two version of revelation preterist and posterist

#TWO VERSION OF REVELATION PRETERIST AND POSTERIST SERIES#

The spiritual themes of Revelation are timeless, these scholars argue, but the specific events of which this book speaks were all fulfilled in the first century. (They argue the same for Jesus’ pronouncement of impending doom in Matthew 24, for Jesus explicitly states “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened,” vs. According to preterists, these statements require that we look for fulfillments in the lifetime of the original audience. Throughout the book, there is an urgency for the readers to respond quickly (e.g., 2:16 3:10–11 22:6, 7, 12, 20). Revelation was written to “the seven churches that are in Asia” (1:4) about matters that “must soon take place” (1:1) because “the time is near” (1:3, cf. As with every book in the Bible, we must attempt to read Revelation from the perspective of the first-century Christians to whom it was originally written. In defense of their position, preterists contend that we must not abandon sound hermeneutical principles when we consider Revelation. Similarly, the forty-two months of his horrifying reign (13:5) happen to be the exact duration of the Roman siege on Jerusalem beginning in A.D. For example, “the beast” likely refers to Nero, whose “number” is 666 (the numerical value of “Nero Caesar” in Hebrew ). Preterists argue that most of the symbolic events in this book can be correlated with first-century figures and events. With the advent of the historical-critical method of biblical interpretation, it became the dominant interpretation among New Testament scholars, though it has been less popular among evangelical scholars.Īccording to preterism, Revelation is a heavily symbolic, apocalyptic and prophetic book that was written primarily to warn readers of impending persecution, to encourage them to persevere in the face of suffering, and to reassure them that God is in control and will overcome evil in the end. This view has precedent in the early church, but it did not become widespread until the nineteenth century. The term preterist comes from the Latin word praeteritus, which means, “gone by.” The preterist interpretation of Revelation holds that the events spoken of in this book were all specifically fulfilled in the first century. Here’s the major views scholars take of the book of Revelation.

#TWO VERSION OF REVELATION PRETERIST AND POSTERIST SERIES#

Many evangelicals don’t realize that the futuristic interpretation of Revelation advocated in this popular series is only one of several interpretations evangelicals espouse. The recent unprecedented success of the Left Behind series is evidence of this popular fascination. Few biblical topics have captured the imagination of contemporary evangelicals like the book of Revelation.

Two version of revelation preterist and posterist