4 Methods of Interpreting Revelation

In covering the errors of Dispensationalism, it is important to talk about the fact that their method for interpreting the book of Revelation is historically recent, and that there are several other ways that Christians have interpreted Revelation since it was written in the first century.

I have recently written on the errors of dispensationalism, a modern system of interpreting or understanding the Bible which places a significant emphasis on interpreting the book of Revelation. Dispensationalism holds to a futuristic framework in interpreting the book of Revelation, believing that all or most of the prophetic events described in the last book of the Bible are yet to be fulfilled. Dispensationalists over the past 150 years or so have famously believed that these events are soon to take place. 

Revelation has primarily been interpreted according to four different frameworks: Futurist, Historicist, Idealist, and Preterist.

In covering the errors of Dispensationalism, it is important to talk about the fact that their method for interpreting the book of Revelation is historically recent, and that there are several other ways that Christians have interpreted Revelation since it was written in the first century. Revelation has primarily been interpreted according to four different frameworks: Futurist, Historicist, Idealist, and Preterist. In this article my hope is to explain each of these interpretive frameworks, including their strengths and weaknesses.

1. Futurism

The futurist framework for interpreting Bible prophecy views many of the prophetic passages of Scripture (especially those found in Daniel, Ezekiel, the Olivet Discourse and Revelation) as not yet having occurred, but that they will occur in the future “end times” immediately preceding and after Christ’s Second Coming. Futurists will typically say that they interpret the Bible “literally,” although this can lead to interesting interpretations of passages that have symbolic or metaphorical language. 

Futurists believe in a distinct future period (commonly referred to as the Tribulation), a time of intense suffering and judgment on earth. Most futurists are also premillennial in their view of the Millennium mentioned in Revelation 20; they view it as a 1,000-year reign of Christ on earth, before heaven and earth pass away (before Final Judgment) and the New Heavens and New Earth are created at the end of history.

All dispensationalists are futurists, along with some Christians who hold to a form of covenant theology. Futurists will often place significant importance on the modern nation as Israel, viewing its existence as a “fulfillment” of biblical prophecy. And, due to biblical prophecies concerning a temple in Jerusalem, they believe that someday a “third temple” will be rebuilt, the Jewish sacrificial system will resume, and the Antichrist, the battle of Armageddon, and other prophetic events will intimately concern the modern nation of Israel during the Tribulation.

Dispensational futurists believe in a pre-tribulation rapture, a belief that believers will be “caught up” or raptured and will meet Jesus in the air, being spared the judgment on the earth during the Tribulation. Other futurists believe the Church will go through some or all of the Tribulation, and that Christ’s Second Coming will be a singular event before the Millennium, which they understand to be a literal 1,000-year restoration of the Davidic kingdom. 

2. Historicism

Historicism understands the apocalyptic prophecies of the Bible as describing continual historical events unfolding over the course of history, specifically describing key events and periods in church history. Historicists interpret Biblical prophecy symbolically, understanding the various pivotal historical persons, events, and eras of history as fulfilling the symbolic prophecies found throughout Scripture. 

Historicism is highly speculative, and as history progresses, various historicist theologians will continually re-interpret past and current history in light of Bible prophecy. This re-interpretation is possible as they view the prophecies as symbolic concerning historical events. Visions in Revelation are interpreted as world empires or different eras of world and church history. Prominent religious, political, or military leaders are given apocalyptic significance according to how various symbols in Bible prophecy are understood representing the struggles and victories of the Church throughout history. Times of persecution and reform are given emphasis, as Christ’s kingdom grows throughout the world towards its eventual victory.

A number of historicist examples include:

• The beasts of Daniel 7: These are commonly understood to represent major empires in world history, such as Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome, and further successors. The “little horn” is often understood as a corrupt papacy that grows from Rome, persecuting true believers in Christ. 

• The seven seals of Revelation 6: These are often understood to represent historical events such as the rise of the Roman Empire, periods of Christian persecution, the birth of Islam and the Muslim conquests, and the spread of the Gospel around the world. 

• The seven trumpets of Revelation 8-11: These are often understood to symbolize key moments of trial, judgment, and the growth of God’s kingdom in the world.

As historicism is highly symbolic in its interpretive style, most historicists hold to an amillennial interpretation of Revelation 20, which does not believe in an earthly Millennium, but views Revelation 20 as describing all of church history (some historicists have held to a postmillennial view). In particular, during the Reformation, historicist figures such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, and the Westminster Divines interpreted prophecies from 2 Thessalonians and Revelation 13 as referring to the corrupt papacy. They viewed the Antichrist not as a single future figure, but as a symbol of the corrupt Roman Catholic Church and its apostate popes.  

Historicists often have a high view of God’s sovereign hand on human history. They see the Church as central to God’s plan and believe that, despite periods of persecution or tribulation during the great struggle between good and evil in the world, according to the Bible, the Church will ultimately triumph at the end of history.

3. Idealism

Idealism views the prophecies throughout the Bible as purely spiritual, or symbolic representations of the spiritual conflict between good and evil in the world. Idealists do not look for specific fulfillments in historical or future events, but instead view the prophecies of the Bible as symbolic images describing spiritual truths that are timeless, and that tell the story of redemptive history. 

While futurists will say that they interpret Bible prophecy literally, idealists emphasize allegory and symbol in the vivid prophetic images throughout the Scriptures. Instead of believing in a literal Antichrist figure or “beast out of the sea,” these images are interpreted to represent evil governments that oppose Christ and the Church. Idealists are exclusively amillennial in their view of Revelation 20, believing the Millennium to be purely symbolic representing Christ’s spiritual reign in the hearts of believers and his ultimate authority over all of creation. Idealists believe that the central theme of Biblical prophecy is the triumph of Christ over evil throughout history. 

When approaching images in the book of Revelation, such as the four horsemen of Revelation 6, they will look at possible interpretations of the white horseman to be the spiritual conquest of the gospel, the red horseman as representing war and conflict in all history, the black horseman symbolizing great famine in history, and the pale horseman as representing death and destruction in the world. 

Idealists look to prophecy as spiritual lessons for the Church, believing that no matter the current trials Christians face, Christ has already overcome and will work out all things with peace and perfect justice. To an idealist, the “Tribulation” is not a literal period of past or future history, but symbolically represents the ongoing struggles Christians face, and how Christians need to be faithful in the midst of these trials.  

Rather than focus on the scary and often pessimistic understandings of Bible prophecy that futurism and historicism offer, idealists look at eschatology in a hopeful way, believing that Christ’s reign is present now, that spiritual warfare is real but Christ is triumphant, and that prophecy is meant to be an encouragement for Christians to be strengthened in their faith, and persevere to the end. While there are Biblically-faithful idealists, many idealist theologians have turned to theological liberalism as they spiritualize much of the Scriptures.

4. Preterism

Lastly, the fourth interpretive framework for understanding Bible prophecy is known as preterism. The term preterism comes from the Latin word praeter, which means “past,” and understands Bible prophecy to be both symbolic and literal, both future to the prophetic authors of Scripture, but having already been fulfilled or realized in our past, particularly in the first century AD. Preterism believes that the events described in Daniel, the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21) and Revelation predominately describe the immediate historical context of Christ’s first coming, and the end of the age of the Mosaic Covenant, and the beginning of the New Covenant age of the Church. Preterists believe that most of the prophetic literature in Scripture refers to first-century events including the growth of the early church throughout the Roman world, the Jewish wars and the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, and the complete destruction of the Jewish temple and its sacrificial system. 

In an American culture saturated with futuristic views of Bible prophecy, the idea that most Bible prophecy is already fulfilled will sound foreign, but like the futurists, preterists will interpret many Bible prophecies literally. They believe the symbolic prophecies of Daniel and Revelation as referring to real historical events that occurred according to precise timetables from the prophet Daniel and from Jesus Christ, who said that the prophesied destruction of the temple and Jerusalem would occur within a generation of his earthly ministry. 

A heretical version of preterism known as “full preterism” or “consistent preterism” believes that all Biblical prophecy has been fulfilled, and there is no hope for a future Second Coming of Christ or future resurrection.

While historicists and futurists understand Biblical prophecy to often refer to their present generation in history, preterists emphasize the original audience of the prophetic books, both the Jews and early Christians, who would have understood prophecy in their own context. Jesus Christ and his Apostle John addressed immediate concerns for first-century Christians, including persecution from Jewish and Roman leaders, the threat of false teachers within the Church, and the impending judgment on the Jews who rejected their Messiah. Preterists understand the great Tribulation to refer to the Jewish and Roman persecutions of the Church in a seven-year period from 64-70 AD, culminating with the Abomination of Desolation (when the Roman armies laid siege to Jerusalem) and the destruction of the city and the Jewish temple. These prophetic events were fulfilled according to Daniel’s 70-weeks prophecy (within 490 years of the Jews returning from the Exile) and according to Jesus within a generation (40 years) of his earthly ministry. 

While preterists understand these prophecies to refer to literal earthly events, they understand many of the prophetic images symbolically like historicists and idealists do. Bible prophecy often uses cosmic language (seas turning to blood, stars falling from the sky, etc.) to refer to local judgments on the rebellious kingdoms of the earth (such as Isaiah 13’s prophesied judgment of Babylon, or Isaiah’s and Nahum’s prophesied destruction of Assyria), as well as to symbolize spiritual realities, as stars often symbolize angelic principalities and authorities—who, after Christ’s resurrection, were placed under the kingly authority of Christ. More on this in a future article. 

A few preterist examples of literal and symbolic fulfillment of Biblical prophecy in the first century include:

• The beast in Revelation being interpreted as the Roman empire or specific Roman emperors, such as Titus or Nero, who was infamous for his persecution of Christians.

• The number 666 is often understood as a symbolic reference to Nero, whose name in Hebrew numerology calculates to 666.

• The Whore of Babylon in Revelation 17 is understood as the city of Jerusalem (Babylon symbolizing Rome) as the Jewish leaders in their corruption rejected the Messiah to get in bed with Rome and its idolatrous religious system. 

Preterism ultimately views the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD as the end of the Old Covenant world, and the final judgment on Israel for rejecting Jesus Christ as their Messiah. This “Tribulation” forever ends the Old Covenant sacrificial system as the New Covenant of Christ was established with Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension, and the Gentiles being grafted into the New Israel with the believing Jews in the Church. 

It is important to note that faithful preterism is a “partial” preterism that still sees the final judgment, a future bodily resurrection and the New Heavens and New Earth as still occurring in our future at Christ’s Second Coming. A heretical version of preterism known as “full preterism” or “consistent preterism” believes that all Biblical prophecy has been fulfilled, and there is no hope for a future Second Coming of Christ or future resurrection. 

With so many ways of interpreting Biblical prophecy, it is understandable that so many Christians are confused when it comes to comprehending Biblical prophecy, particularly concerning the “end times.”

Partial-preterists believe that the period of time from the Ascension of Christ and Pentecost to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD ushered in the Millennium of Revelation 20, also known as the age of the Church. Both amillennial and postmillennial views believe this is a symbolic period of time that refers to the age of the church. While partial-preterists who hold to an amillennial view see the Millennium as symbolizing the heavenly reign of Christ, most partial-preterists hold to a postmillennial view, which emphasizes the earthly victory of Christ and his Church. They believe that, throughout the church age, the Church will advance throughout the world as it is transformed by the power of the Gospel, and that this will lead to a Christian world characterized by prosperity and peace—after which Christ will return to usher in the New Heavens and the New Earth.

How Should We Interpret Bible Prophecy?

With so many ways of interpreting Biblical prophecy, it is understandable that so many Christians are confused when it comes to comprehending Biblical prophecy, particularly concerning the “end times.” What complicates this even further is that, while there are wrong ways to interpret Bible prophecy, such as the futurist errors of dispensationalism or the heretical views of full preterism, there are faithful Christians who hold to futurist, historicist, idealist, and partial-preterist frameworks. 

While there are good and bad ways to interpret Bible prophecy concerning eschatology (the last things), it is important to understand that while Christians can be confident in their views, they shouldn’t be dogmatic, as there are faithful Christians who interpret Biblical prophecy in different ways. 

Christ Church Bellingham’s elders predominately hold to partial-preterist and postmillennial views concerning the fulfillment of Biblical prophecies and the future of the Church in history. These views are consistent with our Reformed faith and our hope in the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as it transforms our world. In future articles, I will unpack why our pastoral leadership holds to partial-preterist and postmillennial views concerning Bible prophecy.