From: portland!tom@tredysvr.tredydev.unisys.com (Tom Albrecht)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: The Beast and Double-Fulfillment
Date: 28 Jul 92 06:53:20 GMT
Organization: Unisys Corporation, Malvern, PA

[In keeping with the conditions in the right to republish, the following
 article is unedited.]



                      The Beast and Double-Fulfillment
                      by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., Th.D.

In the course of my work week I get a number of phone calls and letters
regarding things prophetic.  I sometimes feel like "The Answer Man."
Because of this I have gotten an answering machine.

                             An Earnest Inquiry

One letter that I recently received from a dispensationalist was an earnest
concern as to whether double-fulfillment might account for Nero's
"similarities" to the end times Beast of Revelation.  The writer was
impressed with the argument that could be presented for Nero's being the
Beast.  But he was not persuaded.  Perhaps Nero was but an INITIAL
fulfillment of the ultimate coming eschatological Beast.  I have heard of
this sort of objection from time to time.  Probably you have, as well.

Dispensationalists have a number of ploys designed to escape the demands of
biblical eschatology.  The most absurd ploy is the insertion of convenient
gaps into the biblical record.  A frustratingly simplistic ploy is the
"literal except when I want it to be figurative" maneuver.  But the
double-fulfillment prospect was not created by dispensationalists with
their entirely new system.  Others outside of dispensational circles often
employ it.  Consequently, it deserves more careful scrutiny.  I thought,
therefore, that my letter of response to the writer might be of interest to
readers of "Dispensationalism in Transition."  Below is the text of my
response to the gentleman who wrote to me.

                                My Response

I appreciate your interest in my approach to the understanding of the
Beast of Revelation.  I also appreciate your thoughful question, which is
evidence of a deep concern to understand Scripture.  Hopefully, a few words
will prove helpful to you.

Your specific question is regarding the possibility of a double-fulfillment
of the Beast, which would allow that he was initially Nero but that in the
future he might be some eschatological terror marking the end times.  You
cite Hosea 11:1 as a type of double-fulfillment.  I do not believe that
this is at all possible for a great number of reasons.

                        Hosea 11:1 and Matthew 2:15

In the first place, Hosea 11:1 is not a good parallel example.  It is not
predictive prophecy at all, as is the Beast prophecy set in Revelation. The
use of Hosea 11:1 in Matthew 2:15 finds what is known as TYPOLOGICAL
FULFILLMENT.(1)  That is, in its original setting Hosea 11:1 was not set
forth as prophecy at all.  Rather it was an historical event reflected upon
by a prophet for ethical directive, or whatever.  No original reader of
Hosea 11:1 would suspect that it foreshadowed some future event.

Matthew, inspired of God, makes use of Hosea 11:1 as a typology, not as
predictive prophecy.  Thus, Matthew 2:15 is a typological fulfillment of a
historical pattern, not a predictive fulfillment of a prophetic datum.
Consequently, Hosea 11:1 is not an example of a double-fulfillment prophecy
at all.

                         Scriptural Control Factors

Secondly, such typological fulfillments must occur in the New Testament
era, not in our future.  The New Testament time is the "fullness of times"
(Gal. 4:4), which received that final and complete revelation of God (Matt.
13:17; Heb. 1:1-2).  If the Beast were a TYPOLOGICAL fulfillment (as with
Hosea 11:1), then we would lack any Scriptural controls on discovering its
next occurrence, because Scripture has been completed.

The problem here is that any and all prophecy could be taken as involving a
double-fulfillment anytime one's theological system required it.
Furthermore, what is to stop it from requiring a triple fulfillment?
Historicism is an approach to Revelation that attempts to trace the
fulfillments of Revelation throughout Church history.  One of the problems
with the historicist approach to the Book of Revelation is that it lacks
any controls and is malleable to any and all environments.  This is the
same sort of problem with the double-fulfillment view, when it extends
beyond biblical days.

Could it be - on the principle of double-fulfillment - that Sun Myung Moon
IS the Second Messiah after all?

                         Contextual Control Factors

Thirdly, the Beast prophecy is set in a very clear overarching context
calling for its SOON fulfillment.  "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which
God gave Him to show His servant; things which MUST SHORTLY TAKE PLACE"
(Rev. 1:1). "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this
prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for THE TIME IS
NEAR" (Rev. 1:3) "These words are faithful and true.  And the Lord God of
the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which MUST
SHORTLY TAKE PLACE" (Rev. 22:6).  "Do not seal the words of the prophecy of
this book, for the time is at hand" (Rev. 22:10).

The point is emphasized so frequently and with such perspicuity that to
read any fulfillment millennia distant would evacuate its predictive
expectation of all meaning and integrity.  In this light, we must be aware
that there is a parallel and contrast of John's Revelation with Daniel's
prophecy.  John clearly draws upon Danielic themes to fill out his
prophetic work (even his Beast draws upon the imagery of Daniel's Beast;
cp. Rev. 13:1-2 with Dan. 7:2-8).  But in Daniel there is a command for
Daniel to seal up his prophecy until the time of the "end" (Dan. 12:9).
John, however, is commanded to act as a prophet actually living in the
"end" (the New Testament era initiated the end times: 1 Cor. 10:11; Heb.
1:1-2; 9:29; 1 John 2:18): "And he said to me, 'Do not seal the words of
the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand'" (Rev. 22:10).  John's
prophecy was UNSEALED because its time of fulfillment was "soon" and "at
hand."

                          Interpretive Pandemonium

Fourthly, we would really stretch credibility if we could say that all the
many details of the Beast (and why not of all of Revelation?) would all be
fulfilled in incredible detail at some future time.  The Beast himself
plays a large and complicated role in Revelation.  A careful reading of
Revelation shows a whole complex of interrelated, intricately woven themes,
patterns, and events all of which would have to find double fulfillment!
Revelation is a sophisticated enough book for its own day.  How can we
expect its intricate fulfillment not once but TWICE?

This is wholly unnecessary when we view Revelation in light of first
century history.  The complex judgment events of Revelation fit easily and
relevantly in the first century (As my book, _The Beast of Revelation_,
endeavors to demonstrate).  Most of the judgment patterns can be EASILY
assigned first century fulfillments.  A few are a little more obscure, but
still may easily enough be applied to the events of the A.D. 60s.  If it's
not broken, don't fix it.

                               The Shoe Fits

Fifthly, the Beast is clearly tied to the first Roman era in its own right,
irrespective of time qualifiers scattered throughout Revelation.  When the
angel comes to give John the INTERPRETATION of the Beast imagery (NOT new
material requiring additional difficult interpretation, Rev. 17:7-10), he
expressly ties him to John's era: "Here is the mind which has wisdom [in
other words the angel is interpreting the vision for John (KG)]: "The seven
heads [of the Beast] are seven mountains on which the woman sits.  There
are also seven kings.  Five HAVE FALLEN [prior to the present time when
John wrote, (KG)], one is [presently reigning as John wrote, (KG)], and the
other has not yet come.  And when he comes, he must continue a short time"
(Rev. 17:9-10).  Just as the unified generic Beast has experienced a
succession of kings, five of which have fallen and one which now is, so we
must expect even the seventh to come immediately upon the demise of the
sixth (who was Nero).

The early history of the Roman empire fits the bill perfectly.  Five
emperors had died before Nero: Julius, Augustus, Tiberius, Gauis
(Caligula), and Claudius.  Nero is the present reigning sixth emperor. The
emperor that followed him, Galba, reigned only six months - the shortest
reigning emperor to that time.  The data fit so remarkably well, that there
is no necessity of looking elsewhere for a fit.

                                 Conclusion

I hope you can see why I put no stock in the double-fulfillment theory.  It
seems to be created for the sole and express purpose of circumventing the
obvious interpretation of Revelation, which is demanded by the language of
John, as well as the historical events of his era.

I have had scores of letters and phone calls from people who have converted
from futurism to preterism regarding the Book of Revelation.  I hope that
you will see the futility of the futurist approach in light of the perfect
fit of the historical events of the first century.  If you are interested
in further studies on Revelation I can recommend David Chilton's _Days of
Vengeance: An Exposition of Revelation_.(2)  If you would like a five tape
set of a seminar entitled "An Introductory Survey of Revelation," you may
write to me.(3)

Notes:

(1)  For a helpful discussion of this sort of question, see: Curtis
     Crenshaw and Grover Dunn, _Dispensationalism Today, Yesterday, and
     Tomorrow_ (Memphis: Footstool, 1985), chs. 1-3.

(2)  Order from Institute for Christian Economics for $27.95, which
     includes postage.

(3)  The five audio cassette tape series is available through me for
     $20.00.  If you want the manual to go along with it, please add
     another $2.50.  Ken Gentry, 46 Main St., Conestee, SC  29636.  I also
     have available a nine tape set entitled "Postmillennial Eschatology,"
     a series taught by me at Christ College.  It is available for $30.00.


[Published in:
                      Dispensationalism in Transition
                               Vol. V, No. 7
                                 July, 1992
                               (c) ICE, 1992


 Retransmitted by permission from the Institute for Christian Economics,
 P.O. Box 8000, Tyler, TX 75711.]