Sermon Outlines . Volume 03 | Issue 21

The Systematic Approaches To The Study Of Revelation

by Dr. Charles W. Draper

I am indebted to one of the greatest Bible teachers I know, Charlie Draper for this material. Charlie was the first pastor I served with in full time ministry and one of the greatest Bible scholars and teachers I have ever known. He is presently serving as a professor at Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY.

Historically there are fifteen distinct approaches. The following seven categories are the most significant.

  1. Symbolic/Idealist Model (Eternal PrinciplesFeatures:
    1. The message of Revelation is a simple assurance of God’s final triumph.
    2. Highly symbolical: the symbols do not really refer to actual events in the past, present, or future.
    3. Revelation constitutes a summons to heroic living and appeals for endurance.
    Strengths:
    1. Affirms the overthrow of evil.
    2. Presents a wonderful picture of Christ.
    3. Affirms the final triumph of Christ.
    Weakness:
    Denies certain established features of Apocalyptic literature.Proponents:
    John Calvin, William Milligan, Martin Kiddle
  2. Historical or Continuous Historical ModelFeatures:
    1. Letters to the 7 churches (Rev. 2-3) give a portrait of the entire Christian history, from the 1st Century to the end of time.
    2. Sees the symbols and events as corresponding to actual events that will unfold in the course of history.
    Strength:
    Presents history as under control of divine providence.Weaknesses:
    1. Ignores the actual situations and churches addressed.
    2. Many different historical models can be affirmed, but none has led to the end of time.
    3. Prophecy interpreted by an inconsistent hermeneutic.
    Proponents:
    Martin Luther, John Albrecht Bengel
  3. Postmillennial ModelFeatures:
    1. Christ will come after the millennium, which began with the first coming of Christ, but will be consummated by a great, God-sent, world-wide revival. The nations will be dominated by righteous governments and a new “golden age” of righteousness will result.
    2. Most of the Puritans were postmillenialists.
      1. We might not be here today if it were not for this belief.
      2. Our Puritan forefathers spoke of building “a shining city set on a hill,” from which all the earth would be evangelized. The mission was to establish a Christian commonwealth to evangelize the entire world.
    3. The visible church is the kingdom of God and is supposed to have dominion over the world.
    Strengths:
    1. Proper view of the sovereignty of God. This view is not idealistic and naive, that humanity will get better and better. Rather, at a time of His choosing, the Sovereign God will visit the earth with such a great revival and so many will be converted that the governments of the earth will be dominated by believers.
    2. Held by many Christians in North America during the 1800s.
    3. Most optimistic view of success in missions
    Weaknesses:
    1. Spiritualizes many details the Bible presents as literal.
    2. World War II caused most Christians to abandon the idea the world would get better. But with the recent rise of Christianity in the 3rd World there’s been a resurgence of this view.
    Proponents:
    Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Matthew Henry, B.H. Carroll, George W. Truett, Lorraine Boettner
  4. PreteristFeatures:
    1. Revelation was written to encourage the first century Christians being persecuted and has no other major significance. It was written for them and fulfilled in their time.
    2. Revelation is primarily another books of Jewish Apocalyptic literature, targeted only to a certain time and place.
    3. The book was written for the people who received it.
    4. John’s purpose was supportive, not predictive.
    Strengths:
    1. Recognizes the relevance to the recipients. Many today do not see Revelation as being significant to the people of John’s time.
    2. Places the New Testament in its original context.
    Weaknesses:
    1. Undervalues the significance and lessons of the book for believers in every age.
    2. No emphasis on prediction.
    Proponents:
    I.T. Beckwith, H.B. Swete
  5. Historical Background – AmillennialismFeatures:
    1. Emphasizes the reality and necessity of the 2nd coming and its relevance for each generation.
    2. There will be no millennium on the earth. The 1000 year reign is going on in heaven now.
    3. There will be no resurrection at Christ’s return because the “resurrection” occurs after death for each person.
    Strengths:
    1. Emphasizes the immanence of Christ’s return.
    2. Interprets the Old Testament in light of the New, which is God’s final word.
    Weaknesses:
    1. Almost totally spiritualizes the details of the book.
    2. Vague and nebulous, very few answers.
    3. Ignores predictive prophecy altogether.
    4. Denies features of apocalyptic literature.
    5. Rejects chronological and literal nature of the Millennium.
    6. May appear to reject the notion of Christ’s imminent return.
    Proponents:
    Ray Summers, Jay Adams, Morris Ashcraft, H.E. Dana, E.A. McDowell, Herschel Hobbs.
  6. Dispensational PremillennialismDivides history into seven or three dispensations.Features:
    1. Israel and the church are separate and distinct peoples in the eternal plan of God.
    2. God’s promises to Israel will yet be literally fulfilled. All other systems believe the Church displaces Israel in God’s affections and plans.
    3. Literal fulfillment of all the prophetic promises.
    4. Rapture of the church before the “great tribulation” (4:1). During the seven year Great Tribulation, God will deal primarily with the Israelite nation.
    5. The seven letters addressed 1st century churches, but are also a summary of seven periods of church history.
    6. The great tribulation (Rev. 4-18) is a literal seven years.
    7. Judgments will be literal and will take place on the earth.
    8. Christ will re-establish Israel as a glorified, righteous nation and rule the world as the King of Israel, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies.
    9. A new heaven and new earth will introduce the eternal state for ever.
    10. One last terrible war precedes the last judgment.
    Strengths:
    1. Offers a comprehensive view of Biblical prophecy.
    2. Balances the original meaning and the significance for subsequent generations.
    3. Does not spiritualize away the details of Revelation. Most literal approach to the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies about Israel.
    Weaknesses:
    1. Cannot be documented until 1672. Critics point out the late arrival, but some would say that a doctrine about end times needed to develop late.
    2. The way the prophetic corpus of the Bible is systematized is premised on a questionable hermeneutic (interpretive approach), which can ignore the known functions and features of various literary genre, including apocalyptic.
    3. Most complicated view of prophecy.
    4. Not able to explain a 1,000 years of peace followed by a last war against Christ.
    Proponents:
    John Nelson Darby, Lewis Sperry Chafer, Clarence Larkin, Donald Grey Barnhouse, J. Dwight Pentecost, John Walvoord, Charles Swindoll, and many Southern Baptists (e.g., W.A. Criswell, Jerry Vines, Jimmy Draper, Adrian Rogers, Richard Lee, Bailey Smith) except for, primarily, scholars and professors. Institutions such as Biola University, Moody Bible Institute, and Dallas Theological Seminary.
  7. Historical PremillennialismFeatures:
    1. This evil age will get worse, ending with a final terrible persecution of Christians by Antichrist (tribulation).
    2. Revelation is a combination of prophetic and apocalyptic literature.
    3. Combines Preterist (written for first century) with futurist ideas (written to tell future of church).
    4. The rapture and the 2nd coming are one and the same event.
    5. The 2nd coming precedes Christ’s literal reign on earth, but the “1,000 years” may not be a literal statement of its duration.
    6. Christ will come to pour out God’s wrath and bring victory for Christians! He will judge Antichrist and establish the 1000 year golden age.
    7. A new heaven and new earth with our eternal state to go on forever.
    Strengths:
    1. A mediating viewpoint.
    2. Takes the obvious meaning of the text seriously.
    3. Held to strongly during 1st 400 years of Christianity.
    4. Takes Revelation 20 literally.
    Weaknesses:
    1. Spiritualizes inconvenient prophetic details.
    2. Spiritualizes the teachings about God’s plan for Israel in order for them to be church on the earth during the tribulation.
    3. A complicated view, not clearly presented in a single passage of Scripture.
    4. Not able to explain why a 1,000 years of peace will result in a last war against Christ.
    Proponents:
    Charles Spurgeon, John Newport, George Eldon Ladd, F.F. Bruce, George R. Beasley-Murray, Dale Moody.No system is totally right. All these have scriptural rationale, but ALL are flawed. God is sovereign. If God wanted to give enough information for us to figure out a comprehensive and totally accurate eschatology He would have done so. But He did not do so. When doctrine is systematized, especially eschatology, a situation is created where all the questions MUST BE answered, even though the Bible does not answer all the questions. Southern Baptists have NEVER insisted on agreement about eschatology as a test of fellowship or orthodoxy. It is difficult to make any school the rule for everything written in Revelation.

MCC 1999