Second Advent

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.

Matthew 24:36-39 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the da...

This presentation explores John’s use of the expression angelou autou, “his angel,” in order to see what light it sheds on the subject of eschatology. It also seeks to suggest that Adventist theologians can continue to relate to such an important biblical iconic motif and Scripture’s teaching and perspectives on a crucial and timely subject for God’s people today.

One of the most important themes in Seventh-day Adventist eschatology is the interpretation of the day of atonement as a time of judgment just before the second coming of Christ. In the Old Testament, however, the main description of the judgment comes from the prophetic announcement of the coming of the “Day of the Lord.” Adventist eschatology uses some elements of this concept to explain some important ideas of the eschatological timeline. A study of these biblical motifs shows important parallels among them. Both describe a time of judgment, distress, and a vindication for the people of God. These and other parallels allow a possible harmonization of these two motifs in the Adventist understanding of the eschatological events.

This presentation examines and discusses the existential dimension of the eschatological and apocalyptic revelation. How does, or should, the apocalyptic vision of the future impact, inform, and inspire present life? This presentation shows how wisdom, ethics, hope, worship, and joy of life are part of the eschatological message, and how a neglect of this connection could lead to fanaticism, mental imbalance, dangerous behavior, and distorted views of the eschatological message. The argument is supported and illustrated by apocalyptic-eschatological texts (notably Daniel, Revelation, and Ecclesiastes, with an incidental revisit of the three angels’ message), and the dramatic testimony of historical cases.

On the one hand, Ellen G. White spoke of the possibility to hasten Christ’s second coming and that God’s people had delayed that event. On the other hand, she mentioned that the time of Jesus’ coming is near and that the Father knows the time, implying that “God’s purposes know no haste and no delay. The paper analyzed her particular statements on the subject, tries to solve the tension between those seemingly contradictory remarks, and outlines implications for our spiritual life and our expectations of the second of Christ.

The second coming of Jesus Christ is usually described with cosmic language: cosmic signs in the heavens or earth-shattering events on this planet. This apocalyptic dimension seems to have a counter argument in 2 Peter 3:12—the believer is to look for and hasten the coming of the day of the Lord. On the basis of the translation of the participle speudontas some have taken this passage to mean that human beings can influence the timing of the second coming, while others have opposed this view—arguing instead that the participle should be translated as “eagerly awaiting” instead of “hasten.” Additionally, scholars have had different opinions about who and how people can influence the Parousia. Additional questions have been raised: Is this passage referring to the believer as an individual or the church as a body of believers? And is orthopraxy or social concern the criteria for the “hastening”? This presentation briefly examines various models of explanation for 2 Peter 3:12 and then resolves the passage by examining it in its larger context.

This presentation presents and evaluates two different approaches to the issue of the delay of the second coming. Some Adventist theologians believe that Jesus has not yet come because He is waiting for His people to consecrate and testify diligently; in this view God’s people are responsible for the delay. In contrast, other Adventist authors suggest that Jesus will return only when He decides it, and there is nothing that can be done to hasten or delay the time of His coming. Both positions are evaluated, concluding that neither biblically solves the problem of the delay of the second coming, since neither elaborates its views from the biblical presuppositions of the divine omniscience and providence—two key presuppositions to elaborate a biblical answer to this issue. Finally, a working proposal about the delay/hastening of the second coming is presented.

This article provides a general overview of end-time biblical eschatology as described by Ellen White. After highlighting (1) some major end-time philosophical and religious challenges, the discussion deals specifically with White’s views of (2) the great cosmic controversy between good and evil; (3) the cataclysmic “signs” of Christ’s Second Coming; (4) the conditional imminence of His appearing; (5) the end-time scenario that culminates with that glorious event; and (6) God’s absolute and final victory over sin and all impenitent sinners, eradicating them completely and forever from the universe. A clear understanding of White’s eschatological expositions can help us to better appreciated God’s triumphant leading of human affairs and loving care for each one of us.

One of the points of debate in the interpretation of Revelation 20 has to do with where the saved will spend the millennium: in heaven or on earth? The debate is compounded by the fact that many New Testament passages are not explicit as to whether eternal life is to be lived in heaven or on earth. Most premillennialists hold the view that the saints will remain on earth throughout the thousand-year period between Christ’s return and the eternal state. Other premillennialists, mostly Adventist scholars, have defended their “heavenly premillennial” position mostly by appealing to the use of the word “thrones” in Revelation 20:4. Adventist scholars have correctly pointed to other passages in Revelation that make it clear the redeemed will be in heaven, at least for some time. Postmillennialists and amillennialists consider that the millennium will take place on earth before Christ comes or that it is now ongoing, respectively. This presentation seeks to show that the heavenly millennial kingdom helps explain why several New Testament passages stop short of specifying where eternal life is to be lived. It argues that the millennium forms the eschatological interface between judgment that begins shortly before the return of Christ and that which continues at His return. While a continuation of judgment on the one hand, the coming of Christ and the subsequent millennial reign in heaven mark the beginning of eternal life on the other. From this vantage point, the millennium provides the hindsight with which to plot eschatological events with greater precision than is otherwise possible.