Middle Ages Rabbi Redak teaches SDA Historicism for Prophecy

Koot van wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)

Visiting Professor

Kyungpook National University

Sangju Campus

South Korea

Conjoint lecturer of Avondale College

Australia

Long before there was a Seventh-Day Adventist official denomination, before 1860 thus, there were Seventh-Day Adventist believers because they kept the Sabbath and they believed in the Second Coming of the Messiah. It was the persecution period for Christians who did not share the Sunday designed doctrines of the only acceptable religion at that time, Catholicism. Even for Jews it was not easy to protect their scriptures against confiscation. Rabbi Redak is the acronym for Rabbi David Kimchi 1157-1236. His father and older brother were teachers. He lived in Narbonne, Provence (southern France). He was a grammarian and author of one of the most important biblical commentaries. His father was a famous grammarian and rabbi, Rabbi Yosef Kimchi. His older brother was Rabbi Moshe who wrote several books on grammar. Redak wrote The Book of Roots or Sefer HaShoroshim. His commentaries appeared in the first Rabbinic Bible by Felix Pratensis in 1517 and in the Great Rabbinic Bible of 1524/1525. There is much discussion of Redak’s system and style of commentary, but most seem to agree that he emphasized p’shat = the basic meaning with a stress on clarity and readability (Encyclopaedia Judiaca 10 [Jerusalem: Keter Publishing House, Ltd., 1971] and the article of Kimchi, David).

His commentary of Joel is in Hebrew and presented in English translations at times by modern Rabbi A. J. Rosenberg in his The Book of the Twelve Prophets (New York: The Judaica Press, Inc., 1986).

Joel is describing in the final verses of the book how the remnant will find their permanent home in heavenly Jerusalem called Zion and the “Lord dwells in Zion”. The enemies of the remnant will have problems. Joel 4:19 [Hebrew = Joel 3:19 in English] says that “Egypt shall become desolate” and “Edom shall be a desert waste”. These are two pistons. The valley of Jehoshapat Executive Judgment by God takes place because the Lord shall “roar from Zion” (Joel 4:16 = Joel 3:16) which is probably the Executive “Hell” theme of the Bible when the Day of the Lord events will take place regarding the absolute eradication of evil. It is the winepress time since the “winepress is full” (Joel 4:13 = Joel 4:13). It is the Day of the Lord for Joel 4:14 [= Joel 3:14 in English] says “for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision”. It is not just a preteristic event before or during Joel’s time or in his immediate future, as modern Calvinists call “forthtelling”, no, it is impossible since it is using “eternity jargon” “shall no longer pass through there” (Joel 4:17 = Joel 3:17). “But Judah shall remain forever [leolam]” (Joel 4:20 = Joel 3:20 in English).

The absolute term Joel is using is not just allegorical, metaphorical or symbolical. They are real. The prophet is not drunk and the Holy Spirit does not play with words when it comes to eternal matters and sin resolving issues.

The question in Seventh-day Adventist prophetic interpretation is: who is the Antichrist of Daniel 7:25 that appeared after the fourth beast which is Pagan Rome. Adventists are holding onto the interpretation that it is Religious Rome or the Roman Catholic Church. It will continue until the Second Coming as a power although it had a “deadly wound” (Revelation 13) in 1798 when Napoleon’s general arrested the pope. The USA new order started since France was acting with 1776 USA principles. But it is the USA that uplifts the Roman Catholic power and image so that the two, power and image are intertwined. Therefore, this Roman power will continue until the Second Coming of the Messiah.

It is here that Redak is very interesting in his commentary on Joel.

Redak says that Edom in Joel 4:19 = 3:19 [English] is Rome:

ואדום בעבור מלכות רומי ואלה שתי האומות הנה הגוברות זה ימים רבים ותהיינח        

עד עת הגאולה והיא חיותא רביעאה במראות דניאל                                                

“and Edom is in the place of the kingdom of Rome and behold these two [Egypt (Arabs) and Edom (Rome)] are the powerful ones many days and it shall be until the time of the redemption. And this fourth animal was seen by Daniel in the vision” [Daniel 7:7, 19-28].

Just like modern Seventh-day Adventists with their historicistic prophetic interpretation, Redak in the time of Thomas Aquinas said that Rome was seen as the fourth animal by Daniel 7 and that this animal.

Until when will be the power of this fourth animal or Rome according to Rabbi Redak?

He gave the answer:

כן לעולם כי לעולמי עד תהיה שכינתו בציון אחדשתשוב שם בימות חמשיח  גם

“Also the same unto eternity for unto eternity shall be His Shekinah in Zion after that it returns there in the days of the Messiah” (Redak’s commentary on Joel 4:21 = Joel 3:21 [English]).

Thus, just as modern Seventh-day Adventism is saying that the fourth animal of Daniel 7 which transforms in a continuation power of the fourth animal since it is the horn of the fourth animal, which is the Roman Catholic Church based on Roman tradition of Pagan Rome which received a deadly wound but it was healed with the help of the lamblike animal [USA] in Revelation 13, so Redak said that the fourth animal of Daniel 7 is Rome and that it will continue to exist as power until the coming of the Messiah or eternity.

In every generation, God had His agents working for him.