Re-evaluating the Historicist's interpretation of the Revelation

 

by Jerry Huerta

copyright 2021

The earliest historicists presumed that the structure of Revelation is the same as Daniel’s book or that the narration repeatedly backtracks. This pattern is what is known as recapitulation. They held the seven seals essentially cover the same period as the seven churches and the trumpets nearly the same period as the seven seals and the vials almost the same period as the trumpets. In essence, the septets (the seven seals and seven trumpets and seven vials) fold back on the seven churches in defiance of specific developmental guidelines.

  

Indeed, one of the issues in interpreting the Revelation is “progressive revelation.” The earliest historicists did not accept the prophetic view of the seven churches. Even so, today, a significant number acknowledge the progressive revelation that the seven churches represent prophetic eras, especially as the last one exemplifies our modern-day era of a market-driven society in the illustration that the church is lukewarm and maintains they are “rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing” (Revelation 3:17). That is undoubtedly the character of the prosperity churches today. The point is that historicism has acknowledged the need to correct previous misconceptions and we establish our thesis on this principle.

 

One example of correction is the developmental guideline in Revelation 4:1, “I will shew thee things which must be hereafter,” which has never been given proper weight by traditional historicists. They acknowledge that the seven churches follow a linear narration but dismiss the developmental guideline of Rev 4:1 and return to the period of the first church as if the seven seals must follow Christ’s first advent instead of following the opening of the last church. Our book does not dismiss any developmental guidelines. It maintains the seals must represent phenomena following the introduction of the final church, as the trumpets covey the phenomena of the last seal and the vials the final trumpet. Our restructuring makes our work unique amongst others of the same subject or school of thought.

This post is a postscript to the book above, which is available here.