Since the time of the great Reformation, there have been no less than SIX
PROMINENT THEORIES of interpretation, each
claiming for itself the palm of merit, and all demanding the unanimous suffrage
of the Christian Church. They are subjoined in the following order:-
I. THE ANTI-PROTESTANT FUTURIST
THEORY. The originator of this theory was a Spanish Jesuit priest,
Ribera by name, who, A.D. 1585, published a Commentary on the Revelation, in
which he laboured to turn aside the Protestant application of the Apocalyptic
prophecies and symbols from the Church of Rome. The opinion had matured into
settled conviction, in the minds of many, that the Great Apostasy, spoken of in
the Scriptures, was Papal; and that the "Little Horn" of Daniel, the
"Antichrist" of John, the "Man of Sin" mentioned by Paul,
and the Apocalyptic "Beast," were all identical. Against this view
Ribera originated the Futurist theory. It is so called, because it passes by
the Papacy, overleaps almost the whole immense interval of time between the
date of the Apocalypse and the distant future, and holds that the events
symbolised in the Apocalypse refer to the immediate antecedents or
accompaniments of Christ's second coming. It argues a parallelism between the
events of the Seven Seals and the successive signs of Christ's coming, as
specified in his prophecy on Mount Olivet. Antichrist is not regarded as the
Papacy, but avowed infidelity.
II. THE ANTI-PROTESTANT PRATERITE
(PRETERIST-ed.)THEORY. This was originated by a Spanish Jesuit also,
Alcasar of Seville, who, A.D. 1615, published a work having in view the same
end as Ribera, viz., to set aside the Protestant application of the Apocalyptic
prophecies and symbols. Ribera endeavored to throw everything forward into the
future. Alcasar endeavoured to throw every thing backward into the past. He
stops short in the course of history, and makes all the Apocalyptic symbols to
have been fulfilled within the first five six centuries. The Germanic Neronic
Form; so called because it dates the Apocalypse (an essential point for
interpreters) about the end of Nero's reign, A.D. 67 and because it is thus
regarded by the critical, rationalistic school of German expositors, and by
Professor Stuart in America. According to this view, the Apocalypse can only
refer to the overthrow of Judaism and Heathenism, and the triumph of
Christianity, but not to the Papacy. The early date, viz., A.D. 67, makes room
for supposing a reference to the destruction of Jerusalem, A.D. 70; and the six
centuries, for the overthrow of Heathenism, and the prevalence of Christianity,
but not for the demolition of the Roman Catholic Church! The Papal Domitianic
Form; so called because it fixes the date of the Apocalypse about the end of
Domitian's reign, A.D. 96; and in this form prevails with the Papacy. Of
course, this form of the theory excludes application of the symbols of the
Apocalypse to the destruction of Jerusalem, which occurred twenty-five years
previous to this date, inasmuch as the events recorded were to come into being
after the time John wrote.-(Rev. 4:1). The fall of Judaism and the doom of the
Roman Catholic Church are not referred to at all, but only the overthrow of
Heathenism and the triumph of Christianity. Such is the loose and wholesale mode
of generalising in these two forms of Praeterism (the latter of which has yet
some truth), that any upstart has a precedent before him for applying the
Apocalyptic symbols to the destruction of any enemy he please.
III. THE MODIFIED FUTURIST THEORY.
This theory resulted from a conviction in the minds of the Futurists themselves
that great violence had been done to the Apocalypse, by completely closing its
lips upon the subject of the Papacy, and by causing it to pass over in silence
the stirring events of more than a thousand years. Such a scheme was too
dashing and bold to escape merciless criticism and ridicule. It failed to
secure the respect and confidence of its own supporters. Certain Futurists have
endeavoured to modify it; in other words, to Protestantise Futurism, and
conciliate the friendship of the historical interpreters. The chief points of
supposed improvement are two: 1. With reference to the violent plunge into the
distant future; and 2. With reference to the anti-Protestantism. Thus, the white
horse and rider of the first seal represent the triumphant progress of Christ
and his gospel until now: (!) we are near (!) the time of the end, when the
Papacy will become (!) the Apocalyptic Beast, and Rome the Apocalyptic Babylon,
but not Antichrist; (!) and soon Antichrist will appear, when the remaining
seals will receive their fulfillment, and then the grand consummation will take
place.
IV. THE TYPICO-SPIRITUAL THEORY.
We coin this name for want of a better designation, or rather because the advocates
of it have not given a satisfactory one themselves. It holds that prophecy is
not an anticipation of history, but deals alone with the idea of good and evil.
A particular man, city, or nation, may be taken as the representative or type
of such idea, to be fulfilled, as intimated, in a lofty, spiritual, but not
low, historical sense. The details of literal history are not ample enough to
satisfy the fore announced demands of prophecy. Thus, Rome Papal answers only
partly to the Apocalyptic Babylon; and hence, as ancient Babylon was only
partly the subject of anti-Babylonic prophecies, so Rome Papal is only partly
the subject of anti-Papal prophecies in the Revelation. There can only be an
imperfect historical fulfillment in any case; and we must wait for a
realization, not literally, but spiritually, of the grand idea, viz., the
downfall of the true Babylon, which is the world (!) as opposed to the church.
The influence of German philosophy, in the fabrication of this theory, is
evident.
V. THE PARALLEL SEPTENARY THEORY.
This is one of the two principle Protestant theories which have divided the
opinions of orthodox interpreters. It argues against considering the Apocalypse
as a progressive whole evolving its events in continuous succession. Instead of
regarding the seven trumpets as the development of the seventh seal, just as
the seven vials appear to be of the seventh trumpet, it considers them as
parallel chronologically, and supplementary to each other, each septenary
running from John's time to the consummation. It is eminently a church scheme,
the church itself being the subject of the prophetic figurations, in its
sevenfold phase, from the beginning to the end. This theory was brought into
repute by Pareus and Vitringa shortly after the Reformation.
VI. THE CONTINUOUS HISTORICAL
(HISTORICIST-ed.) PROTESTANT THEORY. This was the principle theory
which attracted the attention of the most orthodox and enlightened expositors
until the earliest part of this century. It looks upon prophecy as an actual
anticipation of veritable history. It regards each seal as successor to the
preceding, in chronological order; each trumpet and each vial in the same way;
and, objecting to the previous theory, maintains that the septenary of trumpets
are subsequent to the septenary of seals, and the septenary of vials subsequent
to the septenary of trumpets. The exclusive church scheme is discarded, and the
Apocalypse is viewed as setting forth, in regular progression and detail, the
chief secular and ecclesiastical events of the existing dispensation. An
anti-Papal solution is given to the symbols and predictions respecting the
"Beast." It was the theory of the Waldenses, Wickliffites, and
Hussites; and the great body of the Reformers in the 16th century-German, Swiss,
French, English, generally received it. It has been the view of the vast
majority of Scottish presbyterians. It was also the view of many prominent
American divines, from Edwards to the 19th century Princeton theologians-the
Alexanders, the Hodges, Miller, etc. It is preeminently the theory of the
Reformation, and therefore has been violently opposed by Roman Catholics,
prelatists, rationalising expositors and other foes of reformational
principles.-L'Avenir
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