Four Views on the Book of Revelation

Of all the books of the Bible, few are as fascinating or as bewildering as the Book of Revelation. Its images grip the imagination: four grim horsemen, the Antichrist, the ten-horned beast, the ultimate battle of Armageddon, and of course, 666, the “mark of the beast.” These images are variously interpreted to signify everything from Hitler and Krushchev to credit cards and the internet.

Is the book of Revelation a blueprint for the future that needs decoding if we want to understand current events? Is it a book of powerful imagery, with warnings and promises for the church throughout the ages? Or is it essentially an imaginative depiction of historical events in the first century? Four Views explores the four main views in which Revelation is understood: preterist, idealist, classical dispensational, futurist, and progressive dispensationalist.

The interactive Counterpoints forum allows each author not only to present his view, but also to offer brief commentary on the views presented. This even-handed approach is ideal when comparing and contrasting stances in order to form a personal conclusion about the interpretation of Revelation.