End-Time Insights

OVERVIEW  –  New Jerusalem is populated in fulfillment of the promise to Abraham to “bless all nations” in the Promised Land  –  Revelation 21:24-22:5 . The  Book of Revelation  concludes with a beautiful picture of the immense and glorious city of “ New Jerusalem ” populated by the “ innumerable multitude ” of men redeemed by Jesus from every nation, the ultimate fulfillment of the covenant promises to Abraham of “ land ” and of “ blessings to all the nations of the earth ,” all “ purchased by the blood of the Lamb ” - [ Photo by Mindaugas Vitkus on Unsplash ].

  OVERVIEW   –   In Revelation, the Dragon and his servants wage war against the saints of the Lamb, the Church, and not against nations or ethnic groups .  The visions of  Revelation  portray the cosmic war waged between Satan and Jesus, one that plays out in the daily struggles of the church. The earthly vassals of the “ Dragon ” execute his attacks on the Church, especially the “ beast from the sea ,” the “ false prophet ,” and “ Babylon, the Great Harlot .” The “ war ” is waged by deceivers working within, and persecutors working from without, the church - [ Photo by ᴊᴀᴄʜʏᴍ ᴍɪᴄʜᴀʟ on Unsplash ].

The book of Revelation uses a variety of terms and symbols for the church that is under assault, both from within and without. The men and women who are redeemed from the earth form a company that transcends all national, social, and cultural boundaries. Tribulation is not an aberration, but integral to what it means to follow the “ Lamb wherever he goes .” - [ Photo by Paz Arando on Unsplash ].

Beginning with the fourfold division of the Greek kingdom, the interpreting angel outlined the coming conflicts between two of the subsequent realms that culminated in the rise of a “ contemptible ” ruler. Previously, the rise and division of the Greek empire was portrayed in the vision of the “Ram and the Goat,” representing the kingdoms of the “ Medes and Persians ” and of “ Greece ” - [Photo by FERNANDO TRIVIÑO on Unsplash].

OVERVIEW - The book of Revelation informs the reader from the start that it communicates symbolically - [ Photo by  Paul Skorupskas  on Unsplash ].  Must prophecy be interpreted only or even primarily in a “literal” fashion unless a passage specifically indicates otherwise? Often in our minds, there is an unstated assumption that literal language is more reliable than nonliteral, an assumption that becomes especially problematic when interpreting Revelation .