Everything about Historicism Christian Eschatology totally explained
In
Christian eschatology,
Historicism is a school of interpretation which treats the eschatological prophecies of
Daniel and
Revelation as finding literal earthly fulfillment through the history of the church age, and especially in relation to the
Protestant-
Catholic conflicts of the
Reformation. A common feature of Historicist interpretations, which makes them very controversial, is the identification of the
Antichrist (1 and 2 John), the
Beast (Revelation 13), the
Man of Sin or Man of
Lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2) and the
Whore of Babylon (Revelation 17) with the
Roman Catholic Church, the
Papal system and each successive
Pope himself (a common position held by Protestants in the Reformation, which isn't prevalent today). However, it must be noted that such an identification isn't unique to Historicism, hasn't been held by all Historicists, and has been and is currently, held by some Futurists. The
day-year principle is unique to historicism.
A historicist approach was taken by Martin Luther and John Calvin, and prevailed among Protestants from the Reformation until the rise of
dispensationalism.
One famous proponent of historicism, for whom eschatology informed on politics, is
Ian Paisley, leader of the
Democratic Unionist Party in
Northern Ireland and Moderator of the
Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster. Paisley's party is the largest in the region, and many believe that his political philosophy based on his
eschatological view was one of the major exacerbations of the
political violence that prevailed for so long.
Historicism stands in contrast to
Preterism,
Futurism and
Idealism.
Historicism in Seventh-day Adventist teaching
The
Seventh-day Adventist Church advocates a historicist approach to the books of Daniel and Revelation. However, it should be noted that some
progressive Adventists and certain members of the
Adventist Society for Religious Studies disagree with some of the traditional interpretations.
Prophecies of Daniel
Seventh-day Adventists teach that the four successive kingdoms described in Daniel chapters 2 and 7 correspond to
Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and
Rome. Traditionally it has been taught that the "little horn" found in Daniel 7:8 and 8:9 refers to the
Papacy; the reference to changing "times and law" (Daniel 7:25) refers to the change of the
Christian sabbath from Saturday to Sunday, and the attack on the sanctuary (Daniel 8:11) to the mediatorial ministry of
Roman Catholic priests. The "time, times and half a time" (Daniel 7:25) represents a period of 1260 years spanning 538 CE and 1798 CE, when the Roman Catholic Church dominated the Christian world. The feet of the statue in Daniel 2, made of mixed iron and clay, represent modern
Europe. The "cleansing" of the sanctuary in Daniel 8:14 (KJV) and judgment scene in Daniel 7:9-10 refer to an
investigative judgment beginning in 1844.
Adventists teach that the
prophecy of seventy weeks in Daniel 9 stretches from 457 BCE to 34 CE, and that the final "week" of the prophecy refers to the events of Jesus Christ's ministry.
The interpretation of Daniel 11-12, and the time periods contained therein, has been problematic for Adventists, and although there have been various attempts to pinpoint the precise events, consensus is lacking. Traditionally, the "time of trouble" mentioned in is taken to be a reference to the
final crisis just prior to the
second coming.
Prophecies of Revelation
Traditionally, Adventists have believed that the seven churches of Revelation 2-3 represent seven eras spanning
Pentecost and the second coming. The "Laodicean" (or "lukewarm") period (Rev 3:14-22) represents the present era, which began in 1844.
The seven seals and seven trumpets of Revelation 6-9 are generally taken to represent events which took place during the Christian era up to 1844. For example, the first four trumpets have traditionally been identified with the pagan invasions of Western Christendom in the 5th century CE (by the
Visigoths,
Vandals and
Huns), while the fifth and sixth trumpets have been been identified with the assault on Eastern Christendom by the
Muslim armies and
Ottoman Turks during the Middle Ages. Revelation 6:12-13 was fulfilled in the
1755 Lisbon earthquake, the
dark day of May 19, 1780, and the
Leonids meteor shower of November 13, 1833. The vision of the angel and little book (Revelation 10) represents the
Millerite movement; the "bitterness" of the book (Rev 10:10) represents the
Great Disappointment. The vision of two witnesses (Revelation 11) corresponds to the events of the
French revolution. (However some Adventists today are cautious about these identifications, and many either omit or reject them.)
Revelation 12-13 contains a prophecy about the forces of evil in the
middle ages and end times. The dragon represents both Satan and pagan Rome. The
Remnant church is mentioned in Revelation 12:17. The first beast of Revelation 13 (from the sea) symbolizes the
Papacy, and the second beast (from the earth) symbolizes the
United States of America. The "image to the beast" represents Protestant churches which will form an alliance with the Papacy, and the "mark of the beast" refers to a future universal
Sunday law.
According to the traditional interpretation and conservative scholars, Revelation 14 contains the
three angels' messages, which represent the mission of the Remnant (that is, the Seventh-day Adventist church). The seven last plagues (Revelation 15-16) occur during the "time of trouble" following the close of human probation. Revelation 17-18 recapitulate with a description of Roman Catholicism (Babylon, the great whore) and its final downfall.
Finally, Revelation 19-22 describe the
second coming of Jesus, the millennium, the final (or "executive") judgment, and the new creation.
Further Information
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