Patmos and Southland: Australian Pentecostal Readings of Revelation

Abstract

This article offers a survey and critical analysis of writings about the book of Revelation from Pentecostal sources in Australia and New Zealand. The title reflects the sense of prophetic destiny for Australia, sometimes encapsulated in the phrase “great southland of the Holy Spirit.” It is usually assumed that Pentecostal eschatology and interpretations of Revelation are governed primarily by a form of premillennial dispensationalism. However, much of the written material on Revelation from Australasian Pentecostals does not adhere to this line. The viewpoints of the authors I am analyzing are classified as follows: conventional futurist approaches similar to a dispensationalist reading; unconventional futurist approaches; historicist approaches; preterist approaches and eclectic approaches. I will look at both external and Pentecostal influences in the positions taken by these authors and conclude with some critical comments on their approach and suggestions for future Pentecostal reading of Revelation.