This past spring semester, I taught the book of Revelation at Faulkner University. Though I teach history at this Christian school in Alabama, this course wasn't primarily about historical interpretations of the text or American apocalyptic movements. It was a biblical exposition of a fascinating piece of literature.
Americans have been fascinated with Revelation for a long time. Many have focused on the millennium of chapter 20, seeing in wars or political events the onset of the thousand-year reign of Christ. The post-millennialists of the 19th century looked at social reform as a means to inaugurate the millennium, believing that after this period Christ would return. The premilliennialists have seen in American history and culture a decline in morals and religiosity that could only be stopped by the supernatural arrival of the kingdom of Christ, which would bring on the millennium.
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