A Study of Revelation: Introduction

 There are 4 overall schools of thought when interpreting Revelation

1. PRETERIST: A Latin word that means, past.  This is the idea that the events described in Revelation had either already happened or would happen within the generation of John’s writing.

2. HISTORIC: This is the idea that the prophecies of Revelation have been being fulfilled throughout the church age and are still being fulfilled today.

3. SYMBOLIC: This is the idea that events being described in Revelation aren’t necessarily literal events in history.  Instead, they are an allegorical description of the history of the Church and God’s ultimate triumph over evil.

4. FUTURISTIC: The belief that Revelation is a description (albeit a symbolic description) of literal events that will take place at the end of the age.  This is the view held by most protestant churches.  

We need to carefully handle Scripture

• 2 Peter 1:20, Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

• The Bible generally means exactly what it says.  We should let the words speak for themselves.

• When the meaning isn’t clear, we need to be careful not to make people’s interpretation become Scripture.

• Benny Hinn once said Adam was able to fly

• Genesis 1:28, And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

• Hinn claimed that having dominion over something would mean it couldn’t do something you couldn’t do.  Since Adam had dominion over birds, it means Adam could fly!

• The Bible says God gave man dominion.  The Bible doesn’t say Adam could fly.  Hinn’s interpretation of the Scripture isn’t Scripture!

• This is how we should approach Revelation.  We hold fast to the Bible (Sola Scriptura, Bible Alone).  We should never become dogmatic about one interpretation of Revelation as though that interpretation carries the same weight as Scripture!

Psalm 22

v. 1, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

v. 6-8, But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.

v. 14-16,  I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

v. 17-18, I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

• We clearly see Psalm 22 as a description of the Passion of Jesus

• But I am a worm (metaphor) 

• I am poured out like water, (simile) 

• my heart is like wax, it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd;... For dogs have compassed me:

• The language here in Psalms could be described as literary, poetic, symbolic, and/or figurative.  Yet we know they are describing events that actually happened!

• Four important points we can learn from Psalm 22

• It is evidence of the divine inspiration of the Bible

• These are direct quotes and minute details of an event that would happen 1,000 years after the Psalm was written!

• It identified Jesus as the Messiah

• When Jesus made this comment, anyone present would have known this is from Psalm 22.

• We can look at the Psalm and say that it is a poetic description of a real event.  It is literal.

• For 1,000 years, this Psalm was considered to be symbolic

• To David, it might represent the direct persecution he felt by Saul or even his own sons.

• To others, it might represent those times in our lives when we are facing persecution and God doesn’t seem to be present.

• All of these are acceptable ways to understand the Psalm

• Because it literally happened, it identified Jesus as the Messiah

• It is symbolic of those times when God doesn’t seem to hear.

• When Jesus was on the cross and spoke these words, God’s perfect plan was still being fulfilled!

• The Psalm was relevant in David’s day, it was relevant in Jesus’ day, and it’s still relevant today!

• The Book of Revelation is much like this Psalm. It was relevant when it was written, it’s relevant now, and it will still be relevant in the future.

• Revelation 1:19, Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;