Five Views Of Revelation

View #1: Dispensational View

The temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt.

There will be a 7-year period on earth in the future when God fulfills his plan for Israel.

Tribulation (the judgments in Revelation) will be poured out on the unbelieving world, specifically those in Israel who have rejected Jesus as the Christ.

Two thirds of the people will die.

Believers will be raptured prior to this tribulation.

Jesus will return when the nations surround Israel.

Jesus will defeat the nations.

At this time, Jesus will establish in Jerusalem his literal and physical 1000-year reign on earth, ending with the removal of all sin and sinners from the earth and establishing the new heaven and earth.

View #2: Post-Millennial View

The judgments in revelation were poured out in the first century upon unbelieving Israel in fulfillment of the words of Jesus concerning the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem.

The judgments were connected to the judgments of law in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28-32.

These judgments fully ended the old covenant of law, leaving the new covenant of grace as the way God now relates with people.

The 1000-year reign of Jesus is taking place now from heaven and through his family of believers.

The 1000-year reign of Jesus is symbolic of a large volume of time based upon their understanding of the Jewish Scriptures.

The goal of the family of believers is to establish God’s kingdom on earth socially, politically, spiritually, relationally, and culturally.

The establishment of the kingdom of God in this manner will improve the world, making it a better place to live.

As the kingdom is fully established, most people on earth will become believers in Jesus.

When the kingdom has been established, it will be handed to Jesus upon his return.

Jesus will then execute the final judgments in accordance with Revelation 20.

Some who hold to the post millennial view believe the new heaven and new earth is partially here because they believe the new heaven and earth is about the new covenant that has been established through the blood of Jesus and the gospel is now going to the world.

Eventually, the new heaven and earth will be fully established and all sin and sinners will be removed from the earth in the final judgment of unbelievers.

The gospel going to the people of the world is symbolized in the water of life in Revelation 22 as the message of Jesus is carried to those outside the new Jerusalem (the new Jerusalem is symbolic of the family of believers).

View #3: Amillennial View

It is the same as the Post-Millennial view, with the exception that the goal of believers is to NOT establish God’s kingdom on earth socially, politically, culturally, and relationally.

Rather, the goal of believers is to share the gospel.

As the gospel is shared in all nations, the hatred of the nations of the world will increase, resulting in persecution upon believers (God’s spiritual temple and the new Jerusalem are symbolic of believers).

This culminates in the battle of Gog and Magog upon the new Jerusalem as stated in Revelation 20.

The nations of the world will attempt to remove all believers from the earth through death or imprisonment.

This will be when Jesus returns to fully establish the new heavens and earth, which were partially established when Jesus established the new covenant and ended the old covenant.

View #4: Historicist View

The events of Revelation are not waiting to be fulfilled but have been happening over the course of history and will find their final fulfilment when Jesus returns to establish his kingdom on earth, ultimately resulting in the new heaven and earth.

View #5: Preterism

- Full Preterists: The events of Revelation where completely fulfilled in AD 70 when Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed upon the return of Jesus.

This includes the 1000-year reign of Jesus.

The 1000-year reign of Jesus is symbolic in nature, representing full victory as indicated in their understanding of the Jewish Scriptures.

The return of Jesus was spiritual in nature to bring final judgment on unbelieving Israel in fulfillment of the words of Jesus in Luke 21 and consistent with the law-based judgments of Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28-32.

At this point, the old testament of law was removed fully from the earth, leaving the new covenant of grace as the means by which God relates to the world.

This is what is meant by the new heaven and earth.

The kingdom of God spreads throughout the world as the gospel is communicated.

Unbelievers remain on the new earth where the water of life (the gospel) flows to unbelievers all over the world so they have the opportunity to place their faith in Jesus.

Upon death, believers go to heaven and unbelievers go to the grave.

- Partial Preterists generally fall into the Post-Millennial group or the Amillennial group.

Please know there are various views within views.

This summary does not present all the views but attempts to provide a basic overview of them.

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