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Christian eschatological views

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Main articles: Christian eschatology and Book of Revelation

This is a general overview of the eschatological interpretations of the Book of Revelation people hold and the differences between Christian groups; the differences are by no means monolithic as representing one group or another and many differences exist within each group.

Interpretive and hermeneutical overviews of the Bible

Covenantal

Hermeneutics: Usually Grammatical-Historical typologised and contextualised. Three covenants - Covenant of Works or Law, Covenant of Redemption and Covenant of Grace. Under the Covenant of Works mankind, represented ultimately in a covenantal sense under Adam beginning from the Garden of Eden, failed to live as God intended and stood condemned. But beyond time the Covenant of Redemption was made between the Father and Son, to agree that Christ would live an acceptable substitutionary life on behalf of, and as a covenantal representative for, those who would sin but would trust in Christ as their covenantal substitutionary representative, which bought them into the Covenant of Grace. There is only one plan of salvation - both for the Jew and Gentile alike - founded in and through Christ. This plan of salvation builds on and links all the covenantal ages of Biblical history together into a connected series of building blocks so that there is only one chosen people of faith but spread across two epochs - the Old Testament Believing Jews as well as the New Testament Gentile Christians. Both will share an eternal destiny in a New Heavens and New Earth. Old Covenant Jewish laws, practices and promises are considered spiritually redundant because they were fulfilled on our behalf by Christ. Some in this school see Biblical prophecy as either already fulfilled or spiritualised. Others, such as those in the Premillennial Historicism school-of-thought, see prophecy as being fulfilled according to a grammatical-historical literal interpretation during the history subsequent to the writing of the respective Scriptures, up to and including the present-day. According to this latter view, prophecies in the Old and New Testaments concerning ethnic Israel are fulfilled literally. Moreover, the Covenant of Grace applies to all who trust Christ for their salvation, regardless of ethnicity, and thus the Covenant potentially covers Jews and Gentiles alike with regard to salvation, sanctification, and resurrection. Christ will return in a once-off second coming on an unknown day.

Dispensational

Hermeneutics: Interpretation as the 'plain meaning' implies. Biblical references to Israel mean ancient and modern Israel. Prophecy is always literal and future, including unconditional promises to Israel to inherit the promised land (from the Nile to the Euphrates and the Eastern bank of the Jordan), Jerusalem and the Temple mount for the rebuilding of a temple possibly in place of the Muslim Dome of the Rock, see Christian Zionism). There are two separate plans of salvation for two separate chosen peoples of God, Jews and Christians - from Biblical times until the end of time. There are seven distinctly separate 'dispensations' (eras) where God tests man's obedience differently. The present 'Church dispensation' concerns Christians as God's 'heavenly people' who are promised a heavenly kingdom and saved by grace through faith, who are for this age a parenthesis to God's main plan of dealing with and blessing his earthly people, the Jews, seen by some to be saved by sincere law-keeping and seen by others to be saved by grace. Jewish sovereignty over the promised earthly kingdom of Jerusalem and Palestine was postponed from the time of Christ's first coming, because of the Jew's rejection of him, until prior to or just after his second coming when most or all Jews will embrace him - See Restorationism – so following Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem, the promised land and the rebuilt Jewish Temple, 'all Israel will be saved' converting to Christianity and Christ will return in a two staged second coming interspersed with the tribulation - the first half of Christ's coming will be to rapture believers and the second to deal with everyone else.

Allegorical or Mythical

Hermeneutics: The Bible may or may not be factually accurate but is designed to teach spiritual lessons through allegory and myth. The Bible is more literary than historical.

Interpretations of the Book of Revelation

The Judgements Chapters 1 - 19: Four views

  • Idealism: Present continual fulfillment of symbolical text; spiritual events
  • Historicism: Gradual historical fulfillment of literary text; real events; Pope/Catholics: Antichrist
  • Preterism: Past first century fulfillment of literary text; real events
  • Futurism: Future immanent fulfillment of literal text; real events

The Millennium Chapter 20: Three views

Eschatological frameworks

Covenantal

Held by groups ranging from those who are mostly Biblically inerrant to those who are almost completely Biblically inerrant and more Calvinist leaning. Held by most Protestant Churches who take a Historical-grammatical and Typological interpretation of the Bible and those holding to Reformed theology such as the Reformed church most of the Presbyterian church, some low church Anglicans, some Baptist churches and some Wesleyan Methodist churches and certain Lutheran churches.

Judgements: Revelation Ch 1 - 19
Millennium: Revelation Ch 20

Dispensational

Held by groups who are almost completely Biblically inerrant and often more Arminian leaning. Held by most Protestant groups who take a more literal interpretation of the Bible including many, but not all, Pentecostal Charismatic and Baptist churches and Independent and 'Non-denominational' churches as well as a few of the Presbyterian Church and Wesleyan Methodist churches. Also held by most groups that are labelled Fundamentalists. The more politically active sections within this eschatological view often strongly support the Christian Zionism movement and the associated political, military and economic support for Israel which comes from certain groups within American politics and parts of the Christian right. This view is also held in a modified form by the sects, such as the Mormons, Jehovah's witnesses, Christadelphians and Adventist splinter groups such as the Branch Davidians.

Judgements: Revelation Ch 1 - 19
Millennium: Revelation Ch 20

Allegorical or Mythical

Held by groups ranging from those who are partly Biblically inerrant to those who do not believe in Biblical inerrancy at all including liberal scholars in main line denominations. Also includes most who believe in Papal infallibility such as most traditional Roman Catholic, high church Anglo-Catholic, Catholic-leaning Lutherans, Eastern Orthodox churches and others. Usually Arminian leaning.

Judgements: Revelation Ch 1 - 19
Millennium: Revelation Ch 20

See also

References

  • Darrell L. Bock (ed), Three views on the Millennium and beyond (1999, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan) ISBN 0310201438
  • C. Marvin Pate (ed), Four views on the Book of Revelation (1998, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan) ISBN 0310210801
  • Steve Gregg (ed), Revelation, Four views, A parallel commentary (1997, Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson) ISBN 0840721285

Preterist

Idealist

Under construction

Historicist

Joe Haynes, http://www.historicism.com.

Futurist

Under construction

Premillennial

Under construction

Postmillennial

Under construction

Amillennial

Under construction

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