Last year Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi distributed through his website a series of studies dealing with prophetic events, the role of Islam in prophecy, and the role of E. G. White as a prophet, that raised questions in the mind of many of his readers with respect to his commitment to the Adventist views on those subjects. We received so many letters that we decided to ask Dr. Bacchiocchi himself for clarification in order to represent him correctly when answering the queries. He addressed the issues and provided a short letter to be made available to those interested in his reaction to the concerns expressed by many. We have abridged the letter and obtained his approval to make it available to church administrators and those interested in the subject.

November 23-2003

Angel Manuel Rodríguez, Director
Biblical Research Institute of the GC
12501 Old Columbia Pike
Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600

Dear Dr. Rodríguez:

Thank you for your gracious letter of October 29 where you reply to my lengthy 13 page letter of October 15. You suggested that I prepare a shorter letter, summarizing my previous lengthy letter, for the following stated purpose: “I will be delighted to send it to those who are inquiring about you and circulate it among our church administrators interested in this issue.” In accordance with your suggestion, I am submitting this shorter response.

Before replying briefly to your concerns, I wish to reassure you and our church administrators, that I am not drifting away from Adventist teachings. On the contrary, I am a deeply committed Adventist and through the years I have paid a high price for standing for our traditional Adventist beliefs and practices. For the sake of brevity and clarity, I will briefly respond to the concerns you have expressed, following your listing.

1. THE HOLY DAYS. I have never observed or promoted the literal observance of the ancient Feasts of Israel. The documentation I submitted in my previous lengthy letter satisfied you, since you wrote: “Thank you for clarifying beyond any reasonable doubt that you are not promoting the observance of the Israelite feasts in any way. This is helpful to those of us who are dealing with churches divided over this issue.” The aim of the two volumes on GOD’S FESTIVALS is simply to show how the feasts of Israel reveal the unfolding of the Plan of Salvation. All that I have proposed is to remember in our church calendar the major events of the Plan of Salvation typified by the annual Holy Days. In accordance with your suggestion, I have placed a disclaimer in the reprint of the FALL FESTIVALS, saying: “This book does not promote the literal observance of the Feasts of Israel. Rather, it proposes to remember during the course of the year the redemptive acts of the Plan of Salvation typified by the Feasts.” I will place a similar disclaimer in my next ENDTIME ISSUES newsletter.

2. THE DAY OF ATONEMENT. I firmly believe that the investigative judgment began in 1844 and that it is clearly connected with the typology of the Day of Atonement. This is what I have taught for 32 years in my college classes. My suggestion to broaden the typological basis of the investigative judgment, by including the Feast of Trumpets, is intended not to weaken, but to strengthen our doctrine of the investigative judgment.

The fact that throughout Jewish history to this very day, the trumpets have been blown on the Feast of Trumpets, known today as Rosh Hashannah, to announce the beginning of the judgment process that terminates 10 days later on the Day of Atonement, suggests the possibility that the judgment process begins with the Feast of Trumpets and terminates on the Day of Atonement. Support for this suggestion can be found in Revelation 11:18-19, where the blowing of the seventh trumpet, which corresponds to the Feast of Trumpets, ushers in the time of judgment.

3. THE 1260 DAYS PROPHECY. I fully accept the Adventist church’s interpretation that the three and one half times/1260 days dominion of the Little Horn in Daniel 7 and of the Beast in Revelation 13, applies primarily to the prophetic role of the papacy in promoting false worship and persecuting God’s people. The issue is not the prophetic role of the papacy, but whether all the seven prophecies of the three and one half times/1260 days/42 months apply EXCLUSIVELY to the period of papal supremacy between 538 to 1798 or do they include also other anti-god powers, like Islam, that have persecuted God’s people and promoted false worship? Furthermore, Do the dates of 538 and 1798 really support the respective establishment and downfall of papal supremacy, as taught in our Adventist literature?

My recent preliminary study of the seven texts (Dan 7:25; 12:7; Rev 11:2; 11:3; 12:3; 12:6; 13:5) mentioning this prophetic period, has been very informative. For example, I was surprised to note that the termination point of these seven prophecies is the judgment and the establishment of God’s Kingdom—events that transcend 1798. Similarly, the historical events associated with 538 make it difficult to attribute to this date the establishment of papal supremacy. The problems associated with our traditional biblical interpretation and historical application of this prophetic period cannot be addressed by one or two independent scholars. Only a commission duly appointed by the General Conference can undertake such a task.

4. THE PROPHETIC ROLE OF ELLEN WHITE. There is no doubt in my mind that Ellen White fulfilled a unique prophetic role in the origin and development of our Adventist church. We are indebted to her for the uniqueness of our message and mission. Her prophetic gift, manifested especially through her writings, continues to enrich spiritually the lives of millions of fellow believers around the world. The issue is not whether or not Ellen White had the gift of prophecy. To me it is abundantly clear that she was the recipient of this divine gift. Rather, the issue is, How do we deal with the inaccuracies found in her writings? While she was alive, she supervised the revision of The Great Controversy in 1911. She specifically asked people to point out any correction that needed to be made. The problem is that there are still corrections that need to be made.

In closing, let me express my gratitude for the opportunity you have granted me to clarify some questions that have been raised regarding my writings. Let me reassure you, Brother Rodríguez, that I fully share your commitment and concern for the unity of our Adventist church. We must work together to protect our church from divisive teachings and influences, but at the same time we must strengthen the biblical and historical credibility of our teachings. May God grant us the wisdom and grace to accomplish this task.

Warmest Christian regards, Samuele Bacchiocchi

Comments:

The letter by Samuele Bacchiocchi is quite clear and each reader would have to decide whether he or she is fully satisfied or not. Since the letter does include some elements of disagreement with traditional Adventist teachings it would be useful to make some comments on its content.

A brief comment on point 3. According to Adventist prophetic interpretation the little horn of Dan 7 exclusively represents the papacy. The problem of the dates for the beginning and ending of the 1260 years–538 and 1798 respectively–was studied by the Daniel and Revelation Committee and the dates were re-affirmed (see, C. Mervyn Maxwell, “Roman Catholicism and the United States,” Symposium on Revelation, vol. 2, edited by Frank B. Holbrook [Silver Spring, MD: Biblical Research Institute, 1992], pp. 67-132). Nevertheless, we have recently asked one of our scholars to look once more at the historical evidence.

We should also mention that in Dan 7 the exact date for the beginning of the judgment is not given. The text indicates that at some point after the end of the 1260 years the court was to sit in judgment. Concerning the Feast of Trumpets, the connection of this Feast–a one day feast–with the Day of Atonement is not clearly stated in the Bible. One can only suggest that during the Feast of Trumpets the people were alerted to or reminded of the fact that in ten days the day of atonement as a day of judgment and cleansing would arrive.

The role of E. G. White and the possibility of factual errors in her writings have been satisfactorily addressed by the E. G. White Estate, and documents dealing with those issues can be found on their website (https://www.whiteestate.org).