Revelation and Bible Prophecy

Revelation and Bible Prophecy

A Comparison of Eschatological Views:

Dispensationalism and Preterism

Major Keywords: Heaven, Hell, Christ¡¯s Second Coming, End Times, Rapture,

Revelation, Prophecy, Eschatology, Dispensationalism, Preterism, Apologetics

Search for Keywords, Phrases, or Bible Verses in this Book (e.g., ¡°place of the dead¡±

or ¡°life of Joseph¡± or ¡°supernatural beings¡± or ¡°Job 19:25-27¡± or ¡°Matthew 24:15¡±) using

the PDF ¡°find¡± or ¡°search¡± feature on your computer.

Date of Last Update: July 22, 2024

Author: Ed Knorr, PhD

Table of Contents

Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 2

Chapter 1: General Topics in Prophecy ............................................................................ 37

Chapter 2: Supernatural Beings and the Days of Noah .................................................. 207

Chapter 3: Heaven and Hell ............................................................................................ 272

Chapter 4: The Mystery of the Church; the Church and Israel ....................................... 339

Chapter 5: The Rapture ................................................................................................... 353

Chapter 6: The Bema Judgment Seat of Christ ............................................................... 421

Chapter 7: The Magog Invasion of Ezekiel 38-39 .......................................................... 437

Chapter 8: The Temple ................................................................................................... 474

Chapter 9: The Olivet Discourse and the Upper Room Discourse ................................. 501

Chapter 10: The Tribulation (the 70th Week of Daniel) and the Antichrist .................... 543

Chapter 11: Revelation ................................................................................................... 616

Chapter 12: Babylon ....................................................................................................... 724

Chapter 13: The Battle of Armageddon and the Second Coming .................................. 740

Chapter 14: The Millennium ........................................................................................... 757

Chapter 15: The Eternal State ......................................................................................... 803

References ....................................................................................................................... 823

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Introduction

Eschatology is the study of ¡°last things¡± or the ¡°end times¡±; but implicit within that is a

new beginning: the future Millennium and the Eternal State, and both involve people and

the earth. The word ¡°eschatology¡± is derived from the Greek word eschatos meaning

¡°last¡±.

This book is about a fascinating debate going on in evangelical Christian circles regarding

the book of Revelation and other books of the Bible that have eschatological themes. We

will take a big picture approach to see the purpose and goal of Bible prophecy, but we¡¯ll

also go into detail as we explore prophetic passages from almost every one of the 66 books

of the Bible. The pieces of the prophetic puzzle will gradually snap into place. It will be

shown that saved persons will get resurrected (real) bodies, and will forever enjoy the new

heavens and new earth (Revelation 21-22). We will learn that the Millennial/Kingdom

reign of Jesus Christ will take place on earth; and during that time, the world will

experience tremendous prosperity, peace, justice, and righteousness¡ªwith no more war.

If you¡¯re interested, keep reading! God has a personal interest in you.

In my opinion, the model of eschatology that is the most consistent with the Bible is the

dispensationalist (futurist) one. This view states that most of the events described in the

book of Revelation are in the future. It interprets Scripture literally, wherever possible.

Furthermore, many future events in the Old Testament including passages from the books

of Daniel, Zechariah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, etc. line up with key passages in the book of

Revelation. In fact, from Genesis to Revelation, the books of the Bible fit together

wonderfully to provide a complete panorama of human history, including God¡¯s future

plans for mankind.

An opposing viewpoint that has gained some popularity is the partial preterist position.

The word ¡°preterist¡± in Latin means ¡°past¡±. Preterists believe that most, or all, of the events

in the book of Revelation have already taken place, with most preterists applying the

fulfillment mainly to 65-70 AD (with 70 AD being the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction

of the Temple); however, a second camp within preterism views prophetic fulfillments in

both the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD and the fall of Rome in the 5 th century [Pate, 1998].

The preterist viewpoint states that many key prophecies need to be understood symbolically

rather than literally¡ªbecause many prophecies are written in apocalyptic language (e.g., a

genre that makes use of hyperbole and symbolism).

This book will give the best arguments for both preterism and dispensationalism. I believe

that the evidence greatly favors the dispensationalist position. This view best harmonizes

the Scriptures, facts, and doctrines. It is supported by archaeological and historical

evidence confirming past fulfillments of prophecy; consequently, we have strong reasons

to believe that unfulfilled prophecy will also be fulfilled. Just as the first coming of Jesus

Christ the Messiah (i.e., the Anointed One, the Son of God) was literal, so will be the

Second Coming.

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This book addresses questions about the Bible such as: Is the book of Revelation to be

taken literally? Is Revelation mostly historical¡ªor is it mostly about the future? Is the

Antichrist mentioned in 1 John 2:18 a real human being who will appear on the world stage

prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ? Will there be a cashless society? Will there

be a pretribulational rapture? Is the ¡°70th Week of Daniel¡± that was prophesied circa 540

BC a literal 7-year Tribulation period immediately preceding the return of Jesus Christ?

Could this happen in our lifetime? On the doctrine of imminence (Latin: ¡°any moment¡±):

could Christ rapture (remove) and translate (to glorified bodies) the Church at any time?

What does an end times timeline or Revelation timeline look like? Is a European

superpower part of a revived Roman Empire described in the book of Daniel? Is the

Antichrist the world¡¯s final Gentile leader? Will there be a literal, 1,000-year Millennium,

when Jesus Christ physically rules and reigns on Earth, and the earth is greatly

transformed? Is Satan imprisoned during the Millennium, and then released at the end of

the 1,000 years prior to his final attack on Jerusalem? Is hell a real place? Is Heaven a

real place? Will we have real bodies upon resurrection? What happens after we die?

The word ¡°Revelation¡± comes from the Greek word meaning ¡°to reveal¡±. Prophecy is not

written to scare us; but, rather, to prepare us [Hindson, 2012b]. In fact, the book of

Revelation¡ªand the rest of the Bible¡ªis written with the hope that as many people as

possible will accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Jesus paid the penalty for our

sins, on the cross, and He wants to give everlasting life (¡°Heaven¡±) to those of us who

believe in Him. It does not matter whether you have passed away by the time He returns

because we know from Scripture that God will raise the dead, and that we will have

physical (¡°real¡±) bodies upon resurrection. This, and much more, will be explained in this

book. Be sure that you make a commitment to Jesus Christ by asking Him to forgive your

sins and come into your life. Don¡¯t put off the most important decision in your life, because

you may not make it to tomorrow. The Bible says, ¡°¡­ now is the day of salvation¡± (2

Corinthians 6:2), and ¡°Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved¡± (Acts

16:31).

A summary of the major definitions used in this book is available below in the section titled

¡°The Four Major Views of Revelation¡±. Next, as a preview, the four major views or models

of eschatology related to timeframes are presented and summarized in the order: (1) future

(futurism, and this is where dispensationalism falls), (2) past (preterism), (3) present

(historicism), and (4) timeless (idealism):

1. Futurist (of which the most popular position is that of dispensationalist)¡ªMost

of the events of Revelation are in the future, including these literal events:

Rapture, Tribulation, rule of Antichrist, Battle of Armageddon, Second Coming,

and Millennium. Furthermore, the Jewish people will play a major role in End

Times events; God has a plan for them.

2. Preterist¡ªMost of the events of Revelation are in the past, with most fulfillments

having occurred by 70 AD. The Millennium is not literal, but instead the

¡°Millennium¡± describes the success of Christianity over the centuries, eventually

bringing in a utopia [Watson, 2015].

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3. Historicist¡ªMost of the events of Revelation have been progressing throughout

history. The 2,300 days mentioned in Daniel, and the 1,260 days mentioned in

Revelation are years, not days. There is no Rapture in historicism; however,

Armageddon and the Second Coming are still to come. Historicists believe that

most of the events documented in Revelation¡ªincluding the seal, trumpet, and

bowl judgments¡ªare symbolic descriptions of historical events from Church

history over the past 2,000 years, with most of the events¡ªnot necessarily all¡ª

already fulfilled [Rose, 2013; Ice, 2021c]. It is believed that we are already in the

Tribulation, and have been for most of the past 2,000 years. Historicists think that

the successive Popes represent the Antichrist. Date setting has also been a part of

historicism.

Historicism was the most common view from the Reformation to the mid-1800s;

but, historicists view the Olivet Discourse from a preterist perspective and it is

separate from the ¡°Tribulation¡± described in Revelation [Ice & Gentry, 1999].

Historicists try to find events in church history that line up with Revelation. Thus,

the ¡°tribulation¡± actually falls into the church age, which is a different timeframe

than what dispensationalism believes. For example, Steve Gregg summarizes:

¡°The historicist view has seen the final overthrow of the papacy depicted in these

final judgments [in the book of Revelation]. The language is symbolic, referring

to the French Revolution and subsequent events in European history¡ªas well as

some yet future¡ªwhich bring the papal power to a complete end.¡± [Gregg, 2013,

p. 457] In his book, Gregg comments that Martin Luther was one of the first to

view Revelation Chapters 4-22 as a survey of church history.

The Mormons, Jehovah¡¯s Witnesses, and Seventh-Day Adventists are among the

few groups to hold to historicism [Ice, 2021c].

4. Idealist¡ªRevelation is largely symbolic (i.e., ideas and concepts), and represents

the timeless battle between good and evil. The events of Revelation are meant to

be taken symbolically, not literally, and therefore it makes no sense to infer their

timing. Babylon, for example, could apply to literal Babylon, circa 600 BC; or it

could refer to Rome, or even to cities in the US and elsewhere. The idealist view

is sometimes called the spiritualist view because it spiritualizes or allegorizes

prophecy [Hampson, 2022].

Although some authors (e.g., [Irwin & Perry, 2023]) adopt an ¡°eclectic¡± approach that

combines several¡ªor all¡ªof the above 4 viewpoints, this book is primarily an analysis

and contrast of the two most popular positions in Biblical prophecy: dispensationalism and

(partial) preterism. We will demonstrate that the position that most consistently fits

Scripture is dispensationalism. Elements of the other positions may also be present, but

when they are, it is usually as a secondary, rather than as a primary, application. In other

words, certain events in Scripture may have: (a) both a near-term and a far-term fulfillment,

(b) both a literal and a symbolic meaning, or (c) both a current and a historical (e.g., Old

Testament) reference. As a general case concerning End Times prophecies, we believe

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that the primary meaning or application of such a prophecy is literally an event looking

forward to the physical Second Coming of Christ, rather than simply a symbolic or vague

historical reference that may be clouded in apocalyptic language. The Bible is rich with

repeated examples, analogies, and types (e.g., Joseph as a type or pattern of Christ). A

Biblical truth might be played out numerous times with different circumstances and

personalities, so that we understand the underlying message¡ªnot to mention gain a greater

appreciation for the depth of Scripture. We have no doubt that some secondary applications

exist, but we don¡¯t believe that they are the primary or only interpretation. The rest of the

book will explain, in detail, what we mean. We encourage the reader to carefully consider

the evidence.

Dispensationalists believe that history is broken into eras or dispensations (Greek:

oikonomia, meaning ¡°administration¡± or ¡°stewardship¡±), as follows. There is some debate

about how many dispensations there are.

1.

2.

3.

4.

Innocence (from Creation to the Fall of Adam & Eve, Genesis 1:1 to 3:7)

Conscience (from the Fall of Adam & Eve to Noah¡¯s Flood, Genesis 3:8 to 8:22)

Human Government (from Noah¡¯s Flood to Abraham, Genesis 9:1 to 11:32)

Promise or Patriarchal Rule (from Abraham to Moses, Genesis 12:1 to Exodus

19:35)

5. Law (from Moses to the Day of Pentecost, Exodus 20 to Acts 2:4)

6. Grace (from the Day of Pentecost to the Rapture (or Christ¡¯s Second Coming),

Acts 2:4 to Revelation 20:3)

? The 7-year Tribulation prior to Christ¡¯s Second Coming is sometimes

considered a separate dispensation. This is the 70 th Week of Daniel,

which was put on hold when Christ was rejected by the Jews, circa 30 AD.

7. Kingdom (from the Second Coming to the End of the Millennium, Revelation

20:4-6)

Dispensation (7) is followed by the new heavens and new earth (Revelation 20:6-22:21)¡ª

for all eternity. Here is a good definition of dispensationalism:

The word [dispensational] means ¡°administration¡± or ¡°stewardship¡± ... Dispensationalism

teaches that there are successive dispensations throughout history and each one involves a

test or responsibility, which man fails, followed by God¡¯s judgment. Thus, God¡¯s grace

through Jesus Christ becomes the only basis of hope for mankind. The present dispensation

is known as the ¡°age of grace¡± or the ¡°church age.¡± The previous dispensation was called

law or Israel. There are two peoples of God, Israel and the church. However, God¡¯s plan

for Israel is not yet finished, and He will return to deal with them during the seven-year

tribulation and the thousand-year millennium.

Dispensationalism is characterized by: (1) a consistent (from Genesis to Revelation) literal

interpretation of the Bible, (2) a distinction between Israel and the church, (3) the

glorification of God as His main purpose for the world. Dispensationalism is a theology

deduced from the Bible that emphasizes the glory and grace of God. [Ice, 2011a]

A dispensation can be viewed as a time of probation that has a distinct beginning and end

[Kilpatrick, 2017a]. It is also a time of testing. Even the Millennial Kingdom represents a

time of testing for the mortals in it.

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