In most churches, the amazing prophecies of Daniel, Revelation and Matthew 24 are being interpreted according to one of two methods of prophetic interpretation:
1. The Historicist (Martin Luther) Method
Martin Luther, the great Protestant German Reformer, used the method of prophetic interpretation that was laid down by Moses and used by all the writers of the Bible. It is the foundation on which the Reformation was built.
Concerning the evil beast and its mark, Luther taught that:
a. The beast was active in the past
b. The beast was active presently
c. The beast would be active until Jesus returns.
2. The Futuristic (Ribera) Method
The Roman Catholic leadership was alarmed by the acceptance of the message of the Reformation, which threatened the established Church. So, Francisco Ribera, a Jesuit priest, developed a second method of interpretation, called Futurism. The futuristic method of prophetic interpretation was developed to cancel out the force of the Protestant Reformation; it provided the thrust of the counter-Reformation.
Ribera finished His book in the 1500's. He taught that:
a. The beast was not active in the past
b. The beast was not active presently
c. The beast would not be active until the "end of the age"
d. Revelation 4 - 18 would not be fulfilled until the "end of the age"
e. The Jews would be converted at the "end of the age."
f. The Jews would encounter the beast and antichrist at the "end of the age."
Margaret MacDonald of the Plymouth Brethren Church in Britain, during the late 1830's, while in a trance, spoke the words that gave rise to the secret rapture, thus supporting Ribera's method of prophetic interpretation.
This is a dangerous teaching. Do you know why?
1. It effectively stopped the Reformation in Europe
2. Both Protestants and Catholics are being deceived
3. They will enforce the mark of the beast, thinking that they are doing the will of God.
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