Interpretations of Revelation's End Times Prophecies

Eschatology

Eschatology—from the Greek words éskhatos, meaning “end or last,”[i] and logos, meaning “a word, discourse, tale, or reason”[ii]—is defined as studies or opinions of the end of the world. In essence, eschatology is the study of the “end tale” of the world based on an interpretation of Biblical prophecy. Christian theology has three main eschatological interpretations—Preterism, Historicism, and Futurism. The simplest way to explain the many differences between the three views is that Preterists believe Revelation has already been fulfilled, Historicists believe it is continuously being fulfilled over time, and Futurists believe the book has yet to be fulfilled.

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Futurism

Whether you are Protestant or Catholic, you have probably been taught the Futurist interpretation of the end times. Under Futurism, one Antichrist figure will rule the world for seven years. The first three and a half years will be peaceful and prosperous. After this period of relative calm, the Antichrist will enter a rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem, declare himself God, and begin a severe period of persecution known as the Great Tribulation. He will impose the “mark of the beast” on the entire world, prohibiting anyone without the mark from participating in commerce. Many Futurists believe Christians alive at the time would be raptured—or taken to Heaven—just before the Great Tribulation begins, though some believe the church will be forced to endure this persecution.

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According to Futurism, all signs in Revelation 4-20 occur in this window of only seven years. However, there are numerous conceptual problems with Futurism. Most Bible commentators throughout Christian history believed the church would remain on earth during these chapters. If the rapture occurs before the Tribulation, which Christians would the Antichrist persecute? If an Antichrist-like world leader declares himself God inside a rebuilt Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, the entire world would know Christ would return in three and a half years. Why would God provide such precise advance notice of Jesus’ second coming? Futurism would suggest anyone alive before the arrival of the Antichrist would not need to stay vigilant and watch for Jesus’ return as he directed us to.[1] Also, once the non-Christians left on earth after the rapture notice all the Christian churches are empty, why would they not immediately convert?

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Catholic Futurists believe the apostasy Paul predicted in II Thessalonians will be a falling away from the Catholic Church rather than a falling away from God.[2] This view elevates the importance of the Catholic Church above that of God. It presumes God cared more about which denomination his believers belong to than if they were faithful followers of Jesus Christ. Some Protestants of the Futurist school comparably believe Paul’s apostasy will be fulfilled by falling away from churches, although they usually do not specify a denomination. The Futurist school manipulates scripture, particularly the books of Daniel and Revelation, and applies Biblical prophetic symbolism inconsistently. Futurism also contradicts the view of the early church leaders, who believed Revelation would begin to be fulfilled shortly after John wrote his visions down.

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For Futurism to be correct, we must assume God had nothing to tell us about the world from the first century until seven years before Jesus’ second coming. This hypothesis would mean he provided no roadmap for the church to survive the temptations and dangers that awaited it after the Apostolic Age. Futurism robs Christians of God’s guidance over the critical period of church history after those with first-hand accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry had died.

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The cleverness behind Futurism’s lengthy delay between the life of Jesus and the appearance of the Antichrist is that its theories cannot be proven or disproven. Futurism persuades Christians to ignore both the past and present fulfillment of Revelation’s prophecies and constantly search for future signs that will never arrive. Christianity has had a long-term persecutor over the centuries; however, most Christians today ignore this evil antagonist as they are too busy looking for an Antichrist who has not yet come. Sadly, nearly all Christian denominations now teach a future fulfillment of Revelation.

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Preterism

The term “Preterism” originates from the Latin word praeter, meaning “past.” The Preterist view attempts to assign the fulfillment of the book of Revelation to events that occurred during the apostles’ generation. Those who belong to the Preterist school look to validate their theories through the events of the first century, within forty years of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. Generally, the Preterists assign the identity of the Antichrist to Emperor Nero and the Great Tribulation to the First Jewish-Roman War in 66-73 AD. Many in the Preterist school even believe Jesus returned to earth during the 70 AD fall of Jerusalem. Conveniently, these Preterists assert he only returned in the spirit—so no one alive could see his second coming.

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The Preterists’ assessment of Revelation contradicts the words of Paul, who stated with certainty that Jesus would return loudly—with shouts, the voice of the archangel, and trumpets.[3] The apostle John also refuted the idea of an invisible second coming, writing that “every eye shall see him” when he ultimately returns.[4] Jesus and his apostles told Christians to watch for his reappearance several times in the New Testament, meaning we will be able to witness the second coming when it occurs. Paul also prophesied that this event would prompt the resurrection of Christians who had already died, which unquestionably has not happened.

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Jesus proclaimed his followers would “be hated of all nations” before his second coming.[5] Did widespread hatred of Christians exist by 70 AD? The Jews and Romans persecuted early Christians, but they were not extensively hated outside of the Roman Empire. Christianity was little known beyond the Mediterranean region in the four decades following Christ’s resurrection, so Jesus’ prophecy contradicts Preterism.

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In addition, Nero cannot be the Antichrist for several reasons. First, the emperor died by suicide in 68 AD, well before the destruction of Jerusalem’s Temple two years later. For the destruction of the Temple to fulfill the Great Tribulation prophecy, as most Preterists believe, a Neronian Antichrist would have died before the peak of his own persecution.

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Second, Nero’s persecution was alleged to have begun shortly after the Great Fire of Rome on July 18, 64 AD. The Romans suspected their emperor was the arsonist behind the fire, and he needed a scapegoat. Pagan historian Tacitus was the primary source for the narrative that Nero passed the blame onto Rome’s Christians. “Therefore, to scotch the rumor,” he wrote, “Nero substituted as culprits, and punished with the utmost refinements of cruelty, a class of men, loathed for their vices, whom the crowd styled Christians. Christus, the founder of the name, had undergone the death penalty in the reign of Tiberius, by sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilatus.”[iii] If Nero’s persecution began in July 64 AD, whether it continued until his death in June 68 AD or through the razing of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD, it would represent a four or six-year Great Tribulation rather than the three and a half years written in prophecy. Each of these Preterist Tribulation theories runs contrary to the scriptural evidence.

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Third, Nero’s life and the fall of Jerusalem in the First Jewish-Roman War predated the book of Revelation by about three decades. The prophetic basis of Revelation would be invalidated if John was writing about events that had already occurred. The Preterists adjust for this inconvenience by simply moving the date of Revelation’s authorship forward without evidence, from 95 to 65 AD. Although a 65 AD date directly contradicts Christian history and the accounts of the earliest church writers, the Preterists are forced to make this change so that scripture fits into their predetermined opinions.

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The Preterists also ignore the difference between the Christian church and Jewish history, choosing to apply prophecies indisputably written for the church to the first-century Jews of Judea. The Great Tribulation is a prophecy that predicts the persecution of Christians, not the suffering of the Jews at the hands of the Romans. Preterism also explains away many of Revelation’s prophecies by assigning them spiritual fulfillments rather than visible ones. If the Preterists cannot find the fulfillment for a prophetic sign within the first-century historical record, it is easier to claim these events happened in the spiritual world than to admit their entire interpretation is wrong.

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Few serious theologians preach Preterism today. It requires scripture to be so thoroughly distorted and misrepresented that its claims cannot be taken seriously. Somehow, these concepts still permeate in the most obscure and radical corners of Christianity. Preterism is such an impossible interpretation that its advocates lose any credibility the moment they support it. Its absurd claims should have been abandoned centuries ago, yet it persists due to the strength of the forces supporting it as an alternative to Historicism.

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Historicism

Historicism maintains the view that Revelation has been in the process of being fulfilled gradually over the centuries since John’s miraculous visions occurred in 95 AD. The Historicist school views Revelation as a roadmap to help guide Christians during the years between the lives of the apostles and Jesus’ return. It is the only eschatological interpretation that preserves the chronological order of Revelation. Historicism has real-world explanations for all signs in the Bible’s end-times prophecies. It does not need to excuse absent fulfillments by claiming they occurred or will occur in the spiritual world, as both Preterism and Futurism do.

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Historicism focuses on what the Bible says, basing its interpretation on the scriptural text. Futurists and Preterists first form an opinion, such as “the Antichrist will arrive at some point in the future” or “Nero is the Antichrist,” which they then attempt to validate with scripture. In contrast, Historicists stay within the language of the Biblical text and use it to guide their opinions. Historicists look for fulfillments that fit the Biblical text, while Preterists and Futurists look for text that they can force to fit their desired fulfillments.

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Idealism

There is a fourth eschatological interpretation of Biblical prophecy, albeit an uncommon one. The theory of Idealism suggests the entirety of end-times prophecy is allegorical. Under Idealism, all the prophecies in Revelation have fulfillments that human eyes cannot observe, as all these events occur in the spiritual realm. It is a lazy reading by some theologians who do not wish to expend any effort to attempt to understand what God told us in Revelation’s end-times prophecies.

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There are several problems with this interpretation. First, why would God bother to deliver these prophecies if we could not see their fulfillments? There was no logical reason to provide John with this series of warning signs if there would be no real-world evidence for them. The book contains several indicators of time that must be ignored if the events do not happen in the physical world. The first verse of Revelation declares the events described in the book “must shortly come to pass,”[6] and verse three reaffirms that “the time is at hand.”[7] There is no reason for us to be the intended recipients of the prophecies, as Revelation says we are, if we cannot see their fulfillment.

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Another reason Idealism is incorrect can be found in Revelation 10. John wrote of a vision during which seven thunders spoke to him. In the vision, Jesus specifically told John not to write down what these thunders said. This indicates that, while he did not want us to know the details of these seven signs, God did want us to receive the rest of the book. If the seven thunders addressed events that would only occur in the spiritual realm and cannot be seen, why would it be so essential to withhold their messages?[8]

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Lastly, Revelation is a meticulous and complex book. If its fulfillments take place solely in the spiritual realm, it would not have required such minute details to deliver its prophetic contents. While events are certainly happening in the spiritual world that align with the earthly fulfillments of the prophecies of Revelation, Idealism disregards all earthly events in human history in favor of fulfillments that cannot be proven or disproven.

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Separating Fact from Fiction

This book aims to discover the Biblical end-times prophecies exactly as presented in the scriptural text. Once an impenetrable scriptural foundation has been laid, we will examine the messages found in every prophecy and decipher how they have been fulfilled over time. After identifying the correct fulfillments for the Bible’s end-times prophecies, we will locate where we are in the timeline of Revelation—and how little of the book remains unfulfilled.

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While realizing that we are close to the end of Revelation may make some readers apprehensive, it is crucial to focus on the positive. After God’s earthly judgments on humanity are finished, Jesus will return to collect his followers and bring us to Heaven for eternity. The more you see how many of the Bible’s end-times prophecies have been proven true, the more faith you will have that the best parts of the Bible are also true. Identifying the historical fulfillment of Revelation will boost your faith and confidence in the second coming of Jesus Christ, his millennium reign, and eternal life.

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Be prepared to open your mind to God’s Word and it will change your thinking about the end times. While this commentary may be uncomfortable at times as it becomes clear how we have been misled by the religious leaders we trust most, the information you will soon discover will strengthen your faith in God and help you grow in your walk with Jesus as you learn how his promises have come true.

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Summary

Preterism

• Revelation has already been fulfilled

• Emperor Nero was the Antichrist

• The 70 AD destruction of the Temple was the Great Tribulation

• The other signs in Revelation were spiritual and unobservable

• Jesus’ second coming occurred in 70 AD, but only in the spirit

Futurism

• Revelation has not yet been fulfilled

• The Antichrist is a future world leader who will reign for seven years

  • The first three and a half years will be peaceful

  • After reigning for three and a half years, the Antichrist will enter a rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem and declare himself God

  • The Great Tribulation will occur during the last three and a half years

• The Antichrist will force everyone alive to take the “mark of the beast” to participate in commerce

• Most Christian denominations teach Futurism today

• Futurism would mean God had nothing to say to his followers after the lives of the apostles until seven years before the second coming

Historicism

• Revelation is being fulfilled gradually over time

• Does not claim any allegorical spiritual fulfillments

• The only interpretation where Revelation is in chronological order

• Historicists look for a fulfillment that fits the text, while Preterists and Futurists look for text to fit their desired fulfillment

Idealism

• All events in Revelation occur in the spiritual world and are unobservable

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[1] Matthew 24:42-44 42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

[2] II Thessalonians 2:2-3 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

[3] I Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

[4] Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

[5] Matthew 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

[6] Revelation 1:1 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:

[7] Revelation 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

[8] Revelation 10:4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.

 

[i] Liddell, Henry George, and Robert Scott. 1882. “ἔσχατος” An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon. 319. New York, Cincinnati, and Chicago: American Book Company.

[ii] Liddell, Henry George, and Robert Scott. 1882. “λόγος” An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon. 476-477. New York, Cincinnati, and Chicago: American Book Company.

[iii] Tacitus. 1961. “Book XV. XLIII.-XLIV.” In Tacitus Vol. IV, translated by John Jackson, 283. London and Cambridge, MA: William Heinemann, Ltd. and Harvard University Press.