Forms of Futuristic Interpretation of Revelation in the Modern Period
This chapter examines futuristic interpretations of Revelation in the modern period, highlighting how specific interpretations have had a real-world impact on society and geopolitics. It begins with an overview of the diverse cultural applications of futuristic readings of Revelation to the modern world, and then the focus shifts to an examination of how apocalyptic rhetoric confers meaning and coherence on the world in the minds of futuristic interpreters. This is followed by a discussion of the origins of premillennial dispensationalism and its role in shaping American foreign policy toward the Middle East. The chapter concludes with an assessment of whether futurism will retain its influence further into the twenty-first century and beyond.