Interpreting Revelation. Vern Sheridan Poythress Westminster Theological Seminary

Transcription

1 Interpreting Reveation Vern Sheridan Poythress Westminster Theoogica Seminary

2 Issues in Interpretation: Basic Points A. Four Major Schoos of Interpretation B. Symboism Is Mutifaceted C. See a Fourfod Fufiment of the Symbos in Reveation

3 Summary of Views Roman Empire Fina Crisis Church History Repeated Pattern

4 God-Centered Symboism God God in theophany is rich, mutifaceted, nonexhaustibe, Trinitarian. Symboism of Reveation is mutifaceted.

5 Starting with Repeated Pattern Symbo Embodied in other approaches Genera principe NOW

6 A. Four Major Views about Interpretation

7 Why Look at Others Views? Learn from others. Don t bindy adopt an approach. Choice of view affects interpretation of a of Reveation. No one view fits a the Scripture.

8 Time of Fufiment When is the primary fufiment?? First Coming Second Coming The four views differ about the primary time of fufiment of Reveation.

9 Roman Empire View (Preterist) Beckwith (pp ): the book [is] fufied in the destruction of Jerusaem and the fa of the Roman Empire. A in the past. primary fufiment

10 Fina Crisis View (Futurist) Fufiment occurs in the events of the fina crisis immediatey preceding the Second Coming. A in the future.

11 Church History View (Historicist) Morris (p. 17): setting out the history of western Europe unti the second coming of Christ. Rev 6-19 is in chronoogica order.

12 Repeated Pattern View (Ideaist) Tenney (p. 143): represents the eterna confict of good and evi which persists in every age.

13 Summary of Views Roman Empire Fina Crisis Church History Repeated Pattern

14 B. How the Four Major Views Work in Practice

15 Interpreting Rev 13:1-8 (Beast) Roman Empire Roman Emperor/Empire Fina Crisis Fina Antichrist Church History Repeated Pattern The Pope Persecuting dominion wherever it appears

16 Locusts of Rev. 9:1-11 Roman Empire Roman decadence Fina Crisis Future ocusts; or evi powers Church History Isamic invasion Repeated Pattern

17 Interpreting Rev 9:1-11 (cont.) Church History Isamic invasion n crowns n women s hair n five months Mohammed opens his mission 150 years Caiphate to Baghdad

18 Interpreting Rev. 9:1-11 (cont.) Roman Empire Roman decadence Fina Crisis Future ocusts; or evi powers Church History Isamic invasion Repeated Pattern Powers of evi in the wicked at a times

19 Strengths of Different Views Roman Empire Fina Crisis Church History Repeated Pattern Reevance to 7 churches. Cimax at Second Coming (22:20; 19:11-21). Draw a ine between the two dates. Seize common principe; Satan as unorigina.

20 Transition from Roman Empire to Fina Crisis View Add a second fufiment

21 Transition from Church History to Fina Crisis View Compress the time ine

22 Transition from Repeated Pattern to Another View Find a primary fufiment of the pattern

23 C. Evauating the Views

24 God-Centered Symboism God God in theophany is rich, mutifaceted, nonexhaustibe, Trinitarian. Symboism of Reveation is mutifaceted.

25 Schoos Decoding is Inadequate Beast Beast Beast Beast Roman Emperor Future Antichrist Pope Idoatrous Government

26 D. A Positive Approach

27 Attractions of the Schoos RE FC I m not sure. They a ook good. Insightfu! CH RP

28 God Is Invoved with Us Roman Empire Fina Crisis Appication NOW Repeated God oves 7 churches. God wi come. God oves us NOW. God is the same at a times. God is centra.

29 Satan s Repeated Pattern God s character Satan s Pattern Nothing new here. Satan as a creature must imitate God; he cannot create anything new. Since God is the same, Satanic counterfeiting is the same for a times. Spiritua war shows a constant pattern. Satan suffers repeated defeats.

30 Some Truth in A Four God is aways the same. God rues a history. Spiritua warfare is aways the same. A appy the same spiritua principes. RE FC CH RP

31 Evidence for Mutipe Fufiment Fexibe imagery Avaiabiity of images to peope in a times Interna evidence pointing in more than one direction Necessity of repeating counterfeiting

32 Starting with Repeated Pattern Symbo Embodied in other approaches Genera principe NOW

33 Fourfod Interpretation A Symbo represents Roman First century embodiment Fina Fina embodiment Church Embodiment NOW Repeated A genera principe

34 E. Insight of Roman Empire View

35 Evidence for Roman View Rev Genera principe of reevance to origina audience. Nearness of the time, 1:1, 3; 22:10.

36 F. Insight of Fina Crisis View

37 The Endpoint of Fufiment Endpoint when Christ comes, 22:12, 20. For NT church, the Second Coming is next on the caendar, 2 Thess :10 is prayer associated with Second Coming (cf. 1 Cor. 16:22).

38 Does Reveation Focus on an Earier Coming? Rev. 2:5; 2:16; 3:11 speak of Christ coming He judges the churches, short of fina judgment This context quaifies 2:5, etc., but not 1:7; 2:12-17; 11:18; 22:7, 20; etc. Rev. as a whoe offers a cosmic context.

39 Nearness of Second Coming Preiminary judgments foreshadow the cimactic judgment. Nearness is structura : 1 John 2:18.

40 Nearness Many antichrists One Antichrist

41 G. Insight of Repeated Pattern View

42 Universa Reveance Reveation is canon, reevant to now (2 Tim. 3:17). Addresses servants of God, 1:1; 22:6, 18. he who has an ear, 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22. Pattern of spiritua war is constant. Fexibe symboism. Rev. 1:1 references Dan. 2:45.

43 Dan. 2:45 and Rev. 1:1; 4:1 aá deií gene/sqai meta\ tau=ta (Dan. 2:45 Theodotion) What? The eschatoogica kingdom of God. what must take pace aá deií gene/sqai meta\ tau=ta (Rev. 4:1) OT eschatoogica prophecy, in the process of reaization (inaugurated eschatoogy)

44 Danie and John LXX: in the ast days Eschatoogica fufiment Danie John soon