The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 2

II. Horch-2300 Extending to Kingdom, Includes Lesser Periods

HEINRICH HORCH (or Horche) (1652-1729), Reformed theologian, was born in Eschwege, and studied theology and medicine in Marburg. There he was deeply influenced by the Spener Pietistic Movement. In 1683 he became a minister at Heidelberg, and two years later court preacher at Kreuznach, returning to Heidelberg in 1687, there to receive the Doctor of Theology degree. He was also pastor of the Church of the Holy Spirit, and became involved in controversies with the Jesuits over questions in the Heidelberg Catechism. PFF2 698.2

In 1690 Horch became court chaplain and professor at Her-born, holding unorthodox views, especially concerning the millennium. He associated with Separatists, sponsoring their movement. This led to his suspension in 1698, following which he traveled extensively, preaching in the market squares, cemeteries, and wherever he found an opportunity. He was arrested several times. He was erratic and intractable, and for a period suffered from a mental illness, from which he later recovered. His last years were spent in Kirchhain, near Marburg, where his time was occupied largely in writing books. To the end he held that the church had become corrupt and needed reforming. He was a man of unusual gifts, sincere and zealous, but stub born. He wrote a great number of treatises in German and Latin. PFF2 698.3

1. INTEREST IN PROPHECY AROUSED BY BEVERLEY

One of Horch’s first works on prophecy was prompted by reading Beverley, as translated by Brüsske. It was called Das A und das Ooder Zeitrechnungder gantzen H. Schrifft (The Alpha and Omega or Time Reckoning of the Holy Scriptures). He considers the 2300 years the “guide to the entire succeeding chronological order of the Scriptures up to the glorious kingdom of Christ.” ³ PFF2 699.1

2. 2300 YEARS FROM CYRUS TO CHRIST’S KINGDOM

Horch declares they began with Cyrus and will last till the destruction of Antichrist and the establishment of Christ’s kingdom past the four kingdoms of Babylonia, Persia, Grecia, and Rome. ⁴ His detailed statement on the 2300 years follows: PFF2 699.2

“What period spans the 2300 evenings and mornings? From the Persian monarchy to the end of the Roman, by the destruction of Antichrist.... What kind of days are the evening-mornings? Those are prophetic days-or so many years. Had these prophetic days already begun in those days? Yes. Ezekiel had to bear the iniquity of Israel for 390 days and the iniquity of Judah for 40 days, and each day stood for a year. Ezekiel 4:5, 6.... As Moses says: And the evening and the morning were the first, second, third, etc., day, till the Sabbath, the last day of the week; in this manner time shall continue till the glorious kingdom of Christ as the right day of rest of the saints at the end of the world. Hebrews 4:9, Acts 3:20, Revelation 20:6.” ⁵ PFF2 699.3

3. TRUE SANCTUARY WORSHIP INTERRUPTED BY PAPACY

Horch holds that the sanctuary, which had been built, had the true daily sacrifice or worship, but this daily would be interrupted for a time—the Little Horn to stand up against the Prince of princes during a long part of the period ⁶—while the 2300 years would stretch across the centuries. PFF2 699.4

4. 2300 YEARS EMBRACE ALL PERIODS

This 2300 years embraces the seventy weeks, the 1260 years, the 1290, and 1335, ⁷ which reach to the kingdom of God. ⁸ Horch was evidently the first German expositor to recognize the 70 weeks as a subordinatepart of the 2300 years. He does not, however, begin the two periods together, but starts the 2300 years with the year in which Cyrus gave the permission to rebuild Jerusalem. As this order was not carried out for seventy-five years, Horch calls this interim the period of obstacles or resistance, but includes it in the 2300-year period. ⁹ After the passing of this interval the 70 weeks or 490 years began, and extended three and one-half years beyond the death of Christ. ¹⁰ PFF2 700.1

5. DEAD WORKS OF SARDIS MUST BE SHAKEN OFF

Horch, in the Revelation, applies Sardis to the post-Reformation church, to which some of the dead works had clung, to be shaken off in the Philadelphia period. ¹¹ PFF2 700.2

6. PERIODS OF SARACENIC AND TURKISH TRUMPETS

The trumpets are judgments against the Roman Empire-the reign of the Saracen locusts to last 150 years, the time of their great spread, ¹² beginning in 622, and the Turkish sixth trumpet of 396years (a year, a month, and a day, or 365 + 30+1) to extend from 1057 to 1453. ¹³ The saints will not reign with Christ until the beast and the false prophet are cast into the lake of fire. ¹⁴ PFF2 700.3

7. ANGELIC MESSAGES AGAINST PAPACY YET FUTURE

In later books the Little Horn as Antichrist is iterated and reiterated,” ¹⁵ and the three angelic messages of Revelation 14, are considered still future. ¹⁶ Such were the leading positions on prophecy advocated by Horch. PFF2 700.4