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What is
Historicism? What is Postmillennial 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 on
the following unique concepts:
- The "Year-Day"
principle - In prophetic language, a day of symbolic time represents a
year of actual, historic time.
- The "Time, Times and
Half a time," "3 1/2 years," "1260 days", and
"42 month" time period, which occurs seven times in Daniel
and Revelation, is understood by Historicists to be fulfilled in
history.
- All Historicists believe
that the Papacy is that Anti-Christ, the Man of Sin of II
Thessalonians 2, and a Beast of Revelation 13.
- Historicists generally
agree Revelation 9 speaks of the Muslim scourge which afflicted
Christendom.
- All Historicists agree that
the Book of Revelation prophesies the history of the Church from the
Apostolic Era to the future Second Advent of Jesus Christ.
The Historicist
interpretation was the standard interpretation from Wycliffe to Spurgeon
(500 years) and is known as the Protestant interpretation in distinct
contrast to Preterism and Futurism, which were Jesuit interpretations
contrived during the counterreformation.
The Reformational confessions have adopted the Historicist
interpretation, including the Irish Articles (1615), the original
Westminster Confession of Faith (1646), the Savoy Declaration (1658), and
the London Baptist Confession (1688).
Postmillennial
Historicism, which was also the standard reformed view during the
Reformation as reflected in the Reformational confessions like the
Westminster Standards, holds that there will be a great renewed and
worldwide Protestant Reformation before Christ’s Second Coming, ushered in
by a conversion of the Jews en masse to Christianity. It will involve the extirpation of
Romanism and Islam through the proclamation of the Biblical gospel.
We encourage you to
explore our web site, read, and learn more about Historicism. For answers
to some questions commonly posed to us, see Questions and Answers. To read about a
public debate that occurred between a postmillennial historicist versus a
preterist, see Public Debate with a Preterist. To purchase Historicist literature at a
great price, see Historicist Book Store. To join in discussion concerning
historicism, see Historicism Facebook Group and Historicism Yahoo E-Group.
*Rev. à Brakel's Commentary on Revelation, with a
Foreword Explaining its Relevance Today, Now Available*
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