Revelation
17
Revela tion An Eschatol ogica l Over view
description
Transcript of Revelation
Revelatio
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Revelatio
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An Eschato
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An Eschato
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N Literary GenreLiterary Genre
• Epistle• Prophecy• Apocalypse
• Epistle• Prophecy• Apocalypse
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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
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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
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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
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N OverviewOverview
• Chapters 4-5 // Worship & Praise
• Chapters 4-5 // Worship & Praise
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• 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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
