Historicism

1
Historicism

• Classical Eschatology

2
Purpose of this Presentation

• Today will
• Show another choice
• Give you an overview
• Give sources for further research
• Display the beliefs of the Reformers

• Today will not
• Convince you
• Give a full presentation of historicism
• Give a full course on eschatology
• Doom you to hell!

3
Schools of Interpretation

• Praeterist
• Historicist
• Futurist
• I prefer this spelling because the word comes
  from the Latin praeter

4
Where Do I Stand?

• I will not pretend to be neutral!
• I am
• Historicist
• Calvinist TULIP
• Classic postmillennialnot Reconstructionist!
• New Covenant Theology
• Open to learn

Note These are all positions I came to later in
my Christian Walk!
5
PraeterismFulfilled in First Jewish War

• Partial-Praeterism
• Most fulfilled in AD70
• Awaiting final conclusion
• Orthodox resurrection

• Full-Praeterism
• All fulfilled in AD 70
• Awaiting nothing! Transmillennialism
• Re-interpret resurrection!!!!

Note The term First Jewish War shows there was a
second, and Eusebius claimed Bar Kochba fulfilled
much of Revelationproblematic for praeterism.
6
Some Praeterist Sources
7
Were the Early Fathers Praeterist?
Some claim that because some early fathers
identified certain fulfillments of Matthew 24
with the fall of Jerusalem in the First Jewish
war that this shows they were Praeterists. Actual
ly, this just shows they were not Futurists.
They still predicted many things were yet to be
fulfilled. No early father recognized the First
Jewish war as a total fulfillment! They saw it as
part of the picture.
8
FuturismFulfilled in Future Seven Year
Tribulation

• Historical Futurism
• The Original Futurism
• Post-trib rapture
• The Church is the focus of Gods efforts

• Dispensational Futurism
• Newest kid on the eschatological block!
• Pre to Mid-trib and Pre-wrath rapture
• Israel is the focus of Gods efforts

9
Some Futurist Sources
10
Were the Early Fathers Futurists?
Many claim that the early fathers belief that
some things were yet to be fulfilled means they
were Futurists. Actually, this just shows they
were not Praeterists! The early fathers do speak
of future events but never confine those events
to any specific period. Besides, future for them
does not mean future for us. After all, we are
part of their future.
11
Consider the Source

• Praeterism Created by the Jesuit Luis De Alcazar
  in 1614 Investigation of the Hidden Sense of the
  Apocalypse to defend the papacy.
• Futurism Created by the Jesuit Francisco Ribera
  in 1591 In Sacrum Beati Ioannis Apostoli,
  Evangelistiae Apocalypsin Commentarij to defend
  the papacy.

12
HistoricismProgressive Fulfillment

• Revelation covers entire Church age
• Largely sequential
• Consistently Symbolic
• Day/Year Theory (not unanimous)
• Recognizes both near and far promises

13
Some Historicist Sources
14
Some Famous Historicists

• Abbot Joachim
• Martin Luther
• Ulrich Zwingli
• John Calvin
• Isaac Newton
• Menno Simons

• C. H. Spurgeon
• A. B. Simpson
• Albert Barnes
• Matthew Henry
• H. Grattan Guinness

15
History of Historicism

• Irenaeus (2nd Cent.) identified the man of sin
  and 666 with Lateinos (Roman), one day the Empire
  would fall and be divided into 10 kingdoms.
• Hippolytus (3rd Cent) identified the whore
  Babylon as Rome. The first beast as pagan Rome
  wounded to death but restored under Anti-Christ.
  The Empire would be divided into 10 kingdoms.
• Tertullian (3rd Cent) taught that the pagan Roman
  Empire was he who restrained the rise of the man
  of lawlessness and said the churches prayed for
  the preservation of Rome to continue this
  restraint.
• Berengaud (9th cent) saw Revelation as the whole
  of human history.
• Anselm of Havelberg (1129-1155) and Rupert of
  Deutz (1111-1129) fleshed out the Historicist
  interpretation.
• Joachim of Floris (1130-1201) further developed
  the chronological division of the book. His
  interpretation became the accepted one among the
  Franciscans. Many began to see similarities
  between the beasts and Papal Rome
• Martin Luther adopted this and established it as
  the evangelical interpretation of Revelation.

16
The Opposition

• Some arguments against Historicism

17
Futurists

• Walvoord At least fifty different systems of
  interpretation have arisen from the historical
  view alone.
• Answer So, who is the anti-Christ this week?
  Wasnt it Sadaam Hussein?

18
Futurist

• Tenney The Historicist viewseldom if ever take
  cognizance of the church outside Europe.
• Answer The biblical authors view of the
  universe. Examples Daniel 237f Acts 25-11
  Acts 1935
• Futurists own interpretations revolve around
  Western CivilizationRestored Roman Empire,
  European sources for Anti-Christ, etc.

19
Futurist

• G. E. Ladd The view has little to commend it,
  for the Revelation would in that case have little
  to say to the churches of Asia to which it was
  addressed.
• Answer This better describes Futurism.

20
Praeterist

• Moses Stuart Hitherto, scarcely any two
  original and independent expositors have been
  agreed, in respect to some points very important
  to their bearing upon the interpretation of the
  book.
• Answer If lack of consensus is the sign of
  untruth then Praeterism is, itself, in trouble.

21
An Interesting Quote
When one examines the verse-by-verse expositions
of the historicists, I think one will have to say
that the scheme makes more than a few occasional
hits. In fact, the development of history has
been shown to fit the outline of the book of
Revelation so nearly that, in the days when this
view predominated, it was said that a missionary
might go to heathen lands armed only with a copy
of Gibbons Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
in one hand and Barnes Notes on Revelation in
the other, and prove beyond question the
inspiration of sic Bible! Albertus Pieters
Praeterist, The Lamb, The Woman and The Dragon,
pg 48. Quoted in Steve Gregg, Revelation, Four
Views, pg 36.
22
One More of Interest
The difference between Historicist and Preterist
is one of degree how wide a period of history is
specifically covered. Jeffery Glenn Jackson,
Eschatology (www.jeff-jackson.com/new/religion/esc
hatology/Eschatology.pdf ) pg 163. Jackson is an
Idealist.
23
One Persistent Objection

• The Historicist interpretation would not have
  been obvious to the original hearers.

24
Must All Prophecy Make Sense to the Recipients?
In foretelling, for instance, the first advent
of his Son, God might have been pleased to
predict its results, in as clear and unmistakable
a manner as He predicted the event itself. But
plainly to have foretold the rejection and
crucifixion of the Lord Jesus by Israel, would
have been to interfere with the free agency of
man it must either have had the effect of
preventing the crucifixion of Christ, or else
have given the Jews a valid excuse for killing
the Prince of life. H. Grattan Guinness,
Approaching End of the Age (http//www.historicism
.com/Guinness/Approaching/aeota4.htm), II1iv
25
There is a precedence

• Adam and Eve misunderstood and seem to believe
  Cain was the fulfillment of the seed of Eve.
• The Jews believed, almost to a man, that the
  Messiah would be a military leader and charge
  into Jerusalem to cast out Rome.
• Even the disciples had this belief and could not
  accept the death of Jesus.

26
Relevant Scriptures

• I have told you this so that when the time comes
  you will remember that I warned you. John 164
• Then they remembered his words. Luke 248
• After he was raised from the dead, his disciples
  recalled what he had said. Then they believed the
  Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
  John 222

27
No Different Today
The prophecies of Messiahs First coming were not
understood by those receiving them and the
predictions made by Christ during his physical
presence on earth were not understood by those
who heard them. They were not understood until
the fulfillment of them. In the same way, the
prophecies of Revelation were not all understood
by those receiving them, yet their fulfillment is
identifiable to those who come after.
28
The Controversial Day/Year Theory

• Ezekiel 44-6
• Ezekiel was to lie motionless on each sideone
  day per year for each of the Israeli Kingdoms.
• Daniel 925-27
• Daniels Seventy Sevens are historically
  interpreted as 490 years from the decree to
  restore Jerusalem one day per year.

29
Some Interesting Predictions

• Thomas Nelson predicted that Israel would retake
  the Temple mount in 1967, using the day/year
  theory with 2300 days in Dan 813f counted from
  Alexanders invasion of Asia in 334 BC. (1754)
• Robert Fleming predicted the judgment on the
  papacy would begin around 1794 and end around
  1848, using the 1260 days of Revelation with the
  Day/Year Theory. (1690 and 1701)

30
Much Abused

• Most of the date setters of history have abused
  this theory.
• The Millerites predicted Christ would return in
  1844.
• The Jehovahs witnesses used various starting
  dates and computations to determine their
  predicted dates.

31
The Futurist 64,000 Question

• Where is the seven-year period of Tribulation
  found?

32
Daniel

• Old Covenant Apocalypse

33
Daniel 9 24-27 NIV
"Seventy 'sevens' are decreed for your people and
your holy city to finish transgression, to put an
end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in
everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and
prophecy and to anoint the most holy. "Know and
understand this From the issuing of the decree
to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the
Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be
seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will
be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in
times of trouble. After the sixty-two 'sevens,'
the Anointed One will be cut off and will have
nothing. The people of the ruler who will come
will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end
will come like a flood War will continue until
the end, and desolations have been decreed. He
will confirm a covenant with many for one
'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put
an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing
of the temple he will set up an abomination that
causes desolation, until the end that is decreed
is poured out on him."
34
Olivet Discourse

• Covenant Transition

35
Olivet DiscourseMatthew 24

• Verses 1-35
• Fulfilled by AD 70
• Speaks of days
• Specific Time Within a generation
• Vivid description
• The end is not yet

• Verses 36 to End
• Still Future
• Speaks of that day
• Unknown Time Not for you to know...
• Vague description
• so it will be at the coming

36
When is a Coming not a Coming?

• Matt 2433 shows that the coming in verse 30 is
  not the physical return. It is a return in
  judgment in AD70.
• Verse 33 Even so, when you see all these
  things, you know that he is near, right at the
  door.
• So how can he be at the door when we see him come
  on the clouds, if his coming on the clouds is the
  physical return?

37
When is a Coming not a Coming?

• Jesus says they will see the Son of Man coming on
  the clouds of sky with power and authority.
• In John 26 64 Jesus tells the Sanhedrin they
  would see him sitting at the right hand of the
  Mighty one and coming on the clouds of heaven.
• He was referring in both places to the coming in
  Daniel 713.
• The coming in Daniel 7 is Christ entering the
  throne room of heaven.

38
Revelation

• New Covenant Apocalypse

39
Revelation 1

• Revelation of our King
• has made us a kingdom and priests 16

40
Relevant Symbols

• Seven Lampstands
• Signifies the Seven Churches in the letter.

• Seven Stars
• The Angels of the Churches

41
The Seven Lampstands
The scripture is very plain that the lampstands
stand for the churches being addressed. No
contention happens until we try to interpret the
significance of these churches.
42
The Seven Stars
Big Difference?

• The Scripture tells us these stand for the angels
  of the seven churches.
• Who the angels are depends on ones view of
  church leadership.

43
Facts of the Early Church

• The was no clergy/laity split.
• Bishops are elders and all elders are bishops.
• Pastor was a gift, not an office.
• The Elders led the church.
• The Elders were a plural body.
• Clericalism was introduced long after Revelation
  was written (See the Didache for example).
• No other apostolic letter was written to the
  leaders.

44
Who Are These Angels?

• These angels are addressed with the details for
  each church.
• The word angel also means messenger.
• John, as a prisoner on Patmos would have sent the
  letters to each church by way of a messenger.
• The angels in Christs hand of protection and
  carrying a message for the individual churchs
  condition was the messengers carrying the letter.

45
Revelation 2-3

• Letters to the Churches

46
Letters to the Churches

• Ephesus
• Smyrna
• Pergamum
• Thyatira
• Sardis
• Philadelphia
• Laodicea

47
A Question to the Praeterist

• If Revelation was only meant to cover events in
  Judea, why address it to churches in Asia minor?

48
A Question to the Futurist

• If Revelation only covers the distant future why
  tie the condition of contemporary churches to it?

49
The Letters help us to See

• Revelation relates to more than just Judea and
  was as meaningful for the early church as the
  present one.

50
Revelation 4-5

• Enter the Lamb

51
The Sealed Scroll
52
Revelation 6-7

• The First Six Seals

53
First Seal The White Horse

• Golden Age of Roman Empire AD 96 to 180.
• Five Good Emperors
• Nerva
• Trajan
• Hadrian
• Pius
• Marcus Arelius

This was a time in which the Empire expanded
while ruled by a Dynasty of Cretanswell known as
archers.
54
Second Seal The Red Horse

• Civil Wars AD 180 to 284
• Thirty-Two Emperors
• Twenty-Seven Usurpers

It was a period of bloodshed and civil war.
Elliott.
55
Third Seal The Black Horse

• Economic Oppression from AD 218 to 284
• Laws taxing land based on productivity led land
  owners to avoid taxes by destroying crops.
• Government responded with an edict against
  destroying Olive Trees and Grape Vines (v6).

• Era was marked by
• Hyper-inflation
• Oppressive taxation
• Land Confiscation
• Looting by the Army

56
Fourth Seal The Pale Horse

• Barbarian Incursions AD 248 to 296
• five thousand persons died daily in Rome and
  many towns that escaped the hands of the
  barbarians were entirely depopulated. Gibbons as
  quoted by Barnes.

• Death waged a desolating war with famine and
  pestilenceMen wasted away to mere skeletonsThey
  fell down in the streetsSome were already food
  for dogs. Eusebius (EH IIIvi)

57
Fifth Seal Cry of the Slain

• Era of Martyrs AD 284 to 313.
• Diocletian required the title Dominus et Deus
  Lord and God
• First to divide empire into east and west.
• The final persecution under the Roman Emperors.
  a little while longer

58
Sixth Seal Heavens Shaken

• The dissolution of paganism.
• Constantines Edict of Milan in AD 314
• Sun, moon and starsall pagan authorities
  overthrown. Symbols of great social and political
  upheaval.

59
Two Views of the Redeemed

• 144,000 from all the tribes
• No such listing of the tribesno Dan
• The Servants of God
• Earthly view of the remnant

• Great Multitude without number
• From all the earths nations and tribes
• Standing before the throne
• Heavenly view of the same remnant

60
Revelation 8-10

• The Seventh Seal
• The Seven Trumpets

61
The Seventh Seal The Silence

• Elliot identifies this as the seventy years
  between Constantine securing his rule (AD 324) to
  the first Trumpets (AD 395).

62
The Ground is Laid for the Destruction

• In 365 a great earthquake on Crete causes a
  tsunami in the Mediterranean killing thousands.
  Ships were reported to have been thrown onto
  building and up to two miles inland. Ammianus
  Marcellinus
• In 370, the Huns subjugate the Goths, except for
  the Tervingi who were granted assylum by the
  Romans.
• The Tervingi and the Greuthungi became the
  Visigoths. (http//www.friesian.com/romania.htmco
  nstan)

63
First through Fourth Trumpets

• The Western Empire Falls AD 395 to 476

64
First Trumpet Alaric

• The Goths and Vandal
• Blood and conflagration and the burning of trees
  and herbage marked their path. Gibbon
• Rome was besieged three times from 408 to its
  fall in 410.

65
Second Trumpet Genseric

• The Vandal King Genseric The Tyrant of the
  Seas
• distinguishedby their ravages of the islands
  and the seas.
• As mariners were slaughtered portions of the sea
  became blood.

66
Third Trumpet Attila

• The Scourge of God
• The Huns attacked along the rivers Rhine, Danube
  and Po.
• By estimates 300,000 men lie dead in the rivers
  causing many deaths from drinking the water.

67
Fourth Trumpet Odoacer

• AD 476 Odoacer of the Heruli banished the last
  Western Emperor Romulus-Augustus, commanding the
  office abolished.
• The first King of Italy

68
Fifth Through Seventh Trumpets

• The View Moves East

69
Fifth Trumpet Saracens

• The star fallen from heaven is Mohammed
• The locusts represent the Saracens (Muslim Arabs)

70
Sixth Trumpet The Turks

• In 1062 the Turks crossed the Euphrates and
  attacked the Byzantines
• The Turks were divided into four principalities
• Constantinople falls in 1453.

71
Our View Returns Westwards

• Chapter 10- 1115 refer to the papacy and the
  reformation.
• Note The fall of Constantinople helped to
  trigger the Reformation.

72
The Temple Measured 111-2

• The State of the Church

73
The Temple Church
Throughout the New Testament, after the
establishment of the New Covenant, the temple
always refers to the same structurethe Church! 1
Cor 316f 2 Cor 616 Eph 221f 2 Thess 24 Two
questions before you Is Revelation part of the
New Testament or the Old? Is Revelation part of
the New Covenant or the Old?
74
The Holy City
If we do as good exegesis requires we will
interpret scripture with scripture. Hebrews
1222 teaches us that our Mount Zion and city of
the Living God is the Church. Rev 219ff shows us
that the bride of Christ (always referring to the
Church) is the holy city.
75
The Outer Court Trampled
The outer courts will be trampled by the Gentiles
(those outside of the New Covenant) for 42 Months
(1260 Days). This is the fringe of the
churchthose claiming membership and even power
in the church but God does not include them by
measurement as part of the true church/temple.
76
Day/Year 1260

• In AD 533 Justinian proclaimed papal authority
  over the Churches, after the retreat of the Arian
  Osrogoths in AD 538 this included temporal power.
• Here we see a major shift in the Papacy. Prior to
  this popes were automatically canonized, from
  here on the pope becomes more of a ruler of
  state.
• In 1793 the former protector of the Church,
  France, declared the Church and Christianity
  abolished.
• In 1798 Napoleon captured and exiled Pope Pius
  VI, when he refused to surrender temporal power.

77
The Case against the Papacy
David Benedicts General History of the Baptist
Denomination (1813) in the eleventh century,
the Man of Sin appeared to have attained the
summit of arrogance and blasphemy in the person
of Gregory VIIHe assumed not only the
appellation of Universal Bishop, but also those
of Sovereign Pontiff, Christs Vicar, Prince of
the Apostles, God on earth, Lord God the Pope,
His Holiness, King of Kings and Lord of Lords,
Prince over all nations and kingdoms, The Most
Holy and Blessed, Master of the Universal World,
Father of Kings, Light of the World, Most High
and Sovereign Bishop, etc. etc. Quoting from
the Dictatus Papae of Gregory VII
78
The Two Witnesses 113-6

• The Remnant of Christs Church

79
The Two Witnesses

• They minister for 1260 Days.
• I find it interesting that they minister for the
  same time period as the court is trampled, but
  the measurement is different.
• This is occurring at the same time as the
  previous events but is time of a different
  quality.

80
The Two Witnesses

• During the time of Papal suzerainty there was
  always a remnant church.
• These preached and taughtprophesied.
• Their proclaimed word stings like plagues,
  demonstrates the drought of those who oppose and
  burns the conscience like firesee Jeremiah 514.
• Their time was not marked by power, titles and
  wealth, but by poverty, accusations, and
  persecution.

81
The Two Witnesses

• The True Church remnant.
• The True Word of God.
• These were most feared by the Papacy and the
  established Church.

82
The Witnesses Defeated 117-10
83
The Dead Witnesses

• At the 15th Lateran Council, after the
  persecution of the Albigenses, Waldenses,
  Lollards, Hussites, Heugenots, and others, the
  Roman Church declared Nobody opposes anymore.
• This lack of opposition lasted from May 1514 to
  October 31, 1517.

84
The Witnesses Vindicated 1111-14

• October 31, 1517, the witnesses (true church is
  revived) Luther nails his 95 Thesis to the door
  and Europe is on fire within a month.

85
The Witnesses Caught Up

• The witnesses are protected by God. Not a literal
  ascension, remember Revelation is a book of
  Symbols.

86
Seventh Trumpet 1115-19

• This Seventh Trumpet is not just one moment but
  is a long period encompassing the Seven Bowls

87
Revelation 12

• The Woman and the Dragon

88
Important Parts of the Symbol

• The Woman
• The Man Child
• The Dragon

• The voices words
• The time measures
• The other offspring

89
The Man Child
The man child who will rule all nations with an
iron scepter. Psalm 29 declares the messiah will
do this. Gen 315 speaks of a child of a woman
who would be struck (attacked) by the
serpentJesus. This child was snatched up to God
and his throne. The man child is obviously
Jesus, our Lord and Savior.
90
The Dragon
The Dragon is of course defined or usthe devil,
Satan, the great serpent. Of course the
description matches that of Rome, pagan and then
papal. Later, in chapter 13, we meet the tools of
the dragontwo beasts, pagan and papal Rome.
91
Time Measures

• 1260 days

• Time, times and half a time.

Both times are the same duration. They match the
earlier mentioned time in which the outer court
is trampled and the witnesses ministerno reason
to believe this is not a concurrent time. The two
times here mentioned here are the duration of the
womans period of hiding from the Devil. However,
the Devil is still able to attack her during this
time, but unable to destroy her.
92
The Other Offspring
The other children are obviously symbolic of
Christians. This passage says they obey Gods
commandments and hold to the testimony of
Jesus. In Rev 1412, almost an identical
statement is made and applied to saintscalled
out sacred onesChristians.
93
The Words of the Voice
We see the voice declare that the Devils time is
short and his fury is fierce. Mention is made of
great persecution. It also shows us a glimpse of
Rev 20 because it declares after the overthrow of
Satan the salvation and power and the kingdom of
God comes.
94
The Woman
Heavenly bodies are of course symbolic of power
and authority. In this symbol we see the Sun,
Moon and Stars clothing the woman, and should
recall that all these were used in Josephs dream
(Gen 379-10). So we see images of Israel and
know Jesus came out of Israel. However, remember
by the writing of Revelation included more than
simply physical Israelit included the redeemed
gentiles. With all this, the imagery here is of
the covenant people, both potential and
fulfilled. They gave birth to Jesus and later the
remnant covenant people faced great persecution.
95
So Whats the Difference
Why would the image of the woman be the covenant
people while her offspring are covenant
people? We see a difference here. The attacked
woman (single) represents the people corporate.
The Devil attempts to destroy or overcome the
corporate body but is restrained and turns on
individual believersher offspring (plural),
individual believers. The Devil may physically
torture and kill individual believers but is
unable to harm the church.
96
Revelation 13

• The Two Beasts

97
Two Beasts

• First Beast
• Came out the sea
• Roman Description
• The beasts of Daniel
• A fatal wound is healed
• Power of the beast in war is remarkable

• Second Beast
• Came out of the earth
• Lamb Horns
• Speaking blasphemy
• He restored the beast
• Ordered worship of first beasts image

98
666

• 2nd cent, Irenaeus interpreted the number with
  the Greek Lateinos (Roman) (L30, A1, T300,E5,
  I10, N50, O70, S200).
• Scriptures placed on the hand and head in the law
  and the seal on Gods people are spiritual
  symbols of Allegiance. This is a symbol of
  allegiance to the Anti-Christ.
• During the reformation the Papacy declared that
  no loyal subject of the pope was to buy from or
  sell to a hereticevangelical.

99
Revelation 14

• 144,000 Redeemed from the Earth

100
Revelation 15-16

• Seven Bowls of Gods Wrath

101
Revelation 161

• The Command to Pour out the Bowls of Wrath is
  Given.

102
Revelation 162

• The First Bowl of WrathThe French Revolution

103
Revelation 163

• The Second Bowl of WrathEnglish and French in
  Naval Battle

104
Revelation 164-7

• The Third Bowl of Gods Wrath-The Rivers Again

105
Revelation 168f

• The Fourth Bowl of WrathNapoleon Victorious

106
Revelation 1610f

• The Fifth Bowl of Gods WrathThe Popes defenders
  are stricken.

107
Revelation 1612-16

• The Sixth Bowl of Gods WrathDrying up the
  Euphrates.

108
Past or Future

• Many modern Historicists see the rest of the book
  as Future.

109
Revelation 1617-21

• The Seventh Bowl of Gods Wrath

110
Revelation 17-19

• Our attention is focused on Mystery Babylon
• We learn who the harlot is Rome.

111
What a Woman!
The Woman A Prostitute Influence
Kings Controlling the earth Trappings of Power
The Beast Supports the Whore Ten Horns Seven
Heads
112
Revelation 18

• Fallen is Babylon the Great!

113
Revelation 19

• Marriage Supper of the Lamb

114
One Argument
Jesus said I will not drink this fruit of the
vine, until I drink it with you anew in the
Kingdom of God. Mt 26 29 Mk 1425 Lk 2218
However, this was already fulfilled!
Jesus literally said he would in no ways drink of
the fruit of the vine. Fruit of the vine included
anything made from grapesincluding wine vinegar!
What did Jesus ask for and drink on the
cross? Acts 1041 says Jesus ate and drank with
the apostles after the resurrection.
115
Revelation 20-22

• Consummation

116
An Interesting Point on 21, 22

• The Heavenly Jerusalem is seen descending to
  earthpure and perfect.
• The Heavenly city is called the bride of the
  lamb.
• The Church is the bride of Christ.
• The Church is the Heavenly Jerusalem.
• This is the descent of the Church from heaven
  back to the earth.
• Didnt this happen before the Millennium?

117
In Conclusion

• The book of Revelation, like all apocalypse is
  symbolic and should be interpreted consistently
  as a symbol.
• The book, like all Christian scripture, has the
  Churchfulfilled Israelas its focus.
• The book demonstrates that all history is part of
  His-story!
• The Pagan Roman Empire restrained the power
  hungry within the Church until removed in Gods
  timing.
• The Eastern Empire was destroyed just in Gods
  time to bring Koine Greek and biblical studies
  back to the Churchfiring off the shot that would
  become the reformation.
• Gods Sovereigntythe watchword of the
  Reformersextends to history!