Sifted Sands
New member
Ever since I was saved by faith in Jesus Christ in March 2022, one of the major revelations God gave to me was about Biblical prophecy. I remember before I was saved, when I had embraced Roman Catholicism to try to get into contact with God about my terrible sins, I thought that the Roman church was Christianity. I didn't hate Protestants, Baptists, or other groups, but I thought that they must be misinformed and that the Roman church with her long history, with her noble adherents, and those mighty warriors like the crusaders that I admired so much, must be the bedrock of true Christianity.
Now when I got saved on the night of March 5th over three years ago, part of the way God opened my eyes during my salvation was the truth that the Roman church is not of Christ. I threw away my rosary that night, and realized that Jesus Christ would not send a bunch of men to die in the Middle East while promising them eternal life. That sudden realization that this was a lie sold by man in order to get men to die in a war for the Roman church shocked me. And so, one of my first questions for God in the weeks following my salvation was simple:
What is wrong with the Roman Catholic church? If it is not Christianity, then what is it?
Of course, God soon answered me over the course of the next few weeks as I was introduced to a mode of interpretation of the prophecies of the Bible I had never heard of before - Historicism.
Now I was no Bible scholar before I was saved, and very few Roman Catholics are. I had only read some of Genesis and Matthew, and otherwise was pretty blind to what was contained in God's Word. But I had heard all about Futurism, also called Dispensationalism, because it is what the few saved people in my family believed in. But when I began researching prophecy concerning the Roman Catholic church, I stumbled across what was taught by men like Martin Luther, John Calvin, John and Charles Wesley, Matthew Henry, Adam Clarke, Isaac Newton, John Gill, and a host of other men who are very famous among the saints who have went before us. And they all taught an interpretation of prophecies from Daniel, Revelation, the Gospels, and elsewhere that many call "Historicism" and I was blown away by it. As someone who loves history, their interpretation fit perfectly into what I would expect from an Omnipotent, Almighty God. That He had shown all of the history of His Church purchased by His blood throughout history, from its formation in the early days after Christ's ascension to Christ's return and beyond over the course of these past 2000 years.
I type this lengthy preface only because on this site I see this section has "Historicism" in the title but doesn't have any real threads about Historicism that I can find. So I wanted to share an article on a Historicist interpretation of Matthew 24 from a modern Historicist named Nicklas Arthur who runs a broadcast called "Prophecy Reformation":
Here is the link:
nicklasarthur.wordpress.com
Below is a tidbit from the article, but the rest can be found at that link. I find this article extremely helpful in understanding a prophecy that is so misunderstood by over 99% of Christians today, yet at one point was very well understood by just about all born again Christian theologians for hundreds of years until modern prophecy interpretations muddled everyone's understanding. Historicism used to be the majority interpretation of saved denominations from my research, whether they call themself Reformed, Protestant, Baptist, Methodist, or whatever set of doctrinal beliefs. It is my hope that this interpretation once again gets serious consideration from modern Christians, who seem to be only swinging between a pendulum of either Dispensationalism or Preterism right now, as if those are the only two options.
Now when I got saved on the night of March 5th over three years ago, part of the way God opened my eyes during my salvation was the truth that the Roman church is not of Christ. I threw away my rosary that night, and realized that Jesus Christ would not send a bunch of men to die in the Middle East while promising them eternal life. That sudden realization that this was a lie sold by man in order to get men to die in a war for the Roman church shocked me. And so, one of my first questions for God in the weeks following my salvation was simple:
What is wrong with the Roman Catholic church? If it is not Christianity, then what is it?
Of course, God soon answered me over the course of the next few weeks as I was introduced to a mode of interpretation of the prophecies of the Bible I had never heard of before - Historicism.
Now I was no Bible scholar before I was saved, and very few Roman Catholics are. I had only read some of Genesis and Matthew, and otherwise was pretty blind to what was contained in God's Word. But I had heard all about Futurism, also called Dispensationalism, because it is what the few saved people in my family believed in. But when I began researching prophecy concerning the Roman Catholic church, I stumbled across what was taught by men like Martin Luther, John Calvin, John and Charles Wesley, Matthew Henry, Adam Clarke, Isaac Newton, John Gill, and a host of other men who are very famous among the saints who have went before us. And they all taught an interpretation of prophecies from Daniel, Revelation, the Gospels, and elsewhere that many call "Historicism" and I was blown away by it. As someone who loves history, their interpretation fit perfectly into what I would expect from an Omnipotent, Almighty God. That He had shown all of the history of His Church purchased by His blood throughout history, from its formation in the early days after Christ's ascension to Christ's return and beyond over the course of these past 2000 years.
I type this lengthy preface only because on this site I see this section has "Historicism" in the title but doesn't have any real threads about Historicism that I can find. So I wanted to share an article on a Historicist interpretation of Matthew 24 from a modern Historicist named Nicklas Arthur who runs a broadcast called "Prophecy Reformation":
Here is the link:
Matthew Chapter 24 Explained
The Olivet Discourse Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Mat. 24:34 C.S. Lewis’ comment that Matthew 24:34 is “the most embarrassing verse in …
nicklasarthur.wordpress.com
Below is a tidbit from the article, but the rest can be found at that link. I find this article extremely helpful in understanding a prophecy that is so misunderstood by over 99% of Christians today, yet at one point was very well understood by just about all born again Christian theologians for hundreds of years until modern prophecy interpretations muddled everyone's understanding. Historicism used to be the majority interpretation of saved denominations from my research, whether they call themself Reformed, Protestant, Baptist, Methodist, or whatever set of doctrinal beliefs. It is my hope that this interpretation once again gets serious consideration from modern Christians, who seem to be only swinging between a pendulum of either Dispensationalism or Preterism right now, as if those are the only two options.
The Olivet Discourse
Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Mat. 24:34
C.S. Lewis’ comment that Matthew 24:34 is “the most embarrassing verse in the Bible” can only be the result of a cursory reading or common misunderstanding of prophecy in general. But given the amount of time over more than a decade of intense study that I have personally pursued to come to my present understanding, I am not surprised that anyone so engaged in other pursuits could come to a similar conclusion as Mr. Lewis.
Understandably, Matthew chapter 24 is perhaps one of the most confusing prophetic passages in the Gospels:
Obviously, Mr. Lewis believed that at least some of the prophecy was not fulfilled in “that generation”. How embarrassing for Jesus. I however differ in my understanding. I believe that the Word of God is infallible. If there is anything that is embarrassing, it would be my understanding or the translation that would be at fault. I certainly do not believe that Jesus got it wrong when he spoke those words to his disciples, regardless of how they may appear to my understanding as they have been transmitted to me several thousand years later in a different language. Was the original wording the same as what has been transmitted to me in the English? Can I find a clue to a better understanding by looking deeper into the text? Can the seemingly obvious error be reconciled and the honor of Jesus’ divinity be vindicated? Upon deeper investigation, I believe the text itself resolves the issue completely: Let us step back in time – into the sandals of the disciples…
The Two Questions.
The disciples are pointing out the magnificence of the buildings of the temple when Jesus, to their astonishment, prophesies their destruction:
“See ye not all these things…there shall not be left here one stone upon another…”
They ponder his reply in stunned silence as they slowly walk over to the Mount of Olives, leaving the crowds behind. Jesus anticipates the questions that are coming, he gathers his small troop around him. Matthew records two questions asked by Jesus’ disciples when they finally reach the Mount of Olives.
Notice the first question is differentiated by the phrase, “these things” and the author uses this key throughout the text to separate the two answers.
I have highlighted the first question and its direct answers in yellow-(rounded box), the second question in blue-[square box]. “These things” also begs the question: What things? The answer is in the previous verse, the “buildings of the temple”. The buildings of the temple were standing when Jesus was there. This does not include the outer wall or retaining stones of the Temple Mount itself. Jesus knew what was going to happen in 70 AD: The Romans (the people of the prince that shall come) burned the Temple and all of the gold overlay melted and seeped between the stones of the Temple itself so that the Roman soldiers turned over every stone of the buildings to extract that gold, completely fulfilling Jesus’ prophecy to the letter.
Question 1: when shall these things be? In other words, when shall there not be left here one stone upon another of the (antecedent) buildings of the temple?
Question 2: what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
