THE BOOK OF REVELATION
Introduction
The Book of Revelation, the final book of the New Testament, has long been a subject of controversy and challenge for scholars and believers.
Language
The language of Revelation is highly figurative and symbolic.
Characteristics
The symbolic imagery in the book has led to various interpretations regarding its prophetic and future meanings, with the Church throughout centuries developing different approaches based on specific historical and theological perspectives.
Purpose
The primary purpose of Revelation is to encourage and comfort the Church during trials or to warn the complacent within the Church.
When interpreting Revelation, we should maintain humility regarding specific passages. Additionally, we should resist being influenced by interpretations that assign exact dates to events, such as predicting the precise day of Christ’s return. We must avoid interpretations that divert us from actively following Christ and making disciples.
THE BOOK OF REVELATION
Four Views of Revelation Interpretation
There have been several methods of interpreting Revelation throughout Church history, and it is crucial to read carefully and consider various perspectives.
The Preterist View
The Preterist view holds that everything in Revelation has already happened, particularly during the destruction of Jerusalem and the fall of the Temple in the late first century, during the time of John’s writing.
Preterists focus on the original readers and author, referencing historical churches in Asia Minor and phrases like “the time is near” (1:3) and “what must take place after this” (4:1). One unreasonable thing with this view is that assumably Christ’s return had happened in the second century. They also overlook the concept of double fulfillment in prophecy (e.g., prophecies fulfilled both in the time of King Ahaz and through the birth of Jesus). Some prophecies in Revelation may apply both to the early Church and to the end times.
The Historicist View
The Historicist view is the most common, seeing the 2,000 years of Church history as divided into seven stages, symbolized by the seven churches:
-
- The Apostolic Age (33–70 AD), (symbolized by Ephesus)
- The Persecution Era (70–313), (symbolized by Smyrna)
- The Age of Compromise (313–500), (symbolized by Pergamum)
- The Papal Age (500 to the 16th century), (symbolized by Thyatira)
- The Reformation (16th to 19th centuries), (symbolized by Sardis)
- The Missionary Age (19th–20th centuries), (symbolized by Philadelphia)
- The Present End Times (symbolized by Laodicea)
This perspective is flexible and easy to apply because in every era that the Church has to face persecution, need to be vigilant, and wait for Christ’s return. However, it only aligns with the Western mindset that emphasizes chronological order, events, and scientific evidence. It does not fit the Eastern way of thinking, which emphasizes the original authors and readers, literary genres, symbols, and ideas that focus on relationships and concepts. This view also overlooks historical details not recorded in Revelation. For example, if Laodicea symbolizes the Church today or the End Times, why does Revelation 3:14-22 not mention persecution or heresy? Whereas churches in North America and Western Europe are not persecuted, while churches in Asia and Africa are facing the most severe persecution and martyrdom ever recorded.
The Futurist View
The Futurist View believes that the Book of Revelation only speaks about the End Times. Everything in Revelation will happen at the final moment of history, and nothing has occurred yet.
-
- Futurists place little emphasis on the past and history, focusing instead on the Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, and the Second Coming of Christ.
- Both the Preterist and Futurist views share a common belief regarding the two beasts in chapter 13. During what is considered the end times, there must be a political leader with absolute power and a religious leader following him. In the first century, there was Emperor Domitian and the emperor's cult. In the final century, there will be the Antichrist and the False Prophets. In intermediate periods, one may exist without the other being clearly defined. It seems that the context of the original readers helps modern readers understand the end-times scenario.
The Idealist View
The Idealist View believes that the Book of Revelation is entirely symbolic and metaphorical. Alternatively, it can be understood as describing spiritual realities throughout history until the end of time, meaning that no specific person or event fully corresponds to the symbols mentioned in the book.
-
- The Idealist perspective emphasizes the meaning of the symbols, viewing Revelation as a book that broadly depicts the Kingdom of God during the 'Age of Tension'—a period in which 'the Kingdom of God has come, but is not yet fulfilled,' and the world resists the Kingdom. This phase began with Christ's ascension and will culminate in His Second Coming.