Who are the People in Revelation?

Jerryhuerta said:

You’re skipping a very significant point in Zechariah 14; the nations are compelled to keep Tabernacles; that’s force. That’s a huge faux pas on your part. It’s significant because the NT reveals Christ puts “down all rule and all authority and power” upon entering the eternal state, according to 1 Corinthians 15. Zechariah 14 doesn’t depict the eternal state or this age according to Matthew 19:28, 24:46-47; Luke 12:35-44, 19:11-27; John 14:2-3; and Revelation 2:25-26, 3:21, which substantiates Christ returns to rule in all power and authority over the nations.

Postmills try and use some little phrase like “living waters” to dismiss the grammatical-historical hermeneutic as well as what the NT actually upholds.

As to the eschatological gathering, you’re confusing or attempting to obfuscate, once again, the grammatical-historic interpretation of the centripetal nature of the gathering when Christ returns.

Isaiah 14
1 When the LORD will have compassion on Jacob and again choose Israel, and settle them in their own land, then strangers will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob.
2 The peoples will take them along and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them as an inheritance in the land of the LORD as male servants and female servants; and they will take their captors captive and will rule over their oppressors.

The grammatical-historic interpretation of the eschatological gathering of Tabernacles conveys a centripetal calling, not a centrifugal one. The former is how the ancient people of God would have understood Isaiah 14. A centrifugal calling is for this age and why Jerusalem is an abstract, the people of God at this time; it will not remain so when Christ returns.

As to the preterist’s misrepresentation of eschatological imminence, we’ve been here before and you should know I’m not going to agree. When referring to end-time events, the Bible often uses the literary device of symbolism in connection with time to conceal delay in imminence, to prevent the evil servant from taking advantage of the circumstance,

Matthew 24:
48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The OD conveys both imminence and delay, which thwarts the preterist’s misrepresentations. Christ concealed delay in eschatological imminence. Christ emphasized that wars, rumors of wars, and other related events will persist until the end of this age when he returns. Wars, rumors of wars, famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places persist to this day. Christ’s return aligns with historicists’ interpretation of the OD rather than the futurists or preterists’ interpretations.

As to the people of the Revelation, let me say in its narration, as in any dramatic narration, there are protagonists and antagonists. I do believe I related who the protagonists are; ya just need to actually read it.

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I gave you my simple understanding of Zechariah 14. However, if you desire a more complex analysis, I will try accommodate as best I can.

The book of Zechariah was written post Babylonian exile, with scholarly consensus dating “2nd Zechariah” or chapters 9-14, around the 5th century BC. Zechariah 9-14 is considered apocalyptic literature, and thus not necessarily literal. During the time of its authorship, Israelites would have returned to the land, rebuilt the temple, and worshipped God according to the law of Moses. In the Law, specifically Deuteronomy 16, there is a requirement for pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the feast of tabernacles. This requirement applied to not only the native born, but also the foreigner.

Zechariah 14 and the requirement for survivors of the nations to pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the feast of tabernacles, makes sense in that historical context - the law of Moses. However, eventually, the old covenant was superseded by the new covenant ((John 4:21, Hebrews 10:9, acts 15:28-29, Colossians 2:16, Galatians 3:19), rendering a literal understanding of Zechariah 14’s feast of tabernacles irrelevant. There may be a spiritual interpretation considering the literary genre of Zechariah 14, though unfortunately, the NT is silent on how that should specifically look, making anyone’s interpretation merely guesswork in attempt to patch together a multivocal narrative as if it was univocal.

The living waters becomes an “easier” anchor point due to the allusion in the NT - outpouring of spirit/ new Jerusalem.

As to the eschatological gathering which would occur at the end of the age -

The parable of the weeds and of the net explain that gathering of the good and bad and the gathering of all kinds occur at the end of the age. This end of the age gathering is confirmed to take place within Jesus’ generation in and around after the time of the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem (Matthew 24:34). This gathering of the good and bad by the angels into the wedding feast following the destruction of Jerusalem is further confirmed by the parable of the wedding feast (Matthew 22:7-10) - with the guests not in the right attire being cast out - an allusion to Zechariah 14?
All of these gatherings are obviously centripetal (especially the one that occurs following the destruction of Jerusalem in Matthew 22)

As to imminence and delay - I’m not really following your logic with the example in Matthew you provided. On the contrary to your claim, the evil servant literally takes advantage of his perceived delay in his master’s return by beating his fellow servants, and drinking/eating. The perceived delay in no way prevents the evil servant from taking advantage of his position. In this parable, it is the wicked who perceive the return as delayed, not the righteous.

Prior to parable of the evil servant, Christ, in the olivet discourse, lays out that when specific events occur, then they would know he was near, right at the door, just as when a fig tree sprouts leaves, then they know summer is near (Matthew 24:31-33). the evidence that disciples and apostles believed the events of the Olivet discourse were occurring in their own generation can be found in their very own letters to the church - James 5:8-9, Christ is near, at the very door; Hebrews 10:37, he is coming soon WITHOUT delay; 1 Peter 4:7, the end of all things had drawn near; 1 John 2:18-19, it is the last hour.

as to the protagonists of revelation, do you mean the first century audience?