I just came from a Sunday school class that was basically a lecture format. The topic of the lesson was, essentially, a specific view on eschatology. The prompt for the lesson was the trailer for the upcoming Nicholas Cage movie "Left Behind." It never ceases to amaze me how many times the subject of eschatology comes up in church. What is even more interesting to me is how much more frequently it seems to come up living here in the southern half of the U.S. versus being around Christians in Dubai. But, that would take an entire other blog post, so I better get back to the topic.
The bit of writing that you are about to read is a super simplified introduction into this particular topic. At the end of this, I added in a list of books and websites for further reading if you are interested in exploring this topic further. My list tends to show you the viewpoint I hold on the topic. So, please keep that in mind.
So, what in the world is eschatology? According to Merriam-Webster online:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eschatology
The bit of writing that you are about to read is a super simplified introduction into this particular topic. At the end of this, I added in a list of books and websites for further reading if you are interested in exploring this topic further. My list tends to show you the viewpoint I hold on the topic. So, please keep that in mind.
So, what in the world is eschatology? According to Merriam-Webster online:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eschatology
"1
: a branch of theology concerned with the final events in the history of the world or of humankind
2
: a belief concerning death, the end of the world, or the ultimate destiny of humankind; specifically : any of various Christian doctrines concerning the Second Coming, the resurrection of the dead, or the Last Judgment"
So.....why I am I writing about this? Well....in the class, it kinda came across that there is only one 'truthful' way to interpret the book of Revelation in the New Testament. While folks may love to argue/discuss what is or is not 'truthful', I think it is very helpful to understand that there are MANY ways of approaching this particular text. I am not going to go into massive amounts of detail (there's lots of other places that do that), but I would like to go through a few basics. Before you read further, I would suggest you go watch on-line somewhere the trailer for the upcoming movie "Left Behind."
There are a full range of ways to interpret Revelation. And by interpret, I don't mean what language. What I do mean is what do we bring with us when we approach the text, and what do we take away with us after reading the text? What do we personally get out of the text? What meaning does the text provide to us? Well, everyone is different. We all bring different stuff to the text therefore we are all going to get something different back. With that being said, let's get to some of those differences.
Some folks interpret the book of Revelation by looking at it from almost a historian's point of view. What was happening when the book was first written? Where was it written? Who was the author? What was the author's original intent? Other folks will look at the book and go, "What was the original language in which it was written? What other ways can the words be translated?"
And still others might read the text and ask, "How does this text compare to other texts? What style was used in writing it?" And still others might pick up the book and simply read it without asking other questions! Or even, some may read the book with all of this going on at the same time! And this is just the tip of the iceberg! Again there are MANY ways of approaching this particular text.
And still others might read the text and ask, "How does this text compare to other texts? What style was used in writing it?" And still others might pick up the book and simply read it without asking other questions! Or even, some may read the book with all of this going on at the same time! And this is just the tip of the iceberg! Again there are MANY ways of approaching this particular text.
So, that brings us back to eschatology. Because there are so many ways of approaching and reading the text, it is logical that there are going to be different viewpoints on 'the end times' based on all the different ways of dealing with the text.
I pulled out the notes I wrote up from when I taught about Revelation previously (I've facilitated discussion on this book in several churches at this point). I can't tell you where these terms come from since I can't find the bibliography that should be attached to my notes, so if you find the origin of these terms, please feel free to post a comment.
Preterist - feels that the events of Revelation were mostly fulfilled in the first few hundred years or so of the Christian era
Historicist - sees the events of Revelation as happening in the course of history
Futurist - feels the events of Revelation as mostly have not happened yet
Idealist - this is someone who interprets Revelation spiritually and/or symbolically
Or....there are folks that see Revelation as being a combination of these 4 views! Complicated enough for ya?
This is where things get tricky. What is 'truthful'? Is 'truthful' only that with which we are familiar? Is 'truthful' only that which is based on research done by scholars with which we agree? How does one speak about what is 'truthful'? This last question is the most difficult.
For me, it is not the how a text is being interpreted, it is about how we are discussing the text. Discussion can be a painful process when everyone holds a different viewpoint because having a true discussion, a true dialogue, means we must listen to and respect the viewpoints with which we don't agree.
If you find yourself getting into a conversation over this topic, my hope is that it is a true dialogue where all viewpoints are respected. And finally, what viewpoint(s) is the movie "Left Behind" based on?
Peace.
The reading list:
*The Revelation of John by William Barclay (vols 1 and 2) from The New Daily Study Bible
*Breaking the Code: Understanding the Book of Revelation by Bruce M. Metzger
*A rather old curriculum called "Faith for Dangerous Times: The Book of Revelation" by Jeff and Shelia Campbell (the copyright on my copy is from 1976 and is from The United Methodist Publishing House)
*http://www.religioustolerance.org/millenni.htm
*Charts of Christian Theology and Doctrine by H. Wayne House
*http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05528b.htm General discussion on eschatology
*http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10307a.htm Millennium and Millenarianism
