The Book of Revelation also contains many time indicators.
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants--things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John” (Revelation 1:1).
The content of the book of Revelation was going to take place shortly.
“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near” (Revelation 1:3).
The time of the fulfillment of this prophecy was near, not an indefinite period of time away.
“Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place” (Revelation 22:6).
At the end of the book, God confirms that these things will take place shortly.
“Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book” (Revelation 22:7).
Jesus also states that he is coming quickly. All of these time texts point toward a more immediate fulfillment of these prophecies.
Thus, Preterists hold that the book of Revelation was fulfilled in the first century.
This might seem difficult to understand at first because this means that the seals, the trumpets, the bowls, the beast, the false prophet, the binding of Satan, etc., took place in the first century.
However, if we take the time texts seriously, we will find that there are good and reasonable explanations for these prophetic details.
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3 comments:
It’s amazing now, why I spent so many years trying to “imagine” my way into defending Dispensational theology! Taking the Premill Rapture stance, the gleaming unanswered question for the past 50 or so years that this position has been developed, has to be this? If John’s writing of Revelations, was written, as proposed by Dispensational theologists, around 90 AD, why was the most important event since the resurrection Christ, not even mentioned by John the Beloved? The fulfillment of Christ promise of the total and complete destruction of the temple in 70 AD is no where mentioned in the Book of Revelations? Therefore, I conclude that that holding fast to a strict premill dispensationalism, based upon a 20 century interpretation of John’s Revelation, these folks are trying to interpret Scripture more in light of current events, therefore missing at best or ignoring Biblical events of the fulfillment of prophecy that have already come to pass.
If Christ does Rapture the church, that is GREAT and I am ready! If He doesn’t, I aint standing around waiting! I am busy about His work! Praise the Lord for such discussions where we can disagree and debate, without having to divide!
Woody, there will be a rapture, Believers who are alive at the second coming are "changed" and caught up to Christ in the air. Thus, the rapture is part of the second coming, not a separate event. See 1 Thessalonians 4.
AMEN!
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