A Further Enlargement of the Prophetic Aspect is Resident Within
This Scheme of Interpretation
Most theologians who believe in the imminent return of Christ are willing to go
so far as to endorse the typical scheme persisting through the Christian era.
Often they are not willing to endorse the prophetic aspect, lest we lost the
teaching of imminence. But they have forgotten that they have already
introduced the prophetic aspect in the very nature of the case,
Once the prophetic aspect appears, it is impossible to stop until the fullness of its import is unfolded. It appears in Revelation 1:1.
"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John."
If the seven spiritual types persist through to the end, then it is also true that there are doubtless seven progressive stages in the development of these types.
Just as a majority of one type in a congregation constitutes that congregation as that type, so a majority of congregations of one type constitute a period of that type.
This does not need to frighten anyone into believing that this viewpoint will result in the loss of the teaching of the imminent return of Christ.
The history of the church is living and dynamic. Sharp lines of demarcation can never be drawn between one period and another. There will be the gradual merging of one period into another, and this transition will be almost imperceptible.
While there are definite types and each period is characterized by one more than any other, because all types exist it will always cause the church in any period to examine itself to see if it be the last type and stage. Not until Christ actually comes will it be possible to look back and see with some exactness the definite periods of spiritual deterioration. But even at this time, it is possible to look back and recognize some general lines of difference in the movement of the periods.
This method of Scriptural teaching is very prominent within the Bible.
The promise of the redeemer was that the seed of the woman will bruise the serpent's head (Gen. 3:15).
"And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."
This took more definite shape in a promise related to the tents of Shem (Gen. 9:18-27).
The promise of the redeemer was that the seed of the woman will bruise the serpent's head (Gen. 3:15).
"And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."
This took more definite shape in a promise related to the tents of Shem (Gen. 9:18-27).
"And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan." "These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread." "And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:" "And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent." "And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without." "And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness." "And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him." "And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren." "And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant." "God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant."
This was narrowed down later to a promise made to Abraham and to his seed (Gen. 12:1-4).
"Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee:" "And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:" "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." "So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran."
This was further narrowed down to be true of just one tribe coming out of the loins of Jacob (Gen. 49:8-10).
"Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee." "Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?" "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be."
Emergence then was singled out and rested upon the family of Jesse (Isa. 11:1-5).
"And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:" "And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;" "And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:" "But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked." "And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins."
From out of the family of Jesse, the line of David was selected in the course of the unfolding (2 Sam. 7:12-13).
"And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom." "He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever."
In the course of history the prophet finally made prediction of the town of Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2).
"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."
In this same way the prophecy finally came to rest upon a virgin who would bear a child (Isa. 7:14).
"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."
This was narrowed down later to a promise made to Abraham and to his seed (Gen. 12:1-4).
"Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee:" "And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:" "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." "So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran."
This was further narrowed down to be true of just one tribe coming out of the loins of Jacob (Gen. 49:8-10).
"Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee." "Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?" "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be."
Emergence then was singled out and rested upon the family of Jesse (Isa. 11:1-5).
"And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:" "And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;" "And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:" "But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked." "And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins."
From out of the family of Jesse, the line of David was selected in the course of the unfolding (2 Sam. 7:12-13).
"And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom." "He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever."
In the course of history the prophet finally made prediction of the town of Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2).
"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."
In this same way the prophecy finally came to rest upon a virgin who would bear a child (Isa. 7:14).
"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."
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