How to Interpret the Book of Revelation | Joel Beeke | CovCon'24

The following message was delivered at the 2024 Covenant Conference, hosted by CBTS. The theme for the 2024 conference was Conquering and to Conquer: An Eschatology of Victory.

[Jolene]

This was wonderful!!! Thanks so much for sharing!

[michaelart]

GALATIANS 5:22, 23
But the fruit of the Spirit is
💘 <=== LOVE ====€
💘 <=== JOY ====€
💘 <=== PEACE ====€
💘 <=== LONGSUFFERIN ====€
💘 <=== KINDNESS ====€
💘 <=== GOODNESS ====€
💘 <=== FAITHFULNESS ====€
💘 <=== MEEKNESS ====€
💘 <=== TEMPERANCE ====€
against such there is no law.

💘 <=== GLORY BE TO GOD ====€
💘 <=== IN JESUS NAME ====€
💘 <=== HOLY ART ARCHER ====€
💘 <=== A-MEN' ====€
🌿
The Word upon a Tree
To bring to remembrance
For I determine not to know anything amongst you, save
💘 <=== CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIED ====€
🙌 ALLELUIA 🙌
Habakkuk 2:11
Revelation 2:17

[mchristr]

The thematic strength of the Preterist view is that of God's historic judgement against the covenant breakers in Israel. Clearly much of the OT adheres to the following narrative pattern: God blesses the people in the land, the people turn toward idolatry, God brings judgement through pagan invasion and subjection (e.g. the Amalekites, the Assyrians, the Babylonians). And just as the OT prophets (including John the Baptist) warned the people--and were subsequently persecuted and/or killed--so Jesus confronted the unfaithful Jewish leadership (the parable of the tenants in Mark 12), was rejected and murdered. It then should seem perfectly consistent to us that God would send the Romans to destroy Jerusalem and the Temple.

[FirstTimer]

I'm starting to get an eye twitch every time I hear someone waive away the miracle of prophecy by just chalking it up to " apocalyptic literature". It's like the authors set out to implement the best practices of a film school student rather than just retelling what they saw from God.

[larrybedouin]

Revelation 13:1-10 the (conglomerate) beast from out of the sea.

And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and *ten horns* and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

And the beast which I saw was like unto *a leopard* and his feet were as the feet of *a bear* and his mouth as the mouth of *a lion* and *the dragon* gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
{Revelation 13:1-2}

Greek > philosophy
Persian > religious sects and monachism
Babylonian > sun worship (Mithraism)
Roman > law

[pinkdiscomosh]

This session was great, however, it’s frustrating that the Preterist approach is always represented in its unorthodox version. Also, we have a Bible full of prophecy and apocalyptic writings that we all agree that have been fulfilled in our past and have no problem understanding their application to us until we get to revelation. Revelation can have application to us even though it’s historical fulfillment is in our past. The middle way is not always the right way. We need to get away from this notion that middle way-ism is the right approach to interpretation. The eclectic approach makes for good sermons but quite the cop-out of interpretation.

[georgejoseph]

articulate but flawed; example, how is Daniel 9 symbolic? Numerical but symbolic? how does the 70 years which are clearly literal, but not the remaining 70 weeks left for Israel? they are all literal, a timeline for Israel; not the same as beasts etc.. which are symbolic- Daniel explains them as such, but numbers are literal so use Scripture and OT consistently. Jesus is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel). If we spiritualize Israel, we end up with requiring a fertile imagination to create symbols and allegories rather than understand what Scripture is really depicting - an unfolding drama in which the nation of Israel forms the stage, the props and set design that are necessary until the very end - the last pages of Revelation - dismissing them in the first century and replacing them with the church completely undoes this canopy, leading to lack of a clear framework for interpreting how the OT (including the book of Joel) is integrated into the NT and constitutes a large part of the book of Revelation (as Joel rightly points out!)

[gapsolutions]

And yet not one mention of Israel in this entire lecture!

[larrybedouin]

The symbolism of the seven seals are (seven) signatures as per — The ketubah, (“is written”) a Jewish marriage contract.

The seven churches of Revelation gives us clues as to who the witnesses to the contract are.

Ephesus > Adam
Rev 2:5 " Remember therefore from whence you art fallin"...

Smyrna < Noah
Rev 2:8 " These things said the first and the last"...

Pergamos > Abraham
Rev 2:17 ..."and in the stone a new name written, "...

Thyatira > Jacob / Israel
Rev 2:28 "And I will give him the morning star."

Sardis > Moses
Rev 3:3 "Remember therefore how you have received and heard, "...

Philadelphia > David
Rev 3:7 ..."He that have the key of David"...

Laodicea > Jesus Christ the Bridegroom and his bride, the Israel of God.

--All pointing to dispensations of time in order of their time on earth.

"He that have an ear, let him hear what the Spirit [singular] saith unto the churches" [plural].
(Repeated seven times, one for each church)

“I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the church[es]. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.”
{Revelation 22:16}

“Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;”
{Revelation 1:16}

--One body of Jesus Christ having *seven* dispensations of time (the spiritual condition of Christ church, and judgments....prophetic continuance) during the dispensation of Grace.

[petergouvignon]

The book is about christ and the things he's about to accomplish

which God gave him to show his servants the things that must happen SOON, the servants were in the 7 churches ALL THE EVENTS DESCRIBED IN THE BOOK TOOK PLACE 2000YEARS AGO