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Distinctive treatment necessary

Each of the five prophecy types deserve distinctive treatment.  Mixing the prophecies or merging their respective rules of interpretation renders interpretation impossible. Since we are studying apocalyptic prophecy, we will focus on the rules that apply to this type of prophecy.
 

1. Apocalyptic prophecy always has a beginning and ending point in time they cannot have multiple fulfillments.  An apocalyptic sequence can only occur once.  Apocalyptic prophecy often contains events within the beginning and ending points whereby progression towards consummation can be determined.  These intermediate events must happen in order in which they are presented.
   
2. All prophecies of the Bible are subordinate to apocalyptic structure.  This means that apocalyptic prophecy holds greater weight in terms of chronology than non-apocalyptic prophecies.  No one prophet has been shown everything that God intends to bring about.  Each time God speaks to a prophet about the end of time, more detail is provided.  By first understanding apocalyptic structure, the visions of the prophets can then be organized chronologically.  An apocalyptic prophecy is not fulfilled until all the specifications and the chronology of the prophecy are both met.
   
3. When a prophecy becomes applicable, the language of the prophecy becomes applicable.  For example, John begins Revelation by saying, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place…” Revelation 1:1 The words “must soon take place” cannot mean 2,000 years.  Reason requires that words mean what they say.  The point is that when a prophecy becomes present truth, the language of the prophecy must be taken as literal or analogous unless it is clearly symbolic.  If the language is symbolic, relevant scripture must explain the meaning of the symbol.  Students cannot makeup their own interpretation of symbols.  The Bible must interpret itself.

The first point warrants some discussion.  As stated before, apocalyptic prophecy is prophecy that lays out a sequence of events.  According to rule 1, there are only a few apocalyptic prophecies in the Bible.  For example, in Revelation we have the seven seals, seven trumpets and the seven last plagues.

It is very important to understand the primacy of apocalyptic structure.  For example, the seven trumpets of Revelation are numbered, and follow a consecutive order.  If a student demonstrates an interpretation of trumpet 5, that interpretation must recognize the chronological timing of trumpet 4 because trumpet 4 must occur before trumpet 5 does!  If we apply rule 2 to the interpretation of trumpet 5, all details regarding trumpet 1-4 must be met too since all aspects of the trumpet prophecy have to be met in order to have a true fulfillment.  Since there is only one second coming of Jesus, prophecies having sequences that lead up to that event can only have one fulfillment. Said another way, if trumpets 1 through 5 occur, trumpet 3 can’t happen again because trumpet 6 is next sequentially.

Historical applications

Through the centuries, a number of so-called “fulfillments” have been demonstrated from Revelation.  The problem with these fulfillments is they cannot satisfy rule 2, which calls for fulfillments of all details relevant to the prophecy!  Since God gives the detail to the prophets, a fulfillment can only occur when all the specifications are met.  Read Revelation 9:13-21 in your Bible and then read this story:

In the 19^th century, Dr. Josiah Litch, a Methodist minister, concluded that trumpets 5 and 6 in Revelation 9 concerned Mohammedanism.  He was convinced that the 6^th trumpet described in Revelation 9 predicted the fall of the Ottoman Turkish Empire.  Dr. Litch wrote a book in 1838 titled, “The Probability of the Second Coming of Christ about A.D. 1843” and in it he wrote, “But the duration of their dominion (the Moslems) over the Greek empire…(is) 541 years and 15 days… If the time for commencing the periods was at the time of the onset of the Ottomans upon the Greeks, July 27, 1299, then the whole period will end in August, 1840.” Ibed, page 134.  As August 1840, drew near, Litch predicted the actual date to be August 11.

Casual students of world history are aware of the powerful Ottoman Turkish Empire.  Those fierce Moslems were undisputed rulers of the Middle East for several centuries. But the kingdoms of man come and go.  Ottoman glory faded due to a number of humiliating wars.  In 1774, Turkey signed a treaty with Christian Russia allowing Russia the right of approval in certain Turkish internal affairs.  In 1833 Turkey signed another treaty with Russia, which made the ruler of Turkey subject to the Russian tsar.  In exchange, Turkey was given protection from Egypt.  But in 1839, Egypt seized the Turkish navy as well as a great deal of land.  Turkey quickly appealed for help.  Four Christian powers (England, Russia, Austria and Prussia) forced a treaty between Turkey and Egypt, and it was signed in London in July of 1840.  Egypt released the Turkish navy, reduced the size of its army, withdrew from Syria and resumed paying tribute to Turkey.

On August 11, 1840, Turkey accepted the treaty!  Did this fulfill the prophecy of the 6^th trumpet?  The fact that something of political importance happened on the anticipated day of August 11,1840 sent shivers among prophetic students of that day.  They were convinced that the 6^th trumpet had been fulfilled!  But was the prophecy fulfilled?  Were all the details of the prophecy met?  A number of problems prevent this conclusion from being regarded as a fulfillment.  Four distinct problems stand out:

1.      There is no question that the sixth trumpet is a great war.  But, this trumpet does not identify which political power rises or falls as a result of the war.  Litch thought that the war between Egypt and Turkey qualified but the Ottoman Empire did not fall or collapse in August of 1840. In fact, Turkey is today a sovereign state.

2.      In October of 1582, ten days were eliminated from the calendar to correct the calendar with respect to earth’s position with the sun.  Dr. Litch did not adjust the timing of his conclusions to compensate, thus the August 11 date is invalid even if we follow his rules or concepts of interpretation.

3.      Dr. Litch assumed that the phrase, “an hour, a day, a month and a year” represented a quantity of 391 years, 15 days.  He arrived at this conclusion by assuming the phrase was cumulative and then he applied the day/year principle. It is now known that the phrase is translated incorrectly in the KJV. The phrase actually represents a specific moment in time rather than a sum of years.  Most translations of the Bible in this century support this corrected understanding.

4.      The final and greatest obstacle to Dr.Litch application is that fulfillment of the first 5 trumpets has not been clearly demonstrated. If we follow the sequence of the seven trumpets, trumpet 6 can only occur after the first five trumpets!

To his credit, Dr. Litch later withdrew his announcement that the sixth trumpet had been fulfilled in August 1840.  He became convinced that what appeared to be a fulfillment, was not a fulfillment.  Dr.Litch later concluded, “the trumpets are yet future and will occur shortly before the second coming of Christ.”

This story is told to point out a very important issue.  Throughout the centuries, people have attempted to explain Revelation’s story and show that some piece or part has been fulfilled.  However, unless we maintain fidelity to the rules mentioned earlier, we don’t have fulfillment!  In this study, I believe that even though many have attempted to explain Revelation’s story through the centuries, the story belongs exclusively to the last generation.  Because they live at the end of time, they alone have this opportunity.

Revelation’s timing

In order to appreciate and understand Revelation’s story, the student has to determine a place in time where the story begins.  Most Bible students assumed the story began with the ascension of Christ (31 A.D.).  After all, there is no specific date mentioned in Revelation.

Remember, there is a demonstrated prophetic mechanism:  Prophetic things are understood on or about the time of fulfillment.  We will see in the next lesson that Revelation story has two parts.  The first part applies to the seven churches and the second part begins in 1844.  For now, you need to know a little more about 1844.  This year did not come and go unnoticed. 

As the year 1840 approached, people in Europe and America came to understand the importance of the 2,300 days of Daniel 8:14.  In America they were known as Millerites or followers of William Miller.  Miller, a licensed Baptist minister, set northeastern America astir with the prophetic message that Jesus was returning to earth “about 1844.”

Miller understood the “cleansing” of the sanctuary to be the cleansing of the earth from sin – thus, he concluded, the second coming must occur sometime during 1843 or 1844.

At the height of his popularity about 100,000 people of various denominations subscribed to his general conclusions that Jesus was about to return!

Miller was not a single voice preaching on the second coming of Jesus.  Other great preachers of this era include Charles G. Finney, Dwight L. Moody and Billy Sunday.  These and many others contributed to the great spiritual revival of America during the 19^th century.  Thousands in the eastern half of America gave their lives to the Lord.  Camp meetings were held and thousands attended.  A large number of Americans were “spiritually revived” and then disappointed.

Because Jesus didn’t come (as anticipated), the revival died.  Protestant churches in general became disillusioned with prophetic study.  General skepticism about prophecy characterized Protestantism for more than a century.  Then, in the early 1970’s, prophetic interest began to come alive.  Suddenly, Hal Lindsey’s book, “The Late Great Planet Earth” became a best seller.  And today, prophetic study continues to grow into a topic of considerable interest.

So when does Revelation’s story begin?

There are two answers to this question.  Notice what John is told; “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.”  Revelation 1:19 Just like Daniel’s vision (Daniel 8-12).  John’s vision had information for “his day” and information for “our day.”  Because some of the information given to the seven churches related to immediate problems, John was clearly told to, “ Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”  Revelation 1:11 

The messages to the seven churches initially belonged to them at the time they were sent to them.  But in a larger sense, the messages to the seven churches are timeless and universal because the seven churches still exist  - not in the same place, nor with the same people.  People come and go.  Times change, but the seven churches of Jesus remain.  The point is that the seven churches represent the body of believers in Christ!  The problems with sin haven’t changed and the promises and threatenings Jesus gave each church still stands.  In fact, Jesus concluded his message to each church saying, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches.”

The seven churches are not numbered 1 through 7.  They are not sequential.  They are not apocalyptic.  They simultaneous existed in John’s day and they simultaneous exist now.

Something old, something new

We need to observe three things from the messages to the seven churches and see if they apply to ourselves.  We need to comprehend the description of Jesus as He is represented to each church; we need to understand the things said to each church and we need to notice the promise given to each church. 

Notice:

1. Ephesus:  Jesus holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven lamp stands.  {1:20-2:1}
2. Smyrna:  Jesus is the First and Last, who died and came to life again.  {2:8}
3. Pergamum:  Jesus has the sharp, double-edged sword.  {2:12}
4. Thyatira:  Jesus is the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.  {2:18}
5. Sardis:  Jesus holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.  {3:1}
6. Philadelphia:  Jesus has the key of David.  What he shuts – no one can open.  What he opens – no one can shut.  He sets before us an open door that no one can shut. (3:7,8}
7. Laodicea:  Jesus is the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. {3:14}

A promise is a promise

Notice what the victors receive:

1. Ephesus:  Those overcoming will have the right to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.  {2:7}
2. Smyrna:  Those overcoming will not be hurt by the second death.  {2:11}
3. Pergamum:  Those overcoming will receive some of the hidden manna and a white stone with a new name on it.  {2:17}
4. Thyatira:  Those overcoming will have authority over the nations.  {2:26}
5. Sardis:  Those overcoming will be dressed in white and their names will never be erased from the Book of Life.  {3:5}
6. Philadelphia:  Those overcoming will be a pillar in the temple of God.  {3:12}
7. Laodicea:  Those overcoming will have the right to sit with Jesus on His throne.  {3:21}

To the sincere in all churches

Jesus says, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”  The messages to the seven churches are timeless.  As the number seven denotes fullness or wholeness, the seven churches represent all the children of God – scattered over the face of the earth.  Which church describes your experience in the Lord?  The glory of Jesus is not dimmed by time.  Even though He clearly sees the frailty and weakness of His people, He blends encouragement with divine warning.  The promised rewards far surpass any price we have to pay.  To God is the glory!

Summary

Revelation follows a very careful outline. The story is designed to do two things:  First, prepare God’s people for the things He is about to do and secondly, provide credibility to the message that God’s people will give just before the second coming.  The story, the language and the meaning combine in an integral way to reveal the glory of Jesus, hence the book is called “The Revelation of Jesus.”

Rules of interpretation are vitally important. Rules are directly connected to conclusions and good rules are no respecter of persons or denominations.

Revelation had information for the seven churches that existed in John’s day, and Revelation contains information for the final and last generation upon earth.  The core message to each of the seven churches is still applicable today.  Which church do you belong to?

Quiz

1. What three types of language make up Revelation?

2. Name three of the five types of prophecy.

3. Name two of the 3 rules of interpretation.

4. Which descriptions of Jesus given to the churches do you like best?

5. In which of the seven churches do you find yourself?

Memory Verse:  Revelation 2:11  “”He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Notes:

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