FUTURISM

[choir loft]

Virtually ALL of the posts books and post-protestant propaganda about the End Times is based on a 500 year old Roman Catholic doctrine called Futurism.   Nearly all of it is false because nearly all of it has been designed to distract the faithful from God's plan of redemption and to divide believers one against the other.  To date the tactic has worked marvelously well.  Very few know and fewer still accept they've been duped into believing a false dogma.   The following is a summation of the history and identification of the actual author of this massive Christian deceit.   It is my hope someone will read this and consider it prayerfully. 

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Truth Left Behind

By Steve Wohlberg

Chapter 3: The Evil Empire of Jesuit Futurism

Imagine a pair of supernatural, high-tech, Heaven-inspired eyeglasses that can give you instant ability to see one of Lucifer’s greatest end-time deceptions. Such X-ray eyeglasses do exist. The purpose of this chapter is help you find them and put them on, and then you will be able to understand the almost unimaginable Evil Empire of Jesuit Futurism.

Modern Christianity has largely forgotten the importance of the Protestant Reformation, which took place during the 1500s. “The sixteenth century presents the spectacle of a stormy sunrise after a dismal night. Europe awoke from long sleep of superstition. The dead arose. The witnesses to truth who had been silenced and slain stood up once more and renewed their testimony. The martyred confessors reappeared in the Reformers. There was a cleansing of the spiritual sanctuary. Civil and religious liberty were inaugurated. The discovery of printing and revival of learning accelerated the movement. There was progress everywhere. Columbus struck across the ocean and opened a new hemisphere to view. Rome was shaken on her seven hills, and lost one-half of her dominions. Protestant nations were created. The modern world was called into existence” (H. Grattan Guinness, Romanism and the Reformation, p. 122).

For almost a thousand years, Europe had been ruled by the iron hand of Rome. Only a few Bibles existed then, and Christianity was largely permeated with superstition. Faith in Y’shua the Messiah, heart-felt appreciation for His love, and a simple trust in His death on Calvary, were almost unknown. The truth about grace, full forgiveness, and the free gift of eternal life to believers in the Son of God (Romans 6:23), had been buried under a mass of tradition. Then Martin Luther arose like a lion in Germany. After a period of tremendous personal struggle, Martin Luther began teaching justification by faith in the Messiah (being declared “just” by God), rather than through reliance on “creature merits,” or any human works (Romans 1:16; 3:26, 28; 5:1).

Eventually, Martin Luther turned to the prophecies. By candlelight, he read about the “little horn,” the “man of sin,” and “the beast,” and he was shocked as the Holy Spirit spoke to his heart. Finally, he saw the truth and said to himself, “Why, these prophecies apply to the Roman Catholic Church!” As he wrestled with this new insight, the voice of God echoed loudly in his soul, saying, “Preach the word!” (2 Timothy 4:2). And so, at the risk of losing his life, Martin Luther preached publicly and in print to an astonished people that Papal Rome was indeed the Antichrist of Bible prophecy. Because of this dual message of salvation through faith in the Messiah apart from works and of Papal Rome being the Antichrist, the river of history literally changed its course. Hundreds of thousands of people in Europe and in England left the Catholic Church.

“‘There are two great truths that stand out in the preaching that brought about the Protestant Reformation,’ American Bible Commentator, Ralph Woodrow, reminds us, ‘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’” (Michael de Semlyen, All Roads Lead to Rome, Dorchester House Publications, Dorchester House, England, 1991, pp. 202, 203). It has been said that the Reformation first discovered Y’shua the Messiah, and then, in the blazing light of Messiah, it discovered the AntMessiahi. This mighty, Spirit-filled movement, for Messiah and against the AntiMessiah, shook the world.

H. Grattan Guinness wrote these memorable words: “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, and Calvin in his ‘Institutes.’ 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 ” (H. Grattan Guinness, Romanism and the Reformation, pp. 136, 137).

In 1545, the Catholic Church convened one of its most famous councils in history, which took place north of Rome in a city called Trent. The Council of Trent actually continued for three sessions, ending in 1563. One of the main purposes of this Council was for Catholics to plan a counterattack against Martin Luther and the Protestants. Thus the Council of Trent became a center for Rome’s Counter-Reformation. Up to this point, Rome’s main method of attack had been largely frontal — the open burning of Bibles and of heretics. Yet this warfare only confirmed in the minds of Protestants the conviction that Papal Rome was indeed the Beast which 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. Historically, we might compare this order to Darth Vader’s Evil Empire in the classic Star Wars films. The Jesuits definitely have a dark history of intrigue and sedition, that’s why they were expelled from Portugal (1759), France (1764), Spain (1767), Naples (1767), and Russia (1820). “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” (Seventy Weeks: The Historical Alternative, by Robert Caringola. Abundant Life Ministries Reformed Press, 1991, p. 31). 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 through torture, but also through theology.

It’s time to discover those X-ray eyeglasses. 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, basically said, “Here am I, send me.” Like Martin Luther, Francisco Ribera also read by candlelight the prophecies about the Antichrist, the little horn, that man of sin, and the Beast. But because the Pope was his boss, he came to conclusions vastly different from that of the Protestants. “Why, these prophecies don’t apply to the Catholic Church at all!” Ribera said. Then to whom do they apply? Ribera proclaimed, “To only one sinister man who will rise up at the end of time!” “Fantastic!” was the reply from Rome, and this viewpoint was quickly adopted as 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 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” (George Eldon Ladd, The Blessed Hope: A Biblical Study of the Second Advent and the Rapture. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1956, pp. 37–38). “Ribera denied the Protestant Scriptural Antichrist (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.” (Ron Thompson, Champions of Christianity in Search of Truth, p. 89). “The result of his work [Ribera’s] was a twisting and maligning of prophetic truth” (Robert Caringola, Seventy Weeks: The Historical Alternative, p. 32).

Following close behind Francisco Ribera was another brilliant Jesuit scholar, Cardinal Robert Bellarmine (1542–1621) of Rome. Between 1581 and 1593, Cardinal Bellarmine published his “Polemic Lectures Concerning the Disputed Points of the Christian Belief Against the Heretics of this Time.” In these lectures, he agreed with Ribera. “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” (Great Prophecies of the Bible, by Ralph Woodrow, p. 198). Through the work of these two tricky Jesuit scholars, we might say that a brand new baby was born into the world. Protestant historians have given this baby a name — Jesuit Futurism. In fact, Francisco Ribera has been called the Father of Futurism.

Before we go much farther, let’s 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 Y’shua the Messiah and Satan within the Christian Church, culminating at the end of time. Historicism sees these prophecies as having a direct application to Papal Rome as a system whose doctrines are actually a denial of the Bible message of free salvation by grace through simple faith in Y’shua the Messiah, apart from works. Historicism was the primary prophetic viewpoint of the Protestant Reformers. In direct opposition to Historicism, and rising up as a razor-sharp counter-attack on Protestantism, was the Evil Empire of the Jesuits with their 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 right around the time of the Rapture. Thus the ten horns, the little horn, the Beast, and the Antichrist have nothing to do with Believers today. According to this viewpoint, how many prophecies were being fulfilled during the Dark Ages? None. Zero.

For almost 300 years after the Council of Trent, this Catholic baby (Jesuit Futurism) remained largely inside the crib of Catholicism, but the plan of the Jesuits was that this baby would grow up and finally be adopted by Protestants. This adoption process actually began in the early 1800s in England, and from there it spread to America. The story of how this happened is both fascinating and tragic. As I briefly share some of the highlights, I want to clarify that many of those whom I will mention were (and are) genuine Believers. But is it possible for a Believer to unknowingly become a channel for error? In other words, can a sincere Believer be used by both Y’shua the Messiah and the devil? At first we might say, “Never!” but consider this. In Matthew 16, Jesus told Peter that God was blessing him as he shared his faith in Christ (16:15– 17), and then, just a few minutes later, Peter yielded to temptation and Satan spoke through him (16:21–23)! This proves that a Believer can be used by both God and Lucifer, and all within a short space of time. I call this the Peter Principle.

“The Futurism of Ribera never posed a positive threat to the Protestants for three centuries. It was virtually confined to the Roman Church. But early in the nineteenth century it sprang forth with vehemence and latched on to Protestants of the Established Church of England” (Ron Thompson, Champions of Christianity in Search of Truth, p. 91). Dr. Samuel Roffey Maitland (1792–1866), a lawyer and Bible scholar, became a librarian to the Archbishop of Canterbury. It

is very likely that one day he discovered Ribera’s commentary in the library. In any event, in 1826 he published a widely-read book attacking the Reformation and supporting Ribera’s idea of a future one-man Antimessiah. For the next ten years, in tract after tract, he continued his anti-Reformation rhetoric. As a result of his zeal and strong attacks against the Reformation in England, the Protestantism of that very nation which produced the King James Bible (1611) received a crushing blow.

After Dr. Maitland 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). In 1850, Newman wrote his “Letter on Anglican Difficulties” revealing that one of the goals in the Oxford Movement was to finally absorb “the various English denominations and parties” back into the Church of Rome. After publishing a pamphlet endorsing Todd's futurism about a one-man Antichrist, Newman soon became a full Roman Catholic, and later even 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” (H. Grattan Guinness, History Unveiling Prophecy or Time as an Interpreter, New York: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1905, p. 289).

Then came the much-respected Scottish Presbyterian minister Edward Irving (1792–1834), the acknowledged forerunner of both the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements. Irving pastored the large Chalcedonian Chapel in London with over 1,000 members. When Irving turned to the prophecies, he eventually accepted the one-man Antichrist idea of Todd, Maitland, Bellarmine, and Ribera, yet he went a step further. Somewhere around 1830, Edward Irving 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 is a result of a prophetic revelation given to a young Scottish girl named Margaret McDonald (The Incredible Cover-Up: Exposing the Origins of Rapture Theories, by Dave MacPherson. Omega Publications, Medford Oregon. 1980). 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. He became one of the leaders of a group in Plymouth, England, which became known as the Plymouth Brethren. 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 Pre-Tribulation 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 periods. According to Darby, we are now in the “Church Age,” that is, until the Rapture. After the Rapture, then the seven-year period of Daniel 9:27 will supposedly kick in, and this is when the Antichrist will rise up against the Jews. In fact, John Nelson Darby laid much of the foundation for the present popular removal of Daniel’s 70th week away from history and from Y’shua the Messiah in favor of 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. This created a link between John Nelson Darby, the Father of Dispensationalism, and the Jesuit Francisco Ribera, the Father of Futurism. Darby visited America six times between 1859–1874, preaching in all of its major cities, during which time he definitely planted the seeds of Futurism in American soil. The child of the Jesuits was growing up.

One of the most important figures in this whole 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 early 1900s, this Bible became so popular in American Protestant Bible Schools that it was necessary to print literally millions of copies. Yet, in the much-respected footnotes of this very Bible, Scofield injected large doses of the fluid of Futurism also found in the writings of Darby, Todd, Maitland, Bellarmine, and Ribera. Through the Scofield Bible, the Jesuit child reached young adulthood. The doctrine of an Antichrist still to come 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 has 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, easy-to-read volume brought Futurism to the masses of American Christianity, and beyond. 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” (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 all 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 made available on displays at

WalMart, Fry’s Electronics, and inside countless other stores.

Again let me clarify, I believe the authors of Left Behind and the leaders of these television ministries are genuine Believers who are doing their best to influence people for the Kingdom. God is using them, just like the Father spoke through Peter when he firmly confessed his faith in Messiah (Matthew 16:15–17). Remember that Peter Principle. There is much that is good in Left Behind which God can use to influence people for the Messiah. But, in the full light of Scripture, prophecy, and the Protestant Reformation, something is terribly wrong. Left Behind is now teaching the very same Jesuit Futurism of Francisco Ribera which is 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 which is now sweeping over America. Sadly, it is a false “idea whose time has come.”

As we have already seen, 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. Are you ready for this? Guess 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 the Evil Empire’s very own 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” (Robert Caringola, Seventy Weeks: The Historical Alternative, p. 35).

When most Christians look at the last 1,500 years, how much fulfilled prophecy do they see? None, zero, because almost everything is now being applied to a future time period after the Rapture. As we have seen, this GAP idea originated with the Jesuits, and its insertion into the majority of 21st century prophetic teaching is now blinding millions of hearts and eyes to what has gone before, and to what is happening right now inside the Church. “It is this GAP theory that permeates Futurism’s interpretation of all apocalyptic prophecy” (Ralph Thompson, Champions of Christianity in Search of Truth, p. 90). In love and in the Spirit of Y’shua the Messiah, someone should publicly appeal to the major prophetic television ministries of today to re-evaluate their positions. Hopefully, like noble ships with a new command from their captain, they will yet change their course.

Jesuit Futurism has now become like a giant, seven-foot, 400-pound boxer, with spiked gloves. With a seemingly all-powerful punch, it has almost knocked Protestant Historicism entirely out of the ring. “The proper eschatological term for the view most taught today is Futurism...which 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” (Robert Caringola, Seventy Weeks: The Historical Alternative, p. 6). “It is a matter for deep regret that those who hold and advocate the Futurist system at the present day, Protestants as they are for the most part, are thus really playing into the hands of Rome, and helping to screen the Papacy from detection as the

Antichrist” (Daniel and the Revelation: The Chart of Prophecy and Our Place In It, A Study of the Historical and Futurist Interpretation, by Joseph Tanner, London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1898, p. 16).

Who had the right theology — those who were burned at the stake for Y’shua the Messiah, or those who lit the fires? Who had the true Bible doctrine — the martyrs or their persecutors? Who had the correct interpretation of the Antimessiah — those who died trusting in the blood of Messiah, or those who shed the blood of God’s dear saints? Dear friend, the Evil Empire of Jesuit Futurism is now at war with the Protestant Reformation by denying its power-packed 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!” (Robert Caringola, Seventy Weeks: The Historical Alterative, p. 34). In fact, this Evil Empire of Jesuit Futurism is at war with the prophecies of the Word of God itself! And if that’s not enough, consider this. Jesuit Futurism originated with the Roman Catholic Church, which makes it the very doctrine of the Antichrist! And when Christian ministries and movies like A Thief in the Night, Apocalypse, Revelation, Tribulation, and Left Behind, proclaim an Antichrist who comes only after the Rapture, what are they really doing? I shudder to even say it. Are you ready for this? They are sincerely and yet unknowingly teaching the doctrine of the Antichrist!

Now you know why truth has been left behind. You have discovered those heavenly X-ray eyeglasses. You are now able to see The Left Behind Deception.

I appeal to you in the loving name of Y’shua the Messiah, the One who died for us — Don’t fall for it.

[canada]

I was a futurist for the first ten rears of research into Revelation.  I fell, hook line and sinker for the "Late Great Planet Earth".  My books by futurist authors stacked almost as high as myself.

I have been an historicist for the last 30 years ... not that they have all the answers, but believe they are much closer to the truth.  If only believers would understand the truth of Daniel 9:27 being about Y'shua.

 

[Keras]

The OP here is a typical mix of truth and fiction. With an SDA bias. 

We DO have a future; Jesus Will Return to reign as King of the earth for 1000 years and he does not come to a world the same as it is now. The ungodly peoples will be removed by the Great Tribulation, culminating with the Battle of Armageddon; the Seventh Bowl of Revelation. 

Placing all prophecy into the past leaves people without a clue of what God plans for His people, commencing quite soon. 

 

 

[canada]

Historicism does not place all prophecy into the past.

You note fact and fiction ... please point out what is fiction and what shows an SDA bias ... as Historicism existed long before SDA existed.

[teddyv]

On 12/4/2020 at 7:32 AM, choir loft said:

Virtually ALL of the posts books and post-protestant propaganda about the End Times is based on a 500 year old Roman Catholic doctrine called Futurism.   Nearly all of it is false because nearly all of it has been designed to distract the faithful from God's plan of redemption and to divide believers one against the other.  To date the tactic has worked marvelously well.  Very few know and fewer still accept they've been duped into believing a false dogma.   The following is a summation of the history and identification of the actual author of this massive Christian deceit.   It is my hope someone will read this and consider it prayerfully. 

Next time, I recommend linking to the source document, because I think what you did in the OP would not be defined as "fair use".

[Keras]

On 12/6/2020 at 8:05 AM, canada said:

Historicism does not place all prophecy into the past.

You note fact and fiction ... please point out what is fiction and what shows an SDA bias ... as Historicism existed long before SDA existed.

I have written extensively about what the Bible Prophets tell us about God's plans for our future. All free on my logostelos.info  website. 

I have watched Steve Wohlburg preach several times. He is an SDA pastor and he promotes all their doctrines. Including the nonsense about what happened in 1844. 

[canada]

9 hours ago, Keras said:

I have written extensively about what the Bible Prophets tell us about God's plans for our future. All free on my logostelos.info  website. 

I have watched Steve Wohlburg preach several times. He is an SDA pastor and he promotes all their doctrines. Including the nonsense about what happened in 1844. 

Keras ... of the systems of interpretation of Revelation ... full preterism (heretical, all prophecy fulfilled) partial preterism, most fulfilled.  Historicism, some past and some future.  Futurism, most future and Idealism.  Which of these systems do you fit best into? 

And, do you believe the papacy is antichrist?

[Keras]

3 hours ago, canada said:

Keras ... of the systems of interpretation of Revelation ... full preterism (heretical, all prophecy fulfilled) partial preterism, most fulfilled.  Historicism, some past and some future.  Futurism, most future and Idealism.  Which of these systems do you fit best into? 

And, do you believe the papacy is antichrist?

None of those belief systems.  Futurism yes, but Idealism no. 

I know history, of Israel and the ancient world, quite well. Most prophecy simply has not been fulfilled yet. The prophesied sequence of what God has planned for our future is perfectly logical and will happen as described. The few metaphorical descriptions can be explained from modern knowledge and other scriptures. 

If those vividly detailed prophesies are never to be fulfilled; then what else in the Bible is fiction? 

The papacy is not the Antichrist. It is an anti-Christ, the claims and controls imposed by the RCC are far removed from the New Testament teachings of Christianity. They will be destroyed; Revelation 17:15-18

[Michael37]

The Book of Revelation discloses just what it says it does, with an amalgamation of time, place, and energy, and spectacular special effects...

Rev 1:1-3  The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:  (2)  Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.  (3)  Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

Rev 1:19  Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;

The words catastrophic and cataclysmic come to mind with much of it, but it ends well for the people of God.

[canada]

... ... ... ... and the things which shall be hereafter.

"ALL" is not past.