This article focus is on the apocalyptic historicism method of interpretation. This school of interpretation approaches application as relevant to the author’ own time, its relevance in the course of history, and eschatological (end-time) events. It insists that prophecy has a specific application, at a specific time in history, that leads to specific actions; which helps us prepare for the future and understand the past.
This method of interpretation and the principle of repeat and enlarge is a sound, biblical way to understand prophecy. Repeat and enlarge is a principle that we find from the beginning in Genesis. Historicism is self-evident as well. We especially garner this way of understanding prophecy in the Book of Daniel. Daniel almost necessitates historicist interpretation on its own. By the way, Daniel unlocks the Book of Revelation which adds more detail of the closing of Earth’s history.
Daniel has a long prophecy which began in Daniel’s day while captive in Babylon and continues till the second coming of Jesus and the establishment of his kingdom on Earth. In this timescale there are specific prophesied markers within this long prophecy such as the history of empires (Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome), years allotted to the Jews with their sanctuary on earth, the beginning of the Christian era: baptism of Christ and the beginning of his ministry, Christ’s crucifixion, the stoning of Steven which shortly after Paul takes the gospel to the gentiles, the destruction of Jerusalem, the Dark Ages, a revival of biblical truths, and end-time events which usher in the return of Jesus Christ (pictured as the Rock which smashes the image’s feet of iron and clay then fills the Earth).
This method of interpretation is not a new, historicism was brought to the forefront by the majority of the Protestant Reformers, including Martin Luther, John Calvin, Thomas Cranmer, and John Knox.
The Catholic church countered historicism with two different schools of interpretive thought: preterism and futurism which came ways to counter the reformation. These ideologies came from Spanish Jesuit Francisco Ribera (1537–1591) who assigned the bulk Revelation to a 3 ½ year period of the end of the Christian era (futurism). Another Spanish Jesuit, Luis de Alcazar (1554–1613) posthumously in 1614 publish a publication stating that prophecies of Revelation had been filled in the past, that is, by the 5th and 6th centuries A.D. (preterism). These ideologies have resulted in counterfeit versions of prophecy that does not pan out in the mind of those that embrace them. There is no real proof of fulfillment, though they have been listening to the ‘wise men’, it does not make sense. Unfortunately, many of them have not heard of historicism view of Bible prophecy – so they simply do not know.
There is another school of interpretation called idealism (pluralism). Idealism does not nail down history, rather is shares principles with these powers and its resulting or particular influences.
The Plain Word rejects these alternative approaches to Bible prophecy. Our aim is to share this information from a historicism view to give our brothers and sisters, regardless of religious or non-religious preferences, an opportunity to consider. Interestingly, historicism is the only view that captures the past (preterism), the future (futurism), principles of how these prophecies apply to us practically in our Christian experience (idealism) and of course historicism includes the present. These other principles outside of historicism as a singular approach we reject. If we just look at the prophecies of Daniel as an example, they necessitate historicism view because the prophecy spans over a long period of time – from his day to the return of Jesus Christ. Prophecy always begins at some point in the life of the prophet, again we use Daniel as an example – the prophecy given to him began in his day. Again, The Plain Word rejects, in and of themselves, preterism which is all past, futurism which is all future, and idealism which does not nail down history; but recognize that historicism view of prophecy includes past, present, and future views along with how it applies to the individual life of the believer.
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