REVELATION SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT

Marvin Ganote

Revised February 13, 2006

THE FUTURIST SCHOOL - This school of thought regards revelation as dealing largely with events related to the end of the age. Thus it is a book of unfulfilled prophecy. The events in chapters 4-19 will be fulfilled in the last seven years of the age before the last judgment.

TWO MAJOR DIVISIONS:

1. POSTMILLENNIAL - This view holds that the gospel will make such progress that Satan's power will be so retarded that a thousand years of peace will come. And at an end of this era Christ will return. Once a strong position, it has lost its strength in the wake of the many wars of this century.

2. PREMILLENNIAL - This view sees Christ returning before the millennium, and reigning on earth for a literal thousand years. After this Satan will be loosed for one final effort to destroy Christ. But he will himself be cast into the lake of fire after a literal Armageddon.

DISPENSATIONAL PREMILLENNIALISM - A MAJOR SUBDIVISION CREATED AROUND 1830 - This view is based upon the DISPENSATIONAL theories of the Scofield Reference Bible. It was first published in 1909 and is conceived from the views of John Nelson Darby and made popular in the late 1800's by H.A. Ironside and R.A. Torrey.

Both Darby and Scofield held that God deals with man in different ways in different time periods called dispensations. It is distinctive in its insistence on a future literal fulfillment of all the promises to literal (physical lineage Hebrews) Israel. It thus is important to assign each biblical statement to its proper dispensation and leads to s sharp distinction between literal Israel and the Church as two different peoples of God. Revelation is assigned largely to a time when the church will be raptured (caught up) into heaven which thus removes one of God's People from the earth. Then God will continue his purpose on earth with the restored literal nation of Israel as his Other People. Because dispensationalism offered a systematic, literal interpretation of the Bible and because it was readily available (through the Scofield Reference Bible), it has appealed to many devout Southern Baptists, including many pastors, and most other denominations.

THE CONTINUOUS HISTORICAL SCHOOL - This group regards Revelation as a symbolic prophecy of the future history of the church. It sees the Roman Catholic Church as the beast which has apostatized from true Christianity.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY SCHOOL - This school of thought disregards the historical background of the book. It holds that revelation is dealing with the principles by which God deals with all men through the ages.

THE PRETERIST SCHOOL - This schools holds that the entire book, except the final judgment and the pictures of heaven, was fulfilled in the days of the Roman Empire. Its name comes the Latin praeter, meaning past or beyond. It is the very opposite of the futurist school; indeed, is in reaction to it. This school is strong among Roman Catholics who would refute those who interpret Revelation in terms of an apostate roman catholic Church. The Preterist School is divided between those who see the book as historical and those who see it as non-inspired. The latter group classes it with other apocalyptic writings of the period having only literary value.

THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND SCHOOL - This school sees a definite historical environment for the book. It is set in the Roman persecution of Christians in the province of Asia. While the book was intended for their comfort and encouragement, its principles apply to Christians anytime anywhere who suffer for their faith. This is the view held by Dr. H. H. Hobbs and several others and is my view. It is the general view of the Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church.

AMILLENNIALISM - Essentially the same as the Historical Background School. More recently Baptist college and seminary professors have tended to be Amillennial, that is, they have not taught the occurrence of a millennium, or earthy kingdom, between the return of Christ and the final consummation. They have also rejected other features of popular, dispensational premillennialism.

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A Comparison

BASIC SCRIPTURAL POSITIONS

ON SOME KEY VERSES

By Marvin Ganote

Key Scripture Phrases placed in Bold for emphasis.

SCRIPTURE	DISPENSATIONALISM	POSTMILENNIALISM	AMILlENNIALISM
Rev 1:1 "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants what must soon take place; and he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is he who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written therein; for the time is near."	Symbology is literal within a dispensation.	Symbology leads to defining the thousand years of peace.	The whole book is written in symbolic language with no literal meaning to the symbols. It is the standard Hebrew symbology meanings that apply. The events are for John's day since he participates in the Tribulation of Revelation. The message is for a blessing to the 95 A.D. Christians who read and keep the instructions from the Father. Revelation events, except for the obvious far future events, are near time in happening.
Rev 1:9 "I John, your brother, who share with you in Jesus the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus."	The tribulation here is not the Great Tribulation.	The tribulation here is not the Great Tribulation.	John shares the Great Tribulation of Revelation as he writes.
John 18:36 "Jesus answered, "My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but my kingship is not from the world.""	Ignores these verses and states Jesus will physically return to live physically on this earth and establish a physical kingdom. Further, the Hebrew people are a separate and special group that God treats differently than all the rest. All physical descendants of Abraham are the Chosen of God, whether they are saved or lost. The Jews in today's Israel are God's Chosen People.	Ignores these verses and states Jesus will physically return to live physically on this earth and establish a physical kingdom. Further, the Hebrew people are a separate and special group that God treats differently than all the rest. All physical descendants of Abraham are the Chosen of God, whether they are saved or lost. The Jews in today's Israel are God's Chosen People.	Accepts Jesus' statement at face-value. Jesus's kingdom is strictly saved people and his kingdom will have its location only on New Earth. Since Jesus' Kingdom is eternal and everlasting (DAN 2:44; 7:14), it cannot be on this earth. Jesus will never set foot again on this earth. The Hebrew people were never God's people, only saved people have ever been God's people. EX 19:5-6; HEB 11:1-6. God removed the Hebrew people from having any more opportunity of becoming a witness organization for God. MATT 21:43; AMOS 8:2; 9:9-11. Only Jesus is the descendent of Abraham. GAL 3:6-16. God made no promises to physical lost Jews.
MATT 24:36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." Acts 1:6 "So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority."	This only means Jesus didn't know it then. Since returning to Heaven, the Father gave him the full story and to him to tell John. Full dating is possible if one reads the "signs" ("leaves") correctly. Thus the "times or seasons" can be now known.	This only means Jesus didn't know it then. Since returning to Heaven, the Father gave him the full story and to him to tell John. Some dating is possible.	Jesus still doesn't know when the Second Coming will occur. Only the Father still knows. Thus no dating can be given except 70 A.D and 95-96 A.D. This is no way any "times or seasons" can be known. "times" symbolically means "near time" and "seasons" means symbolically "far times." Thus Jesus' Return will be a complete surprise. 1 Th 5:4 "But you are not in darkness, brethren, for that day to surprise you like a thief."
Mat 24:32 "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away till all these things take place."	The fig tree represent physical Israel. Israel did this in 1948 when it became a nation. The "generation" is commonly understood to be 40 years in Hebrew symbology. Thus it use to be said that the rapture would happen in 1988. However, this has been changed to some other date. Another common date is the 1967 war + 40 = 2007. Other dates are given by many in disregard to MATT 24:36.	The fig tree represent physical Israel. Israel did this in 1948 when it became a nation. The "generation" is commonly understood to be 40 years in Hebrew symbology. This has less meaning, but over the years some dates have been given.	Looking to Luke 21:29 "And he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees;" we see that Jesus is talking of "all the trees." These are real trees since he is saying in Luke 21:29-32 that as plainly as you see spring is come by the growing of trees, so will the destruction of the Temple. This will happen in "this generation." Jesus spoke in 30 A.D. thus he said it would happen in 70 A.D. which it did. The "leaves" represent what is said in Luke 21:20 "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near." which was the Roman armies surrounding Jerusalem to crush the Jewish rebellion of 66-70 A.D. This viewpoint requires no date adjusting.

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