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Jesuit Futurism
or
Protestant Historicism
How the Jesuits’ child was adopted by Protestants
Steve Wohlberg
Modern
Christianity has largely forgotten the importance of the Protestant
Reformation of the 1500s. For
almost a thousand years, Europe had been ruled by the iron hand of Rome.
Christianity was largely permeated with superstition. Faith in Jesus
Christ, heartfelt appreciation for His love, and a simple trust in His
death on the cross, were almost unknown. The truth about grace, full
forgiveness, and the free gift of eternal life to believers in the Son of
God, had been buried under a mass of tradition. Then Martin Luther arose
in Germany. After a period of tremendous personal struggle, Luther began
teaching justification by faith in Jesus Christ rather than by reliance on
"creature merits," or any human works. See Romans 1:16; 3:26, 28; 5:1.
Eventually, Martin Luther turned to the prophecies. He read about the
"little horn," the "man of sin," and the "beast"; and the Holy Spirit
spoke to his heart. Finally, he saw that these prophecies applied to the
Roman Catholic Church! At the risk of losing his life, Luther preached and
wrote to an astonished people that Papal Rome was indeed the Antichrist of
Bible prophecy. This dual message of salvation through faith in Jesus
Christ apart from works, together with the message that Papal Rome is the
Antichrist, changed the course of history. “There
are two great truths that stand out in the preaching that brought about
the Protestant Reformation.... The just shall live by faith, not by the
works of Romanism, and the Papacy is the Antichrist of Scripture.' It was
a message for Christ and against Antichrist. The entire Reformation rests
upon this twofold testimony.’”1 It has been said that the Reformation
discovered Jesus Christ, and in His light it discovered Antichrist.
This Spirit-filled movement shook the world! "From
the first, and throughout, that movement [the Reformation] was energized
and guided by the prophetic word. Luther never felt strong and free to war
against the Papal apostasy till he recognized the pope as antichrist. It
was then that he burned the Papal bull. Knox's first sermon, the sermon
that launched him on his mission as a reformer, was on the prophecies
concerning the Papacy. The reformers embodied their interpretations of
prophecy in their confessions of faith....All of the reformers were
unanimous in the matter, even the mild and cautious Melanchthon was as
assured of the antipapal meaning of these prophecies as was Luther
himself. And their interpretation of these prophecies determined their
reforming action. It led them to protest against Rome with extraordinary
strength and undaunted courage. It nerved them to resist the claims of the
apostate Church to the utmost. It made them martyrs; it sustained them at
the stake. And the views of the reformers were shared by thousands, by
hundreds of thousands. They were adopted by princes and peoples. Under
their influence nations abjured their allegiance to the false priest of
Rome. In the reaction that followed, all the powers of hell seemed to be
let loose upon the adherents of the Reformation. War followed war:
tortures, burnings, and massacres were multiplied. Yet the Reformation
stood undefeated and unconquerable. God's word upheld it, and the energies
of His Almighty Spirit. It was the work of Christ as truly as the founding
of the Church eighteen centuries ago; and the revelation of the future
which He gave from heaven—that prophetic book with which the Scripture
closes—was one of the mightiest instruments employed in its
accomplishment."2
In
1545, the Catholic Church convened one of its most famous councils in
history—the Council of Trent. It continued for three sessions, ending in
1563. One of the main purposes of this Council was for Catholics to plan a
counterattack against Protestantism, also known as the
Counter-Reformation. Up to this point, Rome's main method of attack had
been blatant—burning Bibles and heretics. Yet this warfare only convinced
Protestants that Papal Rome was indeed the Beast that would "make war with
the saints." Revelation 13:7. Therefore a new tactic was needed—something
less obvious. This is where the Jesuits come in. On
August 15, 1534, Ignatius Loyola founded a secret Catholic order called
the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits. "Jesuit priests have been
known throughout history as the most wicked political arm of the Roman
Catholic Church. Edmond Paris, in his scholarly work, The Secret
History of the Jesuits, reveals and documents much of this
information."3 At the Council of Trent, the Catholic Church gave the
Jesuits the specific assignment of destroying Protestantism and bringing
people back to the Mother Church. This was to be done not only through the
Inquisition and torture, but also through theology. At the
Council of Trent, the Jesuits were commissioned by the Pope to develop a
new interpretation of Scripture that would counteract the Protestant
application of the Bible's antichrist prophecies to the Roman Catholic
Church. Francisco Ribera (1537-1591), a brilliant Jesuit priest and doctor
of theology from Spain, took on the challenge. Like Martin Luther, Ribera
read the prophecies about the Antichrist, the little horn, the man of sin,
and the beast. But he came to different conclusions than Luther did. He
decided that the prophecies applied, not to the Roman Catholic Church, but
to one diabolical figure at the end of time. This viewpoint quickly became
the official Roman Catholic position on the Antichrist. "In
1590, Ribera published a commentary on the Revelation as a
counter-interpretation to the prevailing view among Protestants which
identified the Papacy with the Antichrist. Ribera applied all of
Revelation but the earliest chapters, to the end of time rather than to
the history of the Church. Antichrist would be a single evil person who
would be received by the Jews and would rebuild Jerusalem."4 "Ribera
denied the Protestant Scriptural Antichrist (see 2 Thessalonians 2) as
seated in the church of God—asserted by Augustine, Jerome, Luther and many
reformers. He set on an infidel Antichrist, outside the church of God.”5
"The result of [Ribera's] work was a twisting and maligning of prophetic
truth .”6 Another
brilliant Jesuit scholar, Cardinal Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) followed
Francisco Ribera. Between 1581 and 1593, Cardinal Bellarmine published his
"Polemic Lectures Concerning the Disputed Points of the Christian Belief
Against the Heretics of This Time." "The futurist teachings of Ribera were
further popularized by an Italian cardinal and the most renowned of all
Jesuit controversialists. His writings claimed that Paul, Daniel, and John
had nothing whatsoever to say about the Papal power. The futurists' school
won general acceptance among Catholics. They were taught that antichrist
was a single individual who would not rule until the very end of time.”7
Through the work of these two tricky Jesuit scholars, a brand new baby was
born named "Jesuit Futurism." In fact, Francisco Ribera has been called
the Father of Futurism. Before
we go much further, let us define some terms. Historicism is the
belief that Biblical prophecies about the little horn, the man of sin, the
Antichrist, the Beast, and the Babylonian Harlot of Revelation 17, all
apply to the developing history of Christianity and to the ongoing
struggle between Jesus Christ and Satan within the church, culminating
at the end of time. Historicism sees these prophecies as having a direct
application to Papal Rome—a system whose doctrines are a denial of
the New Testament message of free salvation by grace through simple faith
in Jesus Christ. Historicism was the viewpoint of the Protestant
Reformers. In direct opposition to Historicism was the Jesuit viewpoint of
Futurism, which basically says, "The Antichrist prophecies have
nothing to do with the history of Papal Rome; rather, they apply to
only one sinister man who comes at the end." Thus
Jesuit Futurism sweeps 1,500 years of prophetic history under the
proverbial rug by inserting its infamous gap. The gap
theory teaches that when Rome fell, prophecy stopped, only to continue
again at the time of the Rapture. Thus the ten horns, the little horn, the
Beast, and the Antichrist have nothing to do with Christians today.
According to this viewpoint, no prophecies were fulfilled during the Dark
Ages. For
almost 300 years after the Council of Trent, Jesuit Futurism remained
largely inside the crib of Catholicism. But the Jesuits planned for this
baby to grow and be adopted by Protestants. The adoption process
began in the early 1800s. As I
share some of the highlights, I want to clarify that many of the people I
will mention were (and are) genuine Christians. But it is possible for a
Christian to unknowingly become a channel for error. Someone can be used
by both Jesus Christ and the devil. Consider Matthew, chapter 16, about
how Jesus told Peter that God was blessing him as he shared his faith in
Christ (see verses 15-17), but just a few minutes later, Peter yielded to
temptation and Satan spoke through him (see verses 21-23)! This proves
that a Christian can be used by both God and Satan within a short space of
time. I call this the Peter Principle. Dr.
Samuel Roffey Maitland (1792-1866), a lawyer and Bible scholar, became a
librarian to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He likely discovered Ribera's
commentary in the library, for in 1826 he published a widely read book
attacking the Reformation and supporting Ribera's idea of a future,
one‑man Antichrist. For the next ten years he continued his
anti-Reformation rhetoric. As a result of his zeal and strong attacks
against the Reformation in England, Protestantism there received a
crushing blow. Next
came James H. Todd, a professor of Hebrew at the University of Dublin.
Todd accepted the futuristic ideas of Maitland, publishing his own
supportive pamphlets and books. Then came John Henry Newman (1801-1890), a
member of the Church of England and a leader of the famous Oxford Movement
(1833-1845). Newman became a full Roman Catholic soon after publishing a
pamphlet endorsing Todd's futurism, and later became a highly honored
Cardinal. Through the influence of Maitland, Todd, Newman, and others, a
definite "Romeward movement was already arising, destined to sweep away
the old Protestant landmarks, as with a flood.”8 Then
came the much-respected Scottish Presbyterian minister Edward Irving
(1792-1834). Accepting the one-man Antichrist idea, Irving went a step
further. Somewhere around 1830, he began to teach the unique idea of a
two-phase return of Christ, the first phase being a secret rapture
prior to the rise of the Antichrist. Where he got this idea is a
matter of much dispute. Journalist Dave MacPherson believes Irving
accepted it as a result of a prophetic revelation given to a young
Scottish girl named Margaret McDonald.9 In any case, the fact is, Irving
taught it! In the
midst of this growing anti-Protestant climate in England, there arose a
man by the name of John Nelson Darby (1800-1882). A brilliant lawyer,
pastor, and theologian, he wrote more than 53 books on Bible subjects. A
much-respected Christian and a man of deep piety, Darby took a strong
stand in favor of the infallibility of the Bible in contrast with the
liberalism of his day. Darby's contribution to the development of
evangelical theology has been so great that he has been called The Father
of Modern Dispensationalism. Yet John Nelson Darby, like Edward Irving,
also became a strong promoter of a PreTribulation Rapture followed by a
one‑man Antichrist. In fact, this teaching has become a hallmark of
Dispensationalism.
Dispensationalism is the theory that God deals with mankind in major
dispensations or ages. According to Darby, we are now in the "Church Age"
until the Rapture. After the Rapture, the seven-year period of Daniel 9:27
will supposedly kick in, and this is when Antichrist will rise up against
the Jews. John Nelson Darby laid much of the foundation for the present
removal of Daniel's 70th week from the rest of the prophecy, applying it
to a future Tribulation after the Rapture. Thus, in spite of all the
positives of his ministry, Darby followed Maitland, Todd, Bellarmine, and
Ribera by incorporating the teachings of Futurism into his theology.
Darby visited America six times between 1859-1874, preaching in all of its
major cities and planting the seeds of Futurism in American soil. The
child of the Jesuits was growing up. One
important figure in this drama is Cyris Ingerson Scofield (1843-1921), a
Kansas lawyer who was greatly influenced by the writings of Darby. In
1909, Scofield published the first edition of his famous Scofield
Reference Bible. In the much-respected footnotes of this Bible, Scofield
injected large doses of Futurism. Through the Scofield Bible, the Jesuit
child reached young adulthood. The doctrine of a future Antichrist was
becoming firmly established inside 20th‑century American Protestantism. The
Moody Bible Institute and the Dallas Theological Seminary have strongly
supported the teachings of John Nelson Darby, and this continued to fuel
Futurism's growth. Then in the 1970s, Pastor Hal Lindsey, a graduate of
Dallas Theological Seminary, released his blockbuster book The Late
Great Planet Earth. This 177-page volume brought Futurism to the
masses. The New York Times labeled it "The number one best-seller of the
decade." Over 30 million copies have been sold, and it has been translated
into over 30 languages. Through The Late Great Planet Earth, the
child of Jesuit Futurism became a man. Then
came Left Behind. In the 1990s, Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins took
the future, one-man antichrist idea of Hal Lindsey, Scofield, Darby,
Irving, Newman, Todd, Maitland, Bellarmine, and Ribera, and turned it into
"The most successful Christian‑fiction series ever" according to
Publishers Weekly. Hal Lindsey's book, The Late Great Planet Earth,
was largely theological, which limited its appeal, while Left Behind
is a sequence of highly imaginative novels, "overflowing with suspense,
action, and adventure," a "Christian thriller," with a "label its creators
could never have predicted: blockbuster success" (Entertainment Weekly).
The much-respected television ministries of Jack Van Impe, Peter and Paul
Lalonde, and Pastor John Hagee, have worked together to produce Left
Behind: The Movie. The entire project has even caught the
attention of The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal,
resulting in an interview of LaHaye and Jenkins on Larry King Live.
The Left Behind books have been sold in countless stores. I
believe the producers of Left Behind and the leaders of these
television ministries are genuine Christians, doing their best to
influence people for the Kingdom. God is using them, just like He spoke
through Peter when he, firmly confessed his faith in Christ. See Matthew
16:15-17. Remember the Peter Principle? There is much in Left Behind
that God can use to influence people for Jesus Christ. But Left Behind
is teaching the very same Jesuit Futurism of Francisco Ribera and hiding
the real truth about the Antichrist. Through Left Behind, the
floodgates of Futurism have been opened, unleashing a massive tidal wave
of false prophecy that is now sweeping over America. The
theological foundation for the entire Left Behind series is the
application of the seven years of Daniel 9:27 to a future period of
Tribulation. Who was one of the very first scholars to slice Daniel's 70th
week away from the first 69 weeks, sliding it down to the end of time?—It
was Francisco Ribera! "Ribera's primary apparatus was the seventy weeks.
He taught that Daniel's 70th week was still in the future.... It was as
though God put a giant rubber band on this Messianic time measure. Does
this supposition sound familiar? This is exactly the scenario used by Hal
Lindsey and a multitude of other current prophecy teachers."10 As we
have seen, this gap idea originated with the Jesuits, and it is now
blinding millions to what has gone before and to what is happening now
inside the church. "It is this GAP theory that permeates futurism's
interpretation of all apocalyptic prophecy."11 Jesuit
Futurism has now become a seven-foot, 300-pound boxer with spiked gloves.
With an apparently all-powerful punch, it has almost knocked Protestant
Historicism entirely out of the ring. "Futurism ... fuels the
confusion of dispensationalism. The futuristic school of Bible prophecy
came from the Roman Catholic Church, specifically her Jesuit
theologians.... However, the alternative has been believed for centuries.
It is known as historicism."12 Dear
friend, Jesuit Futurism is at war with the Protestant Reformation by
denying its application of prophecy to the Vatican. "The futurist school
of Bible prophecy was created for one reason and one reason only: to
counter the Protestant Reformation!"13 Jesuit Futurism is at war with the
prophecies of the Word of God itself! It originated within the Roman
Catholic Church itself, making it the very doctrine of Antichrist! And
when Christian ministries and movies like A Thief in the Night,
Apocalypse, Revelation, Tribulation, and Left Behind: The Movie
proclaim an Antichrist who comes only after the Rapture, what are they
really doing? I shudder even to say it. They are sincerely and unknowingly
teaching the doctrine of Antichrist! Now you
understand why truth has been left behind. Condensed
from Truth Left Behind, 63-81. Used by permission of the author.
References: 1.
Michael de Semlyen, All Roads Lead to Rome, Dorchester House
Publications, Dorchester House, England, 1991, 202-203. 2. H.
Grattan Guinness, Romanism and the Reformation, 136-137. 3.
Robert Caringola, Seventy Weeks: The Historical Alternative.
Abundant Life Ministries Reformed Press, 1991, 31. 4.
George Eldon Ladd, The Blessed Hope: A Biblical Study of the Second
Advent and the Rapture. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1956, 37-38. 5. Ralph
Thompson, Champions of Christianity in Search of Truth, 89,
emphasis in original. 6.
Seventy Weeks: The Historical Alternative, 32. 7. Ralph
Woodrow, Great Prophecies of the Bible, 198. 8. H.
Grattan Guinness, History Unveiling Prophecy or Time as an Interpreter,
New York: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1905, 289. 9. Dave
MacPherson, The Incredible Cover-Up: Exposing the Origins of Rapture
Theories. Omega Publications, Medford, Oregon, 1980. 10.
Seventy Weeks: The Historical Alternative, 35. 11.
Champions of Christianity in Search of Truth, 90. 12. "Seventy
Weeks: the Historical Alternative, 6. 13.
Ibid., 34.
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