An Overview of Historicism Classical Post Millennialism

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JM

Puritan Board Doctor
The First Rays of Millennial Morning Light | Mint, Dill, and the Cumin

Historicism teaches that much of prophetic revelation is being fulfilled throughout church history from the first advent to some undetermined time in the future. This is in contrast to partial preterism that sees much of prophetic revelation fulfilled in the first century and in contrast to futurism that sees much of prophetic revelation being fulfilled in some distant future. This is simply going to be an overview of Historicism and not a complete exhaustive work on Historicism. It is extremely hard to just give a brief overview of the system. It took Horae Apocalypticae by Edward Elliott 4000 pages to give a complete exhaustive detail of the Historicism system and it is very hard to condense 4000 pages into a brief overview.​
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Thank you for the post.
This brings multiple questions to hand if you do not mind.

I have looked into the Historicist interpretation as applied to both Pre & Post positions, but find so many differing views as to what 'date' or 'event' matches what portion of scripture. Then the question of 'validation' comes to mind.

1) What rules does the Historicist of any position use to validate a fulfillment?

There are multiple millennial positions, Post/Pre/A/(full & Partial Preterism.) Then, there are multiple forms of interpretation that can or are applied to these positions, "Futurism/Historicism/Idealism/Preterism. Full Preterism tends to stand by itself in this relationship.

For example, one can take an approach of Idealism to Post or A millennialism, or an approach of Historicism to Pre or Post-millennialism. It seems that Futurism is exclusive to Premillennialism, and Full Preterism stands as its own interpretive method, and the “remaining unfulfilled” portions of partial preterism can be either historicist or Idealist. One can claim to hold to Postmillennialism but be either a Full/Partial-Preterist, or a Historicist Postmillennialist, or an Idealistic Postmillennialist.

So we have Futurism/Historicism/Idealism/Preterism as applied to Post/Pre/A/Partial Preterism.

2) What are these called? Is the former group properly referred to as the "interpretive method" of the latter millennial position?

3) What is their relationship called?
 
I see one question that I will attempt to answer.

1) What rules does the Historicist of any position use to validate a fulfillment?

We would use the same rules any Reformed system of theology would use to recognize fulfilled prophecy. We use both sacred and profane history. We would interpret Revelation in the same way we would interpret Daniel.

Here is a chapter by chapter overview of how a Historicist would interpret scripture: Interpreting Daniel, by J.L. Haynes @ Historicism.com

You could visit my blog found in the sig line or Eschatology Resources | The Antipas Chronicles

Yours in the Lord,

jm
 
Perhaps the questions are all vain.

They seem to me to be very pertinent questions. The observation about an inability to arrive at any kind of consensus regarding historical events demonstrates that the approach depends on the perspective of the interpreter rather than that of writer/reader. The fact that so many different events can be regarded as the "fulfilment" of a vision indicates that the visions were not intended to be predictions of specific events, but of the spiritual character which all things bear in relation to the Executor of the Divine purpose.
 
Rev. Winzer brings up an excellent point. Is Revelation predictive like Daniel or do we need to interpret it differently than Daniel?


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Is Revelation predictive like Daniel or do we need to interpret it differently than Daniel?

Revelation is clearly predictive like Daniel, but I see Daniel's "predictive" element to be more in keeping with the progressive nature of revelation in which the exiles were a part of the historical development. The same applies to the Revelation and the seven churches.
 
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