Introduction

While historicism is the accepted approach to the prophetic interpretation of Revelation by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, there is currently an increasing tide of futurism among our members. This paper offers some practical suggestions to counter this problem by showing how the meaningful interpretation of some key passages of the book provides a safeguard against the pitfall of futurism. Some attention will be given to the seven trumpets and the seven last plagues, which futurists see as support for their position.

Four Approaches to Prophetic Interpretation of Revelation

The prophecies of Revelation have been obscured by biased and subjective interpretative approaches. Traditionally, four distinctive approaches have been developed in history with regard to the prophetic interpretation of Revelation.

The Preterist Approach

Preterism (from Latin preter meaning “past”) is a method of interpretation that places the significance of Revelation in the past. From the preterist perspective, the book deals exclusively with the Christian church in the Roman province of Asia in the first century A.D., during which time it faced impending persecution by imperial Rome. In this view, Revelation does not contain predictive prophecies. Therefore, John the revelator only wrote about events that took place in his time or in the immediate future. According to this approach, the purpose of the book was to encourage the Christians of John’s day to persevere in their faithfulness to God.

The Idealist Approach

The idealist approach is based on preterist ideas. Similar to preterism, idealism holds that Revelation describes the situation of the Christian church in the first century. Therefore, this approach does not see any historical significance in John’s visions. However, idealist interpreters contend that the book describes, in vivid symbolism, the ongoing struggle between good and evil that will result in God’s ultimate triumph. As such, the book does not speak about any specific literal events that occurred during a specific historical time period or within a historical place. Idealism is the successor to the allegorical interpretation of the Bible, which characterized medieval biblical interpretation.

The Futurist Approach

In contrast to preterism, the futurist method interprets the prophecies of Revelation exclusively from an end-time perspective. Futurist interpreters hold that chapters 4–22 will be fulfilled shortly before the Second Coming, even from the perspective of our present day. In other words, the prophecies of Revelation will be fulfilled during the last generation of Christians. Thus, for futurist interpreters, the book is relevant exclusively for the last generation of Christians.

Futurism interprets the symbols of Revelation as literally as possible (for instance, the River Euphrates is literal, the 144,000 are literal tribes of Israel; etc.). Today, this is the preferred method of most Protestant Evangelicals (the Secret Rapture is based on a futuristic interpretation of the Bible).

The Historicist Approach

The historicist approach of prophetic interpretation holds that Revelation portrays, in symbolic presentations, the course of history as it unfolds from apostolic times until the end time. According to this method, some prophecies of the book were fulfilled in the past, some are yet to be fulfilled, and some refer to the present time. Historicism was the method of prophetic interpretation used by Protestants until the nineteenth century, when many Protestants turned to other interpretative approaches. A careful analysis shows that Revelation itself points to historicism as the appropriate and only valid approach to prophetic interpretation.

Futurism and the SDA Interpretation of Revelation

In the last several decades, some Adventist pastors and laymen have attempted to reinterpret the prophecies of Revelation along futuristic lines, in particular the seven trumpets. Two approaches may be observed among Adventist futuristic interpreters:

• (The seals and) the trumpets still await fulfillment.

• Dual application – some of the proponents of Adventist futurism argue for the dual application of (the seals and) and the trumpets by trying to combine historicism with futurism.

Interpretations that Adventist futurists offer are usually characterized by:

• a combination of literal and symbolic approaches to the text (one or another is arbitrarily chosen to make the interpretation fit preconceived ideas); and

• numerous quotations from Ellen White’s writings taken out of context.

The traditional interpretation of the following three passages of Revelation have particularly contributed to the increasing futuristic trend observed among Adventist membership today: (a) the messages to the seven churches (Rev 2-3); (b) the throne vision of Revelation 4-5; and (c) the introductory vision to the seven trumpets (Rev 8:3-5).

The Messages to the Seven Churches (Rev 2-3)

The futuristic approach to prophetic interpretation of Revelation by Protestant Futurists is based on their interpretation of Revelation 4:1, where John is invited in vision to see the things which would “take place after these things” (ἃ δεῖ γενέσθαι μετὰ ταῦτα). “These things” (μετὰ ταῦτα) refer to the preceding messages to the seven churches in chaps. 2-3. In this line of interpretation, the interpretation of the messages to the seven churches (Rev. 2-3) determines the historical application of the seven seals and the seven trumpets (chaps. 4-11).

Unfortunately, futurism overlooks the fact that the starting point for reading 4:1 is set in Revelation 1:19: “Write, therefore, the things you have seen, and the things which are and the things which are about to take place.” This passage specifies that the things John saw in vision were made up of three things:

1. “the things which you saw” (εἶδες); the meaning of this phrase is unclear, but it may refer to the vision of Jesus Christ in 1:9-17.

2. “the things which are” (ἃ εἰσὶν); the present tense points to the present time from John’s perspective; and

3. “the things which are about to take place after these things” (ἃ μέλλει γενέσθαι μετὰ ταῦτα), which points to the things to take place “after the these things,” namely, after the time of John

This indicates that “the things which are” refers to the messages to the seven churches (chaps. 2-3), and “the things which are about to take place after these things” (chaps. 4-22) refers to the events to take place in the future from John’s perspective (i.e., after the 1st century).

In order to avoid the pitfall of futurism, this paper suggests three levels of interpretation of the Messages to the Seven Churches that are supported by the book itself:

Historical application

The seven messages were originally sent as a circular letter to the Christian congregations located in seven cities of the Roman province of Asia at the end of the first century. Those seven local congregations were located in the major and prosperous city centers in Asia Minor at the end of the first century. The Christians in those churches lived in a pagan environment and experienced various kinds of pressure and persecution. Emperor worship was compulsory for all citizens. The citizens in those cities were also expected to be involved in the city’s public events and to participate in pagan religious ceremonies. Serious consequences awaited those who did not comply. Commissioned by Christ, John wrote to those Christians as their pastor to help them in their current situation (cf. Rev. 1:11). In exploring these messages, it is of primary importance to discover how they applied to the historical situations of those seven churches in Asia at the time of John.

Prophetic application

The situations in the churches in Asia in John’s day serve as a type or symbol of the Christian Church in different periods in history. The fact that Revelation is a prophetic book (1:3; 22:10) points to the prophetic significance of these messages. In addition, that there were more than seven churches in Asia Minor—including those in Colossae, Troas, and Hierapolis—and that only these seven churches were chosen points to their symbolic significance, seven being a number of fullness. In such a way, these local congregations represented the entire Christian Church. The spiritual conditions of the seven churches correspond remarkably to the spiritual conditions of Christianity in different historical periods. The seven messages were thus intended to provide, from heaven’s perspective, a panoramic survey of Christianity from the first century until the time of the end. However, The SDA Bible Commentary cautions us that (1) the seven messages must not be interpreted as predictive prophecy, like, for instance, Dan. 2; and that (2) we must not be dogmatic in setting the corresponding time periods.¹

Universal application

Although those seven messages were originally written to the Christians in Asia Minor of John’s day, they were not written only for them. Just as Paul wrote his letters to the churches of his day, these messages also contain timeless messages for subsequent generations of Christians. They were sent together as a circular letter and they were to be read by every church (cf. Rev. 1:11)—although each addressed the particular needs of an individual church respectively. For instance, while the general characteristics of the church in Laodicea were complacency and self-sufficiency, some individual Christians there might, instead, have had the characteristics of the church in Ephesus or Smyrna. This is the reason why each message concludes with an exhortation to heed what the Spirit says to the churches rather than to the church. These messages, thus, speak to all Christians and can generally represent different types of Christians regardless of time or place.

The Throne Vision of Revelation 4-5

The throne vision of Revelation 4-5 begins the historical section of the book (chaps. 4-11). There are two views among Adventists regarding the meaning of this vision: (a) that chaps. 4-5 describe the pre-advent judgment scene in 1844; and (b) that this vision describes the enthronement of Christ after his ascension to the heavenly places.

The pre-advent judgment view is based on alleged parallels between Revelation 4-5 and Daniel 7:9-14. Some of the parallels identified in the two texts are the following: God sitting on a flashing throne, the presence of more than one throne, the presence of innumerable heavenly beings, the mention of books, the Son of man receiving dominion, and the presence of the saints (Dan 7:14; cf. Rev 5:9). Based on these alleged parallels, the proponents of this view hold that the two texts portray the same scene; and since Daniel 7 involves an investigative judgment, so Revelation 4-5 must illustrate the investigative judgment scene.

The major problems with this view, however, are the obvious differences between the two visions. For instance:

1. While Daniel 7 mentions “the books” (plural) that are open at judgment, in Revelation 5 there is only one book, and it is sealed.

2. In Daniel, the books are open first, and, then, the Son of Man appears on the scene. In Revelation, the climax of the vision is when the Lamb takes the sealed book, but he does not open it. He starts to break the seals one after the other in chapter 6; and the book is not open until the eschatological consummation, namely after the Second Coming.

3. Daniel clearly specifies that what he witnessed in the vision was a judgment scene (cf. Dan 7:10). However, John deliberately avoids judgment language in describing the scene he observed in the vision. One might observe the extensive use of the Greek terms for judgment (the nouns krisis or krima or the verb krino) in the eschatological section of the book (11:18; 14:7; 16:5; 17:1; 18:10, 20; 19:2; 20:4, 12-13), while those terms are absent from the first half of the book, including Revelation 4-5 (with the exception of 6:10 suggesting that the judgment has not taken place yet). When, in the rest of the book, John portrays the judgment scene, he clearly specifies it by employing those Greek terms (cf. Rev 17-19, and 20:11-15). On the other hand, the usage of key terms such as “at the right hand,” “worthy,” “the Lion from the tribe of Judah,” and “the Sprout of David” signify not judgment, but rather royal qualities.

A careful study shows that nothing in the text indicates that Revelation 4-5 is a judgment scene:

First of all, the jubilant atmosphere that dominates the scene of Revelation 4-5 does not point to a court in session (such as the one portrayed in Dan 7 or Rev 20) but to a celebration and a special occasion. The acclamations of glory, honor, power, wealth, wisdom, blessing, and might (cf. 4:11; 5:13-14) do not fit a judgment scene; they are, in chapter 4, directed toward God who rules on the throne, and, in chapter 5, to Christ, the Lamb, the Lion from the Tribe of Judah and the Root of David, indicating his right to rule. Those joyful shouts of adoration are totally absent from the descriptions of judgment scenes in the Bible (cf. Dan 7:9-14; Rev 20:11-15.) as well as in Jewish apocalyptic literature. They simply do not correspond to a judgment scene.

Furthermore, the pre-advent judgment interpretation does not fit into the overall structure of Revelation. Numerous studies, done especially among Seventh-day Adventist authors, have shown that the structural composition of the first half of the book covers the span of history from Christ’s ascension until the time of the end, while the second half focuses primarily on the time of the end and the final events of earth’s history. The most recent research shows that Rev 11:19 must be taken as the dividing line between these historical and eschatological parts. These two divisions of the book correspond to the two phases of Christ’s ministry in heaven: the first one relates to the Holy Place, which he entered after his ascension to heaven, and the second, his pre-advent judgment ministry, relates to the Most Holy Place. Thus, the literary arrangement of the book provides further evidence that, since Revelation 4-5— together with the seals and the trumpets—is set solidly in the historical, not the eschatological part, the vision of Revelation 4-5 is not a pre-advent or investigative judgment scene, but rather the enthronement of Christ that took place after his ascension in AD 31.

Finally, the interpretation of Rev. 4-5 determines the historical application of the seals and the trumpets because the scene of Revelation 5 is the starting point for the interpretation of the events of Revelation 6. The breaking of the seals takes place after Christ takes the sealed book in chapter 5. So, if Revelation 4-5 describes the pre-advent judgment scene of 1844, then the events on earth triggered by the breaking of the seals by Christ must take place after the year 1844. For instance, Ronald Lambert argues:

The implications for our understanding of the seven seals prophecy are profound and startling, for they brace us with present relevance. We must conclude that since Revelation 4-5 depicts the Pre-Advent, Investigative Judgment, therefore the prophecy of the seven seals must apply after the start of this Judgment, since those seals are opened in a vision of the Judgment. . . . This in turn leads us to conclude that the prophecy of the seven seals in Revelation must apply to recent history, beginning in 1844.²

Such an interpretation fits the futurist rather than the historicist interpretation of the seals and the trumpets. Neither the textual nor the structural analysis of Revelation supports such an idea.

In the historicist interpretation the scene of the breaking of the seals in Revelation 6 covers the entire Christian history from the first century until the Second Coming with particular focus on the gospel and the experience of the people of God as they carry the gospel to the world. Such an interpretation is possible only if one sees Revelation 5 as a description of the inauguration of Christ into his royal/priestly ministry, which occurred in AD 31 after Christ’s ascension.

The evidence points to the conclusion that Revelation 4-5 describes the enthronement of Christ after his ascension to heaven, which took place at the time of Pentecost in AD 31 (Acts 2:32-36; Rev. 5:6). Simultaneously, Christ was inaugurated into his post-Calvary ministry as our King and Priest. At that event, Satan’s definite expulsion from heaven took place (Rev. 12:7-12). The vision of the opening of the seven seals series builds on this event.

The Introductory Vision of the Seven Trumpets (Rev 8:2-6)

Revelation 8:2-6 is viewed by Adventist futurists as a strong argument for the futurist interpretation of the trumpets. Verses 3-5 form an interlude set between verses 2 and 6. Verse 2 describes seven angels with trumpets standing before God. It is not until verse 6 that the angels are commissioned to blow their trumpets. In between are verses 3-5, which depict a scene that occurs in the sanctuary setting.

2 I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

3Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. 4And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel's hand. 5Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

6And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them. Adventists futurists assume that the scene that is portrayed in 8:3-5 depicts symbolically Christ’s intercessory ministry in the heavenly sanctuary, which is concluded before the trumpets begin. “Thus, the throwing down of the censer (the close of the probation) precedes the events that follow in the chapter. As a result, all seven trumpets are understood to come after the close of probation.”³

The assumption that the purpose of this introductory interlude is to show that the trumpets’ judgments occur after the close of probation is not supported by the context. The sanctuary setting provides the theological context for the seven trumpets. The interlude replicates the tamid (daily) services in the Jerusalem temple as portrayed in the Mishnah Tamid 5.6. After the sacrificial lamb was placed upon the altar of sacrifice, the blood was poured out at the base of the altar. The appointed priest would take a golden censer and fill it with coals from the altar and offer it upon the golden altar in the Holy Place. Afterwards, he would come out of the temple and throw the censer down on the pavement between the altar of sacrifice and the entrance to the temple, producing a very loud noise. At that point, the seven priests blew the trumpets, marking the end of the daily services. This is a further indication that the entire scene in 8:3-5 mirrors the Second Temple tamid services and, as such, does not point to the close of probation.⁴

The Greek text shows that in 8:3 the unspecified angel with the golden censer was seen as standing upon the altar, which is the altar of sacrifice that was located in the outer court of the earthly sanctuary. Since in biblical typology the outer court stood for the earth (see Rev. 11:2), the scene in Revelation 8:3-5 begins on earth. In the fifth seal, the angel is portrayed as standing at the same altar, underneath which is the blood of the martyred saints that pray to God for vindication and justice (Rev. 6:10). At the altar of sacrifice the angel was given incense symbolizing the prayers of God’s people (Rev. 5:8; cf. Ps. 141:2), which he offered on the golden altar of incense in the Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary. The vision shows that the prayers of God’s suffering people are heard by God. In response, the angel fills the censer with fire from the altar and hurls it down to the earth. The throwing down of the censer precipitates noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake, as a signal to the seven angels to blow their trumpets.⁵

This introductory vision (8:3-5) shows that the trumpets of Rev. 8-9 symbolically point to the prayers of God’s people. More specifically, the trumpets are God’s judgments on rebellious humanity in response to the prayers of His oppressed people, symbolically portrayed in the scene of the fifth seal (6:9-11). The primary purpose of the interlude is to provide firm assurance to God’s people that their prayers have been heard by God and that He will intervene on their behalf. Such an interpretation is supported by the theological significance of the trumpets in the Old Testament where trumpets are associated, among other things, with the prayers of God’s people for deliverance from their enemies (cf. Num. 10:8-10; 2 Chr. 13:14-15).

The Historical Application of the Trumpets

In the current understanding, the seven trumpets point to God’s interventions in history as they herald His judgments upon a world hostile to God and His people. They cover, like the seven seals, the course of history from the cross until the conclusion of this earth’s history (Rev. 11:15-18). They are blown while intercession goes on in heaven (Rev. 8:3-6) and the gospel is preached on earth (10:8-11:14).

The trumpets are structurally organized into pairs that complement each other. Their historical fulfillment is best understood in light of this structural complementary pairing.⁶

The first two trumpets herald God’s judgments on the two nations involved in the death of Jesus and the subsequent persecution of His followers, specifically the early church. Thus, the first trumpet (8:7) describes the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70-72, and the second trumpet (8:8-9) describes the demise of the Roman Empire.

The next two trumpets describe the situation during the medieval and post-medieval period. In today’s interpretation, the third trumpet (8:10-11) refers to the medieval apostasy and its consequences. The fourth trumpet (8:12) describes the situation in the world in the post-medieval period. During this time the Age of Reason led to the rise of secularism, which was characterized by rationalism, the denial of supernaturalism, and skepticism toward religious faith.

The fifth and sixth trumpets describe the dreadful situation in the world under the prevailing effects of secularism. Thus, the fifth trumpet (9:1-12) depicts the deepening spiritual darkness of the time and its consequences in the world following the Age of Enlightenment, portrayed in the fourth trumpet. The sixth trumpet (9:13-21) describes an escalation of demonic activities in the world leading up to the battle of Armageddon.

Before the seventh angel heralds his trumpet, there is an interlude (10:1-11:14). This interlude is related to the one between the sixth and seventh seal that identifies God’s end-time people who will be alive at the time of the Second Coming. The interlude between the fifth and sixth trumpets describes the role, task, and experience of God’s people in the world at the time of the end. Finally, the seventh trumpet (11:15-18) heralds the Second Coming and ushers in God’s everlasting kingdom.

Timing of the Trumpets and the Plagues⁷

Although there are similarities between the language used in the sections containing the trumpets and the plagues, the two series are not the same. There are significant differences between them.

Firstly, during the trumpet plagues the mediatory ministry of Christ goes on in heaven (8:3-5) and the gospel is being preached throughout the world (Rev. 10:8-11:14). However, the plagues are poured out after the preaching of the gospel is finished (14:6-13) and Christ’s mediatory ministry in the heavenly sanctuary is concluded (Rev. 15:5-8). This is clearly evident in the book.

Furthermore, the trumpet plagues are restricted in scope and effect. They affect only a part of Satan’s kingdom—the phrase “one third” is constantly repeated in the text (Rev. 8:7-12; 9:15, 18). No restriction is linked to the seven plagues. They are evidently global in scope, affecting the whole earth— note the statement: “every living thing in the sea died” (cf. Rev. 16:3).

Lastly, the seven trumpets cover a long span of history from the first century until the Second Coming. Relatively long periods are linked to them (9:5, 15; 11:2, 11). However, no prophetic time frame is specified regarding the seven plagues. The plagues affect humanity at the end of history for a relatively short period of time, prior to the Second Coming. Actually, the seven last plagues occur within the seventh-trumpet time frame: