What is historicism?
If you are like many Christians, you probably have never heard of this method of interpreting Biblical prophecy. Historicism is unlike Preterism, which teaches that most of prophecy has been fulfilled in the past. It also differs from Futurism, which teaches that prophecy will only be fulfilled at some future date. In brief, Historicism teaches that biblical predictions are being fulfilled throughout history and continue to be fulfilled today. The Book of Revelation is a pre-written history of the Church from the time of its writing to the future Second Advent of Christ, which shall usher in the new heaven and new earth. Preterism has little to say to us today since it inteprets predictions as mostly fulfilled. Futurism is beyond the Church, because most Futurists believe that a secret rapture will remove the Church from the world. However, if the Bible and Revelation speak to the Church in ALL ages (as Historicism teaches), it is of great importance that we listen. Historicists agree
“Historicism” has become a ubiquitous and equivocal term. A classification is given here of five separate uses of the term currently in vogue, each provided with a unique qualifying adjective to help keep them distinct. I then offer a few objections to some of the more radical conclusions which have been drawn by proponents of a specific version of historicism, one associated with “postmodernism “. The positions of Rorty and Putnam are contrasted as examples of strong and weak degrees of historicism, respectively.
By J. L. Haynes This article can also be found at www.historicism.com/tour/tour2.htm What is Futurism? Futurism, as it pertains to Biblical prophecy, is the theory that most of the events of Revelation, and the 70th week of Daniel 9, are to be fulfilled sometime in the future. Futurists generally believe that an individual will appear on the world stage who will usurp the place of Christ as the head of the Church. This individual, they anticipate, will deceive many people into believing that he is some kind of messiah. He will become a world-leader, and through his influence persecute Christians and Jews for a period of time. This person, futurists believe will be the Antichrist. • Some Futurists believe that Christ will return at the beginning of Antichrist’s reign to rescue the faithful Christians and take them to heaven so that they are spared the seven years of “great tribulation.” After these seven years Christ will return to earth with His saints to destroy Antichrist and establi
The Historicism is the historical interpretation of many of the prophecies in the book of Revelation, particularly regarding Antichrist. The Anti-Christ, Man of Sin, or Mystery of Iniquity is the system of Papacy. The Reformers had the historical interpretation of the Antichrist. Historicism has no “gap” between the 69th and 70th week of Daniel 9. The Prince being cut off in the midst of the week is Christ, the Messiah, who died in the midst of the 70th week of favor to natural Israel at the first advent. Historicism treats Revelation as a Book of signs and symbols. 2. What is Futurism? The Futurist view of Revelation interprets the prophecies of Antichrist as a future literal man who deceives the world. The Futurist view interprets Revelation literally, not symbolically. There is a “gap” of over 2400 years between the 69th week and 70th week of Daniel 9. The Prince is the Man of Sin, Antichrist. The Futurist view was introduced by the Jesuits to counter the Reformation view of Papacy.
Historicism is the view that most of Revelation describes history as it has been unfolding over the last 20 centuries. Historicists see in the prophecies concerning the Dragon, the Beast, the False Prophet, and the Whore of Babylon, references to the pagan Roman Empire, papal Rome (that is, Roman Europe under the rule of the popes ), the Papacy, and the Roman Catholic Church. The majority of Historicists also identify the symbols of the smoke rising from the Abyss and the invasion of locusts as descriptions of the rise and spread of Islam. This view united all Protestants throughout the Reformation and has largely been replaced by Futurism as the dominant eschatology (belief about the end-times) of evangelical Christians. To put it another way, Historicism is the method of interpreting Biblical prophecy by comparing history to the prophecy in question. Historicists believe that prophecy is history pre-written. Therefore prophecy can be understood by looking to the past to discover what
