Restoration Ministries

The “theater seat” interpretation of prophetic Biblical fulfillment places the most powerful, significant, critical and literally “earthshaking” prophecies in a near future but yet distant “stage.” At the same time it situates us (the church) in the audience section of the prophetic theater, as mere observers.

This, I believe is a critical mistake in the field of Bible prophecy and is due to the defining and establishment of incorrect parameters and boundaries of time in all the prophetic books and writings of the Bible, and particularly in relation to the book of Revelation.

I personally have a preference for the above school of thinking, but it is obviously not a matter of preferences but of biblical truth and accuracy.

Let me explain what I mean by the “theater seat” interpretation. I’ve asked in many gatherings; “Where are we the church seated in the prophetic theater? Are we in the back row of the theater watching the prophetic action on stage? Are we in the middle seats or do we have a front row seat watching all prophecies being fulfilled before our very eyes?”

Without failure I get the same answer 90 percent of the time. “We are on the front row!” My answer to them is that we are neither in the back, the middle nor in the front row.

Rather than being a “safe” and objective audience, we will see that we are actually thrust “on stage.” The stage is not where the audience is, but where the actors perform; it’s where the drama is unfolding.

We are in reality not merely objective observers and interpreters of prophecy but participants; willing or unwilling, active or passive but nevertheless participants.

Planet earth is the stage and every living creature on the face of the earth is part of the cast of actors; including the Church!

Herein lies the crux of the matter. As long as we believe we will be gathered (raptured) to heaven with the Lord , seven years before the Second Coming, then we can continue being part of the audience, at this point in time by matter of timing and after the “rapture” by location (heaven).

We can continue to place the fulfillment of all prophecy from the 4th chapter of the book of Revelation to the last chapter of the book in that future seven-year period, which is the safe and distant stage or we can systematically demonstrate from Daniel and the prophets, the Gospels, the Epistles and lastly the book of Revelation that there is no future , separate, or distinct period of Bible prophecy. There is no future “dispensation” apart from the one we are now presently living.

It is important to note that our position in relation to Biblical prophecy is not in itself a doctrinal indicator of neither our salvation nor a basis for our fellowship with other believers. Nevertheless, it could in an indirect way affect the faith of many Christians. How?