Does the Book of Revelation Predict the Future? With all the crazy stuff that has been happening in our world, it feels like the whole world has gone mad! This craziness is why I was inspired to write about the book of Revelation. I have seen numerous posts referring to Revelation and the end time. Many think we are in that time right now. I get it....It is easy to think that the chaos of our present world is the very thing John's visions "predict" in Revelation. But does Revelation really predict the future?
I am certainly not an expert when it comes to the bible, but lucky for me, Our Pastor is pretty good. I have been attending a bible study group led by our interim pastor. When the Covid stuff started, one of our members was concerned that this was the end time that Revelation talks about. Pastor Christian said he did not get the feeling that we should be concerned that the end was near. Since there have been many plagues throughout history, he didn't think this pandemic was much different. But he did ask if we would like to study the Book of Revelation. What a great idea! I would love to understand the mystery of the book of Revelation. An Apocalyptic Prophecy The last book of the bible is of the apocalyptic genre. In Greek apocalypse means "lifting the veil" or revelation. The book of Revelation is "lifting the veil" or revealing, divine messages to John so he can relate them to the seven churches in the Roman province of Asia. Let me start by saying Revelation is a very confusing and scary book. It's a tough read. It is important to understand that Revelation is of the apocalyptic genre. It uses highly symbolic visions to reveal events that will take place. John's visions are cryptic and can be very frightening. This type of writing does get the readers attention and makes for a more captivating read. Captivating the readers attention may be the best way to get the reader to pay attention, realize the importance of the message and take action. Are John's visions a continuous history of the church? Are they a template that can be applied to any time in history? Can we use his writings to be aware of past events and use them to truly see what is happening in our world today? There are so many events, Past and Present that can be tied to visions in Revelation. Were they meant to warn the existing churches of event that were happening at that time? It may seems that way since Jesus directed John to send his writing to the seven churches. Was the point of the text to inspire Christians to have faith in trying times? Do they represent the constant struggle between good and evil? Each vision seems to represent evil forces, even when they are disguised as typical behaviors or events in society. Are his visions a prediction of what is yet to come..... The end days in the future that will lead to Christ's return? Many of the visions demonstrate the need for faith and the promise that God is with us in difficult times. Four method of interpreting Revelation I was flipping through radios stations the other day and I heard a man talking about Revelation. Yet another reason I was inspired to write this. This book seems to be grabbing my attention lately. His talk was about the different ways people interpret the meaning of this book. 1.Some interpret the book as a historical view of the church's history from the beginning to the coming or Christ. In the "historicist" view, the visions are describing actual historic events, nations or people throughout time. Some interpret each chapter as a time in church history. However, many relate the visions in Revelation to their current time in history. For example, the reformers would say the Roman papacy was the anti-Christ with it's false doctrines and deceptions. 2.A second method says the visions represent things that happened during the time of the author. This "preterist" method supports the idea that the prophecies have been fulfilled and represent what was happening in the churches during the first century. The full preterist view is that Jesus's return to earth was a spiritual return not a physical return. Since John is describing current events, it is written in code to hide the criticism of the Roman government. For example, the state/government's demand that people worship the emperors was in conflict with church law. 3.A third method sees these visions as the ongoing struggle between good and evil in the church until the time of Christ's return. This "idealist" method of interpreting Revelation does not tie the visions to any specific events in history or in the future. They are poetry and symbolism...remember it's written in the style of the apocalyptic genre. The book is just showing the struggle with Satan which continues through time until the second coming. The book of Revelation assures us that God will conquer evil and make things right. 4.Then there is the forth "futurist" method which says these visions represent the future. They are things to come immediately before Christ's second coming. Does this book of the Bible predict the End Days? So do the visions represent history or are they a prediction of the end time? Are the end days going to be like a horror movie? It's really hard to say. I know you read all this for the answer. When you read and interpret the symbols, images and text, there are so many discrepancies that show up when you try to fit it into any of the four methods of interpreting Revelation. I don't think any one method fully explains the Book of Revelation. I think it is a combination of the four methods. In order to form your own opinion, research is necessary to interpret the crazy visions of Revelation. I found some bible study and commentary sources on line that were helpful. I am grateful for our church bible study. Our pastor has such a great knowledge of history and the bible. He is also a great teacher! He is able to take the confusing text, relate it to what was happening in the world at that time (history), clarify the biblical meaning of words used in the text, reference text from the gospels of the old testament that use the same or similar language and imagery and somehow it starts to make sense to me. I have had so many AH-HA moments during our bible study. I will be posting more about the book of Revelation. Our journey through the Book of Revelations has only just begun but my biggest take is this subject.....No matter what crazy, scary or heartbreaking events may happen in life......always, always always keep your faith. Jesus loves you and he will always be there for you. And all will be well (made right) in the end.
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AuthorKathy Kissinger is very focused on helping others get back to a more aligned life as their true self. Coaching through life's transitions is her specialty. Archives
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