Select Works of John
F. Walvoord,
Th.D, Litt.D.
Dr.
John F. Walvoord was the editor
of Bibliotheca Sacra, a professor of systematic theology, and the
second
president of Dallas Theological Seminary,
The following chapters are reproductions of various articles Dr. Walvoord published on biblical prophecy. They have been downloaded from his works published online at www.walvoord.com.
The Theological Context of Premillennialism
Reflections on Dispensationalism
The Doctrine of Grace in the Interpretation of Prophecy
The Prophecy of The Ten-Nation Confederacy
Is the Ten-Nation Confederacy of the Future Roman?
What really is new in the fulfillment of biblical prophecy today?
Forty years ago I wrote: "The world today faces an international crisis unparalleled in all the history of man. A tremendous revolution is under way in the international scene, in science, in economics, in morals, in theology, and in the religious structure of the church. The world is aflame with the raw passions of men ambitious for power and desperate to be freed from poverty and frustration. An ominous cloud hangs over the hearts of men and nations. The nations are indeed at the crossroads, and impending events cast their shadow on every aspect of human life. The world is moving faster and faster like a colossal machine out of control whose very power and momentum inevitably will plunge it into ultimate disaster" (The Nations in Prophecy, p. 13).
When
these words were written in 1967, the world was indeed in
crisis. This led many to attempt to find specific fulfillment of
biblical
prophecies. Some of these claims for fulfillment were discredited, like
the
story that construction materials for a new temple in
In answering the question concerning what is new in prophecy, one needs perspective. What has happened in the last one hundred years? What is true today that was not true a generation ago? The answers to these questions quickly focus on the main trends of prophecy which are tremendously significant for students of the Scriptures. Most important is the continued relentless advance in these major trends.
Seventy
years ago Hitler was on the rise to power, which
ultimately led to World War II. Mussolini was hailed by some as the
Antichrist,
and the revived
Three
Contemporary Movements of Prophetic Significance
In
Bible prophecy, three great movements may be observed in
our generation. First, there is the movement of fulfilled prophecy in
regard to
the nations of the world as a whole. Second, there is prophecy
concerning the
church. Third, there is prophecy concerning
Out of the dust of World War II came the United Nations in 1946, the first reasonably successful attempt to organize an international government. While not in itself a fulfillment of prophecy, it is paving the way for the predicted world government of the end time. In our generation for the first time, many intellectual leaders feel that a world government is the only answer to the great international problems which face the world.
Along
with the development of the world government has come
the rise of
Scripture also speaks of great armies coming from the East to engage in a final world conflict. These prophecies, as in Daniel 11:44, and Revelation 9:13-16; 16:12 have become a contemporary possibility as the great armies of China threaten the peace of the world, and unrest in the millions of poverty-stricken Asia becomes an ominous portent of coming world conflicts.
More
Prophetic Pieces Come Together
The components of a world government, such as rapid transportation, rapid communication, and the power to send missiles quickly anywhere in the world are all tools useful in the hands of a world ruler. These important components, which only recently have been perfected, obviously fit into the web of circumstances which will provide fulfillment in a future world government.
The colossal problems of the world as a whole, such as atomic warfare, worldwide pollution, population explosion with attendant starvation, and almost a universal breakdown in morals and law and order, are all fateful omens of a crisis that may not be far away. The world is ready for the prophecies to be fulfilled that relate to the end times. These are not small items open to question, but large movements and trends that anyone can observe which fit into the prophetic picture of the climax of world history culminating in the second coming of Christ.
In
the religious aspect of the world, tremendous changes have
come since World War II. Just as the United Nations formed in 1946 was
the
forerunner of a future world government, so the
Although the present progress toward a world church seems to be slow, it is obvious that when the rapture of the church occurs, whatever is left of the organized church in the world will soon move in the direction of a world religion. This is indicated in the symbolic picture of Revelation 17 with the harlot representing organized religion and the scarlet-colored beast representing the political power of that day which is aligned with the religious power to gain control of the world.
Most significant is the rise of Communism alongside the world church movement. Although separate and conflicting ideologies at the present time, the future will witness the combined force of these two movements. While Communism will lose its political aspect [Editor's note: Dr. Walvoord wrote this article twelve years before the fall of the Berlin Wall!], its role as champion of atheism will spark the final world religion. According to Scripture, the final form of religion will be atheism and the worship of the world ruler. This will succeed the world church movement which is destined to be destroyed. The twin forces of the World Church and the religious aspect of Communism provide the background for ultimate fulfillment of prophecy concerning final world religion which will be destroyed in the judgments of the second coming of Christ.
What
is true of the world as a whole and of the organized
church is likewise true of prophecy relating to
The
fact that Israel will be regathered
to their land to participate in the final great world struggles is
clear in
many Old Testament prophecies.
The
return of Israel to the land has not fulfilled all the Old
Testament prophecies, for still ahead is Israel's hour of trial which
Jeremiah
30:7 has declared to be the time of Jacob's trouble, which Daniel and
Christ
both refer to as the great tribulation (Dan. 12:1; Matt. 24:21). This
time of
trouble is the third phase of
What's
New in Prophecy?
It
is obvious that many of the developments in prophecy during
the last ten years have been an extension and development of the
movement in
prophecy that has characterized the twentieth century. Some new
elements,
however, have come to pass. In 1967
The
conflict of
One
of the most dramatic events which took place in 1973 was
the oil embargo which shook the entire world. Suddenly it became
evident that
the
Many secular analysts of the world situation indicate that the oil situation alone will bring the world to its knees during the next ten years. Never before, since the time of Christ, has there been such a time factor that seems to point to an early conclusion of the prophecies related to the end of the age. While most of us hesitate to set dates, there has never been more evidence in support of the concept that we are nearing the end.
Hope
for Christian Believers
For
the Christian believing in the imminent rapture of the
church, all of these developments have great significance. Many believe
that
the rapture of the church must occur before the
One of these days something dramatically new will occur. The rapture will take place. Before the church the scene of heaven will unfold. On earth, the tremendous events of the end time will be fulfilled. Then will come the second coming of Christ, His millennial kingdom, and ultimately the new heaven and the new earth. Truly these are tremendous days for anyone believing in biblical prophecy and days in which the blessed hope of Christ's return shines brighter than ever before in the history of the church.
The
Theological Context of Premillennialism
[This article, written by the eighth editor of Bibliotheca Sacra, was published in July 1951, John F. Walvoord was the second president of Dallas Theological Seminary and was editor of Bibliotheca Sacra from 1952 through 1985. This article is reproduced here without editing except for adding bibliographical information to the footnote entries.]
The
oft-repeated charge that premillennialism
is only a dispute over the interpretation of Revelation 20 is both
understatement
and a serious misrepresentation of the facts. Opponents of premillennialism
delight to point out that the reference to the thousand years is found
only in
Revelation 20. Warfield observes in a footnote, “‘Once, and only once,’
says
the ‘Ency. Bibl.,’ 3095, ‘in the New
Testament we
hear of a millennium.’"1 The issues of premillennialism
cannot be so simplified. The issues are neither trivial nor simple. Premillennialism is rather a system of theology
based on
many Scriptures and with a distinctive theological context. The
reckless charge
of Landis that European premillennialism
is based
only on Ezekiel 40-48 and that American premillennialism
is based only on Revelation 20:1-7 is as unfair as his more serious
charge that
“actually their bases are both contra-Biblical,” and that premillennialism
“is a fungus growth of first-century Pharisaic rabbinism.”2
Most opponents of premillennialism
have enough
perspective to see that premillennialism
has its own
Biblical and theological context and that its origin in the early
church as
well as its restoration in modern times is based on Biblical and
theological
studies. It is the purpose of this phase of the study of premillennialism
to examine the general features of premillennial
theology in contrast to opposing views. Premillennialism
involves a distinctive principle of interpretation of Scripture, a
different
concept of the present age, a distinct doctrine of
Principles
of Premillennial Interpretation
The literal, grammatical-historical method applied to eschatology. The debate between premillenarians and other millenarians hangs to a large extent upon the principles of interpretation of Scripture which each group employs. This is commonly recognized by all parties. The amillenarian Albertus Pieters states, “The question whether the Old Testament prophecies concerning the people of God must be interpreted in their ordinary sense, as other Scriptures are interpreted, or can properly be applied to the Christian Church, is called the question of spiritualization of prophecy. This is one of the major problems in biblical interpretation, and confronts everyone who makes a serious study of the Word of God. It is one of the chief keys to the difference of opinion between Premillenarians and the mass of Christian scholars. The former reject such spiritualization, the latter employ it; and as long as there is no agreement on this point the debate is interminable and fruitless.”3 In principles of interpretation the crux of the controversy is revealed.
The
premillennial position is that
the Bible should be interpreted in its ordinary grammatical and
historical
meaning in all areas of theology unless contextual or theological
reasons make
it clear that this was not intended by the writer. Amillenarians
use the literal method in theology as a whole but spiritualize
Scripture
whenever its literal meaning would lead to the premillennial
viewpoint. This is obviously a rather subjective principle and open to
manipulation by the interpreter to sustain almost any system of
theology. The
conservative amillenarian claims to
confine
spiritualization to the field of prophecy and interpret other
Scriptural
revelation literally. Thus a conservative amillenarian
would accept literally passages teaching the deity of Christ, the substitutionary atonement, the resurrection of
Christ, and
similar doctrines. They would denounce as heretics anyone who would
tamper with
these fundamental doctrines—as Origen, the
father of amillenarianism, most certainly
did. Conservative amillenarians would,
however, feel perfectly justified in
proceeding to spiritualize passages speaking of a future righteous
government
on earth, of
While
professing to confine spiritualization to prophecy,
actually they invade other fields. For instance they tend to
spiritualize
Premillenarians, on the other hand,
insist that one general rule of interpretation should be applied to all
areas
of theology and that prophecy does not require spiritualization any
more than
other aspects of truth. They hold that this rule is the literal,
grammatical-historical method. By this it is meant that a passage
should be
taken in its literal sense, in keeping with the grammatical meaning of
the
words and forms. History is history, not allegory. Facts are facts.
Prophesied
future events are just what they are prophesied.
Problems of the literal method. Attacks on premillennialism which recognize the central importance of the literal method of interpretation delight to show that premillenarians do not always interpret Scripture literally either. Landis asks, “How literal are the literalists?”5 Allis confuses typical with spiritual interpretation and charges that premillennial use of typology destroys the literal principle. He writes, “While Dispensationalists are extreme literalists, they are very inconsistent ones. They are literalists in interpreting prophecy. But in the interpreting of history, they carry the principle of typical interpretation to an extreme which has rarely been exceeded by the most ardent allegorizers."6 True typical interpretation, of course, always involves literal interpretation first. In drawing typical truth from the Old Testament sacrifices, for instance, the interpreter takes for granted the historical existence of the sacrifice. If Joseph is taken as a type of Christ, his historical life is assumed. It is surprising that a scholar of Allis’ proportions should be confused on such a simple hermeneutical distinction. The dispute highlights, however, some of the problems of the use of the literal method.
Premillenarians recognize that all Scripture cannot be interpreted literally. All areas of theology are sometimes revealed in Scripture under symbolic terms. Such passages, however, are usually clearly identified. For instance, the “rod out of the stem of Jesse” and the “Branch” which “shall grow out of his roots” is understood by all to refer symbolically to Christ. But when it states that this “Branch” is the one who “shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked,” it is clear from that context that a literal prophecy of judgment on the wicked in the earth at the second advent is intended even though some of the expressions are figurative. While the expression “rod of his mouth” is clearly figurative, such simple expressions as “earth” in the context of this passage in Isaiah 11 cannot be spiritualized on the same grounds. We are not free to make “earth” arbitrarily an equivalent for heaven as many amillenarians do, nor can we speak of the regathering of Israel “from the four corners of the earth” (Isa 11:12) as the conversion of Gentiles and the progress of the church. While the expression “four corners” is figurative, the word “earth” is not. In other words, figures of speech which are clearly identified as such give no warrant whatever to spiritualize words and expressions which can be taken in their ordinary meaning.
The literal method sustained by literal fulfillment. The literal method of interpreting prophecy has been fully justified by the history of fulfillment. The most unlikely prophecies surrounding the birth of Christ, His person, His life and ministry, His death and resurrection have all been literally fulfilled. The prophetic vision of Daniel, however couched in symbols and dreams, has had the most concrete fulfillment down to the present hour in the history of Gentile nations. Hundreds if not thousands of prophecies have had literal fulfillment. A method that has worked with such success in the past is certainly worthy of projection into the future.
The interpreter of prophecy has, therefore, no more warrant to spiritualize prophecy than any other area of theology. If the details of the virgin birth, the character of the miracles of Christ, His very words on the cross, His form of execution, the circumstances of His burial, and His resurrection from the dead could be explicitly prophesied in the Old Testament, certainly there is no a priori reason for rejecting the literal interpretation of prophecy concerning His future righteous government on earth. The literal method is the method recognized in the fulfillment of prophecy and is the mainspring of the premillennial interpretation of the Scriptures.
The question of relative difficulty of interpreting prophecy. It may be admitted that there are problems in the interpretation of prophecy which are peculiar to this field. While the problems differ in character from the interpretation of history or theological revelation, they do not consist in the choice of spiritual or literal interpretation. It is not so much a question of whether the prophecy will be fulfilled, but rather concerning the unrevealed details of time and circumstance. While premillenarians have sometimes been guilty of making prophetic interpretation appear as too simple a process, amillenarians have erred in the other direction. After all, interpreting Scripture on such subjects as predestination, the decree of God, the doctrine of the Trinity, the person of the incarnate Christ, the sufferings of Christ on the cross, and similar doctrines is certainly difficult even though in the realm of specific revelation and historic fulfillment. The theologian should no more turn to spiritualization of Scripture to solve the doctrinal difficulties in these areas than he should spiritualize prophecy to fit a denial of a millennial kingdom on earth. Difficulty or even seeming contradiction is not sufficient justification for spiritualization. If the incongruous elements of the human and the divine in Christ can be accepted literally in spite of their seeming contradiction, the elements of prophecy which may seem confusing should not be sacrificed on the altar of spiritualization to remove the problem that arises from literal interpretation.
A general principle guiding the interpretation of prophecy is quite clear in the Scripture. This principle is that the whole doctrine of prophecy should be allowed to be the guide for the interpretation of details. The main elements of prophecy are far more clear than some of the details. Difficult passages are often solved by a study of related Scriptures. The Book of Revelation, while admittedly difficult to interpret, has its symbols drawn from other portions of Scripture, and many questions of interpretation can be answered with the larger context of the entire Bible.
The problem of the time element in prophecy. One of the problems of interpretation of prophecy is that it involves time relationships. Events widely separated in fulfillment are often brought together in prophetic vision. Thus the first coming and the second coming of Christ are pictured in the same Scriptural context. Isaiah 61:1-2 as quoted in part by Christ in Luke 4:16-19 is an illustration of this. In the quotation in Luke, Christ quoted only the first part of the Isaiah passage, stopping just before the elements that dealt with the second coming. We can therefore expect in Old Testament prophecy the complete spanning of the present age with no inkling of the millenniums that separate the first and second advent. On the other hand, when time elements are included, they are intended to be taken literally. Hence, Daniel’s “seventy weeks” are subject to literal interpretation even though the interval between the sixty-ninth and the seventieth week is only hinted at by Daniel himself. The rule does not justify spiritualization of that which is specifically revealed.
The problem of partial fulfillment. This, in a word, is the partial fulfillment of a prophecy first, followed by the complete fulfillment later. In Luke 1:31-33, for instance, there was fulfillment of the first part of the prophecy in the incarnation, but the prediction that Christ would rule over Israel on the throne of David forever has had no fulfillment. Amillenarians have succumbed to the temptation to spiritualize the throne of David. Such an interpretation violates the very integrity of Scripture. Mary certainly believed the prediction to refer to the literal kingdom on earth prophesied in the Old Testament. A spiritual throne in heaven, God’s own throne, in no wise fulfills the prediction.
Premillennial principles of literal
interpretation justified. The general features of premillennial
interpretation are therefore evident. Its method is literal
interpretation
except for figures plainly intended to be symbols. Prophecies are
therefore to
be taken literally, the exact interpretation following the pattern of
the law
of fulfillment established by prophecies already fulfilled and in
keeping with
the entire doctrine. Time relationships in prophecy are seen to include
the
literal interpretation of time elements when given and at the same time
the
prophetic vision is seen to present events widely separated in time in
the same
revelation. Prophecies fulfilled in part are found to sustain the
principle of
literal fulfillment, with a partial fulfillment first and complete
literal
fulfillment to follow. Prophecy in general must follow the same
hermeneutical
principles of interpretation which govern other areas of theology. program and formation in the present age, and a
prophetic
future all its own, not to be confused with
The
Premillennial Concept of
There
have been, in the main, three interpretations of the
theological concept of
Some
amillenarians such as Prof.
William Hendricksen and some conservative postmillenarians such as Charles Hodge hold that
It
is clear, however, to all that
many of the promises cannot be literally applied to present earth
conditions.
Two expedients are followed by the amillenarian
and
postmillenarian interpretation. Some promises are cancelled as having
been
conditional in the first place. Others are spiritualized to fit the
pattern of
the present age. This interpretation is based upon a somewhat
contradictory set
of principles. One view is that the promises to
The
premillennial view concerning
The Premillennial Concept of the Second Advent
The
general facts concerning the premillennial
viewpoint of the second advent are well
known. Premillenarians hold to a literal,
bodily, visible, and
glorious return of Christ to the earth, fulfilling the many Scriptural
prophecies of this event. They hold that this event is the occasion for
the
deliverance and judgment of
Premillenarians often distinguish between the second advent and the rapture of the church. Usually Scripture is interpreted to sustain the teaching that the rapture comes before the tribulation time, separated from the second advent by a period of about seven years. Some few hold that the rapture comes in the middle of the tribulation, the mid-tribulation theory. Others hold to the post-tribulation view which identifies the rapture with the second advent proper.
BSac 150:600 (Oct 93) p. 396
Conclusion
It should be clear from this survey of the field that premillennialism is a distinct system of theology. Opponents of premillennialism are right in part when they charge that premillennialism is essentially different from other forms of theology. The chief differences arise in ecclesiology, eschatology, and hermeneutics. Opponents of premillennialism are wrong when they claim that premillennialism is new, modern, or heretical. Even partisans in the millennial argument usually agree that premillenarians are evangelical, true to Biblical doctrines, and opposed to modern defections from the faith of our fathers.
1 Benjamin Breckenridge Warfield, Biblical Doctrines (New York: Oxford University Press, 1929), 643.
2 Ira D. Landis, The Faith of Our Fathers on Eschatology (Lititz, PA: By the author, 1946).
3 Albertus Pieters, “The Leader,” September 5, 1931, as cited by Gerrit H. Hospers, The Principle of Spiritualization in Hermeneutics (East Williamson, NY: By the author, 1935), 5.
4 Oswald T. Allis, Prophecy and the Church (Philadelphia: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1945), 218.
5 Landis, The Faith of Our Fathers on Eschatology, 45.
6 Allis, Prophecy and the Church, 21.
Reflections
on Dispensationalism
One of the problems in theology today is that many people who refer to dispensationalism do not adequately understand its roots, and therefore they dismiss it without giving it due consideration.
To understand the long background of dispensationalism, I examined approximately one hundred books on systematic theology to seek to determine how they explain dispensationalism. Most of these theologies in the nineteenth century were postmillennial, and most of the ones in the twentieth century were amillennial. They represented almost every system of theology, including liberal and conservative, Calvinistic and Arminian. Relatively few were premillennial. About half of them, regardless of their theological background, recognized biblical dispensations. One of the most significant was that of Charles Hodge, outstanding Calvinistic theologian of the nineteenth century, who was postmillennial in his eschatology but who wrote that the Scriptures describe four dispensations: Adam to Abraham, Abraham to Moses, Moses to Christ, and the Gospel dispensation.1 And Louis Berkhof, an amillenarian, wrote that the Bible has two dispensations.2
Dispensations
Related to Progressive Revelation
In the theological works that do discuss dispensations it is evident that acknowledging the presence of dispensations is not limited to a single theological system. Instead, such acknowledgement is based on progressive revelation, the fact that God continued to reveal Himself to humankind through biblical history.
Dispensationalism is an approach to
the Bible that recognizes differing moral responsibilities for people,
in
keeping with how much they knew about God and His ways. God’s
revelation of
Himself in different eras required moral responses on the part of
humanity. In
the Garden of Eden the only requirement for conduct was that Adam and
Eve were
to keep the Garden and not eat of the fruit of knowledge of good and
evil. With
the entrance of sin, human conscience came in as the guideline for
conduct. It
proved to be faulty, however, and people continued to sin. Following
conscience
there was the Flood and with it the introduction of the concept of
government
and the command that murderers be executed. This, however, also ended
in
failure at the
The
Mosaic Covenant, the most extensive code of conduct to be
found in the Old Testament, was given only to
The New Testament introduces God’s plan and purpose for the church. The numerous requirements of the Mosaic Law do not apply to the present era because the present church age is a different dispensation. For instance, while the Law required executing a man for not keeping the Sabbath, no one would extend that requirement to the present day. In dealing with the legalism present in the Galatian church Paul stated that the Law was like a tutor to bring people to Christ. Just as an adult son no longer needs a tutor, so under grace believers no longer need the Law (Gal. 3:24-25; cf. 4:1-7 on the difference between the rules for children and the rules for adults).
Areas
of Confusion in Definition
In the twentieth century many strides forward have been made in interpreting the doctrines of Scripture, especially eschatology and dispensationalism. In this area of theology The Scofield Reference Bible played a major part. Written originally by C. I. Scofield in 1909, he revised it in 1917. After World War I and after Scofield’s death in 1921 The Scofield Reference Bible became an unusually popular study Bible. The Bible conference movement became prominent in this country, and Bible teachers in those conferences often recommended The Scofield Reference Bible. As a result millions of copies were sold, and the views presented in that study Bible became the views of numerous Bible institutes and many evangelicals of the twentieth century.
This situation changed after the 1930s and in the decade that followed. Many seminaries that were formerly orthodox had turned liberal. Then as their graduates were called to churches that were traditionally orthodox, clashes occurred between pastors and their congregations. If a pastor opposed the doctrinal convictions of his congregants, he would have to challenge the doctrine of inspiration, the virgin birth, and similar issues, and this would immediately cause his people to raise questions about his own theology. A number of pastors discovered that most of the people who opposed them were carrying Scofield Reference Bibles, and one of the distinctive factors of the Scofield Bible is that it is dispensational. Therefore those pastors hit on the scheme of attacking dispensationalism as a heresy. Because most people did not have clearly in mind what dispensationalism involved theologically, this tactic helped protect those pastors from questions about their own theology and it put those in the pew on the defensive.
Conservative amillenarians saw an opportunity to further their cause, and they attacked dispensationalism as a departure from the Protestant Reformation. Their motto was “Back to the Reformation” as the cure for apostasy. The Reformation, however, did not deal with the subject of dispensationalism. So these theologians went back to Augustine and his amillennial eschatology.
In the ensuing controversy many liberals attacked dispensationalism. But what they were really attacking was fundamentalism, premillennialism, pretribulationism, and the inerrancy of the Bible. In the process, liberals wrongly identified “dispensationalism” with fundamentalism.
Characteristic of the attacks on dispensationalism is that its opponents say it is heretical.3 Their approach is often characterized by prejudice and ignorance rather than careful study of the Scriptures and of the history of dispensational thought.
One example of this characterization occurred when a woman indicated to me that in a conversation with her pastor she inadvertently mentioned that her nephew was a student at Dallas Seminary. The pastor immediately replied, “That seminary is heretical.” When she asked him why he felt that way, he answered that it was dispensational. Then she asked, “What is wrong with dispensationalism?” He replied, “I don’t know, but it’s bad.”
When amillenarian ministers are asked, “What is wrong with dispensationalism?” many of them cannot give an acceptable answer.
The widespread prejudice and ignorance of the meaning of dispensationalism was illustrated when I was asked by a prominent Christian publication to write an article on dispensational premillennialism. In my manuscript I referred to The Divine Economy, written in 1687, in which the author, Pierre Poiret (1646-1719), discussed seven dispensations.4 The editor omitted this from the manuscript, and when I protested, he said, “That is impossible because John Nelson Darby invented dispensationalism.” It would be difficult to find a statement more ignorant and more prejudicial that that.
Another
work on dispensations, written by John Edwards and
published in 1699, was titled “A Compleat
History or
Survey of all the Dispensations and Methods of Religion.”5
Also Isaac
A most important contribution to the discussion of dispensationalism was written by Charles C. Ryrie in 1966. In his book Dispensationalism Today7 he answered many objections to dispensationalism. He presented the subject in such a proper biblical and historical light that for some years afterward the attacks on dispensationalism were muted. After several years, however, those who objected to dispensationalism thought it possible to ignore this work. But in 1995 he issued a revised and expanded work entitled Dispensationalism.8 This work will undoubtedly be unsurpassed by any work on the subject for years to come. Ryrie deals directly with the question of whether dispensationalism is a heresy, and he has a lengthy section on the origin of dispensationalism. He also discusses the hermeneutics of dispensationalism, the doctrine of salvation, the doctrine of the church, eschatology, progressive dispensationalism, covenant theology, and ultradispensationalism.
Ryrie
says this about the scriptural basis for dispensationalism:
“The various forms of the
word dispensation appear in the New Testament twenty times.
The
verb oikonomeō is used once in
Luke
16:2 where it is translated ‘to be a steward.’ The noun oikonomos appears ten times (Luke 12:42;
16:1, 3, 8;
Romans 16:23; 1 Corinthians 4:1, 2; Galatians 4:2; Titus 1:7; 1 Peter
4:10) and
is usually translated ‘steward’ or ‘manager’ (but ‘treasure’ in Romans
16:23).
The noun oikonomia is used nine
times (Luke
16:2, 3, 4; 1 Corinthians
As
Ryrie points out, there are three major dispensations in
the Scriptures. “At least three dispensations (as commonly understood
in
dispensational teaching) are mentioned by Paul. In Ephesians
The fact that the Bible uses the word “dispensation” as a theological term only a few times is no problem. Theologians use the words “atonement” and “Trinity” even though these words do not occur in the New Testament.
Ryrie
defines a dispensation as “a stewardship, an
administration, oversight, or management of others’ property…
. This involves responsibility, accountability, and faithfulness
on the
part of the steward."11 Dispensationalism
as a system in present-day discussions is most commonly associated with
and
stems from premillennialism because of the
emphasis
of premillenarians on normal, literal,
grammatical
interpretation, which points to a clear distinction between
Biblical
Dispensations
As
noted earlier, only three dispensations are discussed
extensively in the Scriptures—the Law, grace (church), and the kingdom
(the
millennium)—though others are indicated in the Scriptures. For
example The
Scofield Reference Bible lists seven
dispensations in the footnotes and then discusses each one subsequently
in
later footnotes. The seven are “Innocence (Gen. 1:28); Conscience or
Moral
Responsibility (Gen. 3:7); Human Government (Gen. 8:15); Promise (Gen.
12:1);
Law (Ex. 19:1); Church (Acts 2:1); Kingdom (Rev. 20:4)."13
1.
The dispensation of innocence (from creation of man to the
fall of man); 2. The dispensation of conscience
(from the
fall to the flood); 3. The dispensation of
civil
government (from the flood to the disbursement of
Each dispensation includes requirements for human conduct. Some Bible students wrongly seek to apply prophecies of the future millennium to the present age. The progressive character of dispensationalism, however, means that it is wrong to bring prophecies of yet-future events and relate them to an earlier era. Nor is it proper to take elements of human conduct and responsibility from passages about Christ’s reign on earth in the millennium and apply them to today. Also a number of writers refer to passages on the Great Tribulation and its terrible disasters as if they will occur in the present dispensation of the church age. However, in the rapture the church will be taken out of the world before these events happen.
A
recent development in dispensational circles is called
progressive dispensationalism15 Advocates
of
this view hold that Jesus Christ is now partially fulfilling the
Davidic Covenant,
seated in heaven on David’s throne and ruling over His kingdom as the
Messiah
and King. I believe, however, that Jesus’ present ministry in heaven
involves
His intercessory work for believers as their great High Priest, and
that His
messianic rule is not occurring now but will occur in the millennium.
Progressive dispensationalists do affirm, however, their belief that
Christ
will reign over
One of the best summaries of dispensations is found in the doctrinal statement of Dallas Theological Seminary.16 This states that dispensationalism is a form of stewardship or responsibility of humanity to obey God and to honor Him. Each dispensation recorded in the Bible ends in failure, thus proving that no one under any arrangement can achieve perfection or salvation. Even in the millennial kingdom, with its near-perfect circumstances, humanity will still fail.
In every dispensation salvation is by grace through faith, made possible by the death of Christ. On the one hand the dispensations have diversity of requirements for human conduct, but on the other hand salvation is always by God’s grace. Salvation is the unifying factor in Scripture.
It is most unfortunate that many people misunderstand dispensationalism. Even many of those who are dispensationalists tend to avoid using the term “dispensationalism” because it is often misunderstood. Those who claim that they are not dispensationalists are actually rejecting the wrong view of dispensationalism. For everyone is a dispensationalist—to a degree—whether he or she recognizes it or not.
1 Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology (New York: Scribner’s Son, 1857), 2:373-77.
2 L. Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1953), 293-301. Also Anthony A. Hoekema, an amillenarian who argues against dispensationalism, speaks of the Old Testament as “the period of shadows and types” and of the New Testament as “the period of fulfillment,” thereby acknowledging at least two eras of human history (The Bible and the Future [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979], 195).
3 For example the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States stated that dispensationalism is “evil and subversive” (A Digest of the Acts and Proceedings of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States 1861-1965 [Atlanta: Office of the General Assembly, 1966], 50; see also 45-49). While this accusation was made several decades ago, that general attitude still prevails among many covenant theologians.
4
5 John Edwards, A Compleat History or Survey of All the Dispensations and Methods of Religion, 2 vols. (n. p.: Daniel Brown, 1699).
6 Isaac Watts, The
Works of the Reverend and Learned Isaac Waats (Leeds,
UK: Edward Bainer,
1800), 1:555-65; 2:626-60. Both Edwards and
7 Charles C. Ryrie, Dispensationalism Today (Chicago: Moody, 1966).
8 Charles C. Ryrie, Dispensationalism (Chicago: Moody, 1995).
12 However, not all premillenarians accept dispensationalism as a system.
13 C.
14 H.
L.
15 Craig A. Blaising and Darrell L. Bock, eds., Dispensationalism, Israel and the Church (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992); Craig A. Blaising and Darrell L. Bock, Progressive Dispensationalism (Wheaton, IL: Victor, 1993); and Robert L. Saucy, The Case for Progressive Dispensationalism (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993).
16 We
Believe: Doctrinal Statement of
The Times of the
Gentiles
Recent
events in the
The
Question of Definition of Terms
Expositors,
pondering the meaning of Luke 21:24,
soon become aware of the fact that this term, “the times of the
Gentiles,” is
found only here in the Bible. The problem of definition of terms,
therefore,
becomes an acute one, inasmuch as in this passage we have only the
description
that
Under
premillennial interpretation,
the physical possession of
Relation
to “The Fullness of the Gentiles”
In attempting to define the expression “the times of the Gentiles,” it becomes exegetically important to determine what relation, if any, there is between this term and that found in Romans 11:25 where it is stated: “Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.” The tendency on the part of many postmillennial and amillennial writers is to equate this with the times of the Gentiles, making them both refer to the same period of time.
The determination of the meaning of the phrase “the fullness of the Gentiles” is, in itself, an exegetical problem of no small moment. There are just as many divergent views of this term as there is of the expression “the times of the Gentiles.” Because of their interrelationship, however, it is impossible to clarify one without defining the other.
The
eleventh chapter of Romans deals with the subject of
It
is with this background that we come to Romans
The
word fullness (Gr. pleroma)
is given a variety of meanings by expositors. Some envision a great
revival
among the Gentiles at the close of the age, as does Charles Hodge in
keeping
with his postmillennial point of view.7 Hodge states, “It is not
Paul’s
doctrine that all Gentiles who ever lived are to be introduced into the
The time element, however, is clearly indicated by the word “until.” This definitely introduces a time factor, contrasting the present situation to that which will follow when the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.
When
the two concepts, “the times of the Gentiles” and “the
fullness of the Gentiles” are compared, it becomes evident that the
times of
the Gentiles is primarily a political term and has to do with the
political overlordship of
The final decision presupposes a system of theology, and the interpretation necessarily depends upon it. Accordingly, amillenarians and postmillenarians usually make the two periods end at the same time, namely, at the second coming of Christ. Premillenarians, who distinguish the rapture occurring before the time of tribulation from the second coming of Christ to the earth which follows the tribulation, bring the period of the fullness of the Gentiles to a close at the rapture of the church. Obviously, because the passages in themselves are not completely definitive, any expositor necessarily has to refer by way of reference to his larger scheme of prophecy and its fulfillment and interpret the passages accordingly. However, in the nature of the fact that the close of the interadvent period will bring terrible judgment upon the Gentile world, it is reasonable to assume that the period of Gentile blessing will end before the period of Gentile judgment comes. In any event, it is safe to say that the two terms do not mean precisely the same thing and do not have the same characteristics, and it is better, therefore, to interpret the two terms in the light of their context.
Termini of the Times of the Gentiles
As
already indicated, the time period involved in the times of
the Gentiles varies greatly with many expositors. Generally speaking,
most
expositors bring the times of the Gentiles to a close with the second
coming of
Christ, and the variety of opinions concentrate more upon the time of
its
beginning. Because the expression is cast in the context of a future
time when
A
close examination of the passage in Luke 21, however, does
not indicate that the times of the Gentiles began with the destruction
of
Here,
many expositors find the answer in the prophecies of the
book of Daniel which trace the course of Gentile power from
Nebuchadnezzar, 600
B.C., to the coming of the Son of Man from heaven which, according to
the premillennial interpretation, is
fulfilled by the second
coming of Jesus Christ to the earth to reign. Both from the prophecies
of
Daniel and the New Testament, however, it is clear that Gentile
dominion does
not end until the second coming of of
Jesus Christ to
the earth. The tensions between
With
this as a background, the question now can fairly be
faced. Is the present occupation of
A
careful survey of the Scriptures indicates that the present
occupation of
According
to the premillennial
interpretation of the end of the age, there is a period still ahead,
anticipated in Daniel 9:27, in which a future ruler in the
Mediterranean area
will make a covenant with the people of
In
view of these prophecies, it can hardly be said that
The
study of the Scriptures, however, does support the idea
that the present reoccupation of
5 Henry Alford, The Greek Testament, I, 637.
7 Charles Hodge, A Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans, p. 588.
How Soon The Rapture?
A
person does not have to be an astute student of prophecy to
realize that many things are occurring today that have prophetic
significance.
Because wrong interpretations of prophecy have been made, some shy away
from
any attempt to understand what God is doing today. While we must be
careful not
to read too much into current events, a careful study of Scripture
reveals some
graphic signs which suggest that the rapture of the church could be
very near.
And that should encourage us, for the belief in the imminent coming of
the Lord
is a blessed, happy expectation (Titus
Prophecy
about the Church
First let's look at Bible prophecy about the church. It falls into two major categories. One is prophecy concerning the church as the Body of Christ. This relates to the rapture of the church, the resurrection of the dead in Christ, the judgment seat of Christ, our return with Christ when He sets up His millennial kingdom, our share in that kingdom, and ultimately our destiny in the new heaven and the new earth.
But alongside prophecy about the church as the Body of Christ is prophecy concerning Christendom, that is the organized church or religion in the end time. Here we find some very interesting things.
Prophecy
Related to Christendom
First
the background needs to be studied, for there are
several events in this structure of the rapture. There will first of
all be a
period of preparation or stage setting. A ten-nation confederacy will
emerge in
the Mediterranean area, which will be a revival of the
The
result is a dramatically different world situation.
The Rise of the Antichrist
When
the world dictator takes over, he really takes over. He
breaks his covenant with
He
has power beyond that of any human power, power that is
actually supernatural. His power is Satanic, because he is Satan's
ultimate
masterpiece, a substitute for Jesus Christ. Actually he is an atheist
who
claims to be God himself. Because of this, God pours out the judgments
described in the Book of Revelation — terrible, catastrophic judgments
that
apparently wipe out more than half of the earth's population. At the
climax of
this there is a rebellion against the world leader and a great world
war ensues
with the
The
Role of the
During this dramatic sequence of events, the apostate church fulfills its role. It is like a world power offering a world religion (Rev. 17). But the church of that day is completely devoid of any vestige of faith in Christ. According to Revelation 17, the ten kings associated with the ruler will eventually turn on the apostate church and destroy her. This sets the stage for the final form of world religion which is the worship of this man who is Satan's tool, who abolishes all other religions in favor of the worship of himself.
In the light of these prophecies it is significant that the world church movement emerged in the twentieth century. While it undoubtedly includes some good Christian people, when the rapture occurs every true Christian will be removed from the earth. Those who will be left are apostate, and soon show their colors by martyring those who do come to Christ in that period.
Prophecy
and World Politics
Let's
now turn to our second major area of Bible prophecy, and
look at the world scene politically. Prophecy
points to a
future world government (Dan.
In our modern day the physical components for world government have been developed. A century ago a world government would have been impossible. In order to have a world government, rapid transportation is needed. Men and supplies can now be transported halfway around the world in comparatively few hours. In the 1973 Middle East conflict, when both sides ran out of munitions, the United States and Russia each transported by air various military supplies amounting to $2 billion in ten days. A century ago it would have taken months.
Prophecy and Technology
In our day there is also rapid communication. A world government requires such communication. Today world leaders speak to the entire world via television and the internet.
Another interesting aspect is the development of great computers. In Revelation 13 it is predicted that the world ruler will have economic control over the entire world. Computers have made it physically possible to have in one place a bank of computers that could control the financial transactions of the entire world.
Today a world ruler has at his disposal missiles that can be sent to any part of the world in thirty minutes, bringing instant punishment to any people that did not submit. It is probably easier to rule the whole world today than it was to rule a comparatively small country one hundred years ago.
Today we do not have to wait for these things to develop; they have already developed.
Prophecy,
Oil and Terrorism
When
the first global oil crisis occurred in 1973, the
question of how a Middle East ruler could have power and wealth and
political
control sufficient to set up a government in that section of the world
was
suddenly answered. As the crises in
All the component parts of the puzzle concerning a world government have fallen into place. The stage is set for the end time.
Third,
let's look at
But
The
second stage is when they enter into a treaty with the
ruler in the
The
third stage is
This
introduces the fourth and final stage for
Phase
one of
Time
Is Running Out
If ever there was a generation of Christians who could momentarily expect the blessed hope, it is our generation.
These facts are not simply interesting for study, they are facts which should challenge the way we live. If there exists this massive evidence that the Lord's coming may be soon, it ought to be a dynamic in our lives.
Why
has the rapture not occurred? The Bible tells us that God
does not want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9). He wants people to hear
the
gospel who have not heard. He wants people to respond who have heard.
He is
waiting for the work to be completed. That is His plan. But one of
these days,
time will run out. Paul gives us good advice for living while we wait:
"Stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the
work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not
in
vain" (1 Cor.
*Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
The "NIV" and "New International Version" trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society.
The Doctrine of Grace in the Interpretation
of
Prophecy
Practically all conservative interpreters of Scripture have recognized the importance of Abraham. This is transparent on the basis of the emphasis given to Abraham and his family in the Book of Genesis. With only two chapters devoted to the account of creation (Gen 1-2), one chapter to the tremendous significance of the fail of man into sin (Gen 3), and the next eight chapters covering thousands of years of human history from Adam to Abraham (Gen 4-11 ), it soon becomes obvious that the Book of Genesis is primarily dedicated to the story of Abraham and his family. The large section from Genesis 11:29 to 25:8 is devoted entirely to the story of Abraham himself, and the remaining 25 chapters of Genesis trace the subsequent history of Isaac, Jacob, and the people of Israel in Egypt. From the divine viewpoint the life and experiences of Abraham must have been of tremendous importancce to God, who intended through the patriarch to communicate basic theological truths to man.
Abraham, the Man of Faith
As
many interpreters have noted, Abraham is preeminently
presented in Scripture as a man of faith. After receiving instruction
from God,
he departed from
In this covenant God promised Abraham he would be a great man. From him God would produce a great nation. God’s blessing would rest on Abraham, and through him blessing would come to all families of the earth. Because of his distinctive place in the purpose of God, the promise was given, “I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 12:3).
The tremendous sweep of these promises of God to Abraham have already been largely fulfilled in history. Scripture faithfully records the blessing of God on Abraham and his posterity. Through Abraham came the writers of the Old Testament and the prophets of old, as well as most of the writers of the New Testament and the 12 Apostles. Most important, through Abraham came Jesus Christ who provides salvation and grace for all who trust in Him. No other covenant in Scripture and no other set of promises is as sweeping and extensive as those given to Abraham.
In
Abraham’s later experiences, however, it becomes clear that
God was developing Abraham into a man of faith—a man who has been a
model
through the centuries for all who would trust God. Abraham was
motivated by
God’s promise of the land (Gen
Amillenarians have attempted to
dispose of a literal fulfillment of this land promise by two
approaches. One
view assumes that the promise of the land is literal, but conditional.
It is
argued that since
The
promise of the land was given dramatic support when
Abraham separated from
A particular test to Abraham’s faith was the promise concerning his descendants, for Abraham was then 75 years of age (Gen 12:4), and he and his wife Sarah were childless. How could the promise of the land and the other promises be fulfilled if Abraham had no descendants?
Abraham was moved first to suggest Eliezer of Damascus, his principal servant, as his possible heir, and Eliezer had children (Gen 15:2-3). Abraham was led, however, to a tremendous step of faith in the memorable experience which is recorded in Genesis 15:4-6, “Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, ‘This man will not be your heir; but one who shall come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.’ And He took him outside and said, ‘Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.”
God
rewarded Abraham’s faith by a solemn ceremony in which
blood was shed to confirm the covenant. God said the land would extend
“from
the
But
Abraham had further tests to his faith. Sarah suggested he
have a son by Hagar, an Egyptian slave girl they had brought back from
But
then came the supreme test of
Abraham’s faith. The touching account of God’s test of Abraham’s
obedience and
faith is recorded in Genesis 22. Abraham was instructed to offer Isaac
as a
burnt offering on a mountain in the
Just as this promise of the land is evaded by those who wish to deny a future millennial reign of Christ, so a literal interpretation of the seed of Abraham is also constantly avoided. It is most important to note the emphasis on the physical seed of Abraham by Isaac his son. God specifically refused Eliezer and his children, and rejected Ishmael, though he was a son of Abraham. The physical descendants of Abraham, to inherit the promises, had to come through Isaac.
All
this emphasis on the literal, physical line of Abraham to
Isaac and Jacob, reinforced by the New Testament genealogies that trace
Christ
to Abraham (Matt 1:1-16) and on to Adam (Luke 3:23-37), make clear that
God
regarded the seed of Abraham in a literal sense. However, the promises
to
Abraham extended not only to his physical descendants, but to all
nations (Gen
12:3;
The
important point which amillenarians
seek to gloss over is that the spiritual seed of Abraham—believing
Gentiles
inherit the promise given to the Gentiles, not the promise that was
given to
The promises about the physical descendants of Abraham and Isaac, clearly channeled to Jacob only, are never applied to Gentiles, though Abraham’s spiritual descendants include all those who put their trust in Christ and who thus inherit the promise of blessing given to all nations (Gen 12:3). Because of Abraham’s faith, he received a literal fulfillment of God’s promises about his descendants, not a general spiritual or nonliteral fulfillment.
The
Scriptures also record the growth of Abraham’s faith from
his initial step in leaving
Amillenarians attempt to confuse the
promise of the eternal city with the Promised Land, as if one were the
same as
the other. Obviously even as a type, the land is not a heavenly city,
and the
heavenly city is not the land bordered by the
Abraham, the Man of Grace
The obvious emphasis on Abraham as the man of faith in the Book of Genesis and in Hebrews 11 has justified the preeminence of Abraham in the entire Old Testament as a man of faith. But Abraham was more than a man of faith. He was also a man of grace. And this gives tremendous insight into how to interpret the Abrahamic promises.
Obviously Abraham was chosen in grace. Nothing in Abraham is mentioned that would have caused God to select him from the mass of humanity in his generation. God chose Abraham in a culture of paganism and selected him and his posterity. In like manner all those who are saved by grace are also chosen in grace. God does not choose the elect on the basis of any merit in themselves. “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him” (Eph 1:4).
Not only was Abraham chosen in grace but also he was justified by grace through faith. While believers in the present dispensation have unusual blessings from God, Abraham, declared righteous by God, is the pattern of all who have been justified through the history of the race. Justification is never by works; it is always by grace.
In addition to being chosen in grace and justified by grace, the promises given to Abraham are based on grace and not works. It is strange that this should be challenged by some who are otherwise committed to the doctrines of grace and justification, and even to unconditional election. The common teaching of amillenarians that Abraham’s promises were conditioned by works is not supported in either the Old Testament or the New Testament.
Of special significance is Romans 4, which states that Abraham was justified and blessed on the basis of grace and not works (Rom 4:1-12). Romans 4:13-16 makes this even more specific.
For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified; for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, neither is there violation. For this reason it is by faith, that it might be in accordance with grace, in order that the promise may be certain to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.
The reasoning is obvious. Abraham lived long before the Mosaic Law and therefore was not subject to it. So his promises were by faith and grace, as Romans 4:16 makes plain. This results in the promise being certain to all his descendants, and the promises of blessing on the nations likewise stem from God’s grace. While the Mosaic Law offered many conditional promises, the promises to Abraham were not conditional but were based on God’s gracious and sovereign purpose.
In spite of the obvious fact that the Abrahamic promise preceded the Law and was not conditioned by it, writers like Allis argue extensively that the covenant with Abraham was conditioned by obedience to the Law of God. Allis writes, for instance, “It is true that, in the express terms of the covenant with Abraham, obedience is not stated as a condition. But that obedience was presupposed is clearly indicated by two facts. The one is that obedience is the precondition of blessing under all circumstances…. The second fact is that in the case of Abraham, the duty of obedience is particularly stressed.”5
Amillenarians attempt to make all
the biblical covenants conditional. This is strange since Calvinists
like Allis
subscribe to the premise of unconditional election and an eternal
covenant of
grace that assured the salvation of the elect. True, the Scriptures
support the
concept that many blessings are conditioned on obedience, and this is
particularly true under the Mosaic Covenant. In every dispensation, the
personal enjoyment of certain blessings from God
were
only for those who were obedient. But overriding all these
considerations is
the sovereign purpose of God which will certainly be fulfilled. In the
case of
This controversy over the doctrine of grace and the question of whether God can make a covenant certain, even in view of human failure, is of central significance in the interpretation of the Abrahamic Covenant. Strangely, there has been comparatively little discussion of this aspect, and most treatments of the Abrahamic Covenant between amillenarians and premillenarians dwell primarily on the question of literal or nonliteral fulfillment. A major defect in amillennialism as it relates to the Abrahamic Covenant is a failure to comprehend that Abraham was preeminently an illustration of grace, not of legal obedience, and that the covenant was based on the sovereignty of God and His gracious purpose for Abraham’s descendants. This is not contradicted or compromised by His intention to extend grace even to the Gentiles or all nations, also promised in the Abrahamic Covenant.
The
principle of grace as it applies to the promises of
Abraham has been neglected in literature on this subject. This element
of grace
was confirmed as Abraham grew in his faith and as the promises of God
were
given more specific fulfillment. Sarah’s supernatural conception and
Isaac’s
birth were obviously not a natural sequence to Abraham’s faith, but
were
totally the work of a gracious God who fulfilled His promises in spite
of
Abraham’s lack of faith. God’s confirmation of His promises by partial
fulfillment, however, is all the more evidence that God was operating
on a
gracious basis rather than on a legal ground for fulfilling His
promises. Still
further confirmation is given in the fact that Abraham’s glorification
was also
on the basis of grace. In Matthew
BSac 140:558 (Apr 83) p. 107
Grace
in the Interpretation of Prophecy
The
emphasis of the Scriptures on Abraham not only testifies
to his role as an example of faith, piety, and obedience, but also to
the
sovereign gracious purposes of God. God’s plan in revealing Himself
through the
prophets in the Scriptures obviously involved Abraham and his
descendants. The
purpose of God in providing redemption through Jesus Christ likewise
hinged on
God’s dealings with Abraham and his posterity. In prophecies pertaining
to
1 Oswald T. Allis, Prophecy and the Church (Philadelphia: Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing Co., 1945), pp. 32-36.
3 Albertus Pieters, The Seed of Abraham (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1950), pp. 19-20.
4 Allis, Prophecy and the Church, p. 101.
The Prophecy of The Ten-Nation Confederacy
The interpretation of the prophecy of a future ten-nation confederacy as found in four major passages of Scripture is a determinative issue in any system of prophetic interpretation. This is because the principles of interpretation applied to this prophecy are the key to the total prophetic outlook. Accordingly, the Scriptures related to this problem present one of the decisive interpretive questions facing any expositor.
At least four major Scripture passages make a contribution to this subject (Dan 2:31-35, 40-45; 7:7-8, 19-24 ; Rev 13:1-2; 17:3, 7, 12-16 ). These passages either directly or by implication prophesy a ten-kingdom confederation which will be an important aspect of the end-time political situation. The question of whether this has already been fufilled in the past or is subject to future fulfillment is an important issue in determining the Biblical prophetic program.
Principles
of Interpretation
At the outset the expositor who attempts to interpret these portions of Scripture is confronted with the major hermeneutical problem of how to interpret prophecy. Two major points of view are reflected in the conclusions reached by various expositors. One view adopted by amillennial and postmillennial interpreters is the dual hermeneutics of Augustine, namely, that while Scripture as a whole should be interpreted normally or literally, prophecy is a special case which should be interpreted allegorically, symbolically, or in a nonliteral sense. Opposed to this is the normal interpretive principle adopted by the single hermeneuties of premillennialism, which is that prophecy should be interpreted much the same as other types of Scripture, namely, that the normal literal sense should be followed unless the context or the thought requiries a nonliteral or symbolic interpretation. The expositor must therefore weigh the respective merits of these two schools of thought in attempting to interpret the major Scriptures related to the ten-nation confederacy.
The
Image of Daniel 2
The
second chapter of Daniel reveals the dream of
Nebuchadnezzar in which he saw a great image. The interpretation of
this dream
revealed to Daniel in a night vision constituted the first
comprehensive
revelation of Gentile prophecy. The head of gold according to Daniel’s
interpretation represented
In the interpretation of the dream, the stone is seen smiting the image in the feet with the result that the image is totally destroyed, and the stone increases in size until it is a great mountain which fills the whole earth. This is obviously related to the divine consummation of human history.
The
nonliteral interpretation of
this portion of Scripture has usually recognized the first three
empires much
in the same fashion as the literal interpretation, namely, referring
them to
The
Vision of Daniel 7:7-8
In
the seventh chapter of Daniel a companion vision given to
Daniel himself reveals four beasts symbolizing four great world
empires.
Although some expositors have resisted the correspondence of this
chapter to
chapter two , the similarities are such
that anyone
attempting to interpret this normally comes to the conclusion that this
is
another view of the same truth presented in chapter two of Daniel .
Here again
are the familiar four empires: the first represented as a lion
corresponding to
The
interpretation of the vision of Daniel 7 is more detailed
than that of Daniel 2 and is found in Daniel 7:17-28. Here we learn
specifically that the four beasts are four kings or kingdoms. Our
attention is
directed especially to the fourth beast and more particularly to the
little
horn. An important point in the interpretation is that the ten horns,
apparently
corresponding to the ten toes of the image of Daniel 2, are pictured as
reigning simultaneously and as subdued by the little horn of Daniel
7:8. This
is a frontal refutation of the postmillennial and amillennial
concept that the ten kingdoms were successive kingdoms in the latter
phase of
the
Any reasonably literal interpretation of this prophecy requires necessarily the expositor to take the position that this is yet future from the standpoint of the twentieth century. Nothing in history corresponds to a ten-nation confederacy subdued by another king which endures until it is succeeded by the kingdom of heaven. If this passage is allowed to speak as a genuine prophetic revelation, it necessarily requires a future ten-nation confederacy as a key to the political and international situation in the days just preceding the second coming of Christ and His kingdom.
Revelation
13:1-2
The New Testament revelation afforded by the Apocalypse, coming as it does hundreds of years after Daniel’s prophecy, constitutes a confirmation as well as additional revelation of that which had been previously introduced by Daniel the prophet.
In
Revelation 13:1-2 John “saw a beast rise up out of the sea,
having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and
upon his
heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a
leopard,
and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of
a lion:
and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.” The correspondence of this beast to that in Daniel 7 is
obvious in
that the beast has ten horns and ten crowns, speaking of political
power and
yet having seven heads. The meaning of the seven heads is not
immediately clear but may be related to the deposition of three
kingdoms by the
little horn of Daniel 7:9. Another interpretation is that the seven
heads represent
seven successive rulers in the
Here even more clearly than in Daniel the prophecy relates to that which is future. The ruler who dominates the political scene is declared to have power given to him to continue forty and two months. This three and one-half year period may be identified with the future great tribulation of Daniel 12:1 and Matthew 24:21 which is in turn related to the prophecy of Daniel 9:27 as being the last three and one-half years of the 490 years of Daniel’s prophecy pictured in Daniel 9:24-27. More important is the fact that the forty-two months (Rev 13:5) culminate in the second coming of Christ when, according to Revelation 19, the beast of Revelation 13 is captured and cast into the lake of fire (Rev 19:20). This clearly identifies the time factor as that immediately preceding the second coming of Christ and therefore future, not a part of past Roman history.
Revelation
17:3,7,12-18
The fourth major passage relating to the ten-nation confederacy is the description of the beast found in Revelation 17. According to Revelation 17:3 the wicked woman depicting the apostate church is astride the beast having seven heads and ten horns. Because of the precise description, there should be little question that this is the same beast which has seven heads and ten horns found in Revelation 13:1, and represents, therefore, the political government of that time. The position of the woman astride the beast describes her relationship, namely, one of dominance and yet supported by the political government.
The
description of the ten horns as given in Revelation
17:12-16 confirms again that the ten horns are ten kings who are
subservient to
the one dictator who reigns over the entire government. Their
blasphemous
character is described and their ultimate destruction is assured. An
amazing
detail is added in Revelation 17:16, namely, that the ten horns,
representing
the kings, destroy the wicked woman in order that the dominion which
she had
religiously should be transferred to the political ruler. This, of
course, is
in line with intimations in Scripture that at the beginning of the
final
forty-two month period the ruler of the revived
On
the basis of this investigation of four major passages
which make a contribution to the prophetic foreview
of the ten-nation confederacy, it has been presented that a normal,
literal
interpretation of the prophecies lead to the concept that there is yet
coming a
future ten-nation confederacy within the bounds of the ancient Roman
Empire.
The speculation as to which ten nations these may be is, of course, not
answered in the Scriptures. Suffice it to say there were more than ten
kingdoms
within the ancient
Will
Recent
Events Revive
One
of the important results of the six-day war of June, 1967,
when
The
majority of the church for the last several generations
has followed amillennial interpretation,
which either
spiritualizes promises concerning the nation
The
stirring events of the twentieth century have caused many
of them to rethink this question, for the facts of history have
supported the
orthodox Jewish hope as well as the expectation of premillennial
Christians. Now the fact that
Rumors
are rife that plans are already well advanced for
rebuilding such a temple. An article appearing in The Christian
and
Christianity Today reports news “received from authoritative
sources in
Two
radically different groups in
History
of Previous
The
first Temple which served the people of Israel was that
built by Solomon, the details of which are given in 1 Kings 5:1—6:38 ;
7:13-51
; 2 Chronicles 2:1—4:22 . The plans for the
For
seventy years the
This
The
Larger Question of the Form of Jewish Revival
The
answer to the question of whether
Postmillenarians like Charles Hodge, in answer to the question, “Are the Jews to be restored to their own land?” state: “The idea that the Jews are to be restored to their own land and there constituted a distinct nation in the Christian Church, is inconsistent not only with the distinct assertions of the Scriptures, but also with its plainest and most important doctrines…. The restoration of the Jews to their own land and their continued national individuality, is generally associated with the idea that they are to continue a sort of peerage in the Church of the future, exalted in prerogative and dignity above their fellow believers; and this again is more or less intimately connected with the doctrine that what the Church of the present is to look forward to is the establishment of a kingdom on earth of great worldly splendour and prosperity. For neither of these is there any authority in the didactic portions of the New Testament."6
In
contrast to the amillennial and
postmillennial denial of a future restoration of
Scriptural
Evidence for a
The fact that Israel is now in their ancient land organized as a nation, and the impressive recent events which have put the city of Jerusalem itself into the hands of Israel, have to a large extent revealed the premises and conclusions of both the amillenarians and postmillenarians to be in error. To claim that this supports the entire premillennial interpretation may be presumptive, but it certainly gives added force to the normal interpretation of Scripture in predicting such a situation. A number of important Scriptures may be cited in support of the concept of a future rebuilding of the temple.
Matthew
24:1-2, 15. One of the most important prophecies
relative to a future temple is found in the Olivet Discourse. In the
introduction to Christ’s prophecy concerning the end of the age, He
predicted
concerning the great
In
Matthew 24:15, however, as an immediate sign of the second
advent of Christ, the prediction is made that those living in that
generation
will “see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the
prophet, stand
in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him
understand).” This prediction obviously could not refer to A.D. 70 as
it is an
event immediately preceding the second advent of Christ described, in
Matthew
24:27-31. The prediction, however, gives us the clue concerning the
future
The abomination of desolation has reference to a future event paralleling to some extent “the abomination that maketh desolate” of Daniel 11:31 fulfilled in the desolation of the Temple in the second century B.C. by Antiochus Epiphanes which sparked the Maccabean revolt.
The
future abomination of desolation is mentioned in Daniel
9:27 where, according to premillennial
interpretation, “the prince that shall come” (Dan
This interpretation obviously presents some difficult problems including the question as to whether orthodox Jews will renew the Mosaic sacrificial system. Judging by Scriptures, this is precisely what they will do as it would be impossible to cause sacrifices to cease if they were not already in operation. The usual method of dismissing this as something which occurred in A.D. 70 does not provide a reasonable explanation of the text nor account for the fact that the second coming of Christ occurs immediately thereafter.8
The question of renewal of sacrifices in this period prior to the second advent should not be confused with another eschatological problem, that of sacrifices in the millennium which are related to prophecies of Ezekiel’s temple (cf. Ezek 40—48 ). The Jews who offer the sacrifices which are forcibly stopped are orthodox Jews, not Christians, and there is no real relationship between the problem of Ezekiel’s temple and the sacrificial system predicted with that of the temple and its desecration described by Christ. The implication is clearly in favor of a temple prior to the second advent which is different in structure and function than Ezekiel’s temple.
2
Thessalonians 2:1-4. Additional confirmation of this concept
of a temple in the period preceding the second advent is found in 2
Thessalonians 2:1-4. In this passage prediction is made that the future
man of
sin “who opposeth and exalteth
himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped” assumes
the role
of deity, “so that he as God sitteth in
the temple of
God, showing himself that he is God” (2 Thess
2:4).
Using this passage as an interpretation of the prediction of Daniel
9:27 and
Matthew 24:15, it may be concluded that following the desecration of
the Jewish
temple and its sacrifices the future man of sin identified by many as
“the
prince that shall come” (Dan
Problems
of Fulfillment
Problems
incident to rebuilding the temple are considered in
an illuminating essay by Daniel Fuchs.9 The
contemporary difficulties in the way of rebuilding such a temple are
tremendous. The Mosque of Omar now occupies the site which many believe
was the
location of the holy of holies of Solomon’s temple. This magnificient
mosque recently completely rebuilt at an expense of many millions of
dollars
could not be razed without precipitating a major war. This is commonly
recognized by most Jews, and only extreme nationalists have dared to
suggest
that the
In
addition to political problems, real difficulties face any
attempt to restore a Mosaic system of sacrifices in a temple. In
addition to
the Scriptures themselves, the Jewish Mishna
contains
many laws and specifications which orthodox Jews would consider
necessary.
Orthodox Jews tend to believe that the temple will not be built until
the
Messiah returns and hence oppose a temple being rebuilt now. Such a
temple
would also involve animal sacrifices to which the majority of
In
attempting to solve these problems, one is reminded of all
the insuperable difficulties which lay in the way of
Summary
of Predictions
On the basis of Matthew 24:15 with supporting Scriptures from Daniel, 2 Thessalonians 2, and Revelation 13, it may be concluded that Scriptures anticipate a future temple with a sacrificial system which will be under way at the time “the prince that shall come” exercises his authority, desecrates the temple, and establishes himself as the object of worship.
If
such a temple is to be built, it is reasonable to assume
that it will be built in
1 The Christian and Christianity
Today,
2 Cf. the picture and description of
Solomon’s
3 Cf. article,
“
5 Albertus Pieters, The Seed of Abraham, p. 148.
6 Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, III, 810-11.
7 Cf. John F. Walvoord, Millennial Kingdom, pp. 159-220, 256-334.
8 For further discussion, cf. John F. Walvoord, The Return of the Lord, pp. 58-79.
9 Cf. The
10 Cf. Fuch’s discussion, ibid., pp. 2-3.
Revival of
The
question of whether the ancient
In
the twentieth century the question of the revival of
Previously
the author contributed an article on the ten-nation
confederacy, dealing with four major Scripture passages (Dan 2:34-35,
40-45;
7:7-8, 19-24 ; Rev 13:1-2; 17:3, 7,
12-16).2 It
was demonstrated that these passages prophesy a future ten-nation
confederacy
in the
Presuppositions
In approaching this complicated interpretative problem of prophetic Scripture, certain assumptions are implicit in the argument. First of all, the Scriptures must be regarded as an authentic and accurate revelation of future events, that is, prophecy must be taken literally and seriously. The liberal contention that the Bible is unreliable in its prophetic utterances is denied, and the normal, orthodox, evangelical point of view is assumed. To debate the whole issue of the accuracy of prophetic Scripture would be beyond the compass of this article.
Second,
the general reasons for supposing that the fourth empire
of Daniel’s prophecies is the ancient
C. F. Keil is typical of conservative expositors when he states: “There yet remains for our consideration the question, What are the historical world-kingdoms which are represented by Nebuchadnezzar’s image (ch. ii ), and by Daniel’s vision of four beasts rising up out of the sea? Almost all interpreters understand that these two visions are to be interpreted in the same way. ‘The four kingdoms or dynasties, which were symbolized (ch. ii ) by the same parts of the human image, from the head to the feet, are the same as those which were symbolized by the four great beasts rising up out of the sea.’ This is the view not only of Bleek, who herein agrees with Auberlen, but also of Kranichfeld and Kliefoth, and all church interpreters."4 Keil goes on to identify the fourth kingdom as Roman: “These four kingdoms, according to the interpretation commonly received in the church, are the Babylonian, the Medio-Persian, the Macedo-Grecian, and the Roman.”5
With these two major assumptions, the question will be faced as to whether the future form of the kingdom, the ten-nation confederacy anticipated in prophecy, will be a genuine Roman empire in revived form; and if so, how this relates to the ultimate religious character of the end of the age.
The
Fourth Empire of Daniel as the
In
the prophecies of Daniel, especially Daniel 2 and 7
, prophetically four world empires are set forth. In the
image of Daniel 2 the head of gold is related to
The similar vision in chapter 7 of Daniel with its four beasts seems to correspond to the same four empires of chapter 2. The great majority of evangelical expositors accept this point of view. Liberals who place the Book of Daniel in the second century, and thereby consider it a pious forgery, deny that the fourth empire is Roman and try to make the entire Book of Daniel to be history.
In
contrast to the usual orthodox point of view that the four
empires are
The arguments pro and con on this have been debated for many generations. The several works of Robert Dick Wilson, particularly his Studies in the Book of Daniel, have demonstrated satisfactorily to most evangelicals that the liberal point of view that Daniel is a forgery is unfounded, and with it their arguments against interpreting the fourth empire as Roman. The genuineness of Daniel has been more recently confirmed by the finding of the Book of Daniel among the Dead Sea Scrolls which seems to require a much earlier date for Daniel than the liberals would allow, and accordingly forces recognition of the genuine predictive character of Daniel.
Simply
from the standpoint of history it is unthinkable that
any genuine prophetic foreview of world
history in
its political context would omit the
Leupold, in his interpretation of
the iron teeth, writes: “That must surely signify a singularly
voracious,
cruel, and even vindictive world power.
The
two legs of the image of Daniel 2, likewise, portray the
eastern and western divisions of the
While
some evangelicals like King interpret the fourth empire
as other than Roman,7 usually those who
accept the
inspiration and genuineness of Daniel identify the fourth kingdom as
Roman. The
controversy in the main is one between liberals and conservatives. As Keil said long ago: “These four kingdoms,
according to the
interpretation commonly received in the church, are the Babylonian, the
Medio-Persian, the Macedo-Grecian,
and the Roman. ‘In this interpretation and opinion,’ Luther observes, ‘all the world are agreed, and history in fact
abundantly
establishes it.’ This opinion prevailed until about the end of the last
century, for the contrary opinion of the individual earlier
interpreters had
found no favour. But from that time, when
faith in
the supernatural origin and character of biblical prophecy was shaken
by Deism
and Rationalism, then as a consequence, with the rejection of the
genuineness
of the Book of Daniel the reference of the fourth kingdom to the Roman
world-monarchy was also denied. For the
pseudo-Daniel of the
times of the Maccabees could furnish no
prophecy
which could reach further than the time of Antiochus Epiphanes.
If the reference of the fourth kingdom to the
Revival
of
The classic interpretation of Revelation 17 as offered by the Protestant reformers and many since is that the harlot, the wicked woman who is the symbol of religious power in this chapter , is none other than the Roman Catholic Church in its apostate form.10
While the reformers identified it with the Roman Catholic Church of their day, contemporary Protestant interpreters tend to qualify this identification. Rather than the Roman Catholic Church specifically, the religious entity that is portrayed seems to be a world religion which could conceivably embrace all branches of Christianity—Roman, Greek Orthodox, and Protestant—as well as non-Christian religions.
In the vision given the Apostle John as recorded in Revelation 17, he is invited to see this amazing, wicked woman who is described as sitting “upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns” (Rev 17:3). She is further portrayed as decked in purple and scarlet, with gold and precious stones. The total picture is well adapted to describe religion typified by the woman in alliance with the political which is seen as a scarlet colored beast, identified as the future political power of the end time in Revelation 13:1.
The
woman is described according to Revelation 17:5 as having
a name: “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE
MOTHER OF
HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” This, of course, gathers in
much
material referring to
On
the basis of the evidence, the identification of the woman
of Revelation 17 as being specifically the Roman Catholic Church needs
to be
qualified. That it includes Romanism could be deduced from the
association of
the woman with the beast of Revelation 13, which previously has been
shown to
be the revival of the
To
identify the woman as specifically the Roman Catholic
Church, however, is to go beyond the Scriptures. Actually,
according to Revelation 17:15, the woman is pictured in a place of
authority
over “people, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” Her
sphere of
rule is obviously worldwide and goes beyond the bounds of the
In view of the fact that there does not seem to be any religious opposition to the woman, and her sway seems to be complete except for individual saints whom she persecutes, the evidence seems to support the fact that the woman represents an ecumenical or worldwide church embracing all of Christianity religiously, and therefore including not only the Roman Catholic Church but Protestant and Greek Orthodoxy as well. It should also be observed that the state of the situation is not precisely what is true today, but what will eventuate in the political context of this future period. At that time apparently the apostate religious entity described here will be devoid of any true Christians, and those described as saints will be outside this apostate church and the object of its persecution.
If the religious entity described here is an ecumenical church, it casts new light upon the significance of the ecumenical movement in the world today. At the present time the ecumenical movement, although worldwide, does not embrace all major sections of Christianity. A merger between protestantism, Greek Orthodoxy and the Roman Catholic Church, while contemplated by some, has not been consummated. There is also active opposition religiously to the ecumenical movement based on its theological liberalism and its centralization of ecclesiastical power. If, as many Christians believe, the rapture or the translation of the church will occur before these end-time events, it will mean that genuine Christians today will be removed from the scene before the ecumenical church comes to its completion as pictured here in Revelation 17.
Accordingly, it may be concluded that while the Roman Empire will be specifically revived, fulfilling the last stages of the prophetic anticipations of the fourth empire, the religious characteristics of the end time, while including the Roman Catholic Church and being Roman in its political alliances, will be wider in its inclusion. All branches of apostate Christendom and possibly non-Christian religions will be embraced within its organization. Symbolically this will be a harlot, a wicked woman, utterly opposed to God and a persecutor of true believers.
A dramatic conclusion is revealed according to Revelation 17:16 in that the ten kings destroy the woman. This seems to pave the way for the final form of world religion which will be the worship of the political ruler himself, as revealed in Revelation 13:8 where it is declared “all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him,” except for those who are true believers. The final form of world religion will not even be Christian in name, and will actually be an atheistic, humanistic, satanic system which denies everything related to the true God, and is the persecutor of all who fail to worship the political ruler.
The contemporary reformations in the Roman Catholic Church, which make a merger between Romanism and Protestantism or a merger between Romanism and Greek Orthodoxy more credible, are therefore significant as being a part of the trend toward a world church. The world church as portrayed in Revelation 17 will not actually be consummated in its final form until after the true church, the body of Christ, is caught up to be with the Lord. The present movement in ecumenicalism is therefore significant as another sign that the end of the age may soon be upon the world.
The
history of prophetic fulfillment supports the conclusion
that prophecy will be fulfilled literally. In keeping with this
principle is
the belief that there will be a fulfillment of the details of the
fourth empire
in its final stage which were left unfufilled
in history. Hence there will be a revival of
1 Cf. James A.
2 John F. Walvoord, “Prophecy of the Ten-Nation Confederacy,” Bibliotheca Sacra, CXXIV (April-June, 1967), 99-105.
3 The Nations in Phophecy, pp. 83-102.
4 C. F. Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Daniel, p. 245.
6 Herbert C. Leupold, Exposition of Daniel, pp. 297-98.
7 Geoffrey R. King, Daniel, pp. 72-73.
10 For an exposition of this chapter, see the author’s The Revelation of Jesus Christ, pp. 243-57.
Is
the Ten-Nation Confederacy of
the Future Roman?
If the large discussion available in evangelical literature supports the conclusion that the fourth empire of Daniel was Roman, the question remains whether its future revival will also be Roman in character, and whether the Scriptures specifically teach this.
The
expositor is here faced with two major alternatives. He
can attempt, as many postmillenarians and
some amillenarians have done, to find
fulfillment of the entire
prophecy of the fourth empire of both chapters 2 and 7 of Daniel in
history.
Under this concept the smiting stone which destroys the image of Daniel
2 is
the conquest of the church destroying the
The
most important problem, however, is that the fourth empire
of Daniel is succeeded by an empire brought in by Jesus Christ. It is
the
advent of the coming King that really destroys the fourth empire. The postmillennial concept that this refers to the first
advent of
Christ and that the church is gradually conquering the world, with its
premise
that the kingdom is a spiritual rather than a political kingdom, has
come more
and more into disfavor. The twentieth century has devastated the
optimism of the postmillennial view that the gospel has the power in
itself to
transform the nations. The premillennial
concept is
more and more justified, and supports the conclusion that there will be
no
correction of the world righteously or religiously until Jesus Christ
comes back
in power and glory. This, according to the premillennial
interpretation, means that when Christ comes He will conquer the world
by His
power and will inaugurate a literal kingdom on earth, the fifth
The ten-nation confederacy is anticipated in the feet-stage of the image, and although the toes are not said to be ten in number, this is the implication. More specific details are given in Daniel on the fourth beast of his vision in chapter 7. There in the latter stage of development the beast is declared to have ten horns. This is interpreted in Daniel 7:24 as “ten kings that shall arise.” Further light is cast on this in Revelation 13 where a beast is seen to come out of the sea having “ten horns.” The fact that the ten-horns stage of the kingdom was still prophetic when the book of Revelation was written clearly makes it either Roman or post-Roman in its historical fulfillment.
The
ten-nation confederacy of the future anticipated in these
prophecies would naturally be considered a revival of the
A
second argument in favor of the identification of the future
empire as Roman would come from the geographic evidence that the center
of the
stage is the
One
of the most specific references, however, is found in the
difficult prophecy of Daniel in which
Although this does not establish his racial background, and debate continues as to his particular nationality, politically he will be a Roman and will be the final ruler of Roman power in the world until the second coming of Jesus Christ. Accordingly, many expositors identify the prince that shall come as the ultimate world ruler mentioned in Revelation 13 and other passages.
That
this is related to end-time events, and therefore either
Roman or post-Roman, is confirmed by the reference in the Olivet
Discourse
where Christ cited the abomination of desolation, prophesied in Daniel
9:27, as
being the sign of the beginning of the great tribulation. In the
context,
Christ relates this to
On
the basis of the conclusion that the fourth empire of
Daniel is Roman, that geographically the future ten-nation confederacy
is in
the area occupied in history by the Roman Empire, and the specific
reference to
the prince that shall come as being related to the Roman people, a
conclusion
can be drawn that there will be a revival of Rome politically, which
will
fulfill the unfulfilled aspect of the fourth empire, both in Daniel and
in
Revelation. This leads, then, to the question as to whether religiously
there
will also be a revival of