Some Notes on the “Non-Adventist” Lessons on Revelation Week 2

 

The weakest part of this week’s lesson in the Sabbath School is this explanation including the preteristic emphasis on the historical interpretation of the seven churches. It is the way I was taught by Calvinists in 1974 to read Revelation. The second section is the way Ellen White and the pioneers and our church has interpreted all along before the inroads started. The third division is the application of the principle from the Appendix of the Book of Daniel Commentary by Calvin presented by Thomas Myers, Commentaries on the Prophet Daniel

Vols. 1-2. Calvin Translation Society. 1852; 1853.http://www.ccel.org. He discussed all three prophetic interpretation systems and then added one that is called ideological application which use this universal application suggested here which was also suggested by D. Ford with his apotelesmatic principle at Glazier View discussions.

 

Does the Bible say that there existed these churches in John’s day with these problems there? Every historical application provided in this lesson to a church, like the emperor worship etc. was all over the whole empire, not just at this church. Christ is pointing out something else than what the preterists are scooping up from environmental history of John’s time.

The other problem is the vagueness of the history aspects uplifted by scholars like Stefanovich. None of them can be pin-pointed.

After interviewing the Korean Translator of Stefanoviches book, Gi-Pal Hong, he admitted to me saying: “Actualy, Stefanovich wrote the Book for a non-Adventist audience”.

What? Can you now bring Ham-sandwiches and give it to vegetarian Adventists to eat?

 

Citation from Wednesday Lesson Two of the Revelation Series.

The messages that Jesus directed John to send to the seven churches are recorded in Revelation 2 and 3. Their meanings apply on three levels:

Historical application.

Those messages originally were sent to seven churches located in prosperous cities of first-century Asia. The Christians there faced serious challenges. Several cities set up emperor worship in their temples as a token of their loyalty to Rome. Emperor worship became compulsory. Citizens also were expected to participate in public events and pagan religious ceremonies. Because many Christians refused to participate in these practices, they faced trials and, at times, even martyrdom. Commissioned by Christ, John wrote the seven messages to help believers deal with these challenges.

Prophetic application.

Revelation is a prophetic book, but only seven churches were chosen to receive its messages. This fact points to the prophetic character of the messages, as well. The spiritual conditions in the seven churches coincide with the spiritual conditions of God’s church in different historical periods. The seven messages are intended to provide, from Heaven’s perspective, a panoramic survey of the spiritual state of Christianity from the first century to the end of the world.

Universal application.

Just as the entire book of Revelation was sent as one letter that was to be read in every church (Rev. 1:11, Rev. 22:16), so the seven messages also contain lessons that can apply to Christians in every age. In such a way, the messages represent different types of Christians in different places and times. For instance, while the general characteristic of Christianity today is Laodicean, some Christians may identify with the characteristics of some of the other churches. The good news is that whatever our spiritual condition, God “meets fallen human beings where they are.”—Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, book 1, p. 22.