Replies

Amen! Sproul's fallacious interpretation of Revelation is nothing short of ridiculous. To say the prophecy of the book was fulfilled in AD 70 with the sacking of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple is laughable, especially since the book of Revelation was written over 20 years AFTER the events of AD 70 had taken place. Another problem with Sprouls errant interpretation is the description and extent of many of the judgments listed in Revelation:

There has never been a time in all of human history when hail and fire, mixed with blood has been thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. (Rev 8:7)

There has never been a time in all of human history when something like a great mountain burning with fire has been thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed. (Rev. 8:8)

There has never been a time in human history when a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters... and a third of the waters became wormwood (poisonous), and many men died from the waters. (Rev. 8:9-10)

There has never been a time in all of human history when a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way. (Rev. 8:12)

There has never been a time in human history when the bottomless pit (the holding place of demons) was opened, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit.

Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man.

And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them. (Rev. 9:2-6)

There has never been a time in human history when the Euphrates river dried up to permit a 200 MILLION man army to cross it and kill "a THRID OF MANKIND"! (Rev. 9:13-19, 16:12)

There has never been a time when the second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and the entire sea became blood like that of a dead man; and EVERY LIVING THING in the sea died. (Rev. 16:3)

There has never been a time in human history when every spring and river on earth was turned to blood because the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they all became blood. (Rev. 16:4)

There has never been a universal devastating earthquake that is so severe that all of the islands of the earth and every mountain on earth disappeared (Rev. 16:20a)

There has never been a universal hailstorm over the entire earth in which every hail stone weighs between 80 and 100 pounds! (Rev. 16:21)

Sproul and the other Reformed naysayers can denigrate those who believe in the future literal fulfillment of the book of Revelation and the Rapture of the church all they want, they can "spiritualize" and "allegorize" the prophecies of the book of Revelation all they like but they can show no time in human history when ANY of the plagues listed in Revelation were literally fulfilled in AD 70 or any other time in human history. The only way they can make their argument is to deny, spiritualize or allegorize what God Himself has clearly said will take place.

100% of the prophecies concerning the first advent of Christ were LITERALLY, not "spiritually" fulfilled at His first coming. I believe that all of the prophecies and plagues listed in the Word of God regarding Christ's Second Advent will also LITERALLY come to pass 100% as well.