Articles by other Colleagues

The Importance of Bible Prophecy / Dr. David Reagan

Are We to settle for "Pop Theology" / Evangelist Dennis Pollock

Date Setting? / Chuck Missler

The Eschatology of Dead Sea Scroll / Dr. Randall Price

The Peace Process, The prelude to Peace, or to War? / Grant Jeffrey

The History of the Temple & The Future Temple / Dr. Randall Price

Israel and the Church: the Differences / Dr. Tom McCall

The Coming of Christ for His Church / Dr. John F. Walvoord

The Pre-Trib Rapture / Todd Strandberg

The Prophetic Postponement in the Prophecy of Daniel 9:27 Part #1 / Dr. Randall Price

The Prophetic Postponement in the Prophecy of Daniel 9:27 Part #2 / Dr. Randall Price

The Prophetic Postponement in the Prophecy of Daniel 9:27 Part #3 / Dr. Randall Price

The Folly of Date Setting / Dr. David Reagan

Psalm 16, Prophecies / Dr. Tom McCall

Son of David / Dr. Tom McCall

A Genetic Trace is Found Linking Kohanim Worldwide / Grant Jeffrey

The Land of Israel / Dr. David Reagan

The Genealogy of the Anti-Christ / Chuck Missler

Israel at 49 / Dr. Jimmy DeYoung


Notes:


Keys to Interpreting the Book of Revelation
by: Dr. Ed Hindson / Professor and Dean of the Institute of Biblical studies at Liberty University
ATP Colleagues in Bible Prophecy

"The Apocalypse calls itself a "prophecy" of future events (cf. Revelation 1:3; 22:7, 10, 18, 19). While it combines apocalyptic visions with epistolary instruction, the Revelation is essentially a book of New Testament prophecy."


Keys to interpreting the Book of Revelation

The Book of Revelation is the greatest book of apocalyptic literature ever written. It captivates our attention, stirs our imagination, and points to our glorious future destiny. In this singular book of New Testament prophecy, the curtain is removed and the future is revealed for all to see. In a series of seven visions and numerous symbolic word pictures, the whole climax of human history is foretold in lucid detail.

The term revelation means to "unveil" or "uncover" that which was previously hidden. It translates the Greek term apokalypsis. Thus, the book is often known as the Apocalypse. It is the last book of the Bible and describes the final consummation of all things. In so doing, it serves as the capstone of the entire biblical library of 66 books.

The general nature of the Revelation has been described as both apocalyptic and prophetic. Jewish apocalyptic literature can be seen in Isaiah 24-27, Ezekiel 38-39, Daniel 7-12, and Zechariah 9-14. Similar elements appear in the apocryphal books of Enoch, Baruch, Fourth Ezra, the Ascension of Isaiah, and the Apocalypse of Zephaniah. But none of these are quoted in the Revelation, which draws most of its symbolic imagery form the canonical Old Testament books. Apocalyptic writings may be distinguished by dreams or visions of end-times conflicts between the supernatural force of good and evil. Persons or kingdoms are represented as animals; historical events take the form of natural phenomena. Colors and numbers have secret meanings. And everything points to the end of the world.

The Apocalypse calls itself a "prophecy" of future events (cf. Revelation 1:3; 22:7, 10, 18, 19). While it combines apocalyptic visions with epistolary instruction, the Revelation is essentially a book of New Testament prophecy. It is an inspired book of prophetic visions of the future. These forces on scenes both in heaven and on earth, both of Israel and the church, and cover a span of time including the tribulation period, the millennial kingdom, and the eternal state.

New Testament scholar Bruce Metzger reminds us: "In order to become oriented to the book of Revelation one must take seriously what the author says happened. John tells us that he had a series of visions. He says that he 'heard' certain words and 'saw' certain visions. Metzger then adds, "Such accounts combine cognitive insight with emotional response. They invite the reader or listener to enter into the experience being recounted and to participate in it, triggering mental images of that which is described."

It is this exciting sense of personal participation that raises one of the problems encountered in studying the Apocalypse: There is always a great temptation to read about the future through the eyes of the present! From our current standpoint in history, we presume to speculate on how the events predicted in the Revelatio will eventually be fulfilled. The problem is that each generation tends to assume that it is the terminal generation and that the end will come in their lifetime.

Nature of Symbolic Language

The events predicted in the Revelation are stated in symbolic language. Many of these symbols are taken from Old Testament passages.2 These include: tree of life, Lion of Judah, song of Moses, book of life, Lamb of God, throne of God, Wormwood, Sodom, Babylon, Jezebel, Gog and Magog, and Armageddon. In fact, of the 404 verses that are contained in the Revelation, 278 are drawn from Old Testament passages. Some symbols are drawn from other New Testament passages. These include: Word of God, " first begotten of the dead," everlasting gospel, Son of man, marriage supper, the bride, "first resurrection," and "second death."

Some of the symbols in the Apocalypse have no biblical parallel and are left unexplained. These include: mark of the beast, image of the beast, beast of the sea, seven thunders, synagogue of Satan, "hail and fire mingled with blood," great army of the Euphrates, little book, and great white throne. Other symbols are specifically explained and identified: Alpha and Omega = Jesus Christ; seven candlesticks = seven churches: "new song" = song of the Lamb; "great day of his wrath" = Great Tribulation; 144,000 = Jews from the tribes of Israel; dragon = Satan; scarlet beast = Rome (city on seven hills); New Jerusalem = church (Lamb's bride). Other symbols are self-explanatory: numbers, angels, open door, golden vials (bowls), seals, trumpets, songs, horses, fire, death and hell, holy city, and glory of God.

We must also remember that these are prophecies of real events. Reading the Apocalypse is like watching a movie of end-time events. It is literally going "back to the future". Therefore, many of the things referred to in the book of Revelation can be understood only by a literal interpretation. John was really on the island of Patmos. The risen Christ literally appeared to him. The seven churches actually existed in Asia Minor in the first century A.D. The predicted future judgments are real, involving armies, weapons, and mass destruction. Earthquakes are earthquakes. Tears are tears. Nations are nations. Jews are Jews. Gentiles are Gentiles. Heaven is real. So is the lake of fire!

The key to interpreting the Apocalypse is discerning what is literal and what is symbolic. Even then we must remember that the symbols themselves depict real people, things, situations, and events. For example, the "seven candlesticks" (1:20) symbolize real churches that actually existed when the book was written. The "man child" (12:5) is Jesus Christ. The sounding of the "seven trumpets" (I:2-11:15) results in the actual devastation of the earth.

Unfortunately, much of what has been written about the Revelation has been unfounded speculation or what Graham Scroggie calls "an ill-digested rehash of someone else's views." In commenting on the controversy surrounding the interpretation of the Revelation, he says, "Much of this could have been avoided if more regard had been shown for sound principles of interpretation, and if controversialists had been more anxious to reach the truth to establish a theory." 3

Keeping this in mind, we must proceed with both guarded caution and keen insight. This is the "book of the unveiling," as the title indicates. It is meant to be understood! Thus, the promise: "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein" (Revelation 1:3). As you read and study this great "vision of the end times," you will be blessed time and time again.

Who Really Wrote the Apocalypse?

Much has been written about the author and the date of his writing. The vast majority of biblical scholars favor identifying John the apostle as the human author and assign a date of AD 95 for the composition. Some argue for the separate identity of John of Patmos (not the apostle). Others argue for an earlier date of authorship.

The arguments in favor of the apostle's authorship rest upon the similarity in style and vocabulary. John's Gospel, epistles, and the Revelation contain several commonalties: the words true, lamb, I signify, tribulation, out of, witness, thunder, life, tabernacle (verb), and Word of God. John's writings show the highest usage of articular participles in the New Testament, as does the Revelation. He also shows a fondness for the present tense of "I am coming" (Greek, erchomai) and the verb "I worship."

There are certain irregularities of grammar through the Revelation that are unique to it: use of participles, broken sentences, additional pronouns, mixed genders, and several unusual constructions.5 However, most of these are due to the visionary nature of the text. John was writing as fast as he could to record the visions he was seeing. In some cases, there just weren't firs-century words to describe what he saw (e.g., flying objects). It is clear, however, that the author was a Palestinian Jew with a vast knowledge of the Old Testament. It is also evident that he was currently living in Asia Minor late in the first century A.D. and had a personal knowledge of the local churches in that region.

John's arrival in Asia came in circa A.D. 66, just after Paul's last visit in A.D. 65. It coincided with the migration of Palestinian Christians from Judea to the province of Asia just before the outbreak of the Jewish Revolt of A.D. 66-70. The condition of the churches of Asia Minor described in the Revelation reflects the widespread persecution under Domitian, the Roman emperor (A.D. 81-96) at the end of the first century.

Attempts to date the Apocalypse in the decade of the sixties fail all external criteria. Metzger notes that Nero's mad acts at the time were restricted to the city of Rome and had nothing to do with emperor worship. I contrast, Metzger states: "The first emperor who tired to compel Christians to participate in Caesar worship was Domitian."6

In the meantime, the general condition of the churches of Asia Minor is described as wealthy, prosperous, lukewarm, tolerant of heresy, and having lost their first love. These hardly fit the newly-founded churches of the sixties to which the apostle wrote his epistles. The bottom line on the evidence for the date of A.d. 95 is the general acceptance of the early church fathers: Irenaeus (A.D. 180), Clement of Alexandria (200), Origen (254), and Eusebius (325).

Why is Revelation So Unique?

There are several elements that make the Revelation the most unique book in the Bible. The basic structure of the books is woven around a series of thress (3) and sevens (7). The overarching triplet reveals past, present, and future:

  1. Past: "the things which thou sawest" (chapter 1).
  2. Present: "the things which are" (chapters 2-3)
  3. Future: "the things which shall come to pass hereafter" (chapters 4-22)

The seven visions are as follows:

  1. Seven churches (1:0-3:22)
  2. Seven seals (4:1-8:1)
  3. Seven trumpets (8:2-11:19)
  4. Seven symbolic figures (12:1-14:20)
  5. Seven bowls (15:1-16:21)
  6. Seven judgments (17:1-19:10)
  7. Seven triumphs (19:11-22:5)

The use of symbolic numbers is found everywhere in the Apocalypse. These include: ½, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, 24, 42, 144, 666, 1,000. 1,260, 7,000, 12,000, 144,000, 100,000,000, and 200,000,000. The term hour is used ten times in Revelation (3:3,10; 9:15; 11:13; 14:7,15; 17:12; 18:10,17,19), always referring to a brief period of time (e.g., "in one hour is they judgment come").

The most significant numbers in the Apocalypse are as follows:

Three is the symbolic number of the Trinity. It is one of John's favorite numbers, and his use of it dominates his writing style. He constantly expresses himself in triplets: "Blessed is he who reads…hears…keeps" (1:3); "Jesus Christ: faithful witness…first begotten of the dead…prince of the kings of the earth" (o1:5); "{He} loves us…washed us…made us king and priests" (1:5-6); "Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come" (1:8); "I am he that liveth…was dead…am alive forevermore" (1:18); "I know thy works…tribulation…poverty" (2:9); "remember…hold fast…repent" (3:3), "buy…gold…white raiment…eyesalve" (3:18). There are scores of these triplets throughout the Book of Revelation.

The number three also figures prominently in several passages referring to judgment. There are three series of judgments: seals, trumpets, bowls. Judgment consists of three elements: fire, smoke, and brimstone. A third part of men are killed by these ((:17-18), a third of the trees are burned up (8:7), and the sun is blacked out a third part of the day (8:12). There are three evil agencies (the satanic trinity): dragon, beast, and false prophet (16:13) behind all opposition to the reign of Christ on earth. Finally, there is the threefold defeat of Satan: on earth (12:9), into the abyss (20:1-3), and into the lake of fire (20:10).

Four is a number generally related to the earth, which has four regions (north, south, east, west) and four seasons (springs, summer, fall, winter). In the Revelation there are four living creatures (4:6); four angels at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds (7:1); four angels are bound in the Euphrates River (9:14-15); the inhabitants of the earth have a fourfold description: tribes, tongues, peoples, and nations (5:9, 10:11); the New Jerusalem lies foursquare (21:16).

Six is the number of man, who was created on the sixth day. In Revelations it represents the number of the ultimate man, the Antichrist: 666.

Seven is the most significant number in the Apocalypse. There are seven spirits, seven churches, seven lampstands, seven stars, seven lamps of fire, seven horns, seven eyes, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls, seven songs, seven angels, seven thunders, seven "worthy's," seven heads, seven crowns, seven mountains, seven Kings, and seven last plagues. In addition there is the sevenfold description of Christ (1:14-16), sevenfold message to each of the churches (Ch. 2-3), sevenfold praise of the Lamb (5:12), sevenfold result of judgment (6:12-14), seven divisions of mankind (6:14), sevenfold blessing (7:12), sevenfold description of the "locusts: (9:7-10), 7000 were killed (11:13), sevenfold triumph (11:19), and the seven "new things" (Ch 21-22). Then there is the number three and half, which is half of seven.

Twelve is the number of completeness. There are 12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles of Christ, 24 elders (a double 12), tree of life has 12 types of fruit (22:2), New Jerusalem has 12 gates guarded by 12 angels (21:12), the city has 12 foundations (21:14). There are 12 "manner of precious stones" and 12 pearls (21:19-21). There are also multiples of 12 as: Each of the 12 tribes contains 12,000 people, making a total of 144,000 (12,000 times 12); the wall measures 144 cubits (12 times 12).

What is the Apocalypse All About?

The central theme of the Apocalypse is given in the title to the book. It is "the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass" (1:1). Jesus Christ is the central theme of the Revelation. He is the most important key to understanding the book. He is both the author of the Revelation and the subjext of it.

Jesus appears in chapter 1 as the glorified, risen Savior. In chapters 2-3 he is Lord of the church. In 4-5, he is the lamb of God. In 6-11, he is the Judge of all mankind. In 12-13, He is the miracle-born man child. In 14-19, he is the coming King. In 20-22, He is Lord of heaven and earth.

The purpose of the book is to reveal the future. David Jeremiah observes: "The word 'revelation' means the disclosure of that which was previously hidden or unknown. The book of Revelation tells us that Jesus is coming again, how He is coming, and what the condition of the world will be when He comes" 8 The concept of revelation is that of unveiling a "mystery" which was previously unknown. Merrill Tenney states, "It was not written to mystify, but rather to explain the truth of God more clearly. For this reason one should approach it with the expectation of learning, and not with expectation of being confused." 9

The expectation of Revelation points to the return of Christ. The risen Savior who appears to John on Patmos is the same One who returns with His triumphant church at the end of the book. He who walks among the churches (candlesticks) as our heavenly High Priest is the One who will take his bride to reign and rule with Him in His millennial kingdom on earth. Everything in the Apocalypse points to the second coming of Christ.

David Hocking observes that the concept of our Lord's soon return is emphasized seven times in the Revelation by the phrase "come quickly". 10

  • "Things which must shortly come to pass" (1:1)
  • "Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly" (2:16)
  • "Behold, I come quickly" (3:11).
  • "The third woe cometh quickly" (11:14)
  • "Behold, I come quickly" (22:7).
  • "And, behold, I come quickly" (22-12).
  • "Surely I come quickly: (22:20).

The phrase "I come quickly" (Greek, erchomai tachei) must refer either to "suddenly" or "shortly". The first meaning implies "speedily," as in an instant ("like a thief in the night"). It indicates a rapid-fire sequence of events. The second meaning implies in a short period of time, as in "soon." This focuses on the imminence of the events. Scholars are divided on how this should be read. Thomas believes that the events predicted by Daniel and foreseen by Christ now (after the resurrection) stood in readiness to be fulfilled. This, John could speak of them as imminent, though they still were yet to be fulfilled – the final aspect of which will occur suddenly.11

Where Are We Headed?

Critics of Bible prophecy have often characterized it as a message of "doom and gloom". In reality the prophetic message is one of doom and boom! It is both negative and positive. For the unbeliever, the bottom line is, "Bad news – you lose!" But for the believer, the bottom line is, "Good news – we win!"

Biblical history is always written from the divine perspective. The viewpoint of heaven supersedes that of earth. God sees the past, present, and future all at once. For Him, all things are in the present tense. He sees future events as though they were already happening. A perfect example of this is in the prediction of the virgin birth of Christ in Isaiah 7:14. The Hebrew text refers to the virgin (almah) as having already conceived (harah). The translation should actually read; "Behold the pregnant virgin bearing a son:"12 The prophet sees this future even as though it were a present realty.

John the revelator sees the future as though it were happening before him. He records these events as he sees them unfold. Several key chronological terms indicate the progression of this revelation of future events. These include "then," "when," "after this," "immediately," "another," "and there followed," "after that," and "after these things."

The predominant term which keeps the Book of Revelation constantly moving is the word and (Greek, Kai). This also reflects the author's manner of speaking. The term Kai is used over 1200 times in the Revelation and is generally translated "and," although it also appears translated as "but," "even," "both," "also," "yet," and "indeed." The average reader does not realize that nearly every verse of the Apocalypse begins with Kai (and). This phenomenon is known as polysyndeton, meaning "many ands." These are used to bind together the numeric units of the Revelation in a pattern known as Kaimeter. 13

Some examples of the kaimeter pattern are as follows: 14

Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches –

  • -to Ephesus
  • -and to smyrna
  • -and to Pergamum
  • -and to Thyatira
  • -and to Sardis
  • -and to Phildelphia
  • -and to laodicea (1:11)

The Lamb who was slain is worthy to receive

  • Power
  • And wealth
  • And wisdom
  • And strength
  • And honor
  • And glory
  • And praise (5;12)

In these examples, six "ands" (Kais) tie together a list of seven items. Sometimes the text uses seven "ands" to tie together a list of seven. For example

  • And when he opened the sixth seal, I looked,
  • And a great earthquake took place,
  • And the sun turned black like coarse cloth made of hair,
  • And the full moon became like blood,
  • And the stars fell from the sky to the earth
  • Like figs dropping from a fig tree when it is shaken by the wind,
  • And the sky vanished like a scroll being rolled up,
  • And every mountain and island was moved from its place (6:12-14).

  • "Come up Here."
  • And they went up to heaven in a cloud
  • And their enemies watched them;
  • And at that moment there was a great earthquake,
  • And a tenth of the city fell
  • And seven thousand people were killed by the earthquake,
  • And the rest were terrified.
  • And they gave glory to the God of heaven. (11;12-13)

The kaimeters can also tie together units of two, three, four, five, six, ten or twelve. The use of and (kai) is the literary cement that holds the Revelation together and keeps it moving. One cannot read this book without being swept up in a sense of movement. The pattern reads like this:

  • This happened,
  • And that happened,
  • And then this,
  • And then that, etc.

It is the constant sense of progression that clearly indicates the Revelation is moving the reader toward a final climax. One cannot read this book and mentally stand still. The reader will sense, consciously or unconsciously, that he or she is moving through a series of events that appear like instantaneous flashes on a video screen. These glimpses of the future are intended to keep us moving toward the final consummation of human history. The closing chapters actually fast-forward us into eternity itself!

The Big Picture

The book of Revelation presents a series of panoramic pictures, followed by a series of snapshots. You get the big picture first, then the specifics. The pattern of the book is generally, Gad news – details to follow. Or, Good news – details to follow. Therefore, everything is not necessarily in precise sequential order.

Consider these examples. The seven churches are introduced in 1:20, but the letters to them follow in chapters 2 and 3. The Lamb appears to take the seven-sealed scroll in 5;5-17, but the seals are not opened until 6:1-8:1. The seven trumpets are introduced in 8:2, but the final trumpet does not sound until 11:15. Armageddon is mentioned in 16:16, but the details about the fall of "Babylon" and the triumphal return of Christ don't come until chapters 17-19. The bride of Christ appears at the marriage supper in 19:7-9, but she is not described in full detail until 21:9-27).

The contents of the Revelation move in a series of progressions:

  1. Christ appears to John – on Patmos (Chapter 1).
  2. He dictates the letters to the seven churches – on earth (Chapters 2-3).
  3. John is transported into God's throne room – in heaven (Chapters 4-5).
  4. He sees the future judgments – from heaven (Chapters 6-11).
  5. John sees the seven symbolic players – from heaven and earth (Chapters 12-13).
  6. He sees the seven last plagues – from heaven (Chapters 14-18).
  7. John witnesses the marriage of the Lamb in heaven and His triumphal return to earth (Chapter 19).
  8. He views the millennial kingdom – on earth (Chapter 20).
  9. John sees the new heaven the new earth in eternity (Chapters 21-22).
  10. He hears the final invitation appeal and adds his own: "Amen. Even so, come. Lord Jesus" (22:16-21).

How Do We Get There?

The final question to ask ourselves is, How do we interpret this great book with its highly symbolic language? Students of biblical prophecy have wrestled with this question for almost 20 centuries now. But several things are clear from the text of the Revelation itself:

  1. John is looking into the future ("things which shall be hereafter,") (1:19).
  2. He sees a succession of events taking place in heaven and on the earth (things which must be hereafter," (4:1).
  3. These events involve a series of catastrophic judgments on the earth (trees, grass, nations, rivers, mountains, island, etc., are destroyed, (Chapters 6-19).
  4. These judgments result in the final triumph and return of Christ and the establishment of His kingdom on earth for 1000 years (19:11-20:6).
  5. Beyond this is the eternal state of the new heaven and new earth, which remains for all eternity (21:2-22:5).

How are we to read this book? The early church was unanimous in its belief that John Was speaking about future events. Only later did Christian authors begin to propose other ways of interpreting the Apocalypse. But each of these has failed to do justice to the obvious intention of the book itself. Variations have included.

  1. Preterist view: sees the entire book, with few exceptions, as being fulfilled in the past – in the first century A.D. with the fall of Jerusalem and the persecution of the church by the Roman Empire. It allows no real future fulfillment of any of the judgments (seals, trumpets, bowls).
  2. Historicist view: Looks for the fulfillment of these prophecies throughout church history. This had led to endless speculation that is totally without biblical support. Identifications have included monks and friars as "locusts," Muhammad as the "fallen star," Alaric the Goth as the first trumpet, Elizabeth I as the first bowl, Martin Luther as the angel of Sardis, Adolf hitler as the red horse, ad infinitum.
  3. Idealist view: interprets Revelation as a series of ideal principles related to the struggle between good and evil. Allegorizes the entire book as a spiritual conflict unrelated to actual historic events. The "Tribulation" becomes one's internal conflicts. The "return of Christ" takes place on one's own heart and mind. It views the prophecy as having nothing to say about real future events.

Robert Thomas summarizes his defense of the futurist view with this cryptic observation: The futurist approach to the book is the only one that grants sufficient recognition to the prophetic style of the book and a normal hermeneutical pattern of interpretation based on that style. It views the book as focusing on the last period (s) of world history and outlining the various events and their relationships to one another. This is the view that best accords with the principle of literal interpretation.15

The Apocalypse reveals the future. It is God's road map to help us understand where human history is going. The fact that it points to the time of the end is clear throughout the entire book. It serves as the final consummation of biblical revelation. It takes us from the first century to the last century. From persecution to triumph. From the struggling church to the bride of Christ. From Patmos to paradise.

The Apocalypse has been called the epilogue of the unfolding drama of redemption.16 In the biblical record, human history begins in a garden and ends in the eternal city. It begins with tragedy and ends in triumph. It begins with man's failure and ends with his exaltation. In between, there stands a cross! And on that cross, Jesus Christ changed the course of human history forever. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

  1. Bruce Metzger, Breaking the Code: Understanding the Book of Revelation (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1993) pp. 12-13.
  2. See detailed discussion in Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago; Moody Press, 1992), pp 40-42. Cf, also W. Graham Scroggie, The unfolding Drama of Redemption (Grand Rapids: Kergel, 1994 reprint), pp III, 365-70.
  3. Scroggie, The Unfolding Drama, p 357.
  4. For details, see Thomas, Revelation 1-7, pp 11-17.
  5. For details, see Donald Guthrie, New Testament Introduction (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990) ;. 939.
  6. Metzger, Breaking the Code, p.16. he notes, for example, that Laodicea was destroyed by an earthquake in A.D. 61, but is described in Revelation as wealthy and prosperous. The church at Smyrna is described as having suffered persecution for a long time, hardly applicable for the sixties.
  7. Scroggie, The Unfolding Drama, p. 363. Follows Benjamin Warfield's analysis of the structure of the seven visions.
  8. David Jeremiah, Escape the Coming Night (Dallas; Word Publishing, 1990), p. 10
  9. Merrill Tenney, Interpreting Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1957), p. 28
  10. David Hocking, The Coming World Leader (Portland, OR: Multnomah Press, 1988), p. 21.
  11. Thomas, Revelation 1-7, pp 54-56. Attempts to argue for a "soon" return of Christ in the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 by preterists are woefully inadequate. Cf. Wayne House and Thomas Ice, Dominion Theology: Blessing or Curse? (Portland, OR: Multnomah Press, 1988).
  12. Cf. Edward E. Hindson, Isaiah's Immanuel (Philadelphia: Presbyterian and Reformed 1978), pp 33-45. "Shall conceive" (Hebrew, Harah, should be translated "is pregnant". Hindson follows Edward Young and Joseph Alexander in suggesting that the term is neither a verb nor a participle, but a feminine adjective connected with an active participle ("bearing") and denotes that the scene is present to the prophet's view. There can be no doubt this is a prediction of the virgin birth of Christ. This it is that the virgin is pregnant and is still a virgin!
  13. See J.M. Cascione, In Search of the Biblical Order (Cleveland: Biblion Publishing, 1987), pp. 1-182. Cf also, "the Kai Structure", in God's Word to the Nations (Cleveland: NET Publishing, 1988) pp. 565-67.
  14. Translations are taken from God's Word to the Nations. There are scores of these kailmeter patterns laid out clearly in this unique translation.
  15. Thomas, Revelation 1-7, p 32.
  16. Scroggie, The Unfolding Drama, III, p. 412.


This presentation was given by Dr. Hindson, at the 6th Annual Pre-Trib Research Study Group meeting, held in Dallas Texas.


Dr. Ed Hindson is the Assistent Pastor at Atlanta's Rehoboth Baptist Church and Vice President of There's Hope! He is also a Professor and Dean of the Institute of Biblical Studies at Liberty University in Virginia. Dr. Hindson holds the D.Min. from Westminster Theological Seminary and the D.Phil. from the University of South Africa. He is the author of Totally Sufficient, Final Signs, Approaching Armageddon, and Men of Promise.

Dr. Ed Hindson is a member of the Pre-Trib Research Study Group where he serves as an Exec. Board Member

Your comments and suggestions are welcomed.
Please send your Email to: Dr. Ed E. Hindson


Return to "A Word from My Colleagues in Bible Prophecy"

Return to "According To Prophecy Ministries"