Psalm 118 v 8

The book of Revelation is possibly one of the most neglected and at the same time one of the most controversial books in the Bible. The highly divergent views of writers and preachers who interpret it, further complicates matters in gaining clarity about the message of Revelation.

Many Bible colleges and theological seminaries deliberately avoid this blessed book and no longer include it in their study programs on the New Testament. Even when they do review the book, it is done in a very superficial way. The tragic result of this attitude is that the book of Revelation is also avoided in preaching.

People are doing with this book precisely what God said that we should not do:

"And he saith unto me: Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand" (Rev. 22:10; 

Dan. 12:4). But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

The book of Revelation was written to be read and understood. Its message was never as relevant as it is during the present time. We are on the threshold of the great moment of the rapture of the bridal Church of Christ as well as the judgements of God that will be poured out over an apostate world. This is the book of consummation, of completion and perfection. That is why it is so fittingly the last book of the Bible.

Introduction to the book of Revelation

Revelation is important because it is the last divinely inspired Bible book that was written. It is rightly positioned as the Bible’s final book. As the New Testament opens with the four Gospels relating to the first coming of Christ, so the book of Revelation closes the New Testament with the general theme of the second coming of Christ.

According to Profs. Walvoord and Zuck (The Bible Knowledge Commentary) the book of Revelation is also the climax of many lines of revelation running through both testaments, and it brings to a conclusion the revelation of many prophecies yet to be fulfilled.

In Revelation, the second coming of Jesus, and the seven years of the tribulation period immediately preceding it, are revealed more graphically than in any other book of the Bible. In the book of Daniel the period between Daniel’s time and the first coming of Christ is described in detail, while less detailed references are also made to the Antichrist, the great tribulation, and Christ’s reign on earth after His second coming. In Revelation, however, the great end-time events are elaborately revealed, while the prophetic perspective is extended to include the creation of a new heaven and a new earth. Revelation, therefore, expounds upon and gives the final unfolding of future events that are described in Daniel and other prophetic books.

Authorship

In Revelation 1:1 it is clearly stated that the book was written by the Lord’s servant, John. Most evangelical scholars accept the fact that the apostle John is the author of the book. When John received these visions he was in exile on the isle of Patmos. He was deported by Caesar Domitian who ruled as a tyrant in Rome from 84 to 96 A.D. Domitian was a second Nero who tried to completely obliterate Christianity. He demanded the worship of Caesar. Christians who refused to submit themselves to this practice were gruesomely tortured and killed.

This Caesar exiled John to Patmos who, as an old man, ministered to the congregation in Ephesus. That is how John landed on the small, rocky island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea between Asia Minor and Greece. He stayed there until the death of Domitian in the year 96, after which he was allowed to return to Ephesus. The book of Revelation was written in the year 95 or 96 on this island.

The burning question that must have troubled John was most probably: "What will happen to the church of Christ in the midst of all the persecution?" In answer to this question, he received from heaven visions of future events while on this lonely island. In these visions not only Satan’s great battle against the kingdom of God is revealed, but also the final triumph of Christ over the powers of darkness. The glory and dominion of God is sharply contrasted with the rebellion, judgements and condemnation of sinners and their deceivers, the Devil, the Antichrist and the false prophet.

The purpose of the book

The purpose of the book is to reveal things that will occur shortly before, during, and directly after the second coming of Jesus Christ. In accordance with this purpose, the greatest part of the book is devoted to the events of the last seven years before the second coming of Jesus, as described in chapters 4 to 18. The second coming itself is dramatically depicted in Revelation 19, followed by the millennial reign of Christ in Revelation 20, and the final judgement at the end of it. In Revelation 21 and 22, the eternal state is revealed.

The book of Revelation consummates the prophetic themes discussed in other books of the Old and New Testaments, particularly the book of Daniel and the prophetic discourse of the Lord Jesus. Important theological pronouncements are made – not only on the subject of eschatology (the doctrine about end-time events), but also on the doctrines of justification, sanctification, dedication, works of faith, and the perseverance of the saints in the face of fierce struggle and persecution in a degenerating world. Knowledge about God’s end-time program, as well as the future expectation of the coming of the heavenly Bridegroom, is given as a strong incentive towards holy living and an unwavering commitment to Christ. Peter says:

"Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God" (2 Pet. 3:11-12).

 The day of the Lord

The visions which John received are clearly placed in the context of the day of the Lord. He says: "I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day" (Rev. 1:10). This expression refers to the experience in which a person is transformed into a state in which God communicates with him personally in a supernatural way. That was also the experience of Ezekiel (Ezek. 2:2, 3:12, 14), Peter (Acts 10:10-11, 11:15), and Paul (Acts 22:17-18).

There are people who wrongly associate the expression "the Lord’s day" with a Sunday or even with the Sabbath. Nowhere in the Bible is a Sunday described as "the day of the Lord," but always as "the first day of the week." (cf. Mt. 28:1, Mk. 16:2, Lk. 24:1, Jn. 20:1 and 19, Acts 20:7, 1 Cor. 16:2).

The expression "the day of the Lord" clearly has an end-time (eschatological) meaning. Several of the Old Testament prophets referred to it. The visions which John received on Patmos are clearly also related to the coming day of the Lord. John speaks of the day of the Lord as the time when He will pour out His judgements over the wicked. Panic-stricken people will call on the mountains and rocks, saying: "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand? (Rev. 6:16-17). In Revelation 16:14-16 the battle of Armageddon is described as "the battle of that great day of God Almighty."

Isaiah says in chapter 2:12 that on the day of the Lord everything proud and lofty will be brought down and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day (v. 17). In chapter 13:6-9 he says that the day of the Lord will come as destruction from the Almighty. This day will be cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and the Lord will destroy its sinners from it. In chapter 34:8 he calls the day of the Lord a day of vengeance and a year of recompense.

Joel says in chapter 1:15 that the day of the Lord shall come as destruction from the Almighty. In chapter 2:11 he says: "For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; who can endure it? In chapter 3:14 he says that in that day there will be multitudes in the valley of decision.

In Zechariah 14 the great wars that will be waged in and around Jerusalem during the great tribulation are specifically associated with the day of the Lord. In this chapter the second coming of Jesus is also described, when His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives (Zech. 14:4-5). He will be followed by a heavenly host and enter into judgement with His enemies.

Malachi says in chapter 3:2: "Who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears?" In chapter 4:1, 2 he says: "For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly, will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts… But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings."

In 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Paul refers to the day of the Lord that will come like a thief in the night. The same reference is made by Peter in chapter 3:10-12 of his second Epistle.

It is clear that the expression "the day of the Lord" always has an end-time meaning, and in most cases refers to the judgements of God that are described in the book of Revelation.

John and the early church Fathers

To gain greater clarity on the futuristic nature of Revelation, we will have to determine what John taught about his visions when he was released from Patmos and proceeded with his ministry in Asia Minor. Church Fathers who were his students clarify the matter and indicate that this subject was often discussed. The following are some of the pronouncements of church Fathers on the millennium and related matters:

Papias, the bishop of Smyrna, was a student of John and learned firsthand about the author’s own interpretation of the book of Revelation. The teaching of this church Father is very important as he is the link between the millennialist view and the apostles. Papias taught that after the resurrection of the dead there will be a reign of Christ on earth for a thousand years when He will personally sit on the throne. The earth will experience a time of unprecedented fertility, and with great prosperity Christ will rule with His saints. Early in the second century, Justin wrote: "A certain man among us, whose name is John, one of the apostles of Jesus, prophesied in a revelation that he had, that those who believe in our Lord Jesus Christ will be in Jerusalem for a thousand years."

Another church Father, Polycarp, who was one of the youngest students of the apostle John, was a very devoted Christian who also died as a martyr. On the authority of John he taught that the earth will be very fertile during the millennium. Another view of significance is that of Irenaeus who was a student of Polycarp. He said that the reward of the just would be that they will be resurrected from among the dead when the world is renewed and made fertile. His view was that each of the six days of creation indicates a thousand year period, and that after six thousand years of world history have expired it would be followed by the seventh day, which would also be a thousand years.

This last-mentioned view was entertained by various church Fathers, among them Cyprian, Barnabas and Lactanteous. In this regard, the Schaff-Herzog Encyclopaedia says that the general view of the Fathers was that the Lord will appear at the end of the sixth millennium to establish His kingdom on earth. The old view was that this kingdom, which correlates with the Sabbath of Creation, will continue for a thousand years.

Present interpretation of the book

The thousand year reign of peace that will, according to Revelation 20, be instituted after the second coming of Christ is, despite the evidence that has been cited, still a subject of great controversy. In terms of their divergent views, Christians are grouped in different doctrinal schools. Those who interpret the book of Revelation in a literal, dispensational way, are called millennialists. This term is derived from the Latin word for thousand which is mille. It refers to Christians who believe that there will be a literal thousand year reign of peace on earth after the second coming of Jesus Christ. A synonym for the term millennialist is chiliast, which is derived from the Greek word for a thousand, chilios. People who do not believe in a literal thousand year reign are called amillennialists or antichiliasts. They are also inclined to change the meanings of many other biblical statements and concepts by spiritualising what is clearly literal.

Because of these controversies a number of different exegetical principles are applied in the interpretation of the book of Revelation. Some of them deviate so far from the basic meaning of the text that it seriously compromises the divine inspiration of the book. The following are the three most common ways of interpreting the book:

 The allegorical or non-literal approach

This is the practice of the extensive spiritualising of biblical statements. It is a form of interpretation that was offered by the Alexandrian school of theology in the third and fourth centuries, which regards the entire Bible as an allegory to be interpreted in a non-literal sense. This interpretation of the Bible was later restricted largely to end-time prophecies by Augustine, who interpreted Revelation as a chronicle of the spiritual conflict between God and Satan being fulfilled in the present church age. A liberal variation of this in modern times considers Revelation simply as a symbolic presentation of the concept of God’s ultimate victory. Theologians who follow this approach do not believe in a literal millennium; consequently they are described as amillennialists. By spiritualising or allegorising a biblical concept, it is deprived of its face value, after which another meaning is read into it. This method of interpretation is also called replacement theology in terms of which Israel can be taken to mean the church, Jerusalem can become anyone’s home-town, Babylon can be applied to America, baptism can be equated with salvation, and the 144 000 saved Jews of the tribulation can be applied to the millions of Christians of the entire church dispensation. Certain other concepts, such as the rapture, are simply argued away without substituting them with anything else.

 The historical approach

This approach became established during the Middle Ages. In terms of this interpretation most of the prophecies described in Revelation are regarded as having already been fulfilled during the time of the early Christian church and the subsequent Dark Middle Ages. Revelation, including the promise of the millennial reign of Christ, is regarded as a symbolic picture of the entire church age. Followers of this school of thought are postmillennialists who believe that Christ will come after the present "millennium" of the church age. A major problem with this approach is that there are seldom two interpreters who interpret a given passage in the same way. Some of them would, for instance, say that Nero was the Antichrist, while others would identify one or more of the popes as having fulfilled this role. Every new generation of postmillennialists produces new interpretations of Revelation. For obvious reasons, the historical approach has much in common with the allegorical or non-literal approach.

The futuristic approach

This approach is followed by conservative scholars who hold the view that everything described from Revelation 4 to the end of the book are future events that still await fulfilment. The contents of Revelation 4-18 describe the last seven years preceding the second coming of Christ and particularly emphasises the great tribulation, occurring in the last 3½ years before His coming. After the second coming Satan will be bound and the millennial reign of Christ established on earth. Because Christ returns before the millennium, this view of prophecy is termed premillennialism. We are not now in the millennium, and Satan is not confined to a sealed pit – not even in a symbolic sense. Premillennialism honours the literal meaning of Scripture, except when the context clearly shows that a particular concept must be interpreted symbolically. An example of biblical symbolism is the reference to a dragon with seven heads, which is identified by the Bible itself as the devil. However, when the Bible speaks about Israel, the great tribulation, the Antichrist, the false prophet, the battle of Armageddon, the binding and incarceration of Satan after the second coming, there is no justification whatsoever for explaining away the meanings of these concepts through allegorising or spiritualising, or for ascribing other meanings to them at will. The golden rule is: When the plain sense of the word makes common sense, then seek no other sense. The occasional, somewhat strange symbolism in Revelation can be attributed to the fact that John only had the archaic terminology of the first century to narrate his visions, and consequently experienced problems in describing the cosmic disasters, the modern technology and nuclear wars that were revealed to him. It was never meant to provide an excuse to amillennialists not to take the message seriously.

Evaluation of the three approaches

To the amillennialists, the prophetic message of Revelation has lost its literal meaning and relevance as a result of spiritualisation. The chronology of the book is also not recognised since the thousand year reign of Revelation 20 is regarded as an integral part of the church history which is described in Revelation 2 and 3. Consequently, they do not believe that a literal kingdom will be established, the period is not a thousand years, and the devil is not bound completely – he is attached to a lengthy chain and is able, to a significant degree, to still move around and do his evil business. Some of the amillennialists maintain that the devil is completely bound and no longer a factor to be reckoned with. On the extreme side of this school of thought there are those who believe that there is no devil and no hell – these concepts should also be interpreted symbolically.

Some of the people who deviate from the literal meaning of Revelation believe that the church will, through its own efforts, improve the world and eventually usher in the millennium. According to them, Christ will return only after the present millennium. They are called postmillennialists who also dispense with the concept of a literal kingdom of Christ on earth.

Furthermore, the amillennialists and postmillennialists do not believe in the physical and spiritual restoration of the people of Israel according to Old Testament prophecies. In terms of replacement theology, they regard the church as the new Israel, or the spiritual Israel. They also discard the rapture, and by means of spiritualisation dispense with various concrete statements in the Bible. As far as they are concerned, the prophetic message of Revelation is now largely inapplicable because of its alleged historical fulfilment.

Because the amillennialist and postmillennialist views jeopardise the credibility of the prophetic word they erode the expectation of the near return of Christ by influencing people not to understand and heed the signs of the times. Important signs such as the restoration of Israel are ignored by them, as well as the spiritual deception and great falling away of the last days, the institution of a cashless monetary system, the ecumenical alliance of world religions, and the emergence of the new world order of the Antichrist. The inevitable result is that Church members lose the ability to spiritually discern the signs of the times, and resort to a materialistic way of life that gradually deteriorates into a humanistic and worldly assessment of reality. Within this secular perspective, human relationships, brotherly love and all kinds of social, moral, ethical and political issues dominate their thinking while the man-God-relationship is confined to the background. Under these circumstances the expectation of the soon coming Bridegroom and a heavenly vision of Christ as ‘the bright and morning star’ quickly fades into oblivion.

Premillennialism places a strong focus upon the basic truths of the Scriptures. It inculcates a clear concept of God's divine plan for future events. Christians who hold this view, are disposed to interpret current affairs in the world in the light of the prophetic word, and, therefore, have the spiritual ability to see a Biblical pattern in contemporary events. They avoid the typical amillennial pitfall of complacency that arises from the self-imposed inference that the Devil is bound, that Christians are taking over the world for Christ, and will soon be able to sit back and enjoy the benefits of the kingdom. Instead, they view themselves as strangers and pilgrims in a world that "lies under the sway of the wicked one" (1 Jn. 5:19). Within this orientation, an intensified struggle between the powers of light and darkness is expected.

Premillennialists are also aware of the solemn hour in which we live, and are convinced that the dispensation of the church is rapidly running out. Under these circumstances they make the best use of their time to warn others to prepare themselves to meet the Lord. Greater evangelistic zeal is encouraged in this manner, as the time to give effect to the Great Commission is soon to expire. Furthermore, the prophetic word urges people to continuously conduct their lives according to biblical standards of holiness, in preparation for the return of Jesus. They also long for the coming of the heavenly Bridegroom, who will take them to their heavenly mansions which He has prepared for them. John14:1-3

Should you not be a millennialist, please do not lose interest in this presentation of prophetic truth. We do not discuss theological doctrine, but only the basic truths that are recorded for you and for me in the book of Revelation. As the name indicates, Revelation unveils the future so that we may know what to expect. I invite you to join me on a journey of discovery into this vast, Divinely inspired treasure-house of knowledge about the end-time. We will discover unsearchable riches of the love and saving grace of Christ, but also solemn warnings of the terrible judgements awaiting those who have not turned to the living God and His son, Jesus Christ, to be saved.