The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 4

V. Founder of Christadelphians a Constant Expounder

DR. JOHN THOMAS, ⁶⁴ founder of the small Christadelphian sect, organized about 1848, and distinctly outside the orthodox ranks, had for some time been highly active in prophetic exposition. Coming to the United States from England in 1832, he began in 1834 to publish The Apostolic Advocate, later issued as Advocate for the Testimony of God (1837-39), with prophetic connotations. He at first joined the Disciples, who were likewise diligent students of prophecy, ⁶⁵ but broke with them when he became “convinced by a study of the Bible that the cardinal doctrines of the existing churches correspond with those of the apostate church predicted in Scripture.” PFF4 286.2

Thomas’ societies of converts took no distinctive name until the outbreak of the Civil War. “Christadelphians” was then selected in 1864, when they claimed military exemption as conscientious objectors. They looked for the return of Christ to reign as king over all the earth from the throne of David in the Holy Land, during the millennium. ⁶⁶ PFF4 286.3

The Apostolic Advocate sets out to proclaim “the Ancient Gospel and the Original Constitution of Things as proclaimed and appointed by the Apostles,” against the clamor of sectarianism. ⁶⁷ In its pages are discussions of the prophetic symbols. The issue for November, 1837, begins with “Remarks on Prophecy.” This presents the Historicist view of Revelation-the Beast is the Roman Empire, the heads are the successive forms of government, the eighth of which is papal. The horns are the ten divided kingdoms, to come after John’s day. The composite form is reminiscent of the earlier beasts of Daniel-Babylonia, Persia, Grecia,—and its lion’s mouth shows it to be the antitype of Babylon the Great. The dragon is Rome down to the breakup into ten kingdoms. ⁶⁸ PFF4 287.1

The Little Horn of Daniel 7 is the two-horned beast and image of Revelation 13-the ecclesiastical tyranny that uses the kingly horns to enforce its penalties. This lion-mouthed beast rages 42 months—or 31/2 times, 1260 days or years-after the bishop of Rome became a temporal prince, but the period of the treading of the Holy City by the Gentiles began earlier. ⁶⁹ Elsewhere the 1260 years “of the Holy Alliance between Church and State in all countries” are dated tentatively from 587 to 1847, or possibly from 606 to 1866. And Protestantism is also “an anti-christian politico-religious system, a true daughter of its Harlot Mother.” Most of Thomas’ books were written after 1850, and so do not fall within the scope of this study. PFF4 287.2