Catholic and Calvinist Allegorization of Revelation 20: 1-8 and Revelation 7 and 14

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texian

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Catholic and Calvinist Allegorization of Revelation 20: 1-8 and Revelation 7 and 14

Dispensationalists believe that following the tribulation there will be a literal thousand year reign of Christ on earth in a fulfillment of the Jewish kingdom of their prophecy into which Gentiles will be allowed, as kind of second class citizens. But the historical premillennialists also thought that Christ would rule on earth for a thousand years following the tribulation period. Perhaps they did not all think the thousand years was a literal period. But they did not hold to anything like a pre-tribulation rapture. And they did not teach that physical Israel remains the chosen people. This was all before the time of Origen (184-253 A.D.). Before Origen, Ireneaus [140-203], Justin Martyr [100-165], and Papias [80-155]) were, for example, historical premillennialists.

Origen made use of broad allegory in interpreting Scripture, and Augustine followed his lead, saying the thousand year reign of Christ in Revelation 20: 1-8 is an allegory of all the "church" age. Catholics and traditional Calvinists do the same and also say the 144,000 of Revelation 7 and 14 are merely the saved people of the entire "church age.".

But Origen was part of the Alexandarian school of the 3rd century, and was influenced by Greek philosophy, especially Plato,and the Platonist Philio of Alexandria. Some say that while Origen opposed the Gnosticism of Alexandria, he also saw value in it.

So Origen the follower of Plato and maybe to some extent of Gnosticism, developed a systematic theology which tended to be more abstract that the theology taught by the successors of the Apostles in Antioch, Syria. This tendency toward the abstract thinking of Greek philosophy and of Gnosticism - which is not exactly the way of Christ and his apostles - is what led Origen to allegorize scripture the way he did, and to influence Augustine to allegorize.

The Catholic Church took up the allegorization method of Origen and made Revelation 20: 1-8 into an allegory of the entire church age, rejecting this text as prophecy. The Church also allegorized away the 144,000 into all those of all ages who are saved. Most of Calvinism followed the Catholic Church on Revelation 20: 1-8 and Revelation 7 and 14, rejecting these two texts as prophecy.

Just because the dispensationalists have made use of a literal thousand year reign of Christ on earth with his saints following their tribulation period, does not necessarily mean that the Catholic and Calvinist allegorization of Revelation 20: 1-8 and Revelation 7: 1-8 and Revelation 14: 1-5 (on the 144,000) is true. It can be seen that dispensationalism does not agree with scripture on its basic starting postulations - that "All Israel" remain now as God's chosen people, and that the Catholic and dispensationalist "church" is a body of Christ different from "All Israel." So, dispensationlaism has a big problem with what the New Testament teaches. But many of the early church Fathers, as historical premillennialists, believed in a reign of Christ on earth, in the physical creation, following the tribulation - but did not believe in a pre-trib rapture, nor in Jewish supremacy.

This allegorization of the 144,000 deprives them of their ministry. Daniel 11: 33, "they that understand among the people shall instruct many" can be applied to the ministry of the Remnant as well as the 144,000 in the very last days. But except for Daniel 9: 24-27, Daniel 2 and Daniel 7, the "church" generally won't consider anything in Daniel as being relevant to end time prophecy. For most of the "church" the 144,000 are all male Jewish virgins or they don't exist for Calvinists as an end time group.

The six, seven, eight cycle of Revelation 17: 11 and Genesis 1: 26 on the creation of man on the sixth day predicts a time of rest in the Lord, which would be the seventh period following the sixth period. This is not a theory of dispensations. Man's number is six, and the period of man for those who are born again in Christ must end and the seventh time will fully begin. The seventh is the rest in God. For those born again in Christ there will be a rest following the number six period of man - the "church" period - in some form. We will live in a place where Christ is present and we will see him face to face (I John 3: 2, I Corinthians 13: 12)..

Hebrews 3: 11, 18, and 4: 1-11 speak of the rest of God, which is a fulfillment of God's rest, number seven, for the saints, Israel reborn in Jesus Christ.

Could not this fulfillment of the rest of God take place within the creation, or in the new heavens and new earth of Revelation 21: 1?

There are details in Revelation 20: 1-8 which do not seem to fit the literal interpretation, that the text refers to a time when Christ will reign on earth with his saints, such as allowing Satan to be loosed from his prison after the millennium ends, (verse 7) and the mention of Gog and Magog in verse 8. These details do not agree either with the view that the millennium refers just to the entire "church" age. Its a difficult text, but these details cannot just be ignored. But in verse 10 the devil is said to be cast into the lake of fire, which is the end of his activity against the people of God.
 

texian

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"Did you take this post from your own blog?"

Yes, and I re-wrote it this morning. But your question could be
seen as an avoidance of the main subjects of the post.
 

Nomad

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"Did you take this post from your own blog?"

Yes, and I re-wrote it this morning. But your question could be
seen as an avoidance of the main subjects of the post.

I'm not avoiding anything. Not all Calvinists are amillennial. Many of us happen to be premillennial, but not dispensational.
 

veteran

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Ezekiel 44 goes a long ways in revealing the relationships with Christ during His future thousand years reign on earth. The name 'Zadok' might easily throw many Christian brethren off track, but it's simply Hebrew for 'The Just' or 'The Righteous', and our Lord Jesus is King of The Just (King of Righteousness). The Zadok priests represent the overcomers in Christ Jesus who reign with Him as kings and priests per Rev.5:10 and Rev.2:25-28. As written in Ezek.44, only the Zadok... are allowed to approach near Him in that time. That is right in line with what we're told in Scripture like Revelation 14 with the overcomer saints that stand upon Sion (Mount Zion) with Christ.

Also in Ezekiel 44, a group of Levite priests are mentioned, those who went astray when Israel went astray. We're told they will bear their iniquity as ministers of the House. The idea is like stewards, tending to the menial duties of the House, and in serving the people how God originally intended for them. It's written there those Levites will not... be allowed to approach Christ in that time.

So what we have there is a division with priests in that time. Just as the Hebrew name Zakok is used for those in Christ that overcome and rule with Him can be any Christian believer that stays in Christ Jesus, likewise those Levite priests of that time can represent non-Israelite Christian leaders that went astray and led their congregations astray.

Yet there is one further division given in the Ezekiel 44 Scripture. It's of how the Zadok will be able to defile their garments by going to one of the 'dead' for sake of father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or for a sister that had no husband. Then before they'll allowed to return into the Sanctuary, they must go through purification period. The duty of the Zadok in that time for the people is to stand in judgment, in controversy over them according to God's judgments, teaching the difference between the clean and the unclean. Those 'dead' represent the souls of spiritual dead, those not 'born again' by The Holy Spirit through Christ Jesus. Our Lord Jesus revealed this division during His thousand years reign in Revelation 22 also...


Rev 22:13-15
13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
14 Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
(KJV)

The "camp of the saints" and "beloved city" per Rev.20:9 is upon the earth during that thousand years. The spiritually 'dead' will dwell outside it, which is shown in that same verse that 'nations' will still exist on earth in that time (as also Zech.14 does, and even the idea of the rod of iron given to Christ's kings and priests to rule over... the 'nations'.)

All that is to occur starting with Christ's second coming after the tribulation, and prior to God's Great White Throne Judgment and the "lake of fire" event when death, hell, and the devil are all destroyed in final.
 

texian

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When I first became a Christian I began to read the books of Francis Schaeffer. I read almost all of them, and corresponded
with him briefly when he was still in Switzerland, before he died. Schaeffer was Reformed, but I do not remember anything in his books
about Five Point Calvinism. He was not a dispensationalist, but I don't remember him being critical of dispensationalism. He is said to have been historical premillennialist, but again, I don't remember him writing about that. Schaeffer belonged to a small Reformed denomination, the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod which I think became the Presbyterian Church in America. During his lifetime, the falling away had not become as evident as it is now. His last book was The Great Evangelical Disaster (1984). Schaeffer was concerned that evangelicals were no longer standing up for the truth, and that Christianity had lost much of its influence upon the world, which says in the words of Daniel 12: 7 that the power of the holy people had by 1984 been scattered. The spiritual power of Christians had been reduced, and had Schaeffer been younger (he was born in 1912), he might by now understand that the great number of English translations of the Bible had been one cause of this, along with the almost complete takeover of the Evangelical church by the dispensationalists.
 

Nomad

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Schaeffer belonged to a small Reformed denomination, the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod which I think became the Presbyterian Church in America.

The PCA formed in 1973. The RPCES merged with the PCA in 1982.