Expert: Rev. Robert Woods - 2/8/2010

Question
QUESTION: I have recently developed a fascination with eschatology. Most of the Christians in my life, including my wife and her family, are firmly convinced in the pre-tribulation rapture, but I'm not convinced. I have been doing a lot of personal research on historicism, rather than futurism. It especially captured my attention when I learned that Luther and the other Reformation leaders were historicists. Can you explain why historicism seems to have fallen out of favor among modern Christians and why most have embraced futurism?

ANSWER: Blessings and thank you for your question.

I will be happy to answer your question.  However, I need a little clarification from you.  When you say historicism has fallen out of favor, what exactly do you mean?

The theory of historicism can be defined as:
1. a theory that history is determined by immutable laws and not by human agency.
2. a theory that all cultural phenomena are historically determined and that historians must study each period without imposing any personal or absolute value system.
3. a profound or excessive respect for historical institutions, as laws or traditions.
4. a search for laws of historical evolution that would explain and predict historical phenomena.
5. a theory that events are determined or influenced by conditions and inherent processes beyond the control of humans.
6. a theory that stresses the significant influence of history as a criterion of value.

You could also be using the term historicism as predestination.  

Let me know and I will continue with this.  Blessings

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: By historicism, I mean an interpretation of end times prophecy which was adopted, perhaps started, by Martin Luther and the other Reformation leaders. Historicism teaches that biblical predictions are being fulfilled throughout history and continue to be fulfilled today. The book of Revelation was given to John in the 1st century and lists a series of prophetic visions which correspond to future events. Futurists claim that almost all of these events are still in our future. Historicists claim that these events were in John's future, so many of them can be found in our past. More info can be found at www.historicism.net

Answer
Blessings and thank you for following up.  Sorry this is late, we have been snowed in and I haven't been in my office much this last week.

I have to say this is a great question.  But, the idea of historicism vs. futurism is something that has been going on for thousands of years.  Even before the birth of Christ, many saw Daniel's abomination of desolation occuring within the time of the Maccabean revolts.  

So, to say that historicism was the orthodox view of early protestantism would be incorrect.  Luther, Elliot and others were historists but they were partially wrong.  There are many prophecies in scripture that simply haven't happened yet.  Like we know that Damascus is the world’s oldest continuing city. In other words, Damascus has not been destroyed and rebuilt by wars like so many other ancient places. However, (Is. 17: 1) clearly predicts that this city will one day become a ruinous heap.  If it has never happened before, that shows us that this prophecy is yet to be fulfilled.

The problem as I see it, is that prophesy is partially past, partially present and partially future.  Daniel for instance is a multi-time prophesy.  Many of his visions delt with his time, through the beginning of the Roman empire.  But some of his prophesies delt with the glorified Christ (post resurrection).  SOme of his prophesies can refer to both his time and future (our past)and our future.  

Jesus said that no one knows the hour of his return.  Well He obviously hasn't returned yet, so that is still to come.  But, even the best Bible scholars today realize that all prophesy is as Paul said it, "looking through a dark glass."  We only have bits and pieces, we have only the interpretation.

I am not a pre-tribulation rapture person, I believe the church must go through tribulation because it Always grows when it is persecuted.  But, I may be wrong.  Plus, I don't think any of us truly have ALL the anwsers and anyone who says they do is just fooling themselves.  

So to answer your question, why do so many cling to the future view and believe that the rapture will happen before the tribulation?  It is wishful thinking and a result of the dispensational view of scripture.  The Dispensational view is of recent origin, arising from the evangelical awakening in America and England. Through the work of Jesse Penn-Lewis, T. Austin Sparks, J. N. Darby (who is given credit for formally bringing the view to light), Dwight Moody, C. I. Scofield (who included it in the Scofield Bible), Watchman Nee, Lewis Sperry Chafer, John Walvoord, and Hal Lindsey, this view has become widespread and popular today. It is the view of most Pentecostals, Brethren, many Baptists, and most independent Bible churches. Dispensations (Greek: oikonomia) refer to economies, or different ways in which God works with man in salvation history (see: Eph. 1:10; 3:2; 1 Tim. 1:4). In the classic Dispensational scheme, each dispensation begins with a (a.) responsibility for man by God and (b.) ends with failure by man and a period of divine judgment. God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, yet dispensational theology tends to emphasize the diversity of ways in which God works with mankind.  Presently, dispensationalists believe we are in the sixth period of dispensation (Grace or the Church Age) which will end with the rapture, Christ's return and the establishment of his 1000 year reign.