Revelatio

n

Revelatio

n

An Eschato

logical O

verview

An Eschato

logical O

verview

REV

ELA

TIO

NR

EV

ELA

TIO

N Literary GenreLiterary Genre

• Epistle• Prophecy• Apocalypse

• Epistle• Prophecy• Apocalypse

REV

ELA

TIO

NR

EV

ELA

TIO

N ApocalypseApocalypse

• Based Largely on OT Prophetic Literature

• “Write what you have seen”• Born in times of great

persecution/oppression– No longer concerned w/ events within history

– Looked primarily to God’s radical and violent end to history

• Based Largely on OT Prophetic Literature

• “Write what you have seen”• Born in times of great

persecution/oppression– No longer concerned w/ events within history

– Looked primarily to God’s radical and violent end to history

REV

ELA

TIO

NR

EV

ELA

TIO

N TimingTiming

• “must soon take place”• 1:3, 1:19, 4:1, 22:6-7• Either end time events will

occur soon• Or, when they do begin

occurring, they will transpire quickly

• “must soon take place”• 1:3, 1:19, 4:1, 22:6-7• Either end time events will

occur soon• Or, when they do begin

occurring, they will transpire quickly

REV

ELA

TIO

NR

EV

ELA

TIO

N OverviewOverview

• Ch. 1-3 // Cast of characters– John (seer)– Christ the Keyholder (Daniel)– Church // 7 churches

• Ch. 1-3 // Cast of characters– John (seer)– Christ the Keyholder (Daniel)– Church // 7 churches

REV

ELA

TIO

NR

EV

ELA

TIO

N OverviewOverview

• Chapters 4-5 // Worship & Praise

• Chapters 4-5 // Worship & Praise

REV

ELA

TIO

NR

EV

ELA

TIO

N OverviewOverview

• Chapters 6-7 // Unfolding of the Drama– White Horsemen = Conquest– Red Horsement = War– Black = Famine– Pale = Death– The Martyrs Question // “how long?”– The Earthquake = God’s Judgement

• 144,000 sealed• A great multitude

– Gods Wrath = 7 trumpets

• Chapters 6-7 // Unfolding of the Drama– White Horsemen = Conquest– Red Horsement = War– Black = Famine– Pale = Death– The Martyrs Question // “how long?”– The Earthquake = God’s Judgement

• 144,000 sealed• A great multitude

– Gods Wrath = 7 trumpets

REV

ELA

TIO

NR

EV

ELA

TIO

N OverviewOverview

• Chapters 8-11 // God’s judgment on Rome– First 4 echo plagues of Egypt– 5-6 indicate barbarian hordes

and great war– 7 Kingdom of this world has

become the kingdom of our God

• Chapters 8-11 // God’s judgment on Rome– First 4 echo plagues of Egypt– 5-6 indicate barbarian hordes

and great war– 7 Kingdom of this world has

become the kingdom of our God

REV

ELA

TIO

NR

EV

ELA

TIO

N OverviewOverview• Big picture up to this point• Chapters 12-22 offer details• Chapters 13-14• Chapters 15-16 // Roman

emperors doomed– Satan’s vengeance through the

Roman empire– Demand for religious allegiance

• Chapters 17-22 city of earth (Rome) is condemned for its part in persecution, city of God where God’s people dwell eternally

• Big picture up to this point• Chapters 12-22 offer details• Chapters 13-14• Chapters 15-16 // Roman

emperors doomed– Satan’s vengeance through the

Roman empire– Demand for religious allegiance

• Chapters 17-22 city of earth (Rome) is condemned for its part in persecution, city of God where God’s people dwell eternally

REV

ELA

TIO

NR

EV

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TIO

N Four ViewsFour Views

• Preterist • Written to comfort Christians who

suffered persecution from both Judaism and the Roman Imperial Cult

• Events of Revelation fulfilled in the first centuries of the Church // either the fall of Jerusalem 70 AD or the fall of the Roman empire

• Most popular among scholars

• Preterist • Written to comfort Christians who

suffered persecution from both Judaism and the Roman Imperial Cult

• Events of Revelation fulfilled in the first centuries of the Church // either the fall of Jerusalem 70 AD or the fall of the Roman empire

• Most popular among scholars

REV

ELA

TIO

NR

EV

ELA

TIO

N Four ViewsFour Views

• Historicist• Events of Revelation as

unfolding in the course of history.

• Especially compatible w/ Reformers seeing Papacy as the Anti-Christ.

• Very rare in current scholarship

• Historicist• Events of Revelation as

unfolding in the course of history.

• Especially compatible w/ Reformers seeing Papacy as the Anti-Christ.

• Very rare in current scholarship

REV

ELA

TIO

NR

EV

ELA

TIO

N Four ViewsFour Views

• Futurist• Events of Revelation largely

unfulfilled• Ch. 4-22 await the end times

for their realization• Most popular among the

masses• Matthew 24:6-8

• Futurist• Events of Revelation largely

unfulfilled• Ch. 4-22 await the end times

for their realization• Most popular among the

masses• Matthew 24:6-8

REV

ELA

TIO

NR

EV

ELA

TIO

N Four ViewsFour Views• Idealist• Reticent to pinpoint events of

Revelation historically• Sets forth timeless truths concerning

the battle between good and evil that continues throughout the church age.

• Spiritualizes events meant for inspirational purposes.

• Doesn’t mean that an event occurs repeatedly, but that the spiritual truth behind the event is timeless, finding several fulfillments throughout the ages

• Idealist• Reticent to pinpoint events of

Revelation historically• Sets forth timeless truths concerning

the battle between good and evil that continues throughout the church age.

• Spiritualizes events meant for inspirational purposes.

• Doesn’t mean that an event occurs repeatedly, but that the spiritual truth behind the event is timeless, finding several fulfillments throughout the ages

REV

ELA

TIO

NR

EV

ELA

TIO

N MillenniamMillenniam

• Revelation 20• A period of bliss on earth

brought about by the conversion of the nations because of the preaching of the gospel.

• Revelation 20• A period of bliss on earth

brought about by the conversion of the nations because of the preaching of the gospel.

REV

ELA

TIO

NR

EV

ELA

TIO

N Three ParadigmsThree Paradigms

• Postmillennialism• Christ will return after the

Millenniam. • As the church preaches the

gospel and performs its role as the salt of the earth, the kingdom of God will advance until the whole world will bow to the authority of Christ.

• Postmillennialism• Christ will return after the

Millenniam. • As the church preaches the

gospel and performs its role as the salt of the earth, the kingdom of God will advance until the whole world will bow to the authority of Christ.

REV

ELA

TIO

NR

EV

ELA

TIO

N AmillennialismAmillennialism

• No literal one thousand year reign• Three Reasons

– Throughout the apocalypse, numbers used symbolically, especially in Revelation 20

– Number symbolic of completion, not a specific span of time

– No other passage of scripture mentions a millennium

– Historic creeds of Christendom do not mention a millennium

• No literal one thousand year reign• Three Reasons

– Throughout the apocalypse, numbers used symbolically, especially in Revelation 20

– Number symbolic of completion, not a specific span of time

– No other passage of scripture mentions a millennium

– Historic creeds of Christendom do not mention a millennium

REV

ELA

TIO

NR

EV

ELA

TIO

N PremillennialismPremillennialism

• Christ will come again and establish a temporary, one thousand year reign on earth from Jerusalem

• Christ will come again and establish a temporary, one thousand year reign on earth from Jerusalem