As we SDA’s see the prophetic fulfillment unfolding before our eyes, everything comes together, and pieces of the puzzle fall into place. We cannot miss the signs of Jesus’ Second Coming; we understand that God's Good News plan will continue to unfold, no matter what happens around us or to us. Jesus said, not one punctuation mark of it will be removed until all is done.
Seventh-Day Adventists call this "The Present Truth". Present Truth is a process and not a static credo of "Ellen White said'; "Pioneers said", or "Bible scholars wrote".
It is ‘Quench not the Spirit’ (1 Thessalonians 5:19) and 'And it shall come to pass afterwards, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit' (Joel 2:28,29).
It is the ever-developing coming-of-age understanding of how the Biblical timeline runs parallel to the historical. It is how we ever better understand how the context of the Bible narrative is built. We have always understood that God will honour His promises until the end. We must ever walk in the front line of time-prophecy fulfillment. That is what Present Truth is all about.
Forty-two years ago, this is what appealed to me to join this denomination: 'Finally, a church where I may think for myself (be 'a heretic') while studying the Word of God and contributing to understanding.'
Is it still allowed to test the prophets, the pioneers, and the scholars; to not have to unquestionably take someone else's word for truth? Yes! Of course, there must be a consenting agreement on the matter on hand, otherwise, the system will crumble.
SDAs Must be Free Thinkers.
The fact is, we have experience with being in error about interpretations of historical events,[1] and sometimes historical records surface we didn't know existed.[2] We have never shut ourselves from gaining more insight into the truth of the Bible, coming from whatever high or low member. Let us not step down now from that premise, just now, when cutting-edge prophecy fulfillment gets exciting.
Currently, we see the prophetic fulfillment unfolding before our eyes, everything comes together, and pieces of the puzzle fall into place. We cannot miss the signs of Jesus; we understand that God's Good News plan will continue to unfold, no matter what happens around us or to us. Jesus said, not one punctuation mark of it will be removed until all is done. Let's always leave room for ongoing inspiration, or we will cease to be "a movement".
I find great encouragement in the following urgent statements about quenching the Spirit by holding on to interpretations that are shown not to be in harmony with the Bible:
‘If every idea we have entertained in doctrines is truth, will not the truth bear to be investigated? Will it totter and fall if criticized? If so, let it fall, the sooner the better. The spirit that would close the door to the investigation of points of truth in a Christlike manner is not the Spirit from above. … think it is high time that we were Christians at heart. The condition of things here is such that it requires the most earnest, persevering labour to counteract the work that has been done here for a few years in the past. I am glad that a time has come when something will stir our people to investigate the points of our faith for themselves. We should not consider that either Elder Butler or Elder Smith are the guardians of the doctrines for Seventh-day Adventists and that no one may dare to express an idea that differs from theirs. My cry has been: Investigate the Scriptures for yourselves and know for yourselves what saith the Lord. No man is to be the authority for us. If he has received his light from the Bible so may we also go to the same source for light and proof to substantiate the doctrines which we believe. The Scriptures teach that we should give a reason for the hope that is within us with meekness and fear.’[3]
Understanding the implication of this statement and realizing the immensity of our commission, deeply humbles me, while I recall these intense words:
‘Every position of truth taken by our people will bear the criticism of the greatest minds; ... therefore every position we take should be critically examined and tested by the Scriptures. ... Movements are at work to bring us to the front, and if our theories of truth can be picked to pieces by historians or the world's greatest men, it will be done. We must individually know for ourselves what is truth and be prepared to give a reason for the hope that we have with meekness and fear... We are nearing the time when we shall stand individually alone to answer for our beliefs. We shall be attacked on every point; we shall be tried to the utmost. We do not want to hold our faith simply because it was handed down to us by our fathers. Such a faith will not stand the terrible test that is before us.’[4]
So, let’s stay open-minded to deeper insights [Editor’s insert—as long as those insights are certified by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit]. After all, fulfilled prophecy is only then correctly explained when the symbolism of the vision unambiguously corresponds with its historical reality. The world will test our beliefs on all sides - they must stand that test!
My wish for our modern, front-line Church is that explaining prophecy will always remain consistent in interpreting the symbols of Revelation.[5] Or we will get confused. And that is not what we want; that is not what God wants for His Church.
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Ingrid Wijngaarde is a member of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee in Netherlands Union of Churches Conference. She is a member of Groningen SDA Church, and a senior policy advisor for the Dutch government.
[1] In Uriah Smith's days, the interpretation of Turkey as the little horn was logical thinking, but history proved him wrong.
[2] History proves that in 538 AD the bishop of Rome got the keys of the city of Rome and the prerogative Pontifex Maximus, but he didn't get political power, because that rested with the Dukes of Ravenna. The prophecy testifies that this seventh political head reigned together with the eighth and that it would stay for just a short while. The Dukedom of Ravenna was the seventh form of the Roman government (after, 1. the Kings, 2. the Consuls, 3. the Decemvirs (the 10-men rulership), 4. the Dictators, 5. the Triumvirs (triarchy), 6. One was in existence in John’s time: The Emperors, 7. the Dukes, 8. the Popes – goeth into perdition(in other words until the end of the world, when Jesus Himself would eliminate it). The Papacy only gained political power after the collapse of the Roman Exarchate (Duke) of Ravenna in 751AD. It was only then that the bishop of Rome could add political power (the eight according to the Roman historian Tacitus) to his pontifical power. Many SDA interpreters are not aware of this historical fact and look elsewhere for (wrong) explanations of the heads of Revelation 17.
[3] E.G.White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 707 (1889; also, Last Day Events, p. 70)
[4] E.G.White 1888 Material, 1888:186.2/188.1
[5] I am currently finalizing my book on Revelations 12, 13, 14, 17 and 18, centred around inconsistent SDA interpretations of the symbols. God willing, stay tuned.
