Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 170:678 (Apr 2013)
Article: Have The Prophecies In Revelation 17-18 About Babylon Been Fulfilled? Part 6
Author: Andrew M. Woods

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BSac 170:678 (April-June 2013) p. 194

Have The Prophecies In Revelation 17-18 About Babylon Been Fulfilled? Part 6

Andrew M. Woods

Andrew M. Woods is Associate Professor of Bible and Theology, The College of Biblical Studies, Houston, Texas, and Senior Pastor, Sugar Land Bible Church, Sugar Land, Texas.

Τhe preceding five articles in this series demonstrated the improbability of the preterist view that Babylon in Revelation 17-18 refers to first-century Jerusalem. This final article surveys the remaining futurist possibilities for interpreting Babylon in Revelation 17-18 and shows that they are preferable to the preterist position.

Futurist Options

In general the futurist views are liberated from many of the weaknesses that plague the preterist view. All the futurist options have at least six advantages over the preterist view. First, the futurist views do not depend on an early date for the writing of the book of Revelation. Unlike the preterist position, which requires a pre-AD 70 date for the composition of Revelation, all the futurist views can be held regardless of whether the interpreter holds to a Neronian or Domitianic date for the writing of the book.1

Second, unlike partial preterism, which assigns a universal, future significance to terms or concepts in 20:7-15 and a local,

BSac 170:678 (April-June 2013) p. 195

historical understanding of these terms and concepts in 16:19-19:6, the futurist accepts a consistent universal definition of these terms regardless of where they appear in the Apocalypse. Partial preterists hold to a future bodily return of Christ, resurrection of the unsaved, and final judgment (20:7-15), but they place the remainder of Revelation’s contents in the past. Thus partial preterists are forced to attach a futuristic, global definition to certain terms, phrases, and concepts when they appear in 20:7-15 while at the same time attaching a historical and localized understanding to identical terms and phrases in 16:19-19:6. Examples include inconsistent interpretations regarding the words “earth” or “land” (17:2; 20:11), the phrase “the book of life” (17:8; 20:12), and the mer...

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