Lost during the dark ages, the prophetic insights of the early fathers were
rediscovered by Wycliffe, snuffed out and then rekindled by Luther.
John Knox fanned them to an open flame which was brought to
brilliant radiance during the enlightenment.
For some time after Luther's bold accusation that the Papacy was
Anti-Christ, Roman Catholic leadership responded by suppression and
persecution. But, suppression proved impossible and persecution only
fanned the flames for the stake proved a powerful pulpit. When England
defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588 the island citadel of Protestantism
was established. Rome finally had to meet the reformer's challenge on
their own ground - in the scriptures.
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Hear the voice of the Bard! (Prophet)
Who present, past and future sees William Blake
Through a collaboration of Jesuits Francisco Ribera of Spain and Robert
Bellarmine of Rome, the Papacy put forward its counter interpretation,
Futurism. The Pope was not AntiChrist they contended for he was not to
appear until "in the future". Their new interpretation was published in
1591 - three years after the defeat of the Spanish Armada when all hope
of crushing Protestantism was gone. Luis de Alcazar published the
contradictory Preterist interpretation in 1614. He argued that AntiChrist
had come and gone before the book of Revelation was written.
There was method in the seeming madness of Rome's contradictory inter-
interpretations. The preterist system appeals to the liberals in the church
who deny the miraculous and scoff at the idea that prophecy is history
pre-written. Futurism assigns the fulfillment of the book of Revelation to
a 3 ½ year period at the end of time which appeals to fundamentalists.
Historicists like the prophets of old "see" present, past and future.
Theirs is a living book unfolding new revelations to each generation
while glorifying God for past fulfillments.
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Futurism was virtually ignored for 250 years, but Preterism took hold
quickly. Rome was still the intellectual center of the church and her
response was all the more effective because Protestantism had no
systematic interpretation of the prophecies, no seminaries, and no lofty
ecclesiastical citadel to command respect.
If Rome's arguments could not be answered then Protestantism would
be defeated and the martyr's blood would be spilt in vain. There was no one living that could answer Goliath's taunt, but God was to send a man more than equal to the challenge.
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