I ran across this while reading:
As noted, Revelation has historically generated an intensity of interest unparalleled among any of the books of Scripture. Yet, at the same time — as evidenced by the extreme diversity of the views on Revelation — it has been a most difficult book to interpret. Or perhaps the converse is true: because of the extreme difficulty of interpreting Revelation, it has created an intense interest! As author, David Chilton, has observed: "Many rush from their first profession of faith to the last book in the Bible, treating it as little more than a book of hallucinations, hastily disdaining a sober-minded attempt to allow the Bible to interpret itself — and finding, ultimately, only a reflection of their own prejudices. “ Too often such a situation is due to the temptations presented by biblical scholars who gear their works for the popular market.
This seems to be especially true of dispensational theologians. For instance, Charles Ryrie — an able scholar and probably the leading dispensationalist theologian of the present day — has written of Revelation:
“How do we make sense out of all those beasts and thrones and horsemen and huge numbers like 200 million? Answer: Take it at face value.” Later he gives an example of the usefulness of his “face value” hermeneutic in seeking the correct interpretation of Revelation 9:1-12 (the locusts from the abyss): “John’s description sounds very much like some kind of war machine or UFO.. Demons have the ability to take different shapes, so it is quite possible that John is picturing a coming invasion of warlike UFOS. Until someone comes up with a satisfactory answer to the UFO question, this possibility should not be ruled out.”
Such an interpretation makes one wonder whose face determines the value! Certainly not the first century Christians to whom it was written.
As noted, Revelation has historically generated an intensity of interest unparalleled among any of the books of Scripture. Yet, at the same time — as evidenced by the extreme diversity of the views on Revelation — it has been a most difficult book to interpret. Or perhaps the converse is true: because of the extreme difficulty of interpreting Revelation, it has created an intense interest! As author, David Chilton, has observed: "Many rush from their first profession of faith to the last book in the Bible, treating it as little more than a book of hallucinations, hastily disdaining a sober-minded attempt to allow the Bible to interpret itself — and finding, ultimately, only a reflection of their own prejudices. “ Too often such a situation is due to the temptations presented by biblical scholars who gear their works for the popular market.
This seems to be especially true of dispensational theologians. For instance, Charles Ryrie — an able scholar and probably the leading dispensationalist theologian of the present day — has written of Revelation:
“How do we make sense out of all those beasts and thrones and horsemen and huge numbers like 200 million? Answer: Take it at face value.” Later he gives an example of the usefulness of his “face value” hermeneutic in seeking the correct interpretation of Revelation 9:1-12 (the locusts from the abyss): “John’s description sounds very much like some kind of war machine or UFO.. Demons have the ability to take different shapes, so it is quite possible that John is picturing a coming invasion of warlike UFOS. Until someone comes up with a satisfactory answer to the UFO question, this possibility should not be ruled out.”
Such an interpretation makes one wonder whose face determines the value! Certainly not the first century Christians to whom it was written.
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