What is the origin of the futurist method of prophetic interpretation?
(Dan. 2:27-45; 7:1-25; 8:14, John 14:29, Num. 14:34, 1 Cor. 10:1-13) Blog Jun. 7-13, 2020
Prepared by Richard A. Marin: Present Truth PO Box 700, Fallbrook CA 92088-0700 USA
REVIEW: The Bible tells the story of the mighty acts of God in dealing with humanity. Its prophecies tell how God will act in the future and how we should prepare and respond. The Holy Spirit inspired holy men to portray God’s thoughts in human language. For us the Bible is necessary, has absolute authority, is entirely sufficient, and is essentially clear, showing us how to live in this life and how to enter into the next. If we read the Bible in context, regarding its grammar, and comparing Scripture with Scripture, the Holy Spirit will teach us its meaning. The Bible is the oldest and most complete story of how this earth was formed, how a worldwide flood occurred, and how earth’s various nations came into existence. Old Testament history is confirmed as being literal and accurate by Jesus and the apostles, by the weekly cycle, by the orderly environment, by the fossil record, by secular history, by the existence of the Jewish people, by the many extant manuscripts, and by the findings of archeology. New Testament history is confirmed by secular history, by the rise and growth of Christianity, by our dating system, by the many extant manuscripts, and by archeology.
Why prophecy? (John 14:1, 29; 13:19; 15:11; 16:1, 4, 33; 19:36; Matt. 24:4, 29, 33, 44; Dan. 9:1-4
1. As Jesus begins his counsel in John 14 on the night of his betrayal what is the first thing that he desires his disciples to grasp from his portrayal of events yet future? That they be not troubled by what is ahead of them.
2. As Jesus summarizes his view of the future in John 14 what does he say should be the result of seeing the fulfillment of his prophesies? That their faith might increase.
3. What additional result does Jesus say in John 15:11, will come from following his instructions for the future. That his joy might be in them & continually increasing.
4. As Jesus begins John 16, what other benefit does he say will result from believing his predictions? That his disciples will not stumble nor fall but rather remember that he had told them ahead of time what was coming.
5. When concluding John 16, what did Jesus say the reason was for his foretelling the future? That his disciples might have peace.
6. How should seeing the fulfillment of Bible prophecy affect our trust in God’s Word? It should confirm in our minds that the Bible is entirely true.
7. Why did Jesus portray the future of the world in Matthew 24? So that his disciples would know what to expect & would make the proper preparations for events still to come & would pray for God’s mercies in fulfilling his promises & would not be deceived by imposters.
The Historicist Method of Prophetic Interpretation (Num. 14:34; Eze. 4:6; Daniel 7:25; 9:24-27; Heb. 8:4; 2 Cor. 10:1-13)
8. What is the historical method of prophetic interpretation? The historicist method sees prophecy as a progressive and continuous fulfillment of history, starting in the past and ending with God’s eternal kingdom. It views the prophesy as finding its fulfillment in history just as Daniel & John the Revelator did. It is the method that accepts the obvious from the wording of the text.
9. What words in Daniel tell us that it is dealing with future historical events? “what shall be in the latter days (2:28),” “what should come to pass hereafter (2:29),” “MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN (5:25),” “shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days(8:26), & similar phrases.
10. What words in Revelation tell us that it is dealing with future historical events? “things which must shortly come to pass (1:1),” “Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter (1:19),” “I will shew thee things which must be hereafter (4:1),” “One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter (9:12), “they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days (11:3),” & similar phrases.
11. What specific words in Daniel and Revelation show that the institutions listed come in consecutive (historical) order? “second, third, fourth, etc. (Dan. 2; Rev. 6 & 8)” “five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space (Rev. 17:9), etc.
12. What principle must be applied to time periods given in Daniel and Revelation due to the facts that everything is described in symbols and the institutions mentioned lasted must longer than a literal understanding of their time duration? The “day for a year principle” as seen in Numbers & Ezekiel – which also perfectly works for calculating the coming of Messiah as described in Daniel 9.
13. What must we conclude (as seen in our YouTube and Blog presentations on Daniel) from the fact that each great climactic event (“big bang”) of Daniel’s four prophetic outlines is a simultaneous crisis intervention on the part of God? That the kingdoms of this world become God’s (Dan. 2) by means of an investigative judgment (Dan. 7) which encompasses the cleansing of God’s heavenly sanctuary (Dan. 8-9) & brings deliverance for God’s people (Dan. 10-12).
14. When comparing the description and activity of the “little horn” in Daniel 7 with that of Daniel 8 what must we conclude? That they are one and the same Papal power that arose after the fall of the Roman empire & controlled the world for 1260 years (538-1798).
15. What method of comparison used often by Jesus and the apostles is a tremendous aide in understanding Bible prophesy? That of typology – for example the earthly sanctuary & its services are a type of the heavenly sanctuary & its services (Heb. 8:3-5); & the wanderings of God’s people in the wilderness is a type of the wanderings of the New Testament church (1 Cor. 10:1-13), etc.
The Pendulum of Interpretation ()
16. Which method of prophetic interpretation was predominant among the Protestant Reformers of the sixteenth century? The Historicist method which taught that the “little horn” antichrist of Daniel 7 & 8 would appear after the fall of Rome & was then present as the Papacy.
17. What other methods of prophetic interpretation are used today? Preterist, futurist, allegorical.
18. What is the origin of the allegorical method of prophetic interpretation? Post-resurrection Alexandrian, gnostic scholars who sought to return to the philosophies of Greek dualism.
19. What is the origin of the preterist method of prophetic interpretation? Roman Catholic attempt invented by Jesuit scholar Alcazar to diffuse the Protestant accusation of the Papacy being the antichrist
20. What is the origin of the futurist method of prophetic interpretation? Roman Catholic attempt invented by Jesuit scholar Ribera to diffuse the Protestant accusation of the Papacy being the antichrist
21. Which method of prophetic interpretation was predominant in the early 1800? The preterist method which taught that a one-thousand-year millennium of worldwide progress would come prior to the second coming of Jesus.
22. Which method of prophetic interpretation became predominant in the late 1800? The futurist method which taught that a one-thousand-year millennium of Christian worldwide rule would follow the second coming of Jesus.
23. What brought about the shift from the preterist to the futurist method of prophetic interpretation? The worldwide proclamation of the imminent return of Jesus based the historical method & proclaimed by Miller, Irving, Gaussen, Wolff, Lacunza & others who concentrated their conclusions on Daniel 8:14. Wm Miller, Joe Wolff, Rob Winter, Lacunza, Bengal, Gaussen, many Arabs, & children.