1. Methods of Interpretation
Revelation
Methods of Interpretation

2. Perspectives on Interpretation of Revelation
Futurist Methods
Dispensational Premillennialism
Historical Premillennialism
Continuous Historical Method
Philosophy of History Method
Preterist Method
Destruction of Jerusalem Method
Fully fulfilled during Roman Empire
Historical-Prophetic Method
Amillennialism

3. Four Perspectives of the 1000 Years Reign and the Second Coming
Millennial Views
Four Perspectives of the 1000 Years Reign and the Second Coming

4. Dispensational Premillennialism
Christ’s return preceded by rapture and time of tribulation and reigns a thousand years on earth

5. Dispensational Premillennialism
Definition:
Revelation is predicting the future events when God will establish and earthly kingdom where He will rule for a 1000 years after the rapture and seven years of tribulation.

6. Dispensational Premillennialism
Primary Teachings:
Only chapter two and three are about the church on earth
Church is temporary until millennium
Literal interpretation of prophecy
The rapture
The seven years of tribulation
The 1000 years earthly reign of Christ
The salvation of literal Israel

7. Dispensational Premillennialism
Jesus came to Israel but they refused, church established in the place of Christ’s kingdom
Jesus’ second coming establishes a literal 1000 year reign
Pre-tribulation Rapture
Mid-tribulation
Rapture
Eternity
Israel
Church Age
Great Tribulation
Millennium
A literal seven years of tribulation will take place and give rise to the antichrist
Final Judgment

8. Dispensational Premillennialism
Resurrection of believers & Jews then unbelievers
Rapture of both living and dead believers
Resurrection of O.T. Saints & Martyrs
Eternity
Israel
Church Age
Great Tribulation
Millennium
A literal seven years of tribulation will take place and give rise to the antichrist
Final Judgment

9. Dispensational Premillenialism & the Resurrection
RESURRECTED
TIME PERIOD
RESURRECTION
SCRIPTURE
Church
Pentecost-Rapture
Raptured & Raised before tribulation
O.T. Saints
& Martyrs
Rapture-Tribulation
Resurrection at the end of Tribulation
Rev. 3:21; 20:4
Great company of Jew & Gentile believers
After earthly 1000 year reign
Resurrection of 2nd Coming
Rev. 7:1-8
Unbelievers raised
After believer at end of 1000 year reign
Resurrection of Dead at the end of 1000 years
Mt. 28:18; Rev. 11:15-17

10. Dispensational Premillennialism
What does this view emphasize?
During the seven years of tribulation, people who become Christians and are faithful to Jesus will suffer intense persecution (Rapture has take previous Christians).
Natural disasters and wars will occur.
This view emphasizes literal interpretations of Revelation.

11. Dispensational Premillennialism
Dispensational view emphasizes:
During the great tribulation, many Jews will turn to Jesus Christ.
God’s promises to Abraham and his offspring were unconditional.
Therefore, the Jews will still receive the land described in Genesis 15:18.

12. Dispensational Premillennialism
Israel has a special place
The establishment of the modern state of Israel in 1948 fulfilled a key end-times prophecy.
References to Israel in Revelation refer to the nation of Israel.

13. Dispensational Premillennialism
Problems for this view?
God will remove Christians before the outpouring of his wrath during the tribulation (Revelation 3:10).
Specifically referring to the church at Philadelphia
God’s promises to Abraham and his offspring were unconditional (Genesis 15:7–21).
Overlooks spiritual Israel fulfilled in Christ (all nations)
The church was not planned does not fit with scripture.
“Upon this rock, I will build my church”
Addressed to seven churches of Asia
See also 1 Thessalonians 5:9.

14. Dispensational Premillennialism
Relatively new view
Emerged in the 1800s among the Plymouth Brethren.
Popular and widespread perspective today.
The Plymouth Brethren were a group of fundamentalist Bible Churches founded in the 1820s.

15. Historic Premillennialism
Christians endure the tribulation to the literal thousand year reign

16. Historic Premillennialism
Jesus’ second coming establishes a literal 1000 year reign
Christ’s spiritual reign or kingdom until fulfilled at the millennium
Eternity
Church Age
Great Tribulation
Millennium
Society will progressively become more evil and there will be a period of tribulation

17. Historic Premillennialism
Historic Premillennialism Teachings
God’s promises of land and blessings to Abraham and his offspring were conditional promises, based on their obedience.
Israel’s persistent disobedience violated God’s covenant with them.
There is the idea of a spiritual Israel which refers to all believers (the church).

18. Historic Premillennialism
Historic Premillennialism Teachings
God has maintained a covenant of grace throughout the Old and New Testaments with all who trusted in him.
Most references to “Israel” in Revelation refer symbolically to spiritual Israel, the church.
Compare Romans 9:6–8 with Galatians 6:16.

19. Historic Premillennialism
Historic Premillennialism Teachings
It does not take a literal approach to prophecy.
It does take the 1000 years as a literal time period.
The Rapture concept is not represented biblically.
They emphasize both what the book meant to first-century readers and how it might apply for people’s lives today.

20. Historic Premillennialism
Christians will remain on earth through the tribulation and purification of the church of false or uncommitted believers will occur.
Eternity
Church Age
Great Tribulation
Millennium
Church is not a temporary situation but was intended to exist until Christ’s return and he currently reign now over the earth from heaven.

21. Historic Premillennialism
First Resurrection
Christ returns, believers raised, living believers transformed to reign with Christ a 1000 years. Antichrist destroyed.
Second Resurrection
Satan is defeated (some say Armageddon), judgment comes with resurrection of unbelievers and brings the new heaven and new earth.
Eternity
Church Age
Great Tribulation
Millennium
Society will progressively become more evil and there will be a period of tribulation

22. Historic Premillennialism
Some early church fathers envisioned an earthly millennium.
They anticipated not only
the physical reign of Jesus Christ following a time of persecution, but also the restoration of all creation to its original goodness in a millennial kingdom.

23. Historic Premillennialism
Historic premillennialism began to fade as later church fathers focused on the spiritual aspects of Christ’s reign and downplayed the idea of an earthly millennium.
They were influenced by Greek philosophers who said the physical world was evil.

24. Historic Premillennialism
What Scriptures seem to support this view?
The revealing of the “man of lawlessness” precedes Christ’s return (2 Thessalonians 2:3–4).
The tribulation will cleanse the church of false members (Revelation 2:22–23).
Christians will experience the tribulation (Revelation 13:7).

25. Historic Premillennialism
What Scriptures seem to support this view?
God’s promises to Abraham and his offspring were conditional (Genesis 22:17–18).
The New Testament frequently uses “Israel” and “the twelve tribes” to refer to Christians (Romans 9:6–8)
See also 1 Chronicles 33:8; Isaiah 1:19–20; Jeremiah 7:6–7; Matthew 19:28, 29.

26. Postmillennialism
Non-literal 1000 years reign from 1st to 2nd coming as Christianity progresses to a golden age

27. Resurrection/Eternity
Postmillennialism
Christ’s spiritual reign or kingdom until fulfilled – not a literal 1000 years
Millennium
Church extends to golden age
Resurrection/Eternity
2nd Coming & Resurrection
Nations will work together for the good of people allowing more prosperity & sharing of wealth and an influx of Jews will become Christians.
Christianity will enjoy a time of great progress. Christ rules from heaven during this time and will return at the end of the symbolic thousand years.

28. Amillennialism
Christians live the world with times of tribulations during the non-literal 1000 year reign from heaven

29. Resurrection/Eternity
Amillennialism
Satan’s power restrained until released before Jesus 2nd coming
Christ’s spiritual reign or kingdom until fulfilled – not a literal 1000 years
Millennium
Church Reaching Out to Lost World
Resurrection/Eternity
Fulfillment of Christ’s reign with second coming and judgment of righteous and unrighteous, Satan released & defeated
Time when both those who have Christ as Lord to carry on Christ’s mission to those who don’t – various tribulations until Christ returns

30. Four Millennial Views Rapture No biblical teaching
INTERPRETATION
AMILLENNIAL
POSTMELLINNIAL
HISTORIC
PREMILLENIAL
DISPENSATIONAL
Rapture
No biblical teaching
Seven years before the 1000 years (pretribulation)
Old Testament Prophecies
Spiritual fulfillment Christ will reign from heaven until the second coming
Spiritual fulfillment
Christ will reign from heaven until a golden age of peace & plenty occurs
Spiritual fulfillment Christ will reign from heaven during Christian age then in literal millennium
Literal fulfillment
Christ’s reign was always to be a literal earthly reign & the church not anticipated
Church Age (Christian)
Prophesied & planned
Not prophesied or planned
Second Coming
One event
Two events
1000 Year Reign
Not literal
Literal
Resurrection
One resurrection
Two resurrections
Four resurrections

31. Continuous Historical Interpretation
Definition:
Prediction of major events of history-political & religious-between Christ’s first and second comings

32. Continuous Historical Interpretation
Primary Teachings:
Held by non-Catholic scholars from just before the reformation movement
Details apostasy of Roman Catholic Church
Description of the history & the impact of Roman Catholic Church
Ch. 10, little book is Bible & Reformation
First Beast is papal ecclesiastical power
Great harlot is the papacy
Destruction of Babylon is fall of the papacy

33. Preterist Interpretation
Definition:
Preterist method holds that all the book Revelation was fulfilled in the days of the Roman Empire and has little application today.

34. Preterist Interpretation
Primary Teachings:
Two groups: right wing & left wing
Left wing rejects inspiration of Revelation
Generally sees fulfilled during Roman Empire under Domitian
See no real application for church today
Right wing accepts inspiration of Revelation
Sees fulfillment with the destruction of Jerusalem

35. Destruction of Jerusalem
Definition:
This method see Revelation as applying to the persecution of Christians by Jews and the destruction of Jerusalem.

36. Destruction of Jerusalem
Primary Teachings:
Take Jude 3 as indicating the last of the books written
Persecution mentioned is during the time of Nero
Jew persecuted Christians before the Romans

37. Historical-Prophetic Interpretation
Definition:
The Historical-prophetic method is an Amillennialist view which holds that Revelation was for the encouragement of the early church under the Roman Empire’s persecution with a message of victory in Christ for every age.

38. Historical-Prophetic Interpretation
Primary Teachings:
Written primarily to encourage first century Christians
Written largely in symbolic language
Uses O.T. terminology with N.T. meaning
Must understand the visions as a whole without pressing the details
Principle applicable to Christians today