The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 4

I. Compilation of French Revolution Predictions

At the very height of the French Revolution, pamphlets were issued that assembled various published statements by scholarly students of prophecy, written over the previous century, and earlier. These had boldly forecast a coming upheaval in France and a revolt from the Papacy, all based upon Revelation 11. One of these British compilations was the anonymous Prophetic Conjectures on the French Revolution (96 pages reprinted at Philadelphia in 1794), citing the former statements of eight well-known European scholars. The fact that the first American edition was all sold out within “a few days,” and a second edition printed, attests the deep public interest in this current phase of prophetic fulfillment. The fifteen-page Introduction is illuminating and provides a good summation of the predominant prophetic views then held. It begins: PFF4 108.2

Picture 1: MARIE ANTOINETTE ON THE WAY TO THE GUILLOTINE
Lent “Earthquake” of the french revolution, with its bloody scenes, was widely to be touched with prophetic significance, and regarded as a forerunner of the last 1 imes by many religious leaders of the day in America and Europe
Page 110

“Prophecy is one of the best evidences of a divine revelation. And it is a peculiar glory of our Bible that it contains a regular series of prophecies from the earliest times to the consummation of all things ¹ PFF4 110.1

Then, tracing the utterances of inspired prophecy from the days of Enoch, Noah, and Moses onward, the compiler makes this classic statement concerning the grand outline covering the entire Christian Era: PFF4 110.2

“The succeeding prophets, each in clearer and fuller language, described the events of future and distant ages—the various revolutions of empires and states-and some of them even fixed the times in which their words should be accomplished. The New Testament completes and illustrates the Old. Our Lord and his apostle Paul added many valuable particulars; the former as to the close of the Jewish economy, and the latter with respect to the corruptions since brought into the Christian church. But the REVELATION of St. John, or rather of Jesus Christ to him, contains the most full and important series of prophecies ever bestowed on mankind; extending from the close of the first century of Christianity, about which time it was written, to the end of time; and may be considered as an inspired comment on the predictions of Daniel, referring in great measure to the same events ² PFF4 110.3

1. SCOPE OF THE PROPHECIES OF REVELATION

Prophecy, continues this Introduction, was also designed to be a comfort and encouragement in times of special “public distress and danger.” Thus it has proved to be in the crucial periods of history as in the days when the seventy years’ captivity of the Jews was drawing to an end, and again when the first advent was near. And thus it should be in this time. The “secret things” belong indeed to God, but “those that are revealed” belong in verity to us. So these “conjectures” on the prophecies, uttered sincerely by “eminent and pious men,” appear to “remarkably correspond with subsequent events.” Then, as a prelude to the special observations concerning the French Revolution as fulfilling prophecy, a “brief analysis” is given of those parts of the book of Revelation “as are generally agreed to be already accomplished ³ First, the excellent summary of the scope of the seven churches of Revelation 2 and 3, drawn from Dr. Gill and others, is cited: PFF4 110.4

“1. That the church of Ephesus, represents the church in the apostolic age 2. that of Smyrna, the time of the ten early persecutions, and to the days of Constantine 3. That of Pergamos, the church from that period during the rise of popery 4. That of Thyatira, the dark ages of the church preceding the reformation 5. That of Sardis, the reformed church 6. That of Philadelphia, Christ’s spiritual reign—and the 7th and last, that of Laodicea, a state of remarkable declension expected to follow the latter period, and immediately precede the end of the world ⁴ PFF4 111.1

This admits of no gaps. The churches sweep in the entire Christian dispensation from the first to the second advent. For the remaining sections of the Revelation the compiler largely follows Bishop Thomas Newton ⁵ as on the seven trumpets, which are explained, in order, as follows: (1st) The invasion by Alaric and his Goths, (2nd) the ravages of Attila and his Huns, (3rd) the depredations of Genseric and his Vandals, (4th) the ruin wrought by Odoacer and the Heruli, destroying what remained of the Western Roman Empire. Then, (5th), Mohammed and his Arabian army, symbolized by the locusts, and (6th) the Ottoman Turks, who effect the ruin of the Eastern Empire, while (7th) the last trumpet ushers in the millennium ⁶ PFF4 111.2

In chapter 11 the death of the Two Witnesses, and their resurrection after three and a half year-days, is perhaps “still future.” The great red dragon of chapter 12 is “commonly understood of Pagan Rome,” and this vision covers the events of the first six seals. The ten-horned beast of chapter 13 “represents Papal Rome,” with the two-horned beast the “pope and his clergy.” And the 666 is either the Greek Lateinos, applied to the Latin or Roman Catholic Church of the West, the Hebrew Romith, the Latin Ludovicus, referring to the French kings named Louis, or the Latin Vicarius Filii Dei, referring to the pope as “Vicar of the Son of God.” PFF4 111.3

Revelation 14 describes the true church, and the progress of the later Reformation. In chapter 16 the vials “effect the final destruction of antichrist.” Chapter 17 “represents the church of Rome under the emblem of a gaudy harlot, riding on the seven headed beast.” Chapters 18 and 19 cover the destruction of spiritual Babylon and the final triumph of the church. Chapter 20 presents the millennial state, or the coming “thousand years of the churches glory,” and chapters 21 and 22, on the new earth and the New Jerusalem, refer either to the millennium or to heaven itself. That is the over-all picture, common among many Protestants. Then follow the specific citations, naming France and predicting her repudiation of the Papacy ⁷ PFF4 112.1

2. JURIEU PREDICTS FRENCH BREAK BY 1795

The two excerpts from those earlier expositors which gave the most point and pertinency to this pamphlet were gleaned from Pierre Jurieu and Robert Fleming, Jr. The former, before 1687, wrote The Accomplishment, of the Scripture Prophecies, and the latter penned his contribution but a few years later, in 1701, on the Rise and Fall of the Papacy ⁸ Pierre Jurieu was the Huguenot scholar who forecast the coming upheaval in France on the basis of the predicted “earthquake,” recorded in Revelation 11:13, when the “tenth part” of Christendom, or the Babylonian “city”—one of the ten kingdoms-would, through bloodshed, dramatically fall away from its support of the Papacy. “In my opinion, we cannot doubt that it is FRANCE,” Jurieu had said explicitly. France, which a long time ago has begun to “shake off the yoke of Rome,” will “break with Rome and the Roman religion ⁹ PFF4 112.2

Now all this, be it noted, was written a century prior to the Revolution. The death and resurrection of the Two Witnesses, he says, will also take place in France. And all this, he declares, will develop shortly. After the falling away of France he expects, within a short interval following 1785, the beginning of Christ’s reign on earth, the millennium. This will come after the fall of the papal empire, the elimination of the divisions in Christendom, then the conversion of the Jews and afterward of the “remote nations,” and finally the reign of peace, humility, equality, and love ¹⁰ PFF4 113.1

3. FLEMING FORECASTS PAPAL HUMILIATION BY 1794

Even more specific is Robert Fleming, Jr., minister of the Scottish Presbyterian Church in Lothbury, in his 1701 work. Believing that he is living under the fourth vial, which was to be poured out upon the papal kingdom, through the humiliation of some “popish princes,” he conjectures on future fulfillments. He looks for the French monarchy to be humbled at the end of the fourth vial, about 1794—his end date for the 1260 years (from Justinian on to 1794)-when the fifth vial would be poured out, he believes, upon the “seat of the beast,” or Rome, from 1794 to 1848 (the end of the 1260 360-day “years” from 606) ¹¹ PFF4 113.2

It was consequently the tremendous upheaval of the French Revolution, beginning in 1789, which brought out these reprints, in England, France, Germany, and America-reprints of the numerous predictions of a “stroke” against the Papacy, to be delivered shortly before 1800. Little wonder that there was a profound stir and wide discussion of the matter on the part of thousands in the different countries of Christendom concerning the very events that now appeared obviously to be fulfilling these predictions before their very eyes. Time was waxing late. The end of the age was approaching. PFF4 113.3