Approaches to Interpreting the book of Revelation
The book of Revelation is often very hard to understand because of its "visions and elaborate symbolism" (Mounce, 1992, p. 39). Because of the many visions and symbols that come from the book of Revelation there are several different approaches to interpreting it including the idealist view, the preterist view, the historicist view, and the futurist view. This paper will discuss the four main approaches to interpreting the book of Revelation and the approach that is most consistent with my personal beliefs of the book of Revelation.
Methodologies
Idealism
Idealism, also known as the nonliteral or allegorical approach (Walvoord, 1989, p. 16), interprets the book of Revelation by stripping away "the symbolic language of any predictive value and reduces the prophecy to a picture of the continuous struggle between good and evil, the church and the world, and of the eventual triumph of Christianity" (Gundry, 2003, p. 508). An idealist views the book of Revelation as a "theological poem setting forth the ageless struggle between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness" (Mounce, p. 43). The idealist approach ultimately interprets the book of Revelation in a "spiritual" way, meaning that the book of Revelation "reflects the conflict between Satan and God, of evil and of good, that has been going on in this world ever since Eden" (Tenney, 1991, p. 145). The idealist also believes that the conflict between good and evil that is portrayed in the book of Revelation should be applied to the church of the period in which Revelation was written and that the symbols that are in the book of Revelation have no historic connection with any social or political events for that time un...
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...important for the reader of the book of Revelation to understand that focus of the book is on Christ's second coming for which we know not the day or the hour (Matthew 24:36).
References
Gundry, Robert H. (2003). A survey of the new testament. (4th ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
Hanke, Howard A. (1981). The thompson chain-reference bible survey. Waco: Word Books Publisher.
Mears, Henrietta C. (1987). What the bible is all about. Ventura: Regal Books.
Mounce, Robert H. (1992). The new international commentary on the new testament: the book of revelation. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Tenney, Merrill C. (1991). Interpreting revelation. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
The Holy Bible. (1997). New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
Walvoord, John F. (1989). The revelation of jesus christ. Chicago: Moody Press.
Theologian Vern S. Poythress wrote, “Theological systems, whether dispensationalist, covenantal, Calvinist, Arminian, or even modernist, have a profound influence on the way we approach a given [biblical] text.” There is no portion of scripture that is more influenced by the theological system of dispensationalist than that of biblical prophecy, particularly in the area of God’s redemptive plan from for humanity. The purpose of this essay is to establish that an appropriate understanding of biblical eschatology can best be achieved through a dispensational theological perspective.
Revelation has always been linked with God and his people. God is the one that made his will known to us. Through
I had multiple preconceptions about this article and the book of Revelation. Before reading the book I just thought of it as strictly apocalyptic. In church that...
Turner, David L. Matthew: Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008.
Metzger, B.M. & Coogan, M.D. “The Oxford Companion to the Bible”. Oxford University Press. New York, NY. (1993). P. 806-818.
Revelation identifies itself as “both an “apocalypse”…and as prophecy”, making it distinctly different from the rest of the New Testament. “Jewish apocalyptic literature flourished in the centuries following the completion of the OT canon”, and it is scattered throughout the Old Testaments in books such as Daniel, Ezekiel, and Isaiah. Apocalyptic literature is full of “visions that dramatize the prophet’s admission to God’s heavenly council”, and convey their meaning primarily through symbolism. John brings a “balanced message of comfort, warning, and rebuke” in Revelation, testifying to the end of the world and the second coming of Jesus Christ. Apart from the OT literature, Revelation shows a distinct optimism toward the end of days, for “Christ’s death has already won the decisive victory over evil”, with the Kingdom of God already among believers. This book was written in “approximately A.D. 95 on the island of Patmos”, which is still standing to this day. It was written under the emperor Domitian, with Roman authorities exiling John “to the island of Patmos (off the coast of Asia)”. The events in Revelation are also “ordered
The Christian Apocalypse, also known as the end of the world is described in great detail by the Book of Revelation. Revelations is one of the most famous End of the World stories. The book itself is the last book in the bible, and is described as a scroll with seven wax seals. In the myth as the scroll unravels, a series of events unfolds. This begins with many wars, famines, diseases, and other heavenly signs to alert the world that the apocalypse is here. After series of natural disasters, a political ruler called the Antichrist will appear and will take control over the entire earth.
Carson, D, & Moo, D. (2005) An introduction to the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
The book of Revelation literary genre are apocalyptic, prophetic and epistle. The author of this book is John of Patmos. Its was written circa A.D. 95-96 (Hindson & Towns, 2013). There are many key themes in Revelation. The most important themes are the message to seven ecclesians, three and a half years of tribulation ruled by the beast, Jesus’ second coming, the final battle between Jesus and Satan, the millennium, and beyond the millennium. The purpose of the book of Revelation was to inform people about the events before and after Second coming of Jesus Christ. Revelations denotes the past, present and future of what is yet to come during Earth’s end of days. Major events that Revelations denotes will occur when Jesus returns include: National
No other book of the Bible and its interpretation is more controversial than the book of Revelation. The book of Revelation, written by John, is the last book in the New Testament and perhaps the most important book of the Bible. Revelation enforces the importance of faith and obedience to the concept of Christianity by describing God’s plan for the world and his final judgment of the people. Revelation answers the question of what the future holds for this planet and its inhabitants. While it is a sobering reality for those who have fallen astray, it can be a great comfort for believers. The book of Revelation is somewhat troubling to read because it is a forecast of God’s wrath upon humanity, and it is filled with warnings to the church to remain loyal and obedient so that they may avoid eternal damnation. Most other books in the Bible are concerned with teaching the church how to live in such a way that we will be at home in the New Jerusalem. The book of Revelation, however, tells the church why it is important to live according to God’s will in hopes that the church will be on the favorable side of God’s judgment.
Murray, John. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. The Epistle to the Romans. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1968)
Revelation, the last book of The New Testament, is believed to have been written by the Apostle John circa 95-96 AD. The writings in Revelation revolve around the idea of the end of time, the second coming of Jesus, and the time of judgment. Revelation is believed to have more symbolism than most of the other books in The New Testament. Revelation 18:1-17 can be interpreted in a number of ways, but the most likely, when viewing this in a historical context, is that it is referencing the corruption of Babylon throughout time. This means that the author was not simply talking about what was occurring within Babylon at that time of the writing, but also what has previously occurred. By looking at what was occurring in the city during the time in which it was likely to have been written and other references to Babylon within the New Testament, it is obvious that the author’s discussion of corruption within the city was referencing more than what was happening at the time. Although some readers may interpret the text to be symbolic in meaning, Revelation should be read with a critical min...
...ook of Revelation is not a black and white theological work, but a pastoral and visionary book.
New Testament. Vol. 2. Edited by Gerhard Kittel. Translated by Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1964.
Eschatology has long fascinated many including myself since the beginning of time. There is just something that tends to fascinate our finite minds of the end of times. Over this time, many thoughts and perceptions has arouse from a wide variety of sources including scholars, theologians, scientists, sociologist, religions, colts, and many more. Consequently, each sources’ idea are different and unique from the others. The particle eschatology that is found throughout the New Testament tends to be the most studied and quoted collections of eschatological ideas that have been around since the creation of the Canon thousands of years ago. There are numerous books in the New Testament that directly and indirectly allude to the end of times. The most famous of these books, Revelation, is debated to be the most iconic literacy book on eschatology that answers a lot of question an as well creates a score of other new questions.