Revelation

An exegetical study through the book of Revelation from a partial preterist perspective.

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The 144,000 and the great multitude worship God (7:1-17)

A look at the sealing of the 144,000, who were the firstfruits, or first converts to Christianity. The multitude coming out of the Great Tribulation clothed in white before the throne, praising God. Also discussed are Babylon, the future Jewish kingdom, where Jesus' reign takes place, and how to interpret the symbols in Revelation.

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Prayer and Intro

There have been a few questions

We need to honor the time statements of the text.

Most dispensationalists will tell you that the time statements are figurative.

2 Peter 3:8 is used to defend the timestamps of Revelation being figurative, but it doesn't teach that. It means that as soon as Jesus has saved the people He has purposed to save, He will return.

The thousand years in this passage is figurative, and it's also figurative in Revelation--meaning that the 1000 years of the millennium are figurative.

The entire book is about the 7 churches, and the timestamps determine the fulfillment of the book.

Brief answers: Babylon is not modern-day Iraq. Babylon is Jerusalem. Jerusalem is also the prostitute that rides the Beast.

The timestamps require that the book have a fulfillment within the lifetime of the people who received the letter.

Revelation becomes difficult, if not impossible, to understand if its removed from its 1st century context, and the timestamps are removed. Scripture interpreting scripture is the way to interpret the signs in Revelation.

The antichrist, by name, isn't mentioned in Revelation at all

The interpretive approach that does the greatest honor to the text is the historical Christian approach. It's partial preterist, partial ideologist.

Brief answers: Will there be a future, literal Jewish kingdom on the earth? No.

The messiah was to reign in Jerusalem, but what Jerusalem? Heavenly Jerusalem.

Brief answers: Hasn't God made an eternal promise for an earthly kingdom in Jeremiah 33:20? No.

In Ezekiel 16, Jerusalem is shown as an adulterous woman. Jerusalem suffered the fate of an adulterous woman prescribed in Old Covenant (John 8, Lev 21:9).

Every symbol in Revelation has a direct Old Testament fulfillment, or a direct cultural fulfillment that is easy to find with a little research.

Revelation 7:1-17

The four horsemen of Revelation 6 and 7:2-3 were actually the horsemen from Zechariah 6:5

Who were the 144,000? This is a representative number of the firstfruits--the first Jewish converts to Christianity.

The great multitude in Revelation 7:9 comes out of the Great Tribulation, which is the destruction of Jerusalem between 66-70 AD.

The result of all of this is tremendous praise to God. Just like we will praise God for judging the unbelievers one day.

Closing prayer

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Homework Documents

Lecture Slides

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