Tag: Postmillennialism

Coming With The Clouds

One of the fundamental principles of Biblical interpretation, is to let the Bible interpret the Bible, as opposed to attempting to  interpret the Bible, whether it be Revelation or Matthew 24, with the New York Times or Fox News.

In other words, you don’t look at current events and then try to find them in the symbolism in Revelation. It’s specious and chronologically arrogant, assuming as it must, that we are, as one pulp fiction writer called it, “the terminal generation.”

The symbols and figures of speech used in Revelation, and other parts of the New Testament, were known to the Jews and had often been used in the Old Testament. This is true of the image of God “coming with the clouds.” Continue reading “Coming With The Clouds”

Revelation 1:7

In my first post on Revelation, I focused on the statements in the first three verses that promise the events in Revelation would happen “soon,” which I argued meant near the time Revelation was written.

There is another indication in the first chapter of Revelation that “soon” means soon and “near” means near, and that is found in verse 7:

“Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the land will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.”

(Rev. 1:7). When Jesus is “coming with the clouds” (whatever that means), it would be a time when those who killed (“pierced”) Him are still alive. That sort of narrows it down. Continue reading “Revelation 1:7”

Revelation 1:1-3

I’ve purposed to spend January in the Book of Revelation. So, from time-to-time this month I may drop a blog post on what I’m reading. Here is Revelation 1:1-3:

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.”

People talk about how Revelation is so difficult to understand, and yet here, in the first sentence, stated so there is no misunderstanding, is the purpose for which the revelation was given: so God could show Christians “the things which must soon take place.” Continue reading “Revelation 1:1-3”

Why Your Eschatology Matters

You’ve heard the joke:  “Q: Are you premillennial, postmillennial or amillennial? A: I’m panmillennial; I think it will all pan out in the end.”

Besides its use as Sunday morning sermon humor, the joke is used to suggest it really doesn’t matter what you believe about the end times. Nothing could be further from the truth.

If the weatherman says its going to rain tomorrow would you plan a picnic? If you knew it didn’t matter how hard you worked at your job, that you would never be promoted or receive a raise and would ultimately be terminated, how hard would you work? Continue reading “Why Your Eschatology Matters”

Early Dating For Revelation?

After visiting Ephesus and the tomb of the Apostle John, I blogged on the one question I would ask John if he were still alive.

The one question: “When did you write the Book of Revelation?”

It is an important question because it is determinative of one’s eschatology. In a previous blog post, I explain why.

While reading in Revelation on December 31, 2010 (completing my read through the Bible in 2010), I came across this:

Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, “Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it.”

Continue reading “Early Dating For Revelation?”