1. History of Interpretation – The history of interpretation of the book of Revelation goes back as far as Old Testament prophecy itself. As we have seen, Jewish apocalyptic literature and later on Christian apocalyptic literature have emerged from the earlier prophetic tradition. However, in prophetic literature the focus is on the people’s transgressions and foretelling the Lord’s renewed favor if they repented and further woes and problems if they did not.

2. The prophets in general saw the struggle between good and evil as an individual and corporate matter; the apocalyptic writers saw it in cosmic terms. The prophetic literature would spell out in no uncertain terms what the problem was and how God was going to deal with it. Apocalyptic literature was born of crisis but the problem, pathway and sometimes even the outcome of the upheaval would be hidden from those not in the know.

3. Therefore, the word apocalypse itself means “an unveiling of that which is hidden.” Unfortunately for the readers of the previous generations, there has not always been a complete unveiling that has lead to an accurate and complete understanding of the literature. This less than complete unveiling has led to a long diverse history of interpretation which we can only give a tip of the hat to.

4. The eschatological hopes of the church have always been, and will continue to be, one of the core concerns of the Christian faith. Paul was convinced that Jesus would come for the second time before the first generation of believers died (1 Thess. 4: 17; 1 Cor. 15: 51-52). Peter did his best to encourage his listeners who evidently were being laughed and scoffed at because Jesus had not already come (2 Peter 3). But the hope that Jesus would come soon did not and has not died with the passing of first and second generation Christians.

5. From the study of history, we learn that around 170 CE an individual named Montanus proclaimed himself the Holy Spirit incarnate and said that the Last Judgment was at hand, and asserted that the “New Jerusalem” that John prophesied about would soon descend in Phrygia (Asia Minor close to Ephesus and Pergam).

6. Irenaeus, the Bishop of Lyon, wrote in the late second century a book called “Against Heresies” which concluded with a survey of so-called Christian apocalypses and his own prophetic timetable in which he said just like there were six days of creation and a day of rest, history would extend itself six thousand years, ending with Christ’s return and the millennium, the holy seventh day. So the belief in a millennium rein was coming to the forefront as early as late second century. It is interesting that much of what we believe and understand about the Second Coming of Jesus is built around “the millennium” which is only mentioned in Revelation 20.

7. Victorinus, the late third century Bishop of Pettau (present day Austria) was a confirmed millennialist. He wrote the earliest surviving commentary on the Book of Revelation that we have ( resource: When Time Shall Be No More: Prophecy Belief in Modern American Culture by Paul Boyer page 47).

8. However, like now millennialism had its critics. Origen (writing around 185 -254 C.E) interpreted the prophecies allegorically saying that the Antichrist was symbolic of evil, the thousand year reign described a spiritual reality achieved in the souls of individual believers (Boyer, page 47).

9. As Christianity established itself in the Roman Empire, the literal strand of millennialism faded. After all an embattled Christian faith once sustained by its apocalyptic hope became the religious faith of record in the Roman Empire with Constantine.

10. Around the end of the fourth and beginning of the fifth century, a preeminent theologian of the early church by the name of Augustine came to the forefront and became arguably the most influential theologian in the history of the church—both present and future. He rejected the literal interpretation of his day as being “coarse sensuality” and argued that one should read biblical apocalyptic literature allegorically like Origen had centuries before. He believed that Revelation was a kind of allegory of Christian life: Satan was bound whenever one turned to God; the New Jerusalem came down whenever one received God’s grace. According to David Barr, Augustine maintained a part of material reading: he saw the millennium as an actual period of a thousand years between the first and second coming of Christ. Thus the end would come around year 1000. He could say that because the reign of Christ and binding of Satan was occurring in each believers heart (Reading the Book of Revelation by David Barr page 3). When the end did not come a 1000 BC, the established reading of the book lost some of its popularity.

11. However about 200 years later, a Christian mystic by the name of Joachim (Wa-a-keem) of Flora wrote on Easter Sunday in 1183, after years of intense biblical study, that “I suddenly perceived in my mind’s eye something of the fullness of this book and of the entire harmony of the Old and New Testaments.” The result was a massive work of the interpretation of Revelation called “Exposition of Revelation.”

12. Joachim saw three overlapping ages, each identified with a figure of the Trinity: the age of Law, presided over by God the Father, the age of Grace, inaugurated by Jesus’ birth; and a future Age of the Spirit, in which, after Antichrist’s defeat, righteousness will prevail and mankind will devote itself to spiritual contemplation ( Boyer, page 52).

13. According to Boyer, the Trinity theme of history anticipates in rudimentary form the dispensationalism popularized by British and America prophecy writers in which segments of history are divided into a series of divinely ordained ages or dispensations (Boyer, page 52). His writings had an enormous impact on medieval religious thought and has indirectly influence much of our eschatology today.

14. In thirteenth-century Germany, apocalypticism , social unrest, struggled between the papacy and territorial struggles held that Frederick II, who ruled from 1220 to 1250 was the Emperor of the Last Days, who would usher in the Millennium. He died in 1250 and the legend took a new form: He was the departed ruler to return at the end of time to reform the government and establish a reign of righteousness. Frederick, according to some, would reappear on a white horse and establish a thousand year reign. In Italy there was another myth that came to light. The German ruler would return to life as the great antichrist. Many times down through history, rulers have announced that they were the ones who could and would usher in the period peace and prosperity for 1000 years. However, what is savior to one is an antichrist to another.

15. It is important to note that there is nothing really new in our understanding prophecy. “Modern day scenarios are in fact undated versions of very ancient ones.” For example, Irenaeus, writing in the second century, taught that the Antichrist will reign on earth “for three years and six months,” precisely the time period mentioned by Hal Lindsey and other folks like him (Boyer page 55).

16. Next week we’ll pick up on a brief history of eschatology after the reformation.

17. Turn to Revelation 20. I wonder why so much has been written and said about something that is only mentioned in one chapter of the Bible? It might be that the notion of peace, extended peace for long period of time, has eluded and fascinated mankind for as long as its violent past has existed. Who knows, but one thing is for sure much has been said about the millennium.

18. Postmillennialism-
     a. Kingdom of God is already present now in an earthly fashion. The rule of the millennial is that of Augustine—a spiritual rule of Christ in people’s heart. It is not something that will be cataclysmically introduced in the future. For the postmill, the 1000 year reign is symbolic in nature.
     b. The post people believe that there will be a conversion of the nations prior to Christ’s return. The preaching of the Gospel will be taken worldwide and meet with favorable reception. Why, prophecy dictates it (Isaiah 45: 22-25). Jesus also said that the gospel will be universally preached before His second Coming (Matthew 24:14). Premills see the preaching as extending to all nations, but not be very successful. The Great Commission that Jesus gave His disciples certainly creates the expectation that the preaching is going to be done and it is going to be done successfully.
     c. Expectation of a long period of peace termed the millennium. There is not expected to be literal 1000 year reign, it could be more or less.
     d. There is gradual growth in degrees of righteous that accompanies the Kingdom. The Kingdom is not just thought of being a future heavenly reality, but a present earthly reality. It is arriving by degrees, almost imperceptibly. Matthew 13 records four parables that deal with the Kingdom of Heaven as a process of growth. This growth is gradual and may take a long, long time.
     e. However, before the return of Christ, there will be a flare-up of evil occurring with the antichrist.
     f. The millennium will end with the personal, bodily return of Christ.
     g. Afterwards, the Lord’s return will be followed by the resurrection of “all righteous and unrighteous- and the judgment of all, and their assignment to one of two ultimate and permanent states (A Basic Guide to Eschatology: Making sense of the Millennium by Millard J. Erickson, page 58)”

Pros of Postmill
     1. They give a lot of attention to genuinely Biblical theme-Kingdom of God.
     2. They encourage activism on the part of believers.
     3. Promote a spirit of optimism (Jesus did promise power to those who would bear the Gospel, Acts 1:8).
     4. The Kingdom of God is broader than the church. Wherever the will of God is done there is the Kingdom.

Cons of Postmill
     1. The world is not necessarily getting better. The percentage of Christians in the world is not increasing. We are not the fastest growing religion in the world.
     2. In fact, Postmills usually neglect scripture passages that portray the spiritual and moral conditions as worsening in the end times (Matt 24:9-14).
     3. Like most of us, the Postmills are guilty of supermarket theology (just picking up what you want and leaving the rest behind).
     4. In seeing the reign of God as everywhere, they don’t always discriminate between good and evil. For example, some saw the kingdom being fulfilled even through Nazism.

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1. History of Millennium after the Reformation- The early 1500’s were times of religious and social unrest (prime ingredients for apocalyptic revival). In 1517, Martin Luther affixed his 95 theses to the door of Wittenberg’s castle church. Three years later, he was excommunicated. In 1519, Ulrich Zwingli brought about Protestantism in Switzerland. The French-born John Calvin broke with Rome in 1533 and led the Protestant reformation in Geneva. In Geneva, he and other Protestant leaders exercised church and civil power, imposing orthodoxy, suppressing dissent, and enforced a moral code of behavior based on the Old Testament law (they created a theocracy). Calvin’s writings and doctrine, which emphasized both God’s mercy and absolute power and man’s helplessness, shaped the thinking of the Protestant Reformation for centuries to come.

2. The social unrest of the day was represented by the so called “Peasant War” in which perhaps 300,000 ill-equipped rebels pillaged castles and monasteries demanding the end of serfdom, feudal fees, restoration of common lands, and hunting and fishing rights, along with the right to choose their clergy. A major figure in all of this was a Protestant Pastor by the name of Thomas Muntzer. He was completely absorbed in apocalyptic speculation, which by the early 1520 had become an obsession in the religious and even political thinking of the day. According to Boyer, Muntzer became the Peasant War’s principle theological defender and spurred the rebels of his region to new heights of violence. In one battle near Frankenhausen, he fired up the rebels with his speech of apocalyptic delusions and the result was 5,000 peasants slaughtered, and Muntzer himself beheaded.

3. Another group that rose to prominence was the Anabaptist. This group rejected Luther’s alliance with the powers-to-be of Germany and Calvin’s theocracy in Geneva. They stressed rebaptism of adult believers, personal piety, nonresistance, and separation from the world. Apocalyptic hope burned brightly among this group. According to one historian, “All Anabaptists were united in their conviction that the return of Christ was near” and that “Christ and Antichrist were locked in the final struggle.” Many believed that the New Jerusalem would arise from around them; no doubt coming in their lifetime.

4. The result of all this lead Reformation leaders to react in horror. Luther dismissed Revelation to be “neither apostolic nor prophetic” and relegated it to an appendix in his German New Testament (page 61, Boyer). Zwingli dismissed Revelation as “not a book of the Bible.” Calvin accepted it as cannon, but not like the Gospels, and did not include it in his Bible commentaries. Yet Luther and Calvin both named the Pope the antichrist. Is the Pope being associated with the antichrist still heard of today? The Catholics turned the tide on the Protestants and named Luther as the antichrist, as well.

5. In England during the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), pamphleteers proclaimed their nation’s duty to help preserve Protestantism against the assaults of Antichrist, embodied by the papacy. With the rise of Ottoman Empire and Islam in general, Mohammed was identified as the Antichrist. (Note: modern treatment of Revelation next week)

6. Amillennialism
     a. Amills are often difficult to distinguish between Postmills. For example, Augustine (354-430) and John Calvin (1509-1564) have been claimed by both groups. As we go, we will try to compare and contrast Amills and Postmills.
     b. The second coming of Christ will be followed immediately by that general resurrection, the judgment of all men, and consignment of all to their ultimate state. There will be no earthly personal reign of Christ and no millennium in which Christ is present (both Amills and Postmills agree).
     c. The two resurrections of Revelation 20 do not require an intervening millennium.
     d. Amills believe that the two resurrections are not both physical. Some Amills say the first is spiritual and the second is physical, others regard both resurrections as spiritual.
     e. The purpose of the book is to assure God’s people that Christ will triumph over all opposition. Satan was attempting to deceive believers into worshiping the emperor rather than Christ. The binding of Satan (20:1-3) is to incapacitate him for effectively continuing this work. The one thousand years symbolizes the completeness of this binding and restraint. Therefore, the millennium is symbolic rather than literal.
     f. The symbol of the one thousand years is used to convey the idea of the complete triumph of the martyrs who have been objects of Satan’s wrath. In Revelation 6: 9-11, they are questioning how long before God halts the success of the wicked one. In Revelation 20, they are resurrected in the first resurrection and sitting on the thrones reigning with Christ for a thousand years.
     g. Even Old Testament prophecies are less literal than most Premills consider them.
     h. Amills and Premills do share some similarities. For example, Postmills are optimistic about the future salvation of the world, the Amills and Premills are not. Some Amills might believe that there is going to be more success than the Premills believe but, as a rule, they doubt that evangelization will be as successful as the Postmills.
     i. Amills believe that Jesus could virtually return at any time, while Postmills don’t believe that He will return until the Gospel has been spread worldwide with a general acceptance of Him. Both Amills and Premills believe that there are no major events of long duration yet to be fulfilled; the Lord could come at any time (A Basic Guide to Eschatology: Making Sense of the Millennium by Millard J. Erickson, page 75).
     j. According to Erickson, even though these two (Amills and Premills) might agree on the imminent return of Christ, the Amill is seldom upset at the deterioration of the world. He is less preoccupied with details and sequences of last things and even less curious about the “signs of the times” (page 75). Why would you think Amills might be less upset about the situation that the world was in?
     k. Question to ponder: Do Amills believe in a bodily resurrection at all?
     l. The Amills generally see Revelation as composed of several sections (seven), each of which recapitulates the events of the same period rather than describing the event of successive periods. Each deals with the same era—the period between Christ’s first and second comings—picking up earlier themes, elaborating and developing them further.

7. Pros of Amill thought
     a. Recognizes the Bible prophecy and eschatology has a great deal of symbolism and handles it accordingly.
     b. Amill have attempted to do serious exegesis of relevant Biblical passages, such as Revelation 20.

8. Cons of Amill thought
     a. In chapter 20, there is no apparent contextual basis for discriminating between the two verbs “life.”
     b. How do we decide what is literal or symbolic? Not just an Amill problem but a difficultly in general for all the readings of John’s Apocalypse.

9. Premillennialism
     a. Earthy reign of Christ is established by the Second Coming, this reign is actual and a bodily return of Christ. Why a literal reign of Christ on the earth? During Jesus’ life on the earth, Christ experienced a state of humiliation in progressive stages. George Ladd believes that it is necessary for the manifestation of Christ’s glory and sovereignty to take place upon the earth. Ladd discerns three stages in Christ’s triumph over death as described in 1 Corinthians 15: 23-26: The resurrection, the second coming, and the end. The interval between the resurrection and the parousia is the church age; the interval between the parousia and the telos—without which the two might as well be collapsed into one—is the millennium. In addition, according to the dispensational Premills, there is yet another argument for the millennium: the large number of prophecies yet to be unfulfilled.
     b. During this period, Christ will be in complete control, similar to what Paul says in Phil 2: 10-11.
     c. It will be a period of righteous rule. The standard of living that is described on the Sermon of the Mount will be the rule of this time period. There will be world-wide peace. There will be harmony in creation (Romans 8: 22-23). The saint will reign with Christ.
     d. This reign will not be a gradual and progressive coming of the thousand year reign but it will come dramatically and cataclysmically, inaugurated by the Second Coming.
     e. Premills, apply Matthew 24:12 to the world’s spiritual and social conditions with men’s faith and the world’s conditions growing steadily worse.
     f. Premills believe that a “great tribulation” will immediately precede the millennium. It will involve cosmic phenomena, persecution, and great suffering.
     g. Premills differ as to whether the church will be present on earth during the tribulation or whether God will remove it from the earth just prior to the great tribulation (Pretribs and Posttribs).
     h. Christ’s coming will bring Satan and his helpers under control, binding Satan and them for 1000 years. Near the end Satan will be unbounded briefly and launch one desperate, final struggle. Then he and his demons will be cast into the Lake of Fire.
     i. The two resurrections of Revelation 20 are to be distinguished on the basis of their participants, not on the basis of their natures. Both resurrections, not just the second as Amills believe, are literal and bodily. In all of Revelation, not just the 20th chapter, the Premills will adopt a relatively literalistic interpretation of the Bible and the Apocalypse. This means that the words are to be taken literally whenever this does not lead to absurdity. Furthermore, the Premills have a strong tendency toward a futurist interpretation of Revelation, rather than an historical or preterist interpretation. The difference being the preterist believe the events have already occurred shortly after the book was written, while the historical interpretation regards these events as having been future when the book was written but occurring throughout the history of the church. Historical Premills combine the futurist and preterist views, holding that the book had a message for John’s own age, and consummation of redemptive history (the future).
     j. Only believers are involved in the first resurrection, however, whereas the rest of the human race, the non-Christians, are not resurrected until the end of the millennium. All believers will reign with Christ, not just the martyrs, while the resurrection of unbelievers serves only to get them to the judgment. 

Israel in the Millennium
Premills see a special status for Israel during the millennium, though they disagree on the exact nature of that status. Dispensational Premills hold that there will be literal restoration of the Old Testament way of doing things. God will restore Israel (Romans 11:25-32). He has only temporarily turned from Israel to the church, during the tribulation He will once again pick up with Israel. During the millennium Jesus will sit upon the throne of David and rule the world from Jerusalem. According to Erickson, temple worship and priestly order will be restored, including the sacrificial system (page 103). Is that really the way we believe? Would Paul agree with this theology? Think about how he fought against those who wanted to pervert the Gospel by making it more Jewish than Christian.

Historical Premills place less emphasis upon the nation of Israel than the dispensationalists. They believe that in the spiritual Israel (the church) many of the prophecies and promises that have been related to Israel have been fulfilled. The early church did that every time Jesus was seen as a fulfillment to the Old Testament prophecies. The Old Testament sacrificial system has passed away forever because Christ is the sacrificial lamb forever more. Israel, however, will be saved (Romans 11:26). The future Israel will eventually turn to Christ and be saved.

1. Pros of Premill Thought
a. The Bible places a lot of emphasis on eschatology, and Premills certainly do not neglect this important subject in the Bible.
b. Premills have also taken exegesis seriously.
c. It appears that the Premill interpretation of Revelation 20 is more adequate and raises fewer objections than any other system of interpretation.

2. Cons of Premill thought
a. Many people feel too much emphasis is put on the millennium in Revelation 20. Surely, if it is as important a scripture as some interpreters say, there would be more evidence in the whole of scripture. Jesus has a lot to say in Matthew 24-25 about the end times, but He never says anything about a 1000 year reign, nor did He predict any events that require such a period to be fulfilled (Erickson, page 105).
b. Many of the prophecies that Premills, especially Dispensational Premills say must be fulfilled literally by Israel, have been fulfilled by the church or at least some believe so. For example, the prediction that Elijah would precede the coming of the Messiah was fulfilled in the New Testament by who? John the Baptist. Peter argued that the promise to David that the resurrected Christ would sit upon the throne was fulfilled when Jesus was raised from the dead and exalted at the right hand of God (Acts 2: 29-36). Premills, who are known for taking the Bible literally, say that prophecies like these have both a literal and spiritual fulfillment.
c. Premills tendency to give the millennium a Jewish flavor have been criticized for centuries (Caius of Rome, 200 AD. and Origen). Premills must be careful that Israel doesn’t displace the church in the millennim.
d. Pretribs and Postribs differ in relationship of the church to the tribulation. Pretribs believe that the church will be “raptured,” prior to the great tribulation. The Posttribs believe the church will remain in the world during the tribulation, although it may be shielded from some of its more severe aspects.
e. The Second Coming, according to the Posttribs, is a single unitary coming at the end of the tribulation. Pretribs see it as consisting of two parts or two second comings for “the church at the beginning of the tribulation, removing it from the world and “coming with” the saints at the end of the tribulation. Where is it that the Bible speaks of 1-½ or 2 second comings?

3. Dispensationalism
a. “Dispensations” as used in this particular understanding of the Bible and the Book of Revelation were defined by Charles C. Ryrie as “a distinguishable economy in the outworking of God’s purpose” (Erickson, page 199). It is a stewardship of God’s light, a step in the revelation of God’s truth.
b. The dispensationalist movement is a fairly new movement. No trace of this theology can be found in the early history of the church. However, there have been writers that have divided Biblical history into periods or ages.
c. The developer of the dispensationalist Hermeneutics and theology was John Nelson Darby (1800-1882). He was part of the “Brethren Movement” which distinguished itself by “breaking bread” on every Lord’s day; and the belief that ordination was first and foremost of God rather than man. Darby, a prolific writer, developed the Brethren thought into a system. Others that followed him were C.H. Mackintosh, Harry Ironside, A. C. Gaebelein and C. I Scofield, all widen dispensationalism into fundamentalist circles.
d. Scofield Reference Bible was the most effective popularization of dispensationalism where Scofield (1843-1921) combined Bible text and commentary into one volume.

4. Tents of dispensationalism
a. Bible must be interpreted literally. “When the plain sense makes good sense, seek no other sense.”
b. Definite distinction between Israel and the church. The doctrine of the church is the touchstone of dispensationalism.” God made promises to Israel that are unconditional. Yes, but what about “if” you will be my people I will be your God type of promises. Did Israel always try to be God’s people? However to dispensationalists, regardless how unfaithful Israel has been, God will still be faithful to His promises.
c. Difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven. Kingdom of Heaven, according to Scofield, is Jewish, messianic, and Davidic. It was promised to David, was postponed, and will be realized in the millennium. The kingdom of God is universal, including “all moral intelligences willingly subject to the will of God, whether angels, the Church, or saints of past or future dispensations.” Revised dispensationalism, that of Walvoord and Ryrie, dispensed with this distinction offering other kingdom distinctions.
d. The millennium is more than just the reign of Christ it has a clear and definite place in the plan of God: the restoration of national Israel to it favored place in God’s program, and the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel.

5. Since the middle of the 20th century dispensationalists have been undergoing some modifications called “progressive dispensationalists” (see Erickson, page 120).

6. Pros of Dispensationalism
a. It is an elaborate system.
b. Dispensationalism has attempted to take seriously the idea of progressive revelation and has developed a theology based on it.
c. It has attempted to be genuinely and thoroughly Biblical.

7. Cons of Dispensationalism
a. According to Erickson (page 123), its attempt to take progressive revelation seriously has failed. Is it important that the Old Testament becomes the old and the New Testament supersedes it? If so, then there is no superseding of it in their system.
b. The distinction between Israel and the church, so basic and crucial to this system, is difficult to maintain.
c. There is a tendency to neglect historical Premillinialism. 

1. Modern scholarship has thought for a long time that too much emphasis has been put on the millennium. Instead of putting all the emphasis on Revelation 20 and the millennium, modern day scholarship will look at the entirety of the book in its historical setting to understanding how John’s vision of the last days might apply to our lives. Bauchham says John “sees God’s rule over the world apparently contradicted by the rule of the Roman Empire, which arrogates divine rule over the world to itself, and to all appearances does so successfully. He faces the question: who then is really Lord of this world? He anticipates the eschatological crisis in which the issue will come to a head and be resolved in God’s ultimate triumph over all evil and his establishment of his eternal kingdom” (page 9).

2. The book of Revelation is highly theocentric . Revelation 1:8 gives us three of the four most important designations for God, the fourth is found in 4:9, 5:1, 7,13, 6:17, 7:15, and 21:5.

3. The throne room and the sovereignty of God is seen first and foremost in chapter 4. A throne room which is seen as shared with the Lamb. God’s sovereignty is fully known and celebrated in Heaven and now the same must be done on earth. Everything that is done in heaven must be ultimately done on earth. In fact according to Bauckham, the entire book of Revelation is seen as a fulfillment of the first three petitions of the Lord’s Prayer: “…Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”

4. It is the worship of God and the Lamb which is the eschatological goal of all creation.

5. The forces of evil that stand in the way of this goal of creation and the worship of God and the Lamb are the forces of evil and Satan represented by the Great Roman Empire. Such a power is symbolized by the beast (chapters 13, 17) and the harlot of Babylon (chapter 17, 18). According to Bauchham, the evil of the Empire is not just seen in how it treats Christians but it is seen in the evil system that it represents (page 38).

6. Chapter 6 begins the movement and fulfillment of the Lord’s Prayer- “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” There are three series of judgments: seven seals opened (6: 1-17; 8: 1, 3-5), the seven trumpets (8:2, 6:21; 11:14-19) and the seven bowls (15:1, 5-21). Seven, as you might know, is the number of completeness—in some sense each series completes God’s judgment on the unrighteous world. Each series of seven is issued from the throne room of God and each is given being progressively worse.

7. Modern scholarship will not see these as being literal but highly symbolic (page 41).

8. Based on your study and understanding of the Book of Revelation, do you believe that Christ’s Second Coming is soon, and if so, under what conditions do you believe this to take place?

     a. A world-wide government (13:7-8)
     b. A world-wide persecution of Christians and the church (3:10)
     c. The U.S. government still protects our religious liberty
     d. The beast and the forces of Satan will try to stamp out our religious liberty
     e. Despite opposition of Christian values there is no evidence of tribulation or persecution in most of the world
     f. The second beast is to require total control of economic and material prosperity (13: 12-17)
     g. The gospel is proclaimed to all the nations (14:6)
     h. In my opinion, the closest thing we’ve had to the beast in modern times is Nazism during World War II.
     i. Yet we are supposed to pray and be watchful for the Second Coming.

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