The Interpretation of Bible Prophecy -- The Futurist Theory
by Jo Harper

Editor’s Note: With the passing of the Pope in April, one cannot help but reflect on the Papacy’s influence upon today’s Protestant Faith. Probably the most significant is the futurist theory designed in the 1600’s by a priest named Ribera to take the heat off a Papacy deemed to be the “Man of Sin.” It was set aside at the time but began to take hold in the mid-1800’s and has reached the level of today, where most Christians embrace it and look forward to the “Rapture.” Ms. Harper’s column of a number of years ago, courtesy of the National Message, addresses this very well and she suggests it will be beneficial to review 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18 & 2 Thessalonians 2: 1-10 before reading her article.

The interpretation of Bible prophecy is not easy, and most of us have to consult the experts in order to discover what it is all about. But what happens when experts differ? They differ on many subjects, but perhaps never so widely as in the interpretation of prophecy. And where experts differ, lay people may select those opinions which correspond most closely to the spirit of the Christian Gospel and - dare I say it - which appeal to our God-given reason. For the Holy Spirit is the spirit of a sound mind as well as of a humble heart.

It might also be true to say that any interpretation of Scripture which represents our Lord and His apostles as being unreasonable or even ridiculous ought to be treated with suspicion and in many cases to be scornfully rejected. Now there are, as you know, three main schools of prophetic interpretation: there is the Praeterist theory, which need not concern us very much; it was popularised by German rationalists, is favoured by modernists, originated in the 16th century, and claims that all the prophecies in the book of Revelation refer to events which transpired in the first century and have nothing to do with these days.

Then there is the Historicist interpretation which demonstrates that prophecy is being fulfilled now and has been throughout the Christian era, and that the book of Revelation is, in fact, a revelation of events which were to occur between the first century A.D. and the full manifestation of the Kingdom of God on earth. So we are able to read our Bibles and newspapers together and to watch events unfolding just as our Lord predicted. Jesus said to His disciples ‘What I say to you I say to all WATCH!’

During ‘Songs of Praise’ in a service sometime ago they sang the hymn ‘Jesus shall reign where'er the sun doth his successive journeys run.’ (The service came from St. George's Church, Chorley, Lancashire) and the announcer wondered if there were any veterans of the first world war in the congregation — any of the Lancashire Fusiliers who sang that hymn to the tune ‘Rimington’ on the hill outside Jerusalem, on the Sunday after General Allenby had delivered the city from the Turks in 1917. This was a wonderful fulfilment of Bible prophecy, but unfortunately such an event would go almost, unremarked by many sincere Christians who hold another opinion regarding prophecy and who favour a theory which really amounts to a disobedience of our Lord's command to Watch. This is the Futurist interpretation of prophecy.

Its title is taken from the opinion that all the prophecies in the book of Revelation are for the future and must await fulfilment until after an event known as the ‘secret rapture of the Church’, ie, — ‘The Lord is coming first FOR His saints, and then some years later WITH His saints’; that Antichrist, or the Man of Sin will be revealed after the church has been translated, at which time the Jews will experience an instantaneous conversion and will begin to preach to the world the Gospel of the Kingdom. They will have great success in this and will, it is said by some, make more converts in about three and-a-half years than the church has done in two thousand years. Antichrist will make a seven year covenant with the Jews permitting them to build a temple, to practise their religion, to offer sacrifices; but after three-and-a-half years he will break the covenant and begin to persecute the Jews ferociously. This will be known as the Great Tribulation, during which time many Jews and their converts will suffer martyrdom. They will receive a Heavenly reward but inferior to that of the church who will have escaped the horrors of the last days. After a further three-and-a-half years the Lord will descend from heaven to reign over the earth with His saints.

The Secret Rapture

Perhaps the most curious aspect of this theory is the Secret Rapture of the church — the secret, silent removal of the church before the Tribulation. With the church will go the Holy Spirit, leaving the world to wallow in destruction and sin and yet to experience a witness from the Jews greater than that of the church. How this wonderful witness and missionary effort will be effected without the power of the Holy Spirit, is not explained.

The Futurist interpretation is offered as if it were actually taught in Scripture. Its adherents are dogmatic about their beliefs and most Evangelicals who take an interest in prophecy hold this theory. If you talk to a Futurist about prophecy, especially if you are incautious enough to suggest that a current event is a fulfilment of Bible prophecy, you could receive any of the following stock replies — ‘God is NOT dealing with nations now.’ ‘God is only interested in the church.’ ‘We are a heavenly people and we shall not go through the Tribulation.’ ‘The Tribulation cannot commence and the Antichrist cannot appear until the church has gone.’ ‘The Lord might come at any moment.’ Now all this sounds very pious, but if you ask for scriptural proof, you will be given, believe it or not — I Thessalonians 4. This, you will be told, describes the secret, silent rapture of the saints.

But surely, if the apostle had meant to describe a secret, silent coming, he would have avoided using language which conveyed the very opposite impression. St. Paul was never silly! I don't find in this text any hint of a secret coming. In the book of Revelation, chapter 1 we read — ‘Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they which pierced him; and all tribes of the earth shall mourn over him’ (Revelation, 1:7). No secret coming this, but an appearing in glory when our Lord will be seen, not only by those who are waiting for Him and who can see Him spiritually with the eye of faith, but by those who would rather not see Him at all!

The text in Thessalonians describes the coming as accompanied by a threefold sound of great volume. The shout; the voice of the archangel; the trump of God. Nothing silent here, but a sound of such tremendous majesty that the dead will be raised and the living instantaneously changed at the voice of the Son of God. ‘For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord' (1 Thess. 4:16-17).

This is the rapture of the saints, but not a secret, silent rapture.

The Holy Spirit to be Withdrawn at the Second Advent?

Now please turn to 2 Thessalonians 2, and bear in mind that while Scripture was given for our learning, it was also given for the learning of those to whom it was originally addressed. Especially is this true of the Pauline epistles. Here Paul reminds his friends that he told them certain things while he was with them; things which he does not take the risk of committing to writing. He speaks of a mystery of lawlessness and of something or someone who restrains, holds back the manifestation of the lawless one; ‘For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work, only there is one that restraineth until he be taken out of the way’ (2 Thess. 2:7).

Who restrains? Who is to be taken out of the way? Futurists maintain that it is the Holy Spirit who restrains and who will be taken out of the way at the secret rapture. But Paul had no need to talk in riddles about the Holy Spirit. He had frequently mentioned Him in his writings, using terms of great respect and reverence. But if the ‘one that restraineth’ was the Roman emperor, someone of whom it would be very dangerous to write predicting that he would be ‘taken out of the way’ this would explain Paul's caution. And we know that when Imperial Rome fell it was not long before Papal Rome came upon the scene with popes who exalted themselves ‘above all that is called God and is worshipped,’ and who displayed for all who had eyes to see the names of blasphemy.