Daniel%20and%20Revelation

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Daniel and Revelation

• Past Truth or Present Truth?

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A divided landscape Daniel

• In the Christian world
• Majority view re origin of Daniel
• Written in second century BC
• Written by unkown author pseudonym of Daniel
• Focuses on crisis during reign of Antioch IV
  Epiphanes (175-163 BC)?
• Desecrated Jerusalem temple ( ca.170 BC)?
• the abomination of desolation (Matt. 2415)?

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A divided landscape Daniel

• In Adventism
• Traditional /majority(?) view re origin of
  Daniel
• 6th century BC
• Written by prophet Daniel
• Covers 25 centuries of history
• Basis for sanctuary doctrine
• Great end-time significance
• Minority view (many scholars)?
• 2nd cent. BC origin

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A divided landscape Revelation

• Schools of interpretation
• outside Adventism
• in Adventist Church
• Preterism
• Futurism
• Historicism
• Idealism

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A divided landscape - Revelation

• 1. Preterism
• Luis de Alcazar (d.1613)?
• Fullfilment in first century
• Link with 7 churches
• Emphasizes texts shortly soon
• Mat 1628 I tell you the truth, some who are
  standing here will not taste death before they
  see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.
• Mat 1023 Mat 2335-36 Mat 2434 Mat 2663-64

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A divided landscape Revelation

• 2. Futurism
• Orginated with RC authors (Lacunza Ribera)?
• Fullfilments in period just before the end
• Popular with evangelicals
• Antichrist world domination
• Tribulation persecution
• Rapture

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A divided landscape Revelation

• 3. Continuous historical view covers span of
  history (historicism)?
• Used by early Church Fathers
• View prevailed during Middle Ages, up to time of
  Reformation
• Since Reformation in many forms
• Seems to work

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A divided landscape Revelation

• 4. Other approaches
• Multiple applications
• Spiritual approach (idealism)?

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Adventist view - Revelation

• Traditional view Continuous historical
• Uriah Smith
• SDA Bible Commentary
• Popular writers
• Evangelisation
• Confusion
• Scholars are divided
• Liberals feel embarassed
• Conservatives frustrated
• Desmond Ford apotelesmatic principle
• Topic is hijacked by right-wing

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Historicism

• Plus
• Has had support through the ages
• Supported by Adventist tradition / EGW
• Minus
• Symbols seem multi-interpretable
• Predictions do not always come true
• Has led to repeated date setting
• Focuses almost exclusively on Western Christianity

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Our goal in this seminar

• No detailed analysis of various views
• Shift of focus
• Reading apocalyptic prophecy as a particular
  literary form
• Relevancy for today not primarily dependent on
  detailed explanation of every symbol
• Relevancy present truth in a postmodern world

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Present Truth

• Daniel was present truth for early church
• Important role of Apocalypticism
• Jesus referred to Daniel
• Revelation builds on Daniel
• Revelation
• Was present truth for first generations of
  Christians
• Seven letters
• Role of Rome

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Present Truth

• For Church Fathers
• For medieval church
• E.g. Joachim of Fiore (1260 days)?
• For Reformers
• Luther
• Anabaptists
• During great Awakenings
• For William Miller and Millerites

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Present Truth for Adventists

• For early Adventists (1)?
• Second coming
• 1844
• Soon coming
• Fall of Babylon
• Three angels messages
• Role of Roman Catholicism
• Deadly wound
• Recovery

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Present Truth for Early Adventists

• For early Adventists (2)?
• Signs
• Earthquake Lisbon (1755)?
• Failing of stars (1780)?
• Darkening of sun/moon (1833)?
• Saracenes and Turks
• Sunday Laws (ca. 1890)?
• Role of the United States

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Present Truth in 21st Century??

• Need for Present Truth Quest for relevancy
• Postmodern sentiment
• No need for grand scheme in which all symbols
  have their meaning
• Allows for multiplicity of viewpoints
• Whats in it for me?

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Present Truth

• Present Truth of Daniel and Revelation for
  today's postmodern generation
• They tell us about God how He operates
• They tell us about Christ
• They tell about sin and victory
• They tell us about radical living
• They tell us about choice / commitment
• They tell us about belonging to Gods people
• They tell us about worship