Bible Question:
You know unless someone can come up with a better answer that might be my choice. Let me ask you what do you do with Revelation chapter 16? If you believe that this has already taken place can you give me some indication as to when and where? |
Bible Answer: I believe that Revelation has a threefold purpose. The first is to provide the church with a glimpse of heaven, which in turn makes a gigantic part of Scripture make a lot more sense. All of the tabernacle furniture? Mirrored in Revelation at some point. The great covenant promise given to Abraham in Genesis 17:7? Cf. Revelation 21:3. The entire book is filled with parallels of this kind. The second purpose, and the most directly applicable to the original audience, is to prophacy about the events surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem. The similarities are striking. And in Josephus, who records the war in 67-73AD, says that the Christians had fled Jerusalem for they had a word of revelation. This is the preterist part of my eschatology. I believe that most of Revelation except for the second half of 20-22 has already happened in the events surrounding the fall of Jerusalem. The army from the north (Rome), came through the land and killed upwards of a million Jews. Severe famine, widespread death, disease, and destruction. The third purpose of Revelation is to provide the church with snapshots of what life will be like between the Advents. There are many possible "fulfillments" of these passages, for in this sense are not intended to speak about a single event (except for, of course, the great white throne, New Jerusalem, and imagery of that type). As such, saying that Revelation 16 "has already taken place" doesn't make much sense when using Revelation in this third way. It has happened many times before, and will happen many times again. The passage is intended to be a comfort to the church, stranger in a strange land, that God will come to judge her enemies and vindicate the righteous. |