one government but many over time. The blasphemous names on each crown represent government and religion that presumptuously claim to directly speak to God, to be His representative and to bear His authority. To the early Christians, the seven heads and ten horns of the monster may well have symbolized the emperors of Rome after Augustus, seven significant emperors but ten in all. Roman emperors demanded worship as Gods. The fatal wound that had been healed may have been understood to be the death of Nero in AD 68 followed by the restoration of order under Vespasian. The monster of Revelation is not confined to any one legal entity, religious incorporation or religious-political alliance. All larger than life heroes that have demanded worship derive their power from the devil himself (as identified by the seven heads and ten horns on the monster like that on the dragon).

The second beast that comes from the earth speaking like a dragon has two horns like a lamb, an obvious reference to counterfeit Christianity that is based on the unique Lamb of God. It forces the world's inhabitants to worship the first beast. A way of life that glorifies meterialism, relativism, pluralism, consumerism, socialism, humanism while claiming to represent Christ is the spirit of the Antichrist. Remember Jesus' warning in his sermon on the mount of False Prophets who come in sheep's clothing while inwardly being ferocious wolves. The two beasts, one from the sea and one from the earth, work as a team for the dragon on earth. The first may be symbolic of military-politico-economic power with the second representing religious leadership that provides rituals and ideologies to deceive the earth. This co-mingling of the powers of religious influence with civil authority is one of Revelation’s themes. Speculations in different parts of Christendom has been focused on beasts outside their religious traditions and national origins. They could well be blinded to such powers within.

The mysterious mark of the second beast is described as his name, or the number of his name calculated as 666. Religious frenzy has led to concocting methodologies that would twist 666 to point to some human being present or future whose name equates to 666.  The number 6 is often used throughout the Bible to represent human sin and imperfection compared to the holiness and perfection of God. Six hundred and sixty six is triple imperfection and sin, a reference to the complete moral failure and bankruptcy of human governments and religion. People have been widely speculating about technological advancements that would be used to place a tattoo or sytemic advancements such as a National Identity mechanism to brand the individuals. The mark of the beast is simply the alternative of being sealed by the Lamb of God. It simply means to be in accord and agreement with the cultural, political and religious systems that are enemies of God.

What happens to those who die for refusing to receive the mark of the beast and what happens to the beast and his followers. The 144,000 who were sealed earlier are seen standing victoriously (in chapter 14 of Revelation) on Mount Zion. “They are virgins” means that they are redeemed men and women who are not corrupted by the spiritual adulteries of Babylon. This group of 144,000 represents the universal body of believers. An angel issues a final offer of gospel to all the earth. A second angel proclaims that Babylon, the world’s anti-God and Antichrist system of materialism and idolatry, is fallen. A third angel warns that those who receive the mark of the beast will receive the punishment of the beast as well. God’s judgment upon evil is then depicted by three metaphors: wine in the cup of God’s wrath, the earth being harvested as grain, and the earth being harvested like a vineyard.

The scene again returns (in chapter 15 of Revelation) to the victorious saints in heaven, who watch seven angels receive seven golden bowls filled with God’s wrath ready to be poured on the earth. These plagues could be the third ‘woe’ announced earlier. We see a parallel between the continuing crisis that faces the body of Christ and the historical crisis that faced the people of God in Egypt. As the people of God were delivered from Egypt, believers are here redeemed by the Savior’s blood under the New Covenant. The song of Moses along with the song of the Lamb is on their lips.

(CONCLUDING POST . . . To Understand Chapters 16-22)
(PREVIOUS               . . . To Understand Chapters 4-11 )

God is in Control of WORLD HISTORY

[Greg Albrecht in his book REVELATION REVOLUTION, has looked at Bible's Revelation with the purpose of gleaning what God is telling everyone who has inhabited the earth between His ascension and His Second Coming, rather than going to it as a Prediction Handbook (like say, Nostradamus’s book ‘The Prophecies’).]

God’s Throne Room (in Chapter 4 of Revelation) shifts our focus from the earthly religious imperfections in chapters 2 and 3 to heavenly perfection. It redirects our horizontal vision preoccupied with here and now to the vertical dimension of eternity and heaven above. The scroll with seven seals in God’s hand represents the will of God for his children -- the inheritance of the saints, the kingdom of heaven, given as a gift by God’s grace because of the death of the Lamb of God. Only one person is qualified to open the seals and reveal the purposes of God.

The scroll is opened only when all the seven seals are broken, but as Jesus begins to break the seals (in chapter 6 of Revelation) something happens. Four Horsemen corresponding to the first 4 seals are symbolic of God’s avenging judgment (Zec 1:8;6:1-3).

They do not represent any particular historical figure or any specific era, but depict chaos, terror and destruction whenever it is unleashed. They bring misery and pain that is allowed by God but caused primarily by the evil that humans inflict upon themselves. The White horse represents conquest, the Red horse represents war, the Black horse represents famine and the Pale horse represents death.

When the fifth seal is opened, we see the brutal reality of death by martyrdom suffered by Christians. More people have died in the 20th century for being Christians than in the 19 centuries put together. When the sixth seal is opened, there is a gigantic cosmological upheaval (great earthquake, sun becoming dark, moon turning into blood and stars falling). If we interpret keeping the literary genre used to write Revelation, this upheaval could be describing a spiritual upheaval. Founding of the church on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-21; Joel 2:38-32) was a new beginning – a sign of the beginning of the end for suffering and inhumanity.

The Bible says that Christians will be ‘caught up’ (raptured) in the air, at the second coming of Jesus Christ. It does not talk about Jesus coming twice again with a period of tribulation in between. The dispensational Rapture, appeals to the human desire to avoid pain and suffering. While the Bible tells us that God loves us and protects us, nowhere does it teach that Christians will not suffer with non-Christians or that we will saved from physical suffering in some super-natural way.

Suddenly (in chapter 7 of Revelation) everything is put on hold until a very important piece of business is taken care of. The servants of God must be ‘sealed’ by the blood of the Lamb and protected by grace. One hundred and forty four thousand, 12000 from each of the tribes of Israel, that are sealed could be a symbolic number representing the spiritual Israel, the universal church. The great multitude that no one could count could represent another view of God’s faithful who come out of great tribulation. Even in spite of the overwhelming situations that we endure and sometimes cause, that we wonder if we or anybody could be saved by God, the message is that God not only saves a specific group like the 144,000 but also saves a huge group like the great multitude.

For a short time after the opening of the seventh seal (in chapter 8 of Revelation) nothing happens while the prayers of the saints ascend to God. This could be a window into how prayer “works” in God’s time. The angel takes the collected prayers of the saints and hurls them to the earth symbolizing God’s answer and resulting in divine judgment upon all wickedness perpetrated on God’s people. Jesus Christ, the slain Lamb has opened the scroll and judgment has begun. Seven angels sound a series of seven trumpets. Hail and fire, sea turning blood, falling star poisoning a third of all fresh water, and darkening of sun, moon and stars that accompany the first 4 trumpets are all symbolic. Each trumpet signals a different disaster sent to drive an unrepentant humanity to its knees.

The fifth trumpet (in chapter 9 of Revelation) together with the first “woe” brings stinging locusts from a bottomless pit to torment the earth’s inhabitants. The sixth trumpet together with the second “woe” unleashes an army of two hundred million horsemen killing a third of the world’s population. Regardless of ‘when’ the woes, judgments and plagues come, Jesus tells us that in spite of the consequences there are those who refuse to accept Him as Lord.

In the interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets (in chapter 10 of Revelation), John is given a vision of an angel descending from heaven and planting his right foot on the sea and left foot on the land, depicting God’s power over all things. He is accompanied by seven thunder-like messages but John is instructed not to publish them. This reminds us that some of God’s work are simply not revealed to us and we must be content with an incomplete understanding (including exact meanings for every symbol and metaphor).

Two witnesses (in chapter 11 of Revelation) who are given authority to prophesy for one thousand two hundred and sixty days has been the subject of much speculation. When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the bottomless pit makes war on them and conquers them and kills them. After lying dead for three and a half days, the two witnesses are called up to heaven. The period of their ministry mirrors the duration of the ministry of Jesus on the earth, and their death and resurrection mirrors the death and resurrection of Jesus. They remind us that accepting suffering in the name of Christ will conquer evil.

When the seventh trumpet sounds, the kingdom of the world becomes the kingdom of God. Then God’s temple in heaven is opened. A literal interpretation of Revelation has insisted upon a series of event that culminate in the rebuilding of a literal temple in Jerusalem. The book of Revelation, on the other hand, emphasizes Jesus, the new covenant and the new Jerusalem above.

In the first eleven chapters, Revelation shows who is in control of the great themes of human history. The major events, trends and movements of history are never out of the supervision of Jesus Christ. The disasters that confuse us and disorient us and leave us asking ‘why?’, never come as a surprise to God. There are times when it seems that God is not acting but He is still on His throne, deeply involved in human events and lives.

(SEQUEL . . .    To Understand Chapters 12-15)
(PREVIOUS . . . What Does BIBLE say about End-Times? )

What does the Bible say about END-TIMES ?

Popular notion is that REVELATION, the last book in the Bible, indicates a sequence of end-time events -- Rapture (in mid-heaven), 7 years Tribulation period, Jesus' second-coming to the earth, 1000 Years reign, Great White Throne judgment followed by New Heaven and New Earth.  How old is this interpretation and when and where did it start?  Greg Albrecht of Plain Truth Ministries, in his book ‘Revelation Revolution’, provides a fascinating insight into the book of Revelation.

The theological roots of what many believe to be special knowledge about eschatology (biblical prophecy), based upon the book of Revelation, goes back to a man named John Nelson Darby (1800-1882). Darby’s teachings became known as dispensationalism, a method of Bible Interpretation that grew in popularity by the 1870s. While dispensationalism covers more than just eschatology, the impact of the prophetic implications of it are significant. William Miller (1782-1849) one of Darby’s peers too had come to similar conclusions, and had proclaimed 1843 as the date for the second coming of Jesus Christ. When his prediction failed, he set a new date in 1844, which then came to be known as the ‘Great Disappointment’. Ellen G White (1827-1915) a follower of Miller soon founded the Seventh Day Adventist Church. 

Towards the end of the nineteenth century, Cyrus Ingerson Scofield (1843-1921) emerged as a leading advocate of dispensationalism, when prophecy conferences became a standard feature of Protestant fundamentalist churches in North America. Eventually in 1909, he published his Scofield Reference Bible, one of the first Bibles to have a human interpretation alongside the divinely inspired message of the Bible. Unfortunately many failed to distinguish his interpretations printed in marginal notes from the inspired Word of God, and accepted the teachings of dispensationalism without any question.

The twentieth century was filled with preachers and teachers who applied the prophetic “end times message” to their respective generation. Dallas Theological Seminary, founded in 1924 by Lewis Sperry Chafer (1871-1952) attempted to give academic credibility to Darby’s eschatological methodology.

Hal Lindsey and Tim LaHaye were two most popular eschatological authors who popularized the “end times" message of dispensationalism. The Last Great Planet Earth (1970), There’s a New World Coming (1973) and The 1980’s Countdown to Armageddon are some of Hal Lindsey’s best-sellers. In 1995, Tim LaHaye together with Jerry B. Jenkins, began a series of novels called the Left Behind series, propagating a fictional message of the end times. Again, as with Scofield’s marginal notes in his Reference Bible, the vast majority has taken these fictionalized narratives as gospel truth.

Earlier on, right in the middle of the second century, Montanus and his followers predicted that the new Jerusalem was about to descend upon the nearby village of Pepuza (in today’s Turkey). His influence spread rapidly among Christians throughout the Roman world, but his prophecy failed. By misinterpreting Revelation, Monatnus tarnished the book’s reputation to the point that some Christians thought it should not be part of the Bible. From Montanus to the present, the claims of Christian groups that Revelation pinpoints the events, personalities and time period of the ‘end of the world’ have all failed. This record of failed predictions should be a red flag for Christians against using Revelation as a predictive handbook.

Four Methods of understanding Revelation

Preterism – believes that most of the prophecies in the book of Revelation were fulfilled (Praeter = past) during the time of the Roman Empire.

Classical Preterism believes that much of Revelation was fulfilled in the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70, and certainly no later than the destruction of Jerusalem that followed in AD 135. Classical Preterists believe that the book was written a few years before the fall of Jerusalem in 1970. They believe that the last chapters of Revelation alone, with visions of a new Heaven and a new Earth are to be fulfilled at some point in the future.

Historicism – believes that the images of Revelation refer to the entire history of Christianity, and that its prophecies have been fulfilled throughout history and are still being fulfilled today.

Many of the great leaders of the Reformation and Bible commentators from the 19th century or earlier were historicists – Wycliffe, Knox, Tyndale, Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli. Most Protestant historicists believed that the Antichrist of Revelation referred to the pope and the Roman Catholic Church, the two witnesses referred to Luther and Calvin and the ultimate victory promised referred to the triumph of Protestantism over Catholicism. The challenge for the historicists is to be flexible enough to revise their interpretations over and over again, in the light of ongoing world events.

Futurism – is the view held by many contemporary evangelical pastors and teachers. Ironically modern futurism originated in 1585 with Francisco Ribeira, a Spanish Jesuit preacher for the purpose of refuting the anti-Catholic historicist view of the Protestant reformers.

Its most popular version today is dispensationalism – that teaches a secret rapture of the church followed by the ‘Great Tribulation’ and the ‘Millennium’. They insist upon a literal interpretation of Revelation and ignore the style of writing that John was inspired by God to use. This view has been greatly influenced by the peace and prosperity in North America. They have failed to identify the horrors produced by Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot, Mao Tse-Tung, Idi Amin, sadam Hussein and their like, as Tribulation.

Idealism – believes that most prophecies in the book of Revelation portray an ongoing cosmic conflict of spiritual realities. It takes into account the apocalyptic style of Revelations and sees the central theme as triumph of Christ over Satan. While other approaches may take certain passage as chronological, idealists take these as recurring realities in history. Though this view minimizes the focus on the ‘when’ factor in prophecy, that kind of focus is not fully removed.

Many Christians today are not aware of these four views. They think that the futuristic view that their Pastor or Evangelist holds is the only way to understand the book of Revelation, and believe that it talks about the ‘end times’ for today. A more serious problem is that they also label other views as inferior and even non-Christian, just because they interpret the book differently.

The word revelation in translated from the Greek word apokalupsis, which means ‘unveiling’ or ‘revealing’.  In English, apocalypse has come to mean disaster but the word originally referred to a revealing of things not generally known.  Revelation is not written in a straight-forward style but in a literary style called apocalyptic. This style uses poetic language, metaphorical messages and figurative images and symbols to convey its message. The symbols, figures, numbers and colors in apocalyptic writing were not intended to be taken literally. The original readers of Revelation would have had a better sense of how to interpret because of their culture and familiarity with apocalyptic literature. We will need to decode its “true” meaning instead of taking the symbols to be literal.

Revelation was written to Christians who were suffering because of their faith. Some may have wondered if real power and future were in the earthly political and religious authorities like Rome’s emperor. This book answers that question. The real ruler of all things is Jesus Christ, not evil oppressors. Though Christians may suffer and die, we are safe in God’s hands and in the end He will destroy all wickedness. It not only looks forward to Jesus’ second coming but also insists that Christ has already won the decisive victory.

(READ SEQUEL . . .       TO UNDERSTAND CHAPTERS 4-11 )
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