Prophecy

Dispensationalism is one of the most influential theological systems in this presentation of Christian eschatology. It is a movement of eschatological interpretation of biblical prophecy distinguished by its belief that a literal hermeneutic mandates a consistent distinction between Israel and the church. Its understanding of the signs of the second coming of Jesus Christ and of the fulfillment of these signs not only presents unique features of its understanding of the Bible prophecy but also expresses its particular characteristics. In order to have a sound biblical understanding of the signs of Jesus’ Christ’s second coming, the understanding of dispensationalism should be critically evaluated. This presentation will analyze dispensationalists’ understanding of the signs of the second coming of Jesus Christ and their fulfillments. Based on that analysis, it will provide a critical evaluation of their understanding on the subject.

Seventh-day Adventists have believed that cosmic signs described under the sixth seal in the book of Revelation were fulfilled in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and their fulfillment served as landmarks for the nearness of the second coming of Christ. But recently, that view has been challenged within the church, stating that these are signs at His coming itself (that is, they did not occur prior to the second coming; they accompany the actual coming of Jesus). Using the historicist approach to interpret apocalyptic prophecies, this presentation re-evaluates both the traditional and the challenging view from a biblical perspective and the spirit of prophecy.

The commentators of the book of Daniel usually divide the book into two parts: one containing narratives about Daniel and his friends and another containing visions. Usually, the narrative part is considered not very important for the interpretation of the visions. This presentation seeks to show that the book of Daniel is a coherent unity and the keys for interpreting the visions might be found in the narrative section. For this purpose the character of the little horn is taken as a test case. This presentation comes to the conclusion that the little horn is portrayed as having some features that are peculiar to the portraits of the pagan kings in the book of Daniel. Therefore some elements of the stories of Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and Darius might be understood as typological ones that anticipate the antitypological fulfillment in the end of time.

The book of Revelation is not the only apocalypse, but is also a part of the Jewish apocalyptic tradition, developed within Christian teaching. Revelation appeals to issues using methods and images that have already been formed in the Jewish tradition. There are references to the motif of the heavenly temple, contained also in Jewish apocalypses, throughout the book. The interest of this presentation is in understanding the place the heavenly temple occupies in the eschatological views of the Jewish apocalypses and in Revelation, and the distinctive features of the temple in Revelation. This comparison can help to realize the roots of John’s idea of the heavenly temple and to provide a better understanding of it.

The purpose of this presentation is to analyze eschatological events mentioned by the gift of prophecy manifested in Ellen G. White: the United States and its identification as the second beast of Revelation 13, the union of all the churches, the Sabbath as the sign of God as opposed to the mark of the beast, and how these events have been confirmed throughout history to this day

Babylon is a major symbol in the book of Revelation, but what it represents is widely disputed. This presentation attempts to assemble biblical evidence of the symbol’s meaning in context of the book of Revelation. It will offer evidence that the harlot city Babylon is a much broader symbol than merely the papacy, which is one of the seven heads on which Babylon sits. The seven heads are shown to be seven successive major historical superpowers that come into an oppressive relationship with God’s covenant people, but Babylon reigns over them all, and she is held accountable for the blood of all the martyrs who have been slain on the earth.

Muslims constitute twenty-three percent of the world’s population, making Islam the world’s second largest religion. Has Islam been prophesied in the Bible? There are indeed several references to Arabs and Arab countries. But the clearest reference to Islam is found in Revelation 9. Adventist scholars have diverse views regarding this chapter that describes the fifth and sixth trumpets. The traditional interpretation, however, showing the rise and expansion of Islam, has potential dangers. This presentation points out the difficulties and provides suggestions on how to “repackage” the traditional Adventist interpretation of Revelation 9 for a Muslim audience.

This presentation deals with the battle of Armageddon in connection with the fall of Babylon according to Revelation 16:12–16. It deals with the meaning of Armageddon from the presupposition that John alludes to the Old Testament in building his idea of the final battle. The point in discussion is whether Armageddon will start after or before the sixth plague and when preparations for it will take place. This presentation proposes that the passage may be a parenthetic vision that deals with events that happen before the plagues, as John makes between the sixth and seventh elements in the seals and trumpets’ visions. This interlude would be a pattern in these sets of visions.

This presentation examines the theological, methodological, and historical process that characterizes the development of the futuristic system of prophetic interpretation, especially the books of Daniel and Revelation, until its establishment as the Dispensationalism. Here it is shown that the adoption of the hermeneutics methodology known as futurism, based on a literal interpretation of Scripture and the concept of a double fulfillment, has gained ground among Protestant movements to almost eliminate the system of the prophetic interpretation of the Reformation. In this way, the acceptance of the futuristic methodological approach inexorably has led to transform the eschatological interpretation in both Protestantism and Adventism.

The millennium issue is one of the most controversial in Christian eschatology. This presentation compares two approaches toward the millennium: the Orthodox and the Adventist. The understanding of the Orthodox position on this crucial eschatological problem is very important for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in countries that traditionally were under the strong influence and dominion of the Orthodox Church. Analysis and evaluation of two positions, and finding common ground and distinctions, will facilitate a constructive dialogue between Orthodox and Adventist believers.