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Historicist vs. Futurist

by Irvin Baxter Jr.

There are two major positions when it comes to interpreting the prophecies of the Bible. One belief holds that the prophecies of the Bible largely pertain to the endtimes, and are either being fulfilled now or are yet to come. This position is known as the Futurist belief.

The other position is called Preterist or Historicist. Those holding this position contend that the prophecies of the Bible are largely, if not entirely, fulfilled and past.

The Futurist position has been the view held by the majority of Christians for at least the last century. However, the Historicist position seems to be reasserting itself of late.

Our purpose today is not to cast reflection on those who may sincerely hold either of these views. We do want to examine both positions in light of scripture to see which of these is biblical.

Defining Historicism

One of the most well known of the historicist writings is a book by Ralph Woodrow entitled Great Prophecies of the Bible. We will use his teachings to present the Historicist position as fairly and accurately as possible.

Major prophetic doctrines of Historicism are as follows:

  1. The prophecy of Daniel's 70 Weeks has already been fulfilled in its entirety.
  2. The Antichrist is not one particular man, but has been fulfilled by the papacy of the Roman Catholic Church. We should not be expecting an Antichrist to appear in the future.
  3. The prophesied ten-horn kingdom existed at the time of the dissolution of the Roman Empire, and the papacy rose up among these ten kings.
  4. The Great Tribulation lasted 1,260 years and is now past. There will not be a time of great tribulation at the Second Coming. (Woodward does believe in a Second Coming of Jesus. Apparently, some Historicists do not.)
  5. The events of Jesus" prophecy in Matthew 24 have already been fulfilled and do not pertain to our times today.

The Futurist Position

  1. There is a gap between the 69th and 70th week of Daniel's 70 Weeks" prophecy. The first 69 weeks have been fulfilled. The 70th week, a seven-year period, is yet to come to pass.
  2. Though there have been many antichrists throughout the years, the Bible prophesies one Antichrist who will rule a one-world government for three and one-half years immediately before the coming of Jesus Christ at Armageddon.
  3. The prophesied ten-horn kingdom is yet to appear on earth, and the Antichrist will arise among these ten kings.
  4. The Great Tribulation is yet future and will last for three and one-half years. (Some Futurists believe it will last for seven years.) It will occur during the last half of Daniel's 70th week, and will be terminated when the Antichrist is destroyed by Jesus Christ at Armageddon.
  5. Most of Jesus' prophecies in Matthew 24 deal with events of the endtime and have yet to be fulfilled.

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