as you may know from our "who is going to read thru the bible and on what plan" for the year thread, I am reading through the entire New Testament once a month this year. Just finished the third time today (nine chapters a day. It is not really that intense, time wise).
I believe I am going to do a "cast of characters" list for the book. If you have ever read this letter, you know that the imagery and symbolism is prominent. The entire book is full of allegory, symbolism, "this means that" kind of stuff. It is easy to get confused. It is even easier for modern Americans to get confused, as the symbolism and imagery is all DIRECT FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT, and most Americans have no idea what is in the OT. Further, there is a great deal of confusion sewn by (mostly TV) preachers who come up with all types of ridiculous nonsense for the types and allegories, so that you find the UN, atomic bombs, China, Russia, the European Common Market and much excited drivel here that simply is not there. It is easy for modern christians (and non christians alike, assuming they listen in) to be led astray, since we simply do not have a grasp of the Old Testament passages these symbols reference.
I am pretty non-committed to an interpretive framework of the book. That is, there are very good reasons for holding to a historic pre mil, a mil, and post mil framework for reading this letter. There are three broad areas of interpreting revelation
1) all the events predicted in Revelation were (as the title states) SHORTLY TO OCCUR, and thus the apocalyptic events were mostly referencing the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. These people are called "preterists" in that the vast majority of the events refer to comforting God's people (mostly messianic Jews) who were going to experience severe hardships surround the coming judgment on political Israel. THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF BIBLICAL SUPPORT FOR THIS IDEA, if you can wean yourself off the more spangledy and glitzy John Hagee/Greg Laurie/ types. Don't hear me sneering here. Most people have NO IDEA that this view was the dominant view in the church for about a 1800 years, is still (outside America) believed by most Christians, and is very common among solid bible believingChristians here in the west. They know what they know, and have frankly never heard anything other than stuff about raptures, "great tribulation" antichrists, and whatnot. Again, don't hear me sneering, because I am not. I do think people should be like the Bereans, though and "examine the Scriptures (daily) to see if these things are so." If you want to explore this a bit, you should look at "Days of Vengeance" "Paradise Restored" and "The Tribulation" by David Chilton. (these are all available free on the internet) He does a great job of itemizing the book, and demonstrating the reasonableness of what is called the "preterist" position. He never graduated from seminary, but went from being a "hippie pastor" to an amazing scholar and publisher. He claimed that not going to seminary left him free to let the bible say what it says, rather than be pushed down one theological tradition or another.
2) the events described in the book were a descriptive and allegorical run on the issues, trials, and encouragements of all Christians in all ages, summed up in the final coming of Christ. This is the interpretation I "lean" to, and the best summary of it I have seen is William Hendricksen's "More than Conquerors" It, as well, is out there on the internet in pdf form. I have a hardcopy and have read it multiple times. This view is often associated with what is called the "amillennial" position, which holds that the event in Revelation 20 of an earthly reign of Christ is symbolic of the entire time of the Christian church. Again, if all you have ever heard is the more sensationalized stuff where you have to open a newspaper to interpret the book, this will sound like something weird. It actually makes the most sense to me, but this little blurb is not an apologetic (though I won't hide my prejudices) but a survey.
3)Futurist. In this view, the events in Revelation are a pre telling of the final events right before the end of time, including the events issuing in to the end of time itself and the dawn of the new age, which comes (often) in two stages, an earthly "millenium" of a literal 1000 year reign of Jesus as an earthly king on earth, followed by a final apostasy (falling away), and the final judgment. This view is the most common in America, and finds expression in the more radical "dispensationalist" view, which also holds that the OT promises to Israel have yet to be fulfilled, there will be a "rapture" or secret coming of Jesus for the (mostly Gentile) church, followed by events of "great tribulation" a personal "antichrist" and a reconstruction of the OT temple (on the site where the muslim "dome of the rock" now stands) etc (these are not necessarily in order) and a 1000 earthly reign of Jesus on earth, followed by a wrap up. That particular scenario is believed by many Americans as the "only biblical" view. The less Christians know of biblical support for other views, the more hostile they tend to be to the idea that this is a late set of ideas with little biblical support, other than a few verses pulled out which don't really "support" this timeline. If you have a "Scofield bible" or read Hal Lindsey's "Late Great Planet Earth" or saw the series "Left Behind" then you are familiar with this view. If you want a futurist view which existed in the church before Darby/Scofield etc etc, then you should check George Eldon Ladd's "Last Things" and he also has a commentary on Revelation.
My position on all 3 (four, if you divide the historic futurists from the latecoming rapturites) is pretty much agnostic. There is a lot of room to wiggle on this stuff, and if you dismiss the ideas that launched the Plymouth Brethren (another story for another time), you may be surprised at how little solidity there is in resolving where you stand on these different views.
Again, I want to do a "character list" of individual/beings/entities listed (some are listed multiple times), so I can keep track of things. Kind of like a football program where you know who number 84 is.
I am astounded at how much content is hidden and tucked away in that letter and how much it sparkles when one pays attention to the "Tolle llege" (the command which saved Augustine... google it.... great story).
Will try to let you know what I find.
I believe I am going to do a "cast of characters" list for the book. If you have ever read this letter, you know that the imagery and symbolism is prominent. The entire book is full of allegory, symbolism, "this means that" kind of stuff. It is easy to get confused. It is even easier for modern Americans to get confused, as the symbolism and imagery is all DIRECT FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT, and most Americans have no idea what is in the OT. Further, there is a great deal of confusion sewn by (mostly TV) preachers who come up with all types of ridiculous nonsense for the types and allegories, so that you find the UN, atomic bombs, China, Russia, the European Common Market and much excited drivel here that simply is not there. It is easy for modern christians (and non christians alike, assuming they listen in) to be led astray, since we simply do not have a grasp of the Old Testament passages these symbols reference.
I am pretty non-committed to an interpretive framework of the book. That is, there are very good reasons for holding to a historic pre mil, a mil, and post mil framework for reading this letter. There are three broad areas of interpreting revelation
1) all the events predicted in Revelation were (as the title states) SHORTLY TO OCCUR, and thus the apocalyptic events were mostly referencing the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. These people are called "preterists" in that the vast majority of the events refer to comforting God's people (mostly messianic Jews) who were going to experience severe hardships surround the coming judgment on political Israel. THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF BIBLICAL SUPPORT FOR THIS IDEA, if you can wean yourself off the more spangledy and glitzy John Hagee/Greg Laurie/ types. Don't hear me sneering here. Most people have NO IDEA that this view was the dominant view in the church for about a 1800 years, is still (outside America) believed by most Christians, and is very common among solid bible believingChristians here in the west. They know what they know, and have frankly never heard anything other than stuff about raptures, "great tribulation" antichrists, and whatnot. Again, don't hear me sneering, because I am not. I do think people should be like the Bereans, though and "examine the Scriptures (daily) to see if these things are so." If you want to explore this a bit, you should look at "Days of Vengeance" "Paradise Restored" and "The Tribulation" by David Chilton. (these are all available free on the internet) He does a great job of itemizing the book, and demonstrating the reasonableness of what is called the "preterist" position. He never graduated from seminary, but went from being a "hippie pastor" to an amazing scholar and publisher. He claimed that not going to seminary left him free to let the bible say what it says, rather than be pushed down one theological tradition or another.
2) the events described in the book were a descriptive and allegorical run on the issues, trials, and encouragements of all Christians in all ages, summed up in the final coming of Christ. This is the interpretation I "lean" to, and the best summary of it I have seen is William Hendricksen's "More than Conquerors" It, as well, is out there on the internet in pdf form. I have a hardcopy and have read it multiple times. This view is often associated with what is called the "amillennial" position, which holds that the event in Revelation 20 of an earthly reign of Christ is symbolic of the entire time of the Christian church. Again, if all you have ever heard is the more sensationalized stuff where you have to open a newspaper to interpret the book, this will sound like something weird. It actually makes the most sense to me, but this little blurb is not an apologetic (though I won't hide my prejudices) but a survey.
3)Futurist. In this view, the events in Revelation are a pre telling of the final events right before the end of time, including the events issuing in to the end of time itself and the dawn of the new age, which comes (often) in two stages, an earthly "millenium" of a literal 1000 year reign of Jesus as an earthly king on earth, followed by a final apostasy (falling away), and the final judgment. This view is the most common in America, and finds expression in the more radical "dispensationalist" view, which also holds that the OT promises to Israel have yet to be fulfilled, there will be a "rapture" or secret coming of Jesus for the (mostly Gentile) church, followed by events of "great tribulation" a personal "antichrist" and a reconstruction of the OT temple (on the site where the muslim "dome of the rock" now stands) etc (these are not necessarily in order) and a 1000 earthly reign of Jesus on earth, followed by a wrap up. That particular scenario is believed by many Americans as the "only biblical" view. The less Christians know of biblical support for other views, the more hostile they tend to be to the idea that this is a late set of ideas with little biblical support, other than a few verses pulled out which don't really "support" this timeline. If you have a "Scofield bible" or read Hal Lindsey's "Late Great Planet Earth" or saw the series "Left Behind" then you are familiar with this view. If you want a futurist view which existed in the church before Darby/Scofield etc etc, then you should check George Eldon Ladd's "Last Things" and he also has a commentary on Revelation.
My position on all 3 (four, if you divide the historic futurists from the latecoming rapturites) is pretty much agnostic. There is a lot of room to wiggle on this stuff, and if you dismiss the ideas that launched the Plymouth Brethren (another story for another time), you may be surprised at how little solidity there is in resolving where you stand on these different views.
Again, I want to do a "character list" of individual/beings/entities listed (some are listed multiple times), so I can keep track of things. Kind of like a football program where you know who number 84 is.
I am astounded at how much content is hidden and tucked away in that letter and how much it sparkles when one pays attention to the "Tolle llege" (the command which saved Augustine... google it.... great story).
Will try to let you know what I find.
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