Chapter 19: The John sees the Marriage Supper of the Lamb begin as a direct result of the death of apostate Israel. In essence, Israel, God’s wife [Ezekiel 16.32] had committed apostasy, which was the same thing as “sexual immorality” [Ezekiel 16]. According to Christ, divorce could be issued on account of “sexual immorality”. [Matthew 5.31-32] Hence, God divorced his adulterous wife Israel by having her destroyed with fire, which was the Old Covenant death sentence for women who were “sexually immoral” (if they were related to priests, which Israel was). [Leviticus 21.9] God divorced apostate Israel in order to marry true Israel, which is the Church. The overarching theme of Revelation 16-19 perfectly fits Christ’s parable of the wedding feast [Matthew 22.1-15], right down to the burning of “their city” being immediately followed by the wedding feast. The second half of the book symbolically represents the victory of Christ’s victory over the world, including the Roman Empire and apostate Israel, where the two are cast into the lake of fire.
Chapter 20: John sees Satan bound up so that he could not deceive the nations, a symbolic representation of the power of Christ’s sacrifice over Satan’s deception. The “first resurrection” refers to the resurrection of Jesus Christ “the firstfruits”. [1 Corinthians 15.20] Hence, the righteous dead (Rev. 14.13: “blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on”) are described as “sharing” in Christ’s resurrection and rule, in perfect correspondence to Paul’s statements in his letters. [1 Corinthians 15.22; Ephesians 2.6; Colossians 2.12-13] The “thousand years” are symbolic of the era of the Church, and the beginning of the “thousand years” corresponds to the Kingdom of God being established upon the world [Luke 21.31-32; Revelation 11.15], marked by the destruction of apostate Israel. [Matthew 21.33-46] The number 1000 is a symbolic numeral for “completion”. Thus, when the “thousand years” come to their end, the plan of God will be brought to completion. Satan will be released from his binding, bringing about a great deception. The enemies of the world (symbolized as “Gog and Magog”) will attempt to destroy the Church (symbolized as “God’s holy city”), but they will be prevented by the Second Coming of Christ. Satan will be cast into the lake of fire. Christ will sit upon his throne, and he will bring about the resurrection of the dead. All of mankind (and angels) will be judged. John sees the wicked cast into the lake of fire. Finally, John sees Death itself destroyed by Christ. After the resurrection, the final judgment, and the defeat of Death, Christ delivers the Kingdom of God up to the Father in order for it to be consummated. [1 Corinthians 15.23-28,54-55]
Chapter 21: John sees the New Jerusalem, a symbolic representation of God’s perfect Church with imagery drawn from Ezekiel’s description of Eden. [Ezekiel 28.13] Whereas the priestly garments of the Old Covenant had 12 different stones, each with a name of one of the 12 tribes engraved upon it [Exodus 28.17-21], John sees the New Jerusalem built on a foundation of 12 different stones, each with a name of the one of the 12 apostles engraved upon it. Since the New Jerusalem is the Church, it has no temple within it, because the Church is the temple of God, and God resides within the New Jerusalem. John sees that the wicked are not allowed into the New Jerusalem, corresponding to the fact that only those who believe in Christ and repent of their sins become members of the Church, which is the Body of Christ.
Chapter 22: John sees the river of life (Jesus’ salvation) flowing from the throne of God and of Jesus. He also sees the tree of life (eternal life) bearing fruit each month, corresponding to the Church’s growing numbers over time. He states that the tree’s leaves are “for the healing of the nations”, corresponding to how the gospel of Jesus Christ brings healing to mankind. John states that only the “those who wash their robes” [in the blood of Jesus: Revelation 7.14] may enter the New Jerusalem, corresponding to the fact that only those believe in Christ and repent of their sins become members of the Church, which is the Body of Christ. The New Jerusalem, as depicted in Revelation 21-22, is a present reality for the Church [Galatians 4.22-31; Hebrews 12.22], made real by the sacrifice of Christ, but it also awaits perfect fulfillment at the Second Coming of Christ.
Additional Notes: I cannot repeat it enough times: Partial preterists do not believe that the Second Coming took place in 70 AD. God had several, unique “judgment comings” throughout the Old Testament, in which God “came” and destroyed a wicked nation by using another nation as his tool of judgment. Likewise, the “coming of the Son of Man” is interpreted by partial preterists as referring to Christ’s “judgment coming” in 70 AD, in which he “came” and destroyed apostate Israel by using the Roman nation as his tool of judgment. Partial preterists do believe that the Second Coming is still in our future, in which Christ will physically return to the earth.
Partial preterism does not teach “replacement theology”, it teaches “covenant theology”. “Replacement theology” is the teaching that ethnic Israel was replaced by the Church. “Covenant theology” is the teaching that the Old Covenant was replaced by the New Covenant. The Church is considered to be the same thing as Israel. The Church/Israel consists of Christ-believing ethnic Israelites, and goes on to “graft on” Christ-believing ethnic Gentiles. Similarly, the Church/Israel “breaks off” Christ-rejecting ethnic Israelites, and excludes Christ-rejecting ethnic Gentiles.
Chapter 20: John sees Satan bound up so that he could not deceive the nations, a symbolic representation of the power of Christ’s sacrifice over Satan’s deception. The “first resurrection” refers to the resurrection of Jesus Christ “the firstfruits”. [1 Corinthians 15.20] Hence, the righteous dead (Rev. 14.13: “blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on”) are described as “sharing” in Christ’s resurrection and rule, in perfect correspondence to Paul’s statements in his letters. [1 Corinthians 15.22; Ephesians 2.6; Colossians 2.12-13] The “thousand years” are symbolic of the era of the Church, and the beginning of the “thousand years” corresponds to the Kingdom of God being established upon the world [Luke 21.31-32; Revelation 11.15], marked by the destruction of apostate Israel. [Matthew 21.33-46] The number 1000 is a symbolic numeral for “completion”. Thus, when the “thousand years” come to their end, the plan of God will be brought to completion. Satan will be released from his binding, bringing about a great deception. The enemies of the world (symbolized as “Gog and Magog”) will attempt to destroy the Church (symbolized as “God’s holy city”), but they will be prevented by the Second Coming of Christ. Satan will be cast into the lake of fire. Christ will sit upon his throne, and he will bring about the resurrection of the dead. All of mankind (and angels) will be judged. John sees the wicked cast into the lake of fire. Finally, John sees Death itself destroyed by Christ. After the resurrection, the final judgment, and the defeat of Death, Christ delivers the Kingdom of God up to the Father in order for it to be consummated. [1 Corinthians 15.23-28,54-55]
Chapter 21: John sees the New Jerusalem, a symbolic representation of God’s perfect Church with imagery drawn from Ezekiel’s description of Eden. [Ezekiel 28.13] Whereas the priestly garments of the Old Covenant had 12 different stones, each with a name of one of the 12 tribes engraved upon it [Exodus 28.17-21], John sees the New Jerusalem built on a foundation of 12 different stones, each with a name of the one of the 12 apostles engraved upon it. Since the New Jerusalem is the Church, it has no temple within it, because the Church is the temple of God, and God resides within the New Jerusalem. John sees that the wicked are not allowed into the New Jerusalem, corresponding to the fact that only those who believe in Christ and repent of their sins become members of the Church, which is the Body of Christ.
Chapter 22: John sees the river of life (Jesus’ salvation) flowing from the throne of God and of Jesus. He also sees the tree of life (eternal life) bearing fruit each month, corresponding to the Church’s growing numbers over time. He states that the tree’s leaves are “for the healing of the nations”, corresponding to how the gospel of Jesus Christ brings healing to mankind. John states that only the “those who wash their robes” [in the blood of Jesus: Revelation 7.14] may enter the New Jerusalem, corresponding to the fact that only those believe in Christ and repent of their sins become members of the Church, which is the Body of Christ. The New Jerusalem, as depicted in Revelation 21-22, is a present reality for the Church [Galatians 4.22-31; Hebrews 12.22], made real by the sacrifice of Christ, but it also awaits perfect fulfillment at the Second Coming of Christ.
Additional Notes: I cannot repeat it enough times: Partial preterists do not believe that the Second Coming took place in 70 AD. God had several, unique “judgment comings” throughout the Old Testament, in which God “came” and destroyed a wicked nation by using another nation as his tool of judgment. Likewise, the “coming of the Son of Man” is interpreted by partial preterists as referring to Christ’s “judgment coming” in 70 AD, in which he “came” and destroyed apostate Israel by using the Roman nation as his tool of judgment. Partial preterists do believe that the Second Coming is still in our future, in which Christ will physically return to the earth.
Partial preterism does not teach “replacement theology”, it teaches “covenant theology”. “Replacement theology” is the teaching that ethnic Israel was replaced by the Church. “Covenant theology” is the teaching that the Old Covenant was replaced by the New Covenant. The Church is considered to be the same thing as Israel. The Church/Israel consists of Christ-believing ethnic Israelites, and goes on to “graft on” Christ-believing ethnic Gentiles. Similarly, the Church/Israel “breaks off” Christ-rejecting ethnic Israelites, and excludes Christ-rejecting ethnic Gentiles.
