Revelation is for NOW, not the FUTURE?

[atpollard]

I heard a talk on the Book of Revelation that made what I thought might be a valid point. Brandon Robbins suggested that Revelation was written to the people living at that time, people going through horrific persecution, to whom each of the “apocalyptic literature” symbols would have been painfully obvious. The book starts out with seven real churches with seven very real conditions that Christians living under that culture and persecution would have been familiar with. The horsemen represent sufferings like war and famine and oppression that those people would have been only too familiar with. After acknowledging their suffering, the veil is pulled back and John/God reveal the spiritual war going on unseen behind the events of their hard lives (offering a glimpse and a hope that Satan would ultimately be defeated). Lastly comes the climax, a glimpse of the end with the ULTIMATE PROMISE that God will not merely triumph, but that those that are suffering NOW will one day be with Him and everything will be made RIGHT.

It is not intended to be a literal future prophecy for future generations to pick apart into complex debated timelines, it is a symbolic code for people IN a hard times to find hope. It was written to THEM about THEIR TIME, but it is timeless because Christians suffer and struggle in EVERY TIME. We have done an injustice to the church by making it about some FUTURE EVENTS when it is about getting through PRESENT STRUGGLES with Hope.

As just one small example, 144,000 is 12 x 12 x 10 x 10 x 10 … 12 is the number of God’s People (how many times is that used symbolically in scripture), so 12 x 12 is all of Gods people (Jews and Gentiles). 10 is symbolic of “many”, so 10x10x10 is many x many x many … basically “infinite”. So putting those together means that 144,000 is “ALL OF GOD’S PEOPLE, A MULTITUDE BEYOND COUNTING” … now what did John promise would happen to this multitude of God’s People … and remember that he made this promise to people that were LIVING (and dying) through the events of the Horsemen. Do you think that might have offered some encouragement to them in the middle of their hard times? Do you think it might still offer some encouragement to people living through their own personal hard times TODAY?

 

[civic]

that is the amillennialism/ preterist view.

we might as well say the whole N.T. was written for them and not us now.

 

[atpollard]

that is the amillennialism/ preterist view.

we might as well say the whole N.T. was written for them and not us now.

If we apply Dispensationalist hermeneutics to all of scripture, then the things Jesus said under the law to Pharisees was not FOR Jews under the Law but is a prophetic foreshadow of commands for US (or some future generation in a new Millennial Kingdom) to obey.

I posit that the NT was written TO THEM (we need to understand it through their understanding) but FOR US.

 

[Dizerner]

The backlash for Charismania is Cessationism.

The backlash for Wispy Dispies is Preterism.

Better to take the middle than over correct.

 

[TOTHALORDBEALLGLORY]

that is the amillennialism/ preterist view.

we might as well say the whole N.T. was written for them and not us now.

friend some already even do that . we living in highly deceptive times . More and more of what JESUS taught
and later the apostels taught as well as the prophets , IS BEING REMOVED , under the cliam it NO LONGER applies
to us today . But the sheep , WE AINT HEARING A WORD ONE outta that mouth . Our ears hear the VOICE of CHRIST
and HIS WORDS are our meat .

 

[TOTHALORDBEALLGLORY]

The backlash for Charismania is Cessationism.

The backlash for Wispy Dispies is Preterism.

Better to take the middle than over correct.

Better to take heed to The words of GOD , inspired by Him .
Their is mens ways , THEN their be THE ONLY WAY and that WAY IS OF GOD , OF CHRIST .
Let no man , woman or child compromise a word of the LORD . All things written
ARE for our learning . Its bible time in the building my dear friend .
And what i say to one i say to all, YA better test all men against the scrips . And when what they teach
twists the truth , HEED not a word outta they mouth . rather correct them .

 

[TOTHALORDBEALLGLORY]

that is the amillennialism/ preterist view.

we might as well say the whole N.T. was written for them and not us now.

I am pretty darn sure you already know and agree to what i am about to write .
But suffer this wee thing to do so anyway .
HEED NOT A WORD ONE outta that false doctrines lips . as i am sure you do not my friend . people come up with all sorts of things
and dangerous teachings they surely are to the soul of he who heeds them bad doctrines .

 

[TOTHALORDBEALLGLORY]

that is the amillennialism/ preterist view.

we might as well say the whole N.T. was written for them and not us now.

And what do the sheep say to men who say such a thing , NAY , Not today , not ever
cause we gonna heed what THE LORD DO SAY and that there biblical doctrine .
Now to the trenches civic. WE Are in a war for the souls of men that has raged and raged throughout the centuries
and it grows only worse in these last hours . The sheep FOLLOW THE KING and whatever contradicts
His words is naught but a song of death to our ears . MY words are Spirit and they are life . The sheep hear
one voice .
FOR THIS REASON was i born and for this cause came i into the world , TO TESTIFY OF THE TRUTH
all who are OF the TRUTH HEAR MY VOICE . not a strangers . march onwards in the trenches my friend .

 

[atpollard]

You people are both annoying and a hoot.

Since the Book of Revelation is both 100% literal (damn the symbolism and those who advocate it, like you say) and 100% NOW, where exactly is this 100% literal hole with a 100% literal dragon with 100% literal chains? I wouldn't want to accidentally get too close. Looking at a GLOBE, if the Dragon were chained as far from Jerusalem as possible, that would place the pit somewhere close to Tahiti. Should Christians avoid Tahiti?

 

[atpollard]

that is the amillennialism/ preterist view.

Which of those claimed they were LITERAL EVENTS that already occurred in the first Century [which is NOT what I am suggesting]?
Which of those claimed that as apocryphal literature everything in the Book Of Revelation is a 100% symbolic VISION that needs to be understood through the lens of the writer and original hearers to correctly understand the symbolism as they understood it?

• just like the idioms Jesus spoke in the Gospel suddenly make perfect sense when one understands what "follow me" means when spoken by a first century Rabbi
• Just like the idioms "abolish the Law" and "fulfill the Law" suddenly make perfect sense of the conversation when one understands what those first century Jewish idioms meant (to "abolish" is to wrongly interpret the Law and to "fulfill" is to rightly interpret the Law ... go back and reread the biblical context with this information!) Jesus was not talking about 'antinomianism'.

we might as well say the whole N.T. was written for them and not us now.

Let's NOT say that, shall we.