Appendix 16

A HUGE number of books have been written about Bible prophecy, most of them by the evangelical community, about latter-day events. Some of those books, like Hal Lindsey’s The Late Great Planet Earth (1970) sold millions of copies. One measure of the fascination exerted by the future has been the success of the fictional series Left Behind, written by Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye. From 1995 onwards, this series of books about how things might work out before and during the Coming of Christ ran to sixteen adult titles, with total sales surpassing sixty-five million copies. Seven of those titles reached Number One on the bestseller lists for The New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly.

The series made less impact in the UK, and it is not mentioned here by way of a recommendation, but as an indication that there is a huge demand in certain circles for books about latter-day prophecy. It follows that you need to select and read with care, and be prepared for interpretations that do not accord with our understanding of Bible teaching, especially on topics like the Rapture and the Antichrist.

Starting thoughtfully

If you want to get a balanced view of what prophecy can and cannot achieve, try R. A. Redford’s Prophecy: It’s Nature and Evidence (1882, Religious Tract Society). As already indicated, E. B. Pusey’s lectures on Daniel the Prophet (1885) contain some general observations about prophecy, before the book proceeds to defend the authenticity and historicity of the prophecy of Daniel.

J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy (1980, Baker) gives comprehensive coverage of nearly two thousand prophecies, starting in Genesis 1:26. In the detailed consideration of each passage, the author refers to very many works and writers, explaining their interpretations, so this compendium is useful as a pointer elsewhere. But the first 140 pages (of a 750-page book!) are about the nature of Biblical prediction, its form and its fulfilment. This is another indication that the topic needs to be approached systematically and with a degree of caution. Payne refers to the wise counsel given by T. H. Horne in his massive multi-volume Introduction to the Holy Scriptures (1839), where he wrote:

“PROPHECY, or the prediction of future events, is justly considered as the highest evidence that can be given, of supernatural communion with the Deity. The force of the argument from prophecy, for proving the divine inspiration of the sacred records, has already been exhibited; and the cavils of objectors, from its alleged obscurity has been obviated. Difficulties, it is readily admitted, do exist in understanding the prophetic writings: but these are either owing to our ignorance of history and of the Scriptures, or because the prophecies themselves are yet unfulfilled. The latter can only be understood when the events foretold have actually been accomplished but the former class of difficulties may be removed in many, if not in all, cases; and the knowledge, sense, and meaning of the prophets may, in a considerable degree, be attained by prayer, reading, and meditation, and by comparing Scripture with Scripture, especially with the writings of the New Testament, and particularly with the book of the Revelation”.

In defence of Bible prophecy

This comment highlights another aspect of writing about prophecy, namely books that have been written to defend the writing of the prophets against critical attack. From Wellhausen onwards, it became fashionable to allege that any prophecy that had been fulfilled must have been written after the event in question. In particular, Daniel’s writing came under attack and has been very strongly defended. Earlier works include R. D. Wilson Studies in the Book of Daniel (1917); C. Boutflower’s In and Around the Book of Daniel (1923); and Sir Robert Anderson’s Daniel in the Critics’ Den (1909). Under that same title, Josh McDowell has produced a book (1979, Campus Crusade) in which, typically, he collates comments from these writers and others, to answer the various criticisms that have been made. Two short but useful studies are by D. J. Wiseman and others, Notes on Some Problems in the Book of Daniel (1970) and J. C. Whitcomb, Darius the Mede (1975).

Prophetic interpretations

Brother Thomas was not alone in being fascinated by Bible Prophecy. At about the time he was writing, there were others trying to work things out from the Bible and some of their writings have become quite widely read and cited in our community. H. Grattan Guinness was a prolific author, who was frequently quoted by Brother Robert Roberts. His works include The Approaching End of the Age (1880), Light for the Last Days (1886) and The Divine Programme of the World’s History (1892). These are often available second-hand and can be accessed electronically. Many of his calculations about the likely return of the Lord take account of the interaction between solar and lunar calendars and if you want to pursue that topic with a Christadelphian author then Times and Seasons (1961) by Brother W. H. Carter is available, having been reprinted a few years ago. Even though the detailed calculations made by both writers didn’t work out quite as they expected, if you have a mathematical bent or are interested in prophetic time periods, these books are worth browsing through.

Even earlier than Guinness, Thomas Newton had written his Dissertations on the Prophecies (1860), in which he systematically reviews prophecies by or about Noah, Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, Balaam, Moses, Nineveh, Babylon, Tyre, Egypt, and so on. A book of 730 pages, this is not an easy read but it is the product of an age when the authority of the Bible was totally accepted. You can access the part of it which deals with the Lord’s Olivet prophecy online, and that will give you a taster of his style and approach.

Extracts from Christadelphian writing about prophecy, mainly by Brethren John Thomas and Robert Roberts, were brought together by Brother Frank Jannaway in his (undated) book Christadelphian Key to the Prophecies. This shows the breadth and scope of the various writings about prophecy, either in books or magazines. Most of these writings, like Chronikron Hebraikon or Clerical Theology Unscriptural have been reprinted several times, and are available electronically on the Christadelphian Works volume 2 CD-ROM, in Libronix format.

Over the years there have been many vigorous defences of our long-held prophetic interpretations. In 1991 CSSS published a booklet by Brother Edward Farrar In Defence of the Year-Day Interpretation of the Prophetic Time Periods of the Bible, which commends the approach of Grattan Guinness and others, including Joseph Mede who wrote The Key of the Revelation, as far back as 1643. A booklet written by William and James Farrar in 1977 very helpfully rebuts the evangelical belief in a Satanic Antichrist, and suggests that such a view could result in a challenge being made to the Lord himself. The title says it all: The Coming Antichrist: Jesus of Nazareth?

Alternative views about the likely outworking of prophecy have also appeared, usually being printed and circulated by the individuals who wrote them. Brother John Allfree wrote The Lord’s Mount Olivet Prophecy and A World Destroyed by Fire (1996), to argue that the prophecies in question were wholly fulfilled in AD 70. Brother Harry Whittaker wrote The Last Days, The Time of the End and Jews, Arabs and Bible Prophecy, to promote his view that the Arabs still have an important part to play in latter-day events, while CSSS published a booklet by Brother Don Styles which posed the question, Israel’s Defeat: by Gog or the Arabs? Provided you can keep an open mind and don’t get upset by different ideas, these alternative views can be stimulating and encouraging. Incidentally, similar debates take place from time to time outside our community and if you want to see the scope of prophetic material available, much of it horrendous, have a look at the titles listed online.

Prophecy of Daniel

Two books are key to our understanding of God’s prophetic scheme, namely Daniel and the Book of Revelation. Isaac Newton knew that and wrote The Prophecies of Daniel and The Apocalypse in 1733, which has now been reprinted by Printland Publishers. Buy it from them direct.

Most Christadelphian writers have concentrated on one or other book, except for Brother Thomas who appended his Brief Exposition of Daniel to the third volume of Eureka (although it has since been published separately). Brother Edmund Green wrote The Prophecy of Daniel (1988) and that gives a helpful straightforward exposition. Brother Islip Collyer wrote the shorter Daniel and Christ (1933), but that is now difficult to find. And Brother H. P. Mansfield included that work in his Christadelphian Expositor series.

If you want a non-Christadelphian view of the prophecy, try E. J. Young’s Daniel (1949, Banner of Truth); Leon Wood, A Commentary on Daniel (1973, Zondervan) or J. G. Baldwin, Daniel (1978, Tyndale OTC).

“The Revelation – which interpretation?”

Mention has already been made of the above work by Brother Graham Pearce, who classifies various Christadelphian publications into (a) Continuous Historic (b) Preterist (fulfilment began shortly after the book was written, at least in part) and (c) Futurist. Using those categories as a general guide (though accepting that some aspects of the interpretation overlap), here is a list of some of our writings on this book of the Bible (in alphabetical order).

1 Continuous Historic
2 Preterist/Futurist

This list is not exhaustive, for there are other expositions like those by Brother Rudolf Rijkeboer: Jesus’ Last Message (1998) or by Brother David Pitt-Francis: The Most Amazing Message Ever Written (1983) which do not fit neatly into either category. And there have been countless booklets, study notes and seminar notes issued – all of which goes to show our fascination with prophecy in general, and the Apocalypse in particular.

Of course, if you want to widen your reading to non-Christadelphian writing, you will find a vast array of interpretations. I. T. Beckwith in his Apocalypse of John (1919) offers this comment about the various methods of interpretation:

“Futurists take some parts as directly historical, preterists transfer parts to the Last Days, adherents of the world- or church-historical method assign parts to each of the other systems; in other words the different theories are not in practical application made mutually exclusive throughout. And in fact the nature of the book is such that no one of the systems taken in its narrow limitations to the exclusion of the others can give a just conception of the Apocalyptist’s meaning. Every apocalyptic writing is grounded in the present and the past, but at the same time looks forward to the future. But not much argument is needed to show that neither the continuous-historical, nor the absolute futurist method can be adopted as the determining rule in the study of the Revelation”.

Richard Bauckham has written two books, The Climax of Prophecy and The Theology of Revelation; so has Austin Farrar, A Rebirth of Images and The Revelation of St John the Divine. William Hendricksen opts for a spiritual interpretation in More Than Conquerors. H. B. Swete’s Apocalypse of St John has also become available electronically in Libronix format and J. A. Seiss’ The Apocalypse can be accessed in Biblesoft format as well as Ages software. And there are all the usual commentaries in the various publishers’ series of expository commentaries, which offer a range of interpretations.

If you would just like to see how the various schemes of interpretation work out side-by-side, to compare and contrast them, Steve Gregg has done that in Revelation: Four Views – A Parallel Commentary (1997, Thomas Nelson). Happy reading!

Back to top
Back to index