The Beast of Revelation: A Futurist Response 1 Part 1 by Andy Woods, J.D., Th.M. PRETERISM GENTRY’S PREUNDERSTANDING: TIME-TEXTS IN REVELATION Post-millennial Reconstructionism SHORTLY, QUICKLY “Tacos” 1. Church will set up kingdom 1:1 …Things which must shortly take (Church replaces Israel) place “It is my deep conviction that much of the decline 2:16 Repent, or else I will come to you of the influence of orthodox Christianity on our quickly. culture today is due to a pervasive pessimistic 3:11 Behold, I come quickly! eschatology.” 22:6 …Which must shortly take place. Kenneth Gentry, Beast of Revelation, p.241 22:7 Behold, I come quickly! ASSUMPTIONS of REVELATION 4 22:12 Behold, I am coming quickly! PRETERIST FUTURIST 22:20 Surely, I am coming quickly! NEAR, AT HAND “Eggus” Theme Jewish war of AD Future tribulation 1:3 The time is near. 66-70 22:10 The time is at hand. Time Texts Chronological Qualitative ABOUT TO, ON THE POINT OF “Mel l w” Date Early (AD 65) Late (AD 81-95) 1:19 Write…the things that are about to Genre Apocalyptic Prophecy take place. 3:10 …the hour of trial…is about to come upon the whole world. THEME: REVELATION 1:7 R.C. Sproul, The Last Days According to Jesus, p.139 Preterist Futurist Clouds Localized Shekinah Glory DATE: EXTERNAL EVIDENCE Judgment Witnesses for Witnesses for Neronic nd They who 1st Century 2 Coming Domitianic Date Date pierced Jews Irenaeus (A.D. 180) Tribes of the Jewish tribes Universal Nuance Victorinus (c.300) earth e.g. Gen 12:3, Eusebius (c. 300) 28:14; Ps 72:17; Jerome (c. 400) Zech. 14:17 Sulpicius Severus Every eye Local Global (c.400) The Acts of John (c. 650) “How consistent are dispensationalists in Primasius (c. 540) Syriac Version of N.T. following the ‘literal, plain or normal’ (550) hermeneutical model when they deny the ‘literal, Orosius (c. 600) plain or normal’ interpretation of ‘near,’ ‘shortly,’ Andreas (c. 600) and ‘quickly’”? Venerable Bede Gary DeMar, Last Days Madness, p.382 (A.D. 700) “If the book [of Revelation] was written after Arethas (c. 900) A.D. 70, then its contents manifestly do not refer Theophylact (d. 1107) to events surrounding the fall of Jerusalem- Mark Hitchcock, The End Times Controversy, unless the book is a wholesale fraud, having p, 138. been composed after the predicted events had already occurred.” R.C. Sproul, Last Days According to Jesus, p.140. The Beast of Revelation: A Futurist Response 2 Part 1 by Andy Woods, J.D., Th.M. DATE: INTERNAL EVIDENCE • Use of vivid images and symbols PRETERIST INTERPRETATION OF THE • Struggle between good and evil SEVEN KINGS OF REVELATION 17:9-10 • Vision is means of revelation First King Julius Caesar 40 to 44 B.C. • Focus upon current age and inauguration of Second King Augustus 31 B.C. to age to come. Caesar A.D. 14 • Dualism with God and Satan Third King Tiberius A.D. 14 to 37 • Spiritual Order determines human history Caesar • Pessimistic about man’s ability to change Fourth King Caligula A.D.37 to 41 progress of events Fifth King Claudius A.D. 41 to 54 Caesar “A Preterist approach must assume an Sixth King Nero A.D. 54 to 68 apocalyptic genre in which the language only Seventh King Galba June, A.D. 68 faintly and indirectly reflects the actual events. to January This extreme allegorical interpretation allows 15, 69 for finding fulfillments in the first-century Roman Empire prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in TEMPLE DESTRUCTION & A.D. 70.” LAODICEAN EARTHQUAKE Robert Thomas, “A Classical Dispensationalist View of Revelation,” in Laodicea destroyed by Four Views of the Book of Revelation, p.181. Earthquake Early date of Revelation Temple destroyed Late date of Revelation AD 60 AD 65 AD 70 AD 81-95 GLOBAL EVENTS YET TO OCCUR Genre Override Table • APOCALYPTIC PROPHETIC World population destroyed (Rev. 6:4,19) GENRE IN GENRE IN • Sea turns to blood (Rev. 16:3) REVELATION REVELATION • Greatest Earthquake in history (Rev. 16:18) DIFFERENT Pseudonymous Not CHARACTERISTICS Pseudonymous APOCALYPTIC BOOKS No epistolary Epistolary framework framework Enoch No admonitions Repeated Apocalypse of Baruch for morality admonitions for Jubilees morality Assumption of Moses Pessimistic about Not pessimistic Psalms of Solomon present about present Messiah’s coming Basis for Testament of Twelve Patriarchs is future Messiah’s future Sibylline Oracles coming is past Calls itself a COMMON CLUSTER OF prophecy CHARACTERISTICS: REVELATION & Does not claim to • be prophecy APOCALYPTIC BOOKS No divine Divine inspiration • Written 200 B.C. - A.D. 100 inspiration • Angels featured as interpreters & guides Robert Thomas, Evangelical Hermeneutics, p338. • Written during intense time of persecution .