Theology: Revelation and John Revelation and John: Theology

A lot of debate and controversy surrounds the proper interpretation of the Book of Revelation. There are four main interpretations of the apocalyptic work, with the four differing on the question of whether the events in Revelation have already been fulfilled, and whether the symbols relate to any historical events (Pate, 2009). We discuss three of these interpretations:

The Idealist View

the book of Revelation does not relate to any historical events; it only symbolizes the ongoing struggle between evil and good (Kreider, 2004)

Symbols not tied to specific events, but point to themes in the history of the church - the battles represent the spiritual warfare manifested in wars and the persecution of Christians; the catastrophes represent God's displeasure with man's sinful nature and a manifestation of how God emerges victorious in the end; the trumpets represent natural disasters occurring as God works out His plan for mankind; and the beast from the sea represents political opposition to the church throughout history

The Preterits View

The prophecies found in Revelation were fulfilled with the fall of Jerusalem in the first century; we are now living in a new earth (Kreider, 2004)

Two examples are used to support this view -- first, Josephus' record of the fall of Jerusalem appears to match the symbolism presented in the Book of Revelation. Secondly, Jesus' words at the end of the Olivet Discourse, "These generations will not pass away until all these things have taken place" (Matt 24: 34) fit the date of the fall of Jerusalem -- a generation refers to 40 years, the fall of Jerusalem occurred within this predicted period.

The Futuristic View

The events prophesied...

Thus, the seven churches describe second-generation churches, implying that the prophesies were not fulfilled in the first generation as claimed by preterits.
Part Two: Case Study

Case Study

John Piper is the lead pastor at the Minneapolis Christian Center, a Reformed Protestantism ministry in the State of Minnesota. He has always strived to nurture his Christians in the ways of Protestantism, maintaining a firm position on a variety of issues including adultery, marriage, and divorce. Cases of family violence and disruptions have, however, been rampant in recent months, prompting the church committee to invite Mark Thompson, a guest speaker, professional chaplain, motivational speaker, and renowned marriage counselor to address the congregation during a weekend challenge. Church members were requested to attend the event with their spouses. The clergy were not to attend as it was thought that their presence would hinder members' ability to participate in the session freely.

Mr. Thompson's view about divorce and adultery, however, differed significantly from that held by the Protestant faith. He suggested that under no circumstances does God permit divorce. In his view, the Old Testament depicts cases such as that of Hagar, where there were concubines involved; yet there is no mention of divorce (Instone-Brewer, 2002; Mayes, 2011). He makes reference to Hosea, who…