Interpreting The Book of Revelation

[Guest]

.... The central theme of the book of Revelation is Jesus' second coming. W. Hall Harris in His treatise on the theology of the book of Revelation in the book entitled, A Biblical Theology Of The Old Testament makes the following observation:

"From John's initial vision of the exalted Christ in chapter 1 to the establishment of the new heavens and the new earth in chapter 22, the central message of the book concerns the return of Christ and the consummation of His rule. In spite of suffering, persecution, and even martyrdom, God's people ultimately share in Christ's triumph. This message of encouragement and reassurance is as applicable to the church today as it was toward the close of the first century. Christians may rest assured that they are on the winning side; no earthly or demonic powers will be able to resist the victorious Christ when He returns."

The problem with how many people treat the book of Revelation and Bible prophecy in general stems from the perceived need to identify particulars. They try to identify through conjecture and presumption things for which we do not have enough light. This true in terms of the rapture questions, the identity of the anti-Christ/beast/false prophet, the identity of Mystery Babylon, as well as the identity of the nations mentioned in the text.....

Amen!

Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. John 5:39

The Revelation Of Jesus The Messiah

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Revelation 1:1

In His Lordship

And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever. Revelation 5:11-14

And Power

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. Revelation 20:11

As Has Be Seen Before

See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.

For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever. Deuteronomy 32:39-49

But Often Overlooked By Some

Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him. Luke 11:54

Who Would Seek To Take His Throne

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Matthew 24:24

>>>>>()<<<<<

A Wonder Filled Thread

The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. John 12:21

And A Big Thank You To All Who Dare To Dip Their Toes Into Deep Waters

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. 1 Timothy 3:16

Love, Your Brother Joe

[Guest shiloh357]

I did not take it personal, if it seemed I did I apologize. And, being completely computer illiterate, I have no links. :0)

Yes, the rule of thumb is that the longer the post the less likely it is to be read. People generally do not have time to read really long posts. The more you can say in fewer words, the better.

It is frustrating for the writer to work really hard on a post that no one reads, and it is too time consuming for the reader who may have to budget his/her board time.

[sdktlk]

This discourse seems to have come to an end, so I would like to add one thing. We do know that the Book of Revelation is an open book, unlike Daniel which was closed for some centuries. This being the case we should be able to see what the Lord has to say to us if we start at the beginning and follow it through to the end. What we do know is that it is a book of symbols, as illustrated by the Lord from the start. Therefore, if we look to Him, the Living Word, and the Bible, the written Word, the understanding of it is attainable. Examples: A woman, in Scripture, always points to the Church, whether pure or apostate. A beast always points to secular government. White always points to righteousness and purity, etc. etc.

It has to be, "...comparing spiritual things with spiritual..." (1Cor 2:13)

Just some things to consider. Yours in Christ.

Edited January 4, 2011 by sdktlk

[Guest shiloh357]

This discourse seems to have come to an end, so I would like to add one thing. We do know that the Book of Revelation is an open book, unlike Daniel which was closed for some centuries. This being the case we should be able to see what the Lord has to say to us if we start at the beginning and follow it through to the end. What we do know is that it is a book of symbols, as illustrated by the Lord from the start. Therefore, if we look to Him, the Living Word, and the Bible, the written Word, the understanding of it is attainable. Examples: A woman, in Scripture, always points to the Church, whether pure or apostate. A beast always points to secular government. White always points to righteousness and purity, etc. etc.

It has to be, "...comparing spiritual things with spiritual..." (1Cor 2:13)

Just some things to consider. Yours in Christ.

The book of Revelation uses a lot concrete descriptions. The woman does not always represent the church. When you start down the road of locking in what is or is not symbolic and you use such a narrow approach, everything starts falling apart. The book of Revelation has a lot in it that we don't yet understand so to say it is an open book is not accurate. There is a lot in Revelation we dont have enough light to be dogmatc about and it is in our best interest to avoid trying to intpret particulars without more light from the Lord.

[sdktlk]

This discourse seems to have come to an end, so I would like to add one thing. We do know that the Book of Revelation is an open book, unlike Daniel which was closed for some centuries. This being the case we should be able to see what the Lord has to say to us if we start at the beginning and follow it through to the end. What we do know is that it is a book of symbols, as illustrated by the Lord from the start. Therefore, if we look to Him, the Living Word, and the Bible, the written Word, the understanding of it is attainable. Examples: A woman, in Scripture, always points to the Church, whether pure or apostate. A beast always points to secular government. White always points to righteousness and purity, etc. etc.

It has to be, "...comparing spiritual things with spiritual..." (1Cor 2:13)

Just some things to consider. Yours in Christ.

The book of Revelation uses a lot concrete descriptions. The woman does not always represent the church. When you start down the road of locking in what is or is not symbolic and you use such a narrow approach, everything starts falling apart. The book of Revelation has a lot in it that we don't yet understand so to say it is an open book is not accurate. There is a lot in Revelation we dont have enough light to be dogmatc about and it is in our best interest to avoid trying to intpret particulars without more light from the Lord.

When you say we you use an awfully big brush. I would always count that, in this earth, the Lord always has a remnant reserved unto Himself, as per His Word, that walk in much greater Light than I myself have been blessed with. Please understand I am not speaking of myself, but there are those in the Lord who are indeed His slaves and certainly possess great Light.

Also, I did not say it is open, the Word of God says it is not sealed. And, in accordance with Vine's Dictionary the word in Revelation 1:1 "signified - to give a sign, indicate, is where perhaps the suggestion is that of expressing with signs."

If I cannot trust that the Book of Revelation is symbolic, and the interpretation of the symbols are available through the Word, then it becomes "foundation less." And I see that those things which have no foundation come from the bottomless pit.

Edited January 4, 2011 by sdktlk

[Guest yod]

Hey sdktlk,

Can you tell me how to get to Indianapolis?

[sdktlk]

Hey sdktlk,

Can you tell me how to get to Indianapolis?

One step at a time.

[other one]

Hey sdktlk,

Can you tell me how to get to Indianapolis?

just set your gps to 39 degrees 45' 57.20" N

86 degrees 10'43.29"W

and follow it's instructions....

[sdktlk]

Back to the thread now... can anyone point me to anything in Revelation that is not symbolic, except for Michael and Satan?

[Guest yod]

Hey sdktlk,

Can you tell me how to get to Indianapolis?

One step at a time.

In order to give directions, you have to know where I'm starting. If you give me directions from Miami but I'm in Denver, I'll end up in Seattle.

The point is that it is impossible to come to a correct conclusion if you ignore where the scriptures come from. When you start with an incorrect premise (the Church is Israel in prophetic writings) then you're traveling without a compass and going the wrong way.