The Historicist Interpretation of the Book of Revelation
There exist four standard interpretations of the Book of Revelation:
The Preterist Interpretation, in which the prophecies were fulfilled within a few decades of New Testament times.
The Historicist Interpretation, in which the prophecies were fullfilled over the centuries/millenia that followed. This was the generally accepted interpretation from the time of the Reformation up to about 1850.
The Futurist Interpretation, in which the prophecies relate to a future period of seven years immediately before the Second Coming. This became the more widely accepted interpretation after about 1850.
The Idealist Interpretation, which sees it as a general pattern of good over evil, rather than a specific set of prophecies with literal fulfilment.
Because prophecy can have multiple fulfilment, the various interpretations are not necessarily mutually exclusive. In this video and article, Richard looks more closely at the details of the Historicist Interpretation.
