In the immediate years after surrendering my life to the Lord Jesus Christ, I was a member of a fundamentalist church in Columbus, Ohio. I immersed myself in studying THE truth of the Bible (as asserted and taught by the fundamentalists) including the basics of baptism, salvation by faith, repentance, forgiveness of sins, etc.… oh yeah, and eschatology—the doctrines of the last things.
I purchased and made hundreds of personal notes in my Scofield Reference Bible and studied deeply into the doctrines of the great tribulation, THE antichrist, the beast, the false prophet—all who were to appear on the world stage after I and my fellow believers had been whisked away in the rapture.
But, as I have stated many times before, a lot of their eschatology of futurism simply did not make sense to me. I “figgered” I was just dull and stupid and if I studied enough, I would “get it.”
By the grace of God, however, I encountered a “little old lady” who challenged my fundamentalist beliefs and introduced me to the sermons of Pastor Sheldon Emry.
I listened to his “Song of Moses” series and was “blown away.” Finally, I said to myself, not only does this make sense, but the idea that we (Anglo-Saxon and related peoples) are Israel is utterly astonishing.
She lived in Hamilton, Ohio and I was eager to see if she would lend me more of his sermon tapes. She gave me a whole shoebox full (literally). Roxanne and I devoured them, staying up well after many midnights at our kitchen table with our Bibles open to “check him out;” i.e., we “received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:11
With hundreds of Emry’s sermons on tape coming into our possession and assimilation into our souls and spirits, I have long considered Sheldon to have been my chief mentor in the Word of God. We all stand on the shoulders of the great teachers who have come before us.
I feel certain that Pastor Emry was well acquainted with the voluminous works of Dr. Howard Rand. We ourselves have most of the bound volumes (decades) of his Destiny magazines in our library as well as all of the many books he authored.
It is our privilege (with permission given us years ago by his successors at Destiny Publishers) to reproduce articles from his magazine. Thus we are pleased to share the following article from the February 1939 issue of Destiny magazine.
Please keep in mind that this was penned just before World War II broke out. Fundamentalists at that time were soon quick to write about Mussolini or Hitler or Stalin being THE long-expected (by them) great Antichrist.
Undoubtedly, those tyrants were antichrists—just as there have been millions of antichrists since John first stated the obvious in 1 John 2:18, Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
It was “the last time” as John wrote. It was the end of one age and the beginning of the new age of Pentecost. Similarly, we are now in the very earliest days of another new age…the Golden Age of Tabernacles!
We would have a few areas of disagreement with Dr. Rand as we have the hindsight of history to show his slight misunderstandings, but this is still on the whole an excellent treatise on eschatology, showing the folly of the fundamentalist-futurist school of eschatology.
All emphases and comments with [brackets] are mine—JWB.
The Roman Empire by Howard B. Rand
THERE are those who declare that the Roman Empire is yet to be revived. They point to present events in and around the Mediterranean to the activities of Mussolini as evidence to them of that coming revival. Some who hold to this view have informed Mussolini that he is the man destined to accomplish such a task.
This is not his work, yet we know that he is destined to be a destructive force in helping to bring to an end the present order. Personally we would not want the responsibility of contributing to his plans and ambitions by urging him on to the fulfillment of any such roll as the futurists assigned to him.
It is needless to take the time in this article to review the history and origin of the futuristic school of prophetic interpretation. Suffice to say that whole futuristic view regarding the revival of the Roman Empire rests upon a false premise.
The literature of this school of interpretation constantly refers to the "He" that will make a covenant as the coming head of that revived Roman Empire. Daniel 9:22 is cited in confirmation of this statement. The verse says, “He shall confirm (not make) a covenant." The "He" refers to the Messiah who has been cut off.
It was He, Jesus Christ, who confirmed the covenant prophetically set forth by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The writer of Hebrews declared that the terms of the New Covenant, set forth by Jesus Christ, were the confirmation of Jeremiah's prophecy.
But, and the fact is pointed out to us when we declare there is to be no future revival of the Roman Empire, the early church fathers looked for a future revival of Rome. They did, and such a future revival actually took place as far as their day was concerned. It has now become a matter of recorded history.
Daniel very clearly sets forth the activities of Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece and Imperial Rome. Here we have four empires, each of which has occupied the stage of world activity in the above order. [We have expounded this in great detail in our series of lectures entitled Mystery Babylon and the Stone Kingdom.]
Daniel then refers to a coming stage of Roman activities, following the passing of Imperial Rome, and represents it as divided into states partly strong and partly weak.
Three great barbaric leaders, Alaric the Goth, Attila the Hun and Genseric the Vandal were instrumental in bringing about the destruction of the Roman Empire.
The four trumpets spoken of in the eighth chapter of Revelation are these successive scourges that finally brought to a close the activity of Imperial Rome. The Roman Empire had passed away and only its title remained as evidence of its former glory. Thus the fifth century saw the end of this once great power so clearly visualized by Daniel.
The revival of Imperial Rome is clearly taught in Scripture but in a different form. That revived empire was to be a divided one for Daniel refers to its ten subdivisions. The former activities of the Roman Empire are described by John as a beast with seven heads (Revelation 17).
Imperial Rome had seven types of governments. They were as follows: Kings, Counsels, Dictators, Decemvirs, Tribunes, Emperors and Military Rulers. The Angel informs John that five of them had fallen. This was true for the sixth, or rule of Emperor was the form of government in power when John had his vision on the Isle of Pativos. The angel then declares that the seventh which would follow would be of short duration. The military rulers became the seventh, in whose time Pagan Rome passed away.
Here, then is the wonder or marvel of it all as John watched the unfolding of events. Imperial Rome passed away but in its place Papal Rome came to power, taking the mantle that had fallen from the shoulders of Pagan Rome.
In spite of the fact that Imperial Rome was no more, the political-religious eighth head revived the spirit of Imperial Rome and extended its authority over the nations. Papal Rome became so powerful that no man dared make war against her. She could and did set up and did depose kings. Truly in Ecclesiastical Rome we have the revival of the spirit and power of Imperial Rome.
John, in describing the rise of the Papacy as told to him by the angel, declared it came into being during the activities of the military rulers of Rome. It did, and after they passed away it became the eighth head and exercised all the power and authority of the sixth, or Emperors.
This revival of Rome was to continue for many years. John said it would be active until perdition. Now perdition here refers to the day of destruction. The 9th chapter of Revelation described the final destruction of evil as it will take place at the time of the Triumphant Return of Our Lord. The Beast and the false Prophet are present at that time.
The revival of the spirit of Imperial Rome in the activities and rule of the Papacy is set forth by Daniel in the description of the Western Little Horn whose eyes were that of a man, and which had a mouth speaking great things. Thus we have the human aspect of the Papacy promulgating its Bulls and issuing its decrees of excommunication—speaking great things.[emphasis in the original]
Now note that Daniel describes the continuation of this power "until thrones were cast down, and the ancient of days did sit." As with the eighth head, so with the little horn, both representing the Papacy, they continue until the present order comes to a close.
God organized Israel at Mount Sinai into His Kingdom at which time He set forth the laws they were to administer. It was His purpose to constitute them a nation of administrators for the establishment of justice and equity in the earth.
But Israel sinned in refusing to carry out His plan. Because of this a seven times period of punishment was decreed upon them. During this long 2520 years of Israel's displacement the following nations have appeared upon the political stage of the world — Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece and Rome. They held sway by military power for 1260 years, at the close of which time Imperial Rome had passed away.
Daniel saw an angel standing in the midst of the river pointing in both directions and declaring 1260 to the right hand and to the left. With the passing of the above four world empires we reach the center of the great week with 1260 years [not literal days as per the futurists] left to run.
The beginning of this new period saw a revival of the old Roman Empire as the Papacy took over its authority and power, cloaking its activities in ecclesiastical garb. The world rule promised to Israel was yet to be exercised [over true Israel] for [another] 1260 years by a line of Gentile nations, during the balance of Israel's period of punishment. These nations have now dominated and ruled the earth, including the period of Papal activity, for that length of time.
A revived Roman Empire carried on under ecclesiastical rather than military power. Papal Rome's domination of the religious-political activities of nations enabled her to exercise an imperial rule that has eclipsed even that of Pagan Rome.
These facts are undeniable. History has amply verified that Papal Rome took the place of Pagan Rome and has always claimed the right to temporal rule. The Eternal City under Pagan Rome is now the Eternal City under Papal Rome. No wonder John said that they who dwelt upon the earth would be filled with astonishment as a result of this revival.
John also saw Ten coming to power as Kings, having the power of Kings, yet not Kings, whose rise to power was to occur just as the time period began to close for this second phase of Roman activity. These Ten were to support the beast for one hour (a prophetic hour is 15 years).
The dictators have come to power during the last 15 years. Mussolini is not destined as one of these dictators to revive the Roman Empire, for that has already been done many years ago in the activities of the Papacy.
But he is destined to assist in the destruction of the present system and the taking of the wealth of the Papacy.
All this is the prelude to the restoration of Israel when His commandments, statutes and judgments will become the law of earthly administration under the righteous rule of the Coming One—Our Lord and King.
The very march of events, as major prophecies come to fulfillment in our day and generation, clearly indicates the soon passing of this present order. This is to be followed by the coming in of the new after the destruction of the destroyers and the passing of the long time rule of this revived Roman Empire.
Why have these things not been more clearly seen in the past? It is in a large measure due to the fact that the futuristic school of prophetic interpretation has followed a leadership, the purpose of which was to confuse the issue.
Since then they have read and studied the works of each other and freely quote from each other's writings rather than study the Bible and follow its diction. Thus there has been propagated an erroneous and dangerous doctrine which is largely to blame for blinding men to the truth of prophetic fulfillment. What a pity!
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