THE KEY TO THE BOOK OF REVELATION AND ITS TIME PERIODS OUR BIBLE SEMINARS Through the centuries there have been Christians, albeit an minority of Christians, who have believed that Christ would come again and reign a 1,000 years on earth and that there would be The Antichrist who would also be coming and defeated by Christ in a Battle of Armageddon. The word Dispensation or Administration has become a popular term for this understanding of Christ s Second Coming. At the beginning of the 20 th century, many Bible versions and editions were published but few Study Bibles. So the Scofield Reference Study Bible became very popular and popularized a Dispensational understanding of the Second Coming of Christ. Interestingly, at the end of the 20 th century, the Left Behind series of novels did much the same thing. So a dispensational understanding of the Second Coming has become quite popular but often misunderstood, as to its Biblical basis and even maligned. The key areas of the Bible to understanding this is Daniel, Mat. 24, and Revelation, and a key chapter to putting the future part of this is particularly Rev. 11 and 20. The Crux Interpretatorum ( the cross/torture of interpreters ) is a popular observation about Rev. 11 (& 12-13), if one is not Pre-Tribulational, Premillennial in interpreting these passages, since only a Pre-Tribulational, Premillennial Dispensationalism could see these time periods and historical persons, as a part of historical reality in the future. Rev. 11 offers a The Great Panorama of the Seven-Year Jewish Tribulation. Is Revelation to be interpreted symbolically or literally? Yes, both Take the narrative, as pre-written history of the future. Take the symbol and find what it really stands for and believe it literally, as true reality. The symbols stand for real things. So then, taking a literal interpretation of Revelation especially Rev. 6-21 means: 1. Where a passage is a simple narrative of persons and events prophetically revealed by God about things in the future, one can decide simply to interpret the passage, as historical narrative but in the future. Examples would be: 1) The sun becoming black & The moon becoming like blood in Rev. 6:12; 2) The 144,000 sealed Jewish evangelists in Rev. 7; 3) The angels; 4) The death of ½ of mankind in Rev. 6:8 & 9:15 (calculated together) 5) The Jewish Temple in Rev. 11; 6) The two witnesses in Rev. 11; 7) The male child and Michael with his angels and Satan with his angels in Rev. 12; 8) The image and mark of The Beast in Rev. 13; 9) The demon spirits of Rev. 18; 10) The Battle of Armageddon with Jesus coming on a white horse in Rev. 19; 11) The resurrections in Rev. 20; 12) The Millennial Kingdom in Rev. 20; 13) The Great White Throne in Rev. 20; 14) The New Heaven and New Earth and New Jerusalem in Rev. 21. 2. Where a passage uses symbolic imagery [sometimes called Apocalyptic imagery], one simply needs to find the reality of person and events for which the symbols stand, and put
these real persons and events into the passage to interpret with all its details for real people and real events in the past or future. Examples of this would be: 1) the four living creatures and horses of Rev. 6; 2) the locusts and horses in Rev. 9; 3) the woman and dragon in Rev. 12 signify Israel and Satan 4) the beast with 7 heads and 10 horns & crowns in Rev. 13 signify The Antichrist. 5) the sharp sickle in Rev. 14 signifies God s judging of man. 6) the bowls in Rev. 15 signify divine judgments. 7) Babylon, the woman, and the beast in Rev. 17-18. 8) The winepress in Rev. 19:15 signifies God s judging of man. Some, especially teachers, have an interest in explaining the various views of eschatology, i.e., historic and dispensational pre-millennialism, amillennialism, post-millennialism, and even pan-millennialism. But this is much like the interest in explaining the various modes of baptism. Each may be helpful in ministering to ones holding that view, but only one is important and biblical. When you read Dan. 9:24-27 and Mat. 24 and Revelation, especially, Rev. 20 & 11-13, you find yourself in one of five groups of interpretation by the way that you are read narrational prophecies, as to being literally fulfilled, and read the symbolic prophecies, as standing for real things and taking the real things behind them to being literally fulfilled. In other words, take the symbol and find what it really stands for and believe it literally, as true reality. The symbols stand for real things. The five most common views of interpreting Revelation are: 1) Full Preterism: Everything is Historic in the first century with no second coming. 2) Amillennialism: Everything is Symbolic with a literal second coming of Christ only. 3) Postmillennialism: Most things are Symbolic with some Futuristic Kingdom only. 4) Historic (Post-Tribulational) Premillennialism: Everything is Futuristic with some Symbolic. 5) Dispensational (Pre-Tribulational) Premillennialism: Everything is Futuristic taken with a Literal Interpretation of Prophecy. Interpretation of: Tribulation Second Millennial Dan. 9 Mat. 24 Rev. 11- Rev. 20 Coming Kingdom 13 Full Preterism Historic in None None Symbolic Symbolic Symbolic Symbolic the first century Amillennialism Symbolic Literal Symbol Symbolic Both Symbolic Symbolic Postmillennialism Symbolic Symbolic Literal Symbolic Both Symbolic Literal Historic (Post- Tribulational) Premillennialism Symbolic Literal Literal Symbolic Both Symbolic Literal Dispensational (Pre- Tribulational) Premillennialism Literal Literal Literal Literal Literal Literal Literal Symbolic = Take the narratives, as symbolic. Take the symbols, as symbolic. Generalize the symbols without specifics or any historical, consistent structure. Literal = Take the narrative, as pre-written history of the future. Take the symbol and find what it really stands for and believe it literally, as true reality. The symbols stand for real things.
A critical distinction that these other views have in contrast to Dispensational Premillennialism is something called, Supersessionism or Replacement Theology. It is the doctrine that God has totally set aside Israel, as any future agency of evangelism, and has permanently replaced them with the Church made up of believing Jews and believing Gentiles, as to being any future evangelistic agency. Beginning in Revelation 11 through 13, there are 5 specific 3½-year periods prophesied and yet future, that do not involve the Church. The issue is hermeneutics not just eschatology. Only a pre-tribulation Harpage/Rapture can explain how this 3½-year period could be taken literally. Historic pre-millennialism takes it symbolic. But, if this is not symbolic, then it would have to believe that either Jesus Christ will not return for at least a 3½-year period OR one will not know, when this 3 ½ year period will begin but not both. Reference Time Period Tribulation Events Parallel Ref. Rev. 11:2 42 lunar months 2 nd half Control of Rev. 13:5 Jerusalem by the Dan. 7:25 Beast & Rome Rev. 11:3 1260 days Middle half (i.e., the 2 nd & 3 rd quarters) OR 2 nd half or 1 st half?? Ministry of the 2 Witnesses Rev. 12:6 1260 days 2 nd half Israel hidden & protected from Satan Dan. 12:12?? Rev. 12:14 Dan. 12:7 Rev. 12:14 time, times, & ½ a 2 nd half Israel hidden Rev. 12:6 time Rev. 13:5 42 lunar months 2 nd half Authority given to Dan. 7:25 the Beast to make war Daniel 7:25 time, times, & ½ a time Daniel 12:7 time, times, & ½ a time Daniel 12:11 1290 days Daniel 12:12 1335 days 2 nd half Authority given to Rev. 13:5 the Beast 2 nd half Israel hidden Rev. 12:6, 14 a lunar month before 2 nd half 2 nd half and in the Millennium a lunar month and a half OR the 1 st half and a lunar month and a half into the 2 nd half OR the 2 nd and 3 rd quarter and a lunar month and a half. Daily sacrifices removed and the abomination of desolation Rev. 11:3?? Rev. 11:3??
Revelation 11:1-14 A Rather Literal Translation: 11 1 And [there] was given to me a reed like a rod, saying, Arise, and measure the inner temple of God and the altar and the ones worshiping in it, 2 and the court, the [one] outside of the temple cast out outside, and measure it not, because it was given to the [Gentile] nations, and the holy city will they tread under foot forty-two [lunar] months, 3 and I will give [authority/power] to the two witnesses of mine, and they will prophesy one thousands, two hundred and sixty days having been clothed in sackcloth. 4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands, the ones having stood at the face of [or before or in the presence of] the Lord of the earth; 5 and, if anyone wants to injure them, fire proceeds out of the mouth of theirs and devours the enemies of them; and, if anyone wants to injure them, thus it is necessary for him to die. 6 These have authority to close the heaven, in order that rain might not fall the days of the prophecy of theirs, and they have authority on the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every pestilence, as often as, if they might want; 7 and when they complete the witness of theirs, the beast, the one arising out of the Abyss, will make war with them and will conquer them and will kill them 8 and the bodies of theirs on the wide [main] street of the great city, which is called spiritually Sodom and Aigypt, where also the Lord of theirs was crucified. 9 They will look out of the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations at the corpse of theirs three days and the corpses of theirs will they not allow to be put into a grave; 10 and the ones dwelling on the earth will rejoice over them and will be in good humor and will give gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented the ones dwelling on the earth; 11 and after three days and a half, a spirit of life out of God entered into them and they stood on the feet of theirs and great fear fell on the ones observing them; 12 and I heard a great voice out of the heaven saying to them, Come up here, and they came up into the heaven in the cloud and the enemies of theirs observed them; 13 and in that day happened a great earthquake and the tenth of the city fell and names of seven thousand men died in the earthquake and the rest became terrified and gave glory to the God of the heaven. 14 The second woe went off. The third woe, behold, is coming quickly. An Interpretive Paraphrase: 11 1 An angel gave me a measuring stick and said, Get up, and find out the length and width of God s Holy of Holies and the sacrificial altar with all the people worshiping around it. 2 Also, exclude measuring the length and width of the Court of Israel, because it will not be kept just for Israel but will be open to Gentiles. Further, Jerusalem will be occupied by Gentile armies during the last 3 ½ years of the 7-year Jewish Tribulation. 3 However, before this I will have my two prophets prophesy during the first 3 ½ years of the 7-year Jewish Tribulation with great mourning noted by their clothing. 4 They will be very fruitful and illuminating for their hearers, as prophets ministering in the presence of Lord God of this very earth. 5 But, whenever any unbelievers try to hurt them, they have out of necessity some supernatural kind of fire that they will send forth, which will kill them. 6 These two witnesses can cause rain to stop for as long as they would like and need to. They can cause the water to become too polluted to drink. They can cause all kinds of trouble for the earth and the people on it. 7 When they completed their ministry, the doomed Antichrist will fight against them and murder them. 8 Their corpses will lie in public view for everyone to see in the middle of Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified. Jerusalem then will find itself in the same spiritual condition, as lewd, homosexual Sodom and demonic, worldly Egypt. 9 People from all around the world will see the dead bodies of these two witnesses by international telecommunications. They will keep them on public display without any human decency of interment. 10 All the unbelievers around the world who have been watching theses two witness will be very glad and relieved to see them dead and will celebrate their deaths, since they had been effectively and convincingly revealing the sins of people around the world. 11 After 3½ days God raised them back to life, then they stood up, and everyone watching them became horribly frightened of them. 12 I then heard God call to them, Come up here to heaven. They immediately ascended into the third heaven, while all the unbelievers around the world watched. 13 Then that very day a tremendous earthquake occurred, and one tenth of Jerusalem was affected, so that some 7,000 people died. The people who survived became scared out of their wits and started thinking that God was really behind all of this. 14 The army across the Euphrates has come. Now, there will be an announcement of Jesus Second Advent and Millennial Kingdom.
Revelation 12 A Rather Literal Translation: 12 1 And a great sign was seen in the heaven: a woman having been wrapped around by the sun and the moon below the feet of hers and on the head of hers a crown of twelve stars; 2 and having in [her] abdomen she cried travailing and being tormented to bear. 3 And seen was another sign in the heaven and behold a great fiery dragon having seven heads and ten horns and upon the head of his seven diadems. 4 And the tail of his drags away the third of the stars of the heaven and cast them into the earth and the dragon stood in front of the women, the one about to bear, in order that, when she bears the child of hers, he might devour [him]. 5 And she bore a son, a male who is about to shepherd all the nations with a rod of iron, and snatched away was the child of hers to God and to the throne of his; 6 and the woman fled into the desert where she has there a place having been prepared by God in order that there they might nourished her one thousand two hundred and sixty days. 7 And there happened war in the heaven: Michael and the angels of his to war with the dragon, and the dragon warred and the angels of his. 8 And they were not strong enough nor was a place found for him yet in the heaven. 9 And cast out was the great dragon, the archaic serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, the one deceiving the whole [known] world; he was cast out into the earth, and the [fallen] angels of his with him were cast out. 10 And I heard a great sound in the heaven saying, Presently happened the salvation and the power and the kingdom of the God of ours and the authority of the Christ of His, because cast was the accuser of the brothers of ours, the one accusing them in front of the God of ours day and night. 11 And they conquered him because of the blood of the lamb and because of the word of the witness of theirs, and they loved not the soul of theirs until death. 12 Because of this be glad, the heavens and the ones tabernacling in them, woe to the earth and to the sea, because the devil descended to you, [with him] having great wrath, knowing that he has little time [or opportunity]. 13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast into the earth, he persecuted the woman who bore the male [child]. 14 And given to the woman were two wings of a great eagle, in order that she might fly into the desert into a place of hers, where she was nourished that a time and times and half a time from the face of the serpent. 15 and the serpent cast out the mouth of his behind the woman water, as a river, in order that he might make her river-born; 16 and the earth gave help to the woman, and the earth opened the mouth of hers, and she devoured the river which the dragon cast out of the mouth of his. 17 And the dragon was wrathful on the woman and went off to make war with the rest of the seed of her, of the ones keeping the commandments of God and having the testimony of Jesus. An Interpretive Paraphrase: 12 1 This is what will happen: Israel is the avenue through which God shines with the protection of her national guardian angels. 2 Jesus was born of Mary within the Jewish nation of Israel. 3 Something else will be happening: Satan will be the energizing spirit behind the future 10-nation Revived Roman Empire in its seventh government becoming an eighth. 4 Satan in his fall influenced a third of God s angels to fall into sin with him, as demons. During Jesus incarnation they sought to destroy Him, even at His birth. 5 Jesus Christ born of Mary within the nation of Israel will eventually rule in a future Millennial Kingdom, but in the meantime He has ascended to God into the third heaven. 6 Israel, as an ethnic people, has continued through time and during the second half of the Tribulation the Jews will have to flee their land of Israel and hide somewhere safe to the east. God will take care of them the last 3½ years of the Tribulation. 7 The angelic conflicted will expand even up to the third heaven, where Michael the Archangel and God s elect angels will combat Satan and his demons. 8 Satan and his demons will begin to lose the battle and be driven away from the third heaven. 9 Satan, as the ancient snake and Devil, who has sought to trick the entire world through all of history will be banned from the third heaven along with his demons. 10 I heard an announcement from the third heaven, Now eternal salvation and inherent power and the millennial kingdom of our God, where Jesus Christ will exercise His royal authority, since Satan who is always and continually pointing out to God all the sins of believers. 11 These believers have the victory over Satan by the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ and their testimony of eternal salvation by faith that will even take them, if necessary, to the point of martyrdom. 12 So then, you, holy angels of God, take heart. But you, who live on earth, watch out! The Devil is heading your way and is violently angry and in a panic. 13 So, when the Devil saw that he had been kicked out of God s Third Heaven, he went off to attack Israel of whom Jesus Christ had been born. 14 God provided various ways and means for Israelis to escape to some place of hiding [perhaps Petra]. There God supernaturally provided for all their needs for 3½ years safe from Satan. 15 So the Devil tried to destroy Israel. 16 The rest of the world tried to help Israel and protect her from this Satanic persecution. 17 So then the Devil became really angry at Israel and headed off to fight with other Christian believers who sought to obey God and tell others of their faith in Jesus Christ.
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? The game with Jeff Foxworthy relies on the premise that an adult would not know the information generally taught in elementary grade school, because it is rarely used in adult life by the type of person chosen to be a contestant. Therefore, the show is essentially a test to see how much an adult has retained since graduating elementary school. The show also derives its humor by occasionally displaying the contestant's educational attainment, implying that in spite of that, they struggle to answer some questions. The title was selected to make the show more interesting, specifically making adults look stupid and then exploiting the supposed "stupidity," which is an irony because adults are supposed to teach children. Upon leaving the game either by quitting, or answering incorrectly, the contestant must profess to the camera, "I am not smarter than a fifth grader." Many theologians and biblical scholars read through the first 11 chapters of Genesis or Revelation think that they are smarter than a 5th grader. However, what a typical fifth grader can read and understand in the narrative portions (with a little assistance about the imagery portions) is much what many conservative Bible students believe. However, those that think that they have a more advanced understanding are much in the same situation, as those contestants who have to admit at the end of the show: "I am not smarter than a fifth grader." A fifth grade understanding of these biblical areas is quite accurate.