

REVELATION. 



point* bv this .-v.-t, m has nut Wn satisfactory; (c) ] practical value for the succeeding ages, a 



*. . i r I l 1 lei / J\ 



alue of complete fulfilment approaches, (a) 



this limited view detracts from the permanent value 

 of the book, and often leads to a denial of its prophetic 

 character. The strongest argument from a single 

 detail is that based upon the number t'.i'.i'.. li ; - held 

 that this must signify the name " Knipcror Nenm." 

 But this is by no means certain. The interpretation 

 is a recent one; a dozen others have been advocated 

 with as great plausibility. (See Schaff, /futon/ of the 

 Chrittian Chinch, Vol. L, pp. 841-852, for a full 

 statement of the various explanations.) Against this 

 explanation of the number many objections are prop- 

 erly urged, drawn from the other details with which 

 the number is connected, most of these being inapplic- 

 able to Nero. (2) The futurist system explains the 

 book as referring for the most part to events still future, 

 closely connected with the Second Advent. The cle- 

 ment of truth here is obvious: the closing visions. 

 probably the close of each vision, point to the end of 

 this dispensation ; but this does not warrant the 

 limited view peculiar to this system, (a) A number 

 of expressions in the book itself affirm that some of 

 the events symbolized were near in time, (b) This 

 svstem leads to an excessive literalism in interpreting 

 the numbers, etc, (c) By removing the prophecies 

 entirely out of history, it encourages fantastic chilias- 

 tic views. This school of interpreters is not numerous 

 at present, though it still has able representatives. 

 (3) The huturical (or omtinuoiu) system extends the 

 fulfilment of the prophecy from the First to the 

 Second Advent, accepting a chronological sequence in 

 the visions, either as one series, or as repeated and 

 synchronous representations of different phases of the 

 same great conflict. This system was advocated in the 

 twelfth century, and since the Reformation lias been 

 the view most commonly held by Protestant scholars, 

 before the "praeterist" reaction in Germany. The 

 Reformers were wont to identify " Babylon " with 

 Papal Rome, and thus a dogmatic support was given 

 to the system. That it contains more elements of 

 truth than either of the others is quite probable. The 

 conflict portrayed in the_ Apocalypse does cover the 

 whole Christian dispensation ; its leading features seem 

 to stand out prominently, and final victory is certainly 

 assured. But this method of interpretation, when it 

 is applied to chronological details, involves serious dif- 

 ficulties, and has been used in a way alike absurd and 

 fanatical. Nor has there been any general agreement 

 as to the detailed interpretation. It is still (nitrated, 

 for example, whether the several sets of symbols rep- 

 resent successive or synchronous series of events; 

 whether the millennium has already begun or is still 

 future; when the millennium began, on the theory 

 that it is not still future. In fact each generation of 

 historical interpreters is forced to reconstruct the 

 theory of fulfilled prophecy. Contemporary events 

 are magnified, and the attempt made to find allusions 

 to them in the Apocalypse the progress of history 

 proving the special interpretation to lie false. This is 

 the story of the centuries during which this system 

 has been the dominant one. That it has fostered 

 fanaticism is obvious enough. We may therefore 

 expect to find serious objections to it, in so far as it 

 attempts to construct a chronological sequence of ful- 

 filment answering to the visions in detail. These ob- 

 jections arc : () The character of the book and its 

 symbolical language point to an ideal rather than a 

 historical arrangement. (l>) The purpose of such a 

 book can scarcely be to enable us to forecast the 

 future with chronological accuracy ; yet this is pre- 

 cisely what this school of interpreters are wont to 

 attempt Our Lord himself, in the _ eschatological 

 discourse with which the Apocalypse is relat* 

 bids our calculations by denying the possibility of 

 knowing the time of that event, about which these 

 calculations are most busy, his future Advent (c) 

 This theory seems to separate the book from the time 

 it which it was written, and to deprive it of any great 



time 



. . <- Maitfon 



to the want of harmony among the interpreters of this 

 school we must notice the erroneous exegesis com- 

 monly employed in advocating the various theories; 

 historical events are selected to suit the theory; some 

 very puerile selections are to IK- noticed in nearly every 

 scheme ; the meaning of the symbols, the meaning of 

 the Greek words, even the qm-stions of textual criti- 

 cism, are dealt with in a way that is utterly unjustifi- 

 able on the principles of scholarly exegesis. But the 

 effort to discover fulfilment of prophecy has such a 

 fascination that this system of interpretation includes 

 among its advocates not only the ignorant mystics, but 

 .some of the most illustrious and devout exegetes of 

 re.-ent centuries _ There can be no doubt, however, 

 that in modern times the general effect of the elabor- 

 ate schemes of historical interpretation has been to 

 weaken the authority of the Apocalypse. The book 

 itself has suffered from the mistakes of its would-be 

 interpreters, who make "John a pedant, puzzling his 

 readers with his superior knowledge of petty details, 

 instead of a comforter, consoling and strengthening their 

 hearts by revelation of the true relations and final out- 

 come of things." (Warfield.) (4) The rthictil ,m,i 

 xpiri'fi/itl system of interpretation had its advocates in 

 Alexandria in the early Christian centuries. At pres- 

 ent it finds able supporters. The general principles on 

 which this method proceeds are : (a) The Apocalypse 

 covers the whole period from the First to the Second 

 Advent, but is not designed to indicate the length of 

 that period, nor the historical sequence of events. Time 

 is not reckoned, though the beginning and the end, 

 the conflict and its issue, are distinctly indicated, (b) 

 The Apocalypse sets forth "the action of great prin- 

 ciples and not special incidents" (Milligan). This 

 S'ves to it a permanent value for all ages. (c)_ The 

 jrures of the book, material and local, are to be inter- 

 preted in a spiritual and universal sense. The visions are 

 therefore regarded as synchronous, not successive. The 

 three main principles set forth in the Apocalypse are : 

 the conflict of Christ's people, the preservation of that 

 people, and the ultimate triumph. Not only conflict 

 but apostasy and degeneracy are predicted, and also 

 final victory. _ This view docs not accent a chronologi- 

 cal explanation of the "millennium. The spiritual 

 lessons of the book, on this view of it, are marked, and 

 pertinent to every age. It reiterates the injunction 

 of the Master in his discourse on the same subject 



_It is probable this last theory may be combined 

 with some features of the historical system : but until 

 the great drama is nearly closed, it will not be pos-ible 

 to prove that the Apocalypse presents a series of pre- 

 dictions to be historically fulfilled. Meanwhile there 

 can be no question that the practical value of the book 

 for the Christian life is furthered by the "ethical" 

 theory of interpretation far more than by any of the 

 others. 



Literature. The RRITANMCA fails to notice the immense 

 Hr'uish und American literature. The following list in 

 exclusively frinn tlii* vlaae. The various ariifl'- 

 on the Revelation, in Smith's Bible Diflinnnry, McClintoek 

 and Strong'* Cyclopadia, the SchafT-Herzog Cyc/<'. 

 each with aoibliographieal list ; the prolegomena to the Cam- 

 mrnt'irirt of Stimrt. Alfnrd, Lee (Speaker 1 *), Milligan (In- 

 ternational); Scli:ill. l/n:tnri/nf thr C'tritlian Church, vol. 

 i. (1882), pp. 3S5-3HO, 416-122, 825-853; Godet, Sludiet on 

 thr New Testament, Eng. trans., pp. 294-398: Farrar, Early 

 Days of Christianity '(N. Y., 1882), vol. ii. pp. 10S-S52 ; 

 Tn-ni'li, t'limni'iit'trii an the Kpittlet to the. Seven Churcher 

 (3d &, Londoa, 1861 ; Wordsworth, Lerturtt on the Apoc- 

 uhipt (London, 1852) ; Klliott, flora Apocalt/ptiett (5th e'l.. 

 Milligan, The Herelatiun nf St. John, Baird Lee-- 

 lure I'nr 1S85 (defending the ethino-npiriitnil theory of inter- 

 pretation). Commentaries: Moses Stuart, new ed., 1864, 

 (pneteriit) ; Alford'i Greek Testament, vol. iv. (hintoricnl ; 

 Lange and Craven, Lnnge'i Commentary, vol. jr.. New Tes- 

 tament. 1874; Lee in Speaker's Commentary, 1881 (histori- 

 cal) ; Milligan, International (or Popular) Commentary, 

 vol. iv. (New York, 1883). The older literature is of i- 



