A NEW LOOK at the END TIMES INSIDEVOL
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Why I Still Trust End-Time Living Eschatology and Our Prophecies Kingdom Ethics FALL 2016 • WWW.ATODAY.ORG AdventistToday A NEW LOOK at the END TIMES INSIDEVOL. 24 NO. 4 AdventistToday Executive Editor Loren Seibold Copy Editor Debra J. Hicks Contributing Editors James Walters John McLarty J. David Newman Art Director Chris Komisar Online Editors Senior Editor: Jiggs Gallagher News Editor: Bjorn Karlman Correspondent: Alethia Nkosi Features: Debbonnaire Kovacs Commentary: Mark Gutman Poetry and the Arts: Debbonnaire Kovacs Reviews: Edwin A. Schwisow Web Coordinator: Heather Gutman Facebook Editor: Emmy Halvorsen Executive Director Monte Sahlin Executive Secretary of Development Edwin A. Schwisow FOUNDATION BOARD features Nate Schilt, Jim Walters, Monte Sahlin, Andrew Clark, 3 A New Look at the End Times 18 Yes, We Are Still “Advent-ist” Keith Colburn, Chris Daley, Larry Downing, Bill Garber, John Hoehn, Edmond Jones, By Loren Seibold By Fritz Guy Mailen Kootsey, Keisha McKenzie, Chuck Mitchell, Jim Nelson, Warren Nelson, Chris Oberg, Gene Platt, E. Gary Raines, Paul Richardson, Sasha Ross, 6 Eight Reasons to Stop End-Time 20 Why Hasn’t Jesus Returned? Dan Savino, Loren Seibold, J. Gordon Short, James Stirling, Eldon Stratton, Ervin Taylor, Fearmongering By Richard W. Coffen David Van Putten, John Vogt By Michelle Doucoumes 22 A Brief History of the SENIOR LIFETIME ADVISORS ($25,000+) 8 Jesus and God’s Kingdom Investigative Judgment Elwin Dunn, Patricia & Douglas Ewing, Kathi & Richard Guth, John Hoehn, Judy & John Jacobson, Al Koppel, By Zane Yi By Glenn Hansen Joan Ogden, Dr. & Mrs. Thaine Price, Judy & Gordon Rick, Mike Scofield, Lovina & J. Gordon Short, Marilynn 10 Three Reasons to Still Believe in & Ervin Taylor, Nancy & John Vogt, Priscilla & James DEPARTMENTS Walters our Prophetic Message LIFETIME ADVISORS ($10,000+) By Clifford Goldstein Jane Bainum, Susan & Hernan Barros, Diana & Ken 24 Alden Thompson Bauer, Kelli & Robert Black, Ginny & Todd Burley, If the Pope Reflects the Character of Christ Tierrasanta Church, Pat & Ron Cople, Kathryn & 13 End-Time Living James Dexter, Rosemary & Merlyn Duerksen, Dan Engeberg, Sandra & Sam Geli, Patricia Hare, Jackie & By Rebecca Murdock Jim Henneberg, Mariellyn & Edwin Hill, Carmen & Clive 28 The Exegete Holland, Erika & Brian Johnson, Carmen & Yung Lau, The Ki Factor: Isaiah 55:8-9 David T. Person II, Patricia Phillips, R. Marina & E. 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Anders Engdahl, Ed Fry, Wayne Greaves, Karita & DeWitt Goulbourne, Catherine Lang-Titus, Vincent Melashenko, Charles Mitchell, Dale Morrison, Corinne & Michael Pestes, Tracy & Craig Reynolds, Ruth & Beryl Rivers, Gretchen & Monte Sahlin, Beverly & David Sandquist, Carolyn & Robert Tandy, Amabel & Eric Tsao, Dr. Robin Vandermolen, Jackie & Hal Williams 2 ADVENTIST TODAY • FALL 2016 EDITORIAL A Hermeneutic for the End Times By Loren Seibold “He worries me,” he said, “this charming, open- If the pope is nasty and controlling, as happened in minded pope.” the Middle Ages, it confirms our view that the “time of “Why?” I asked. “He seems to me very thoughtful, trouble, such as never was” (Dan. 12:1, KJV) is upon us. very kind.” If the pope is good and kind, it confirms our view that “That’s just it,” my friend said. “He’s becoming the time of trouble, such as never was, is upon us. entirely too popular. He has even taken you in. If he And the fact is that up until now, we’ve been becomes influential enough, he can bring to pass all wrong. The time of trouble such as never was hasn’t the things that we know the papacy is going to do at arrived. If you want to know why our current the end of time.” generation is so much less interested in eschatology “Have you seen any evidence,” I asked, “that he’s than our great-grandparents were, you only need Fear has gearing up for a takeover of our government in order to look at the clumsy and unsubtle way we’ve affected to enforce a Sunday law?” employed end-time signs. We have wasted our “No, of course not,” he said. “He wouldn’t come reputation as world-watchers on predictions that not only our right out and say that. He’s coy, seductive. First, he’s scared and excited people at first, but later left them winning the confidence of the world. Remember, disillusioned. theology, ‘all the world wondered after the beast.’ Then, he’s not only our going to spring it on us. And people like you will be Confirmation Bias unprepared.” Of course, it goes beyond the pope. When the eschatology, Sigh. European Union (EU) came together, I remember but also our people saying: “See that? They’re organizing so that Analyzing the Signs it will be easier to enforce the International Sunday psychology. It seems that no matter what the pope does or doesn’t Law.” When Britain voted to leave the EU, I knew I It’s why, do, no matter what he says or doesn’t say, he is going would soon hear: “See? Just like the Bible says, the to fulfill our worst expectations of him. He can’t win. toes of iron and clay will never cleave one to another.” through so If he advocated on behalf of kittens, some Seventh- Every event in the world seems painted just for much of our day Adventists would come out in opposition to our canvas. If there’s a war, we declare, ‘Wars and kittens. If he and Ted Wilson were walking along rumors of wars!” If peace breaks out, we mutter, history, we’ve the same sidewalk, and Ted suddenly fell over with “Peace, peace, but there is no peace.” If a politician cardiac arrest and the pope gave him CPR until the does something we disapprove of, we’re one step been so hard squad arrived, they’d accuse him of spreading pope closer to the end. If he does something moral and on people. germs. just, something of which no thoughtful person can When I was a child, I was told that we Seventh- disapprove, Satan is just using him to lull us into a day Adventists followed closely the events in the false sense of security. world around us, that we were looking to see Bible Go ahead. Come up with any bit of news. Good or prophecies in the signs of the times. But it seems to bad or in between. I bet you’ve heard some saint spin me now that it has rarely been a genuine analysis, it to say that the time of the end is here. an open-minded attempt to understand what’s Sunday blue laws are now largely eliminated in the happening in the world and how it affects us and our United States. I wonder if closing stores on Sunday faith. No, everything we see tells us the same thing. ever was a threat to our Sabbath keeping. But WWW.ATODAY.ORG 3 FEATURE supposing it was, isn’t this good news? Keeping religious symbols Indulging in Fear and displays off of public property and out of schools—isn’t this Someone is bound to say, “Yes, but what you call bad news— good news for the separation of church and state? But lately papal opposition, Sunday laws, persecution—really is good an increasing number of us have bought into the evangelical news, because it means Jesus is coming soon.” On the face of it, Christian agenda of making the public sphere Christian, so now perhaps. But I’m seriously beginning to doubt whether very many Adventists are looking forward in eager anticipation to Jesus’ return. If they were, the emphasis would be there, rather than on Seventh-day Adventist scholars all of the dangers they expect to face first. Read through The Great Controversy and notice the small might do well to define an proportion of it that has to do with joyful expectation and peace in Christ. It is mostly an account of God’s people persecuted and hounded, intensely suffering as they stand for the right in interpretive framework for the face of opposition.