Eschatology

The topic given to me was “Historicism and Eschatology.” This is a quite comprehensive topic. Therefore, I decided to change it to “Reflections on Historicism and Eschatology.” After some definitions and observation on historicism we will move on to eschatology and finally look at both of these topics together. What I will be presenting is a suggestion, which may need further research, if it is to some degree acceptable.

This paper takes “a fresh look” at the Litch-Smith-White perspective on the fifth and sixth trumpets of Revelation. It is argued that valuable insights may be obtained, and faith may be strengthened in Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega, from the final book of the Bible that deals with the end-times.

Adventist education’s cognitive and spiritual aspects are inseparable in the social and eschatological dimensions. Therefore, the main focus of this presentation is based not only on Adventist education in the light of Ellen G. White’s writings, but also on the analysis of the nature and function of the broad perspective of Adventist education at home, school, and church that everyone must face in order to blend theoretical knowledge with practical challenges of one’s daily life and eternal realities. As an example of this urgent need to focus on the comprehensive Adventist education, the Sabbath issue is discussed in light of soon approaching global eschatological events.

Eschatology inevitably casts a moral vision—generating a corresponding ethic and giving promise of offering a unity of life and the possibility of total fulfillment. Revelation’s eschatology and ethics interweave, informing Scripture’s ultimate moral/spiritual vision and urgent appeal. Moral realities unfold against the vivid tapestry of an eschatological horizon comprised of a historical flow (past, present, future) and in the context of an overarching worldview with its vision of God and His redemptive re-creation. These moral realities include character (being and doing), freedom and choice, truthfulness, worship, covenant faithfulness, ethical practice, reconciliation, ethical norms, moral dilemmas, and moral agency. The context for ethical reflection is nuanced through key integrating themes that call for priority in our thinking and ethical method. Revelation puts us in a moral context—telling us what condition human life is in, where we are, and where we are going. It informs us what questions need to be answered. It provides the philosophical map, the larger moral vision against which its various moral themes can be considered.

This presentation presents a biblically based Last Day Leadership model for developing Seventh-day Adventist members into strong Adventist leaders, who, partnering with the Holy Spirit and grounded in the Word of God, will successfully lead out in helping to finish God’s end-time work in preparation for the second coming of Christ.

The eschatological belief held by the Seventh-day Adventist Church (Fundamental Beliefs 24–28) is a composite belief founded on the reformation principles of sola scriptura, tota scriptura, prima scriptura, and the analogy of Scripture. Apart from Revelation 20–22, there is only one other late Second Temple period text that separates the resurrection of the righteous and the wicked by a Messianic kingdom. This presentation compares and contrasts the composite eschatological belief held by the Seventh-day Adventist Church with the belief appearing in the pseudepigraphical text Martyrdom and Ascension of Isaiah. This presentation demonstrates that although there are some important overall similarities, there are also significant differences between the two beliefs, suggesting the Seventh-day Adventist eschatological belief may be unique.

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One major theme in the book of Job is: Why do the righteous suffer? As the focus in a cosmic drama between the forces of good and evil, Job struggled with this ancient conundrum that robbed him of children, wealth, and health—leaving him devastated and his life threatened. This presentation examines the basis of Job’s avowal, which suggests an eschatological twist engendering hope and the realization that suffering, in whatever form, is meaningless if viewed from the fragmented lens of current realities. Outside the biblical worldview, the existential problem of suffering is difficult to understand. Faithful believers experience difficult and hopeless situations that threaten their well-being and faith in God. This presentation, therefore, concludes that although the cosmic dimensions of human suffering may not always be apparent, as in the case of Job, believers can overcome by exercising unwavering faith rooted not in the externals (material prosperity) but rather in the internals (a conscious and deepened relationship with God); such faith rekindles hope amidst hopelessness and stretches to the hereafter.

In Revelation 7:2–5, 8 and Revelation 9:4 the divine sealing of humans is mentioned. The first passage belongs to the section on the seven seals; the second belongs to the trumpets. Are these two passages talking about the same event or do they refer to different processes of sealing? This questi...

The Seventh-day Adventist Church was influenced in its belief of conditional immortality by some in the Millerite movement, particularly George Storrs, one of its most influential leaders in the late summer and early fall of 1844. It was around 1840 that Storrs, still a Methodist preacher, beca...

Gluder Quispe, The Apocalypse in Seventh-Day Adventist Interpretation, Lima: Universidad Peruana Unión, 2013. xii + 354 pp. US$20.00. Summary This is the published version of the Ph.D. dissertation of Gluder Quispe, professor of Adventist Studies and New Testament Interpretation at the Peruvian U...