Futurism (Christianity)

[5] Some elements of the futurist interpretation of Revelation and Daniel appeared in the early centuries of the Christian Church.

Irenaeus of Lyon (died c. 202), for instance, subscribed to the view that Daniel's 70th week awaited a future fulfillment.

[10] Another Jesuit, Manuel Lacunza (1731–1801), wrote in favor of futurism under the pen name "Ben-Ezra", and his work was banned by the Catholic Church.

Until the 19th century, the futurist view was generally shunned by non-Catholics, being seen as a self-defense of the papacy against the claims of the historicist reformers.

[12] The futurist view entered Protestant circles around 1827 through Samuel R. Maitland, librarian to the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Antichrist will make a "treaty" as the Prince of the Covenant (i.e., "the prince who is to come") with Israel's future leadership at the commencement of the seventieth week of Daniel's prophecy; in the midst of the week, the Antichrist will break the treaty and commence persecution against a regathered Israel.

The futurist view of the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24 equates Jesus's teaching to be about the future Great Tribulation.

[22]Futurist interpretations generally predict a resurrection of the dead and a rapture of the living, wherein all true Christians are gathered to Christ prior to the time God's kingdom comes on earth.

Hal Lindsey suggests that this revived Roman Empire will be centered in western Europe, with Rome as its capital.

)[citation needed] In the futurist view of Christian eschatology, the tribulation is a relatively short period of time where anyone who chose not to follow God before the Rapture and was left behind (according to pre-tribulation doctrine, not mid- or posttribulation teaching) will experience worldwide hardships, disasters, famine, war, pain, and suffering, which will wipe out more than 75% of all life on the earth before the Second Coming takes place.

[citation needed] According to dispensationalists who hold the futurist view, the tribulation is thought to occur before the Second Coming of Jesus and during the End Times.

The 1290 days of Daniel 12:11, (rather than the 1260 days of Revelation 11:3), is thought to be the result of either a simple intercalary leap month adjustment, or due to further calculations related to the prophecy, or due to an intermediate stage of time that is to prepare the world for the beginning of the millennial reign.

Another feature of the pre- and mid-tribulation beliefs is the idea that after the Rapture, Christ will return for a third time (when also counting the first coming) to set up his kingdom on the earth.