01. Introduction to Revelation In Context

1. INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION IN CONTEXT

By Irene Belyeu

WHY STUDY? Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to “Love the Lord with all thy heart,…soul, and mind.” MARK 12:28-34. This study will help us love the Lord with all our mind. It is an in-depth study.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: To reveal Jesus Christ through the study of the Book of Revelation and its Blessings, 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.”

GOAL: Chapters 21 and 22: The New Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ:

READ: Revelation 21:3-4; 22-27; 22:1-5. 22:4: “And they shall see His face”.

INTERPRETATION: Truth vs. Facts –correct interpretation.

There are four main schemes of interpretation:

I. Preterit –That it has already been fulfilled in the past.

II. Historical – That it is in process of fulfillment; for example, The Church Ages, Dispensational theology.

III. Futurist – That all of its predictions are yet future.

IV. Spiritual – That the events described are only symbolic of spiritual realities.

MY INTERPRETATION: If you disagree, stay with me and let me present the evidence before you judge.

Modified Preterit: Fulfilled in the past.

Based on Revelation 1:1: “must shortly come to pass”; 1:3 “the time is at hand”; 3:11Behold, I come quickly”; 22:6 “must shortly be done”; 22:7 “Behold, I come quickly”; 22:10: “the time is at hand”; 22:12: “Behold, I come quickly”; 22:20: “Surely I come quickly”.

Other views have some validity and are not altogether incorrect, but perhaps incomplete.

Historical View: In the process of fulfillment:

Is valid in that God’s Word is eternally relevant: READ: John 1:1-5. [Matthew 5:18; Isaiah 40:8.]

Futurist View: That all of its predictions are yet future.

Is valid in that God is unchanging: Exodus 3:14: “I AM”; Malachi 3:6: “For I AM the LORD, I change not….” James 1:17: “… the Father of Lights, with whom is no variableness neither shadow of turning.”

Jesus Christ is “the same yesterday, today and forever, Hebrews 13:8. Therefore, God will be in the future what He was in Bible days, and what He is today.

Spiritual View: “Literal” vs. “Spiritual”?

Is valid in that God, a Spirit, created the literal, visible world, Genesis 1:1. The spiritual and literal can be distinguished, but not separated. The Dake’s Bible has been very influential in promoting the “literal” interpretation, with the mistaken idea that the “spiritual” and “literal” are mutually exclusive.

The entire visible creation is a symbol of the spiritual world, READ: Romans 1:20. Since the Book of Revelation is largely expressed in symbols, it must be interpreted in light of the spiritual interpretation of its symbols.

MY METHOD: CONTEXTUALIZE

I will not attempt to ‘literalize’ nor ‘spiritualize’ , but rather to ‘contextualize’. Since ‘revelation’ means ‘manifestation’, I will attempt to show how that God, a Spirit, was manifested in the literal world in historical events. Revelation occurs when we see the spiritual manifested in the natural world.

Since the stated purpose of the Book of Revelation is: “To shew unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass”, we must understand that these events happened soon after the writing of the Book.

These events serve as an example of what God will do in the future: 1Corinthians 10:11: “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”

BEGIN AT THE BEGINNING:

A valid interpretation of the Book requires that we start at Revelation 1:1, which we will do beginning with Lesson 2.

INTERPRET IN CONTEXT:

Valid interpretation requires that we keep the Scripture in its proper context. Its context includes the Bible, Historical sources, other contemporary literary sources, (such as the Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, and the rabbinic writings. See below for further description).

I. BIBLICAL CONTEXT: The only infallible source for interpreting the symbols of Revelation is the Biblical canon. What is your Bible worth, considering its long history of God’s revelation to Mankind and the price in blood, sweat and tears that has brought it to us?

A. What it is:

1. Tried and True, Psalm 12:6, 7: “The Words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.”

2. Alive, Hebrews 4:12: “For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power…”

B. Process of canonization:

1. Old Testament example: Jeremiah 36:21-25; Ezra 1:1. King Jehoikam burned Jeremiah’s prophecies that he didn’t like, but after they had come to pass, they were recognized as the Word of the Lord.

2. New Testament: 2Peter 3:15-16: Paul’s writings were recognized as Scripture.

C. Pharisee canon of Mishnah and Talmud are “the traditions of men” and “make the Word of God of no effect”: Mark 7:5-13.

OTHER SOURCES FOR CONTEXT:

HISTORICAL SOURCES:

Josephus, a Jewish historian that lived in the first century and witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and the nation.

Philo Judeaus of Alexandria, a Jewish philosopher, although of the Hellenistic Greek culture, who lived in the latter part of the first century and the early part of the second century.

The historical writings of the Maccabees, Jewish leaders in the inter-testament period.

Roman historians including Tacitus, Dionysius of Hallicarnassus, and even the earlier historian, Herodotus.

The early Church historians, notably Eusebius and Irenaeus, among others.

LITERARY CONTEXT:

The Apocrypha, “things that are hidden”, writings that were included in the Latin Vulgate and Septuagint, (Greek translations from the Hebrew Bible), but not in the Hebrew Bible. These books were accepted in the Catholic Bible, but not by the Puritans. However, in some Bibles, they are inserted between the Old and New Testaments with the warning that they are not considered to be Scripture but are profitable to read. The Puritans did not accept these books and so they are not now a part of our familiar English Bible translations.

PSEUDEPIGRAPHA: The Books of Enoch, written under the name of the ancient patriarch Enoch, but most of which is much later material.

Enoch is quoted in Jude 14.

RABBINIC WRITINGS: The Mishnah, The Talmudim, the Midrashim, much of which was from the pre-Christian era, known as the “oral Law”, and/or “the Traditions of the Elders”, in the time of Christ. These writings were codified from about 90 AD to 500 AD and became accepted by the “Jews” as their authoritative scriptures. These writings are available on line at: http://www.comeandhear.com

ASSIGNMENT: Read the Book of Revelation in your Bible.

My Weblog: http://www.revelationincontext.com

Printed version of Revelation In Context, may be purchased at http://Amazon.com or

http://www.xulonpress.com.  Choose Volume 1 or Complete Edition. 

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