Futurism

A futurist, as the title implies, believes that prophecy will find its fulfillment in the future. This view has the prophecies as being literal, physical events that take place in a time unknown to the prophets (or, as some would say, even to Jesus Christ Himself). Futurists are divided into more camps than any other view. While all views have many adherents that disagree among themselves on specific details of their eschatology, the futurist camp has major divisions within its own ranks. Some divisions are so complete that they have warranted their own sub-groups (most notably, dispensationalism). 

Main Arguments

  1. It is the only view that follows the Bible's prophecies literally (recognizing obvious symbolism). A prophecy that is not fulfilled literally is difficult to see as really fulfilled (i.e. Matt 24:29).
  2. It avoids the confusion of trying to interpret as symbolic that which appears to be physical.
  3. This literal understanding shows that the events prophesied have clearly not taken place as of yet.
  4. John, in Revelation, specifically refers to Revelation as a prophecy (Rev. 1:1-3).
  5. It keeps the distinction of Israel and the Church which some of the other views blur (Rom. 9-11).

Objections

  1. This view removes its contemporary readers from its relevance (Rev. 22:16).
  2. It takes as physical that which is symbolic in other parts of Scripture (i.e. the Day of the Lord. See Ezek 32; Isa. 13:10, ch.34).
  3. It ignores the apocalyptic nature of Revelation (Rev. 1:1 "the apocalypse of Jesus Christ").
  4. It leads to all manner of false predictions. In the last 150 years every generation of futurists have been able to find "fulfillment" of the prophecies in their own time. They have failed time and again to predict with accuracy the symbolic events of Revelation.
  5. Futurists ignore futurism's origin…that of Roman Catholicism. (In the 1500's, in an attempt to divert attention from the Roman Catholic Church's identification as the Beast of Revelation 13, a Jesuit priest suggested futurism as an alternate system of interpretation.)