Harris on End Times Essay

: Hey, John. What are in you today? You don’t look as upbeat as usual. Is there anything that I can do to help you? John: I don’t know, but perhaps you can. You see, I am taking Eschatology 1. My professor is weird. On top of that, he is a lousy lecturer. I can’t understand what he’s saying. And I can’t even understand my notes! I have to study it and read the book of Revelation in order to pass his test. Steven: Let me see. Hmmm. You’re not a good note taker; it’s very obvious. But I guest your professor isn’t an organized lecturer. Well, you can always read my book and†¦ John: But the exam is four hours away! Steven: Oh my goodness. You are definitely in trouble. Listen, I will lecture you briefly on the main points that you will need to pass this test. Listen carefully, and I hope you’ll get an A. John: Ok Steven: From Chapter 15 of my book, I said the Revelation can be outlined as follows: 1. Prologue: the author’s self-identification and au ¬thority (1:1-20) 2. Jesus’ letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor (2:1-3:22) 3. Visions from heaven: breaking seven seals on a scroll; seven trumpets (4:1-11:19) 4. Signs in heaven: visions of the woman, the dragon, the beast, the Lamb, and the seven plagues (12:1-16:21) 5. Visions of the â€Å"great whore† and the fall of Babylon (Rome) (17:1-18:24) 6. Visions of the eschaton: the warrior Messiah, the imprisonment of the beast and Satan, judgment of the dead, and the final defeat of evil (19:1-20:15) 7. Visions of the â€Å"new heaven and a new earth†; descent of the heavenly Jerusalem to earth (21:1-22:5) 8. Epilogue: authenticity of the author’s prophetic visions and the nearness of their fulfilment (22:6-21). In addition, many of John’s imagery and style came from Old Testament Apocalyptic Literature, and†¦ John: Wait, you mean principles of interpretation in Daniel and others such as â€Å"one apocalyptic day = one literal year† also holds in Revelation? Steven: That’s right! John: So everything I’ve learned in the previous term about Hebrew Prophecy can also be used here? Precisely the reason why I had to take Hermeneutics 2 and Hebrew Prophecy before I study Revelation? Steven: You betcha†¦ John: So first, let me recap. Let’s take a look at the terms the Lamb, the dragon, the heav ¬enly woman, the whore, and the marriage of the Lamb and the heavenly city. They are not literal being but symbols of another referent, right? Steven: Yes, and to take you to the shortcut, the historical belief is the Lamb is Jesus Christ, the dragon is a figure of Satan, the whore is his church the Roman Catholic Church, the marriage of the Lamb symbolizes the union of the Christian Church of the aggregate of the true believers after the Rapture, and the heavenly city is a picture of our destiny with Jesus Christ. Though I find it personally hard to accept that it is literally as described, but I do not really show that in the book because I do not want to offend my Christian brother.