Comments On The End Of Time

Dear Gene,

I am reminded of my experience when we first met and you shared your paper with me. Just prior to meeting you I had prayed intensely for about a year for God to guide me to the real truth and meaning in His word, especially regarding Revelation. Then I met you. However, I was, at first, very concerned about "your" view of prophecy because it undermined my childlike, fundamentalist understanding of the limited view I then possessed.

Near the beginning of my reading and understanding of your paper, I became concerned that somehow God seemed less powerful (as opposed to my previous view, where God was forcefully in control, frightful, and an exacting executor of vengeful, righteous judgment). You suddenly presented to me the fact that God works gently and carefully with man and has adjusted His own will to accommodate our slothful, self-seeking nature. He has patiently set aside His own preferences to accommodate the free will of His closest followers in their frequent failings, ever holding out the hope and promise of a soon and expected end. In the beginning, this was a frightening image of God.

Shortly thereafter, it became an extremely comforting view because for the first time God had been revealed to me in His true character; a loving, kind, living, and omnipotent creator, now known to me personally for the first time, who has carefully guided us all along, shepherding us back to His love, patiently and painfully withholding final judgement until the maximum number of saints could be won.

It is not so surprising that the initial reaction to this enlightenment is fear. The truth of who God is removes the secure blanket of fundamentalism and the absolute that everything in prophecy is a dead letter written about a foreordained outcome in a fatalistic universe (to paraphrase a familiar quote.) If the future can be changed, then all of a sudden, I have personal responsibility. If it is a dead letter, then nothing I do matters and I can comfortably dismiss it and pursue a life of ignorant bliss. If prophecy is dynamic, and I can "hasten the day of the Lord," then I have a personal responsibility to be a dedicated worker for the gospel and my personal walk with God plays a part in determining the outcome. I am no longer safe to assume that I am detached from God and His plan for our salvation. The Ends of Time made me aware that we are all intimately connected to His divine plan and that God is depending on each of us personally to execute His plans. I had always thought it was someone else's job.

I am truly amazed at the closeness in proximately of the natural and supernatural in this new prophetic interpretation. On the supernatural side, no one sees three scenarios in the book of Revelation. The interpretation is so radical that some (to whom I have explained the concept) have even told me that the idea frightens them. Yet conditional prophecy is widely understood, there are many texts of Scripture which indicate that the first century was an appointed time of the end and all mainline evangelicals see a long and a short prophetic scheme in Daniel (not knowing what it means). On the storm of protests over the perceived irrelevance of 1844, you would think that Seventh-day Adventists would like five chapters in the book of Revelation devoted entirely to how the world might have ended in 1844, if it could be supported from Scripture, but no one seems to care.

I remember an astounding response from Ray House, the senior Pastor at the Richardson church, when I explained to him that he should study my paper for the new light it presents on prophecy (for his upcoming series on Daniel and Revelation) because he should present new light and not old outdated interpretations. He responded with great sincerity, quoting Scripture, saying, "The old is good enough" (Luke 5:39 NASB).

Ellen White has an interesting comment on the belief that old faith and customs are sufficient. It is from Sketches from the Life of Paul, pages 87-88: Chapter Title: Paul at Berea and Athens. (I don't think we hear enough from the pulpit, messages which contrast the virtues of the Bereans and the ignorance of the anti Bereans).

Here is the two paragraph quote.

In the presentation of the truth, those who honestly desire to be right will be awakened to a diligent searching of the Scriptures. This will produce results similar to those that attended the labors of the apostles in Berea. But those who preach the truth in these days meet many who are the opposite of the Bereans. They cannot controvert the doctrine presented to them, yet they manifest the utmost reluctance to investigate the evidence offered in its favor, and assume that even if it is the truth it is a matter of little consequence whether or not they accept it as such. They think that their old faith and customs are good enough for them. But the Lord, who sent out his ambassadors with a message to the world, will hold the people responsible for the manner in which they treat the words of his servants. God will judge all according to the light which has been presented to them, whether it is plain to them or not. It is their duty to investigate as did the Bereans. The Lord says through the prophet Hosea: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee."

The minds of the Bereans were not narrowed by prejudice, and they were willing to investigate and receive the truths preached by the apostles. If the people of our time would follow the example of the noble Bereans, in searching the Scriptures daily, and in comparing the messages brought to them with what is there recorded, there would be thousands loyal to God's law where there is one to-day. But many who profess to love God have no desire to change from error to truth, and they cling to the pleasing fables of the last days. Error blinds the mind and leads from God; but truth gives light to the mind, and life to the soul.

Gene

Dear Pastor ...,

Let me tell you a little bit of the book (THE ENDS OF TIME) and why it is extremely important for you to read it. I like to look at the importance of the ideas in it (not the poor expression of it) in this way.

Desmond Ford has sold the church on the impossibility of there being any intellectual honesty by Adventists who interpret Daniel and Revelation when it comes to a defense of 1844. I advocate an almost reckless precision in the reading of the Biblical texts and wish to point out that if this boldness can be maintained courageously—long enough to get through the book, (not an easy task)—one would still come up with the belief that all the fundamental conclusions of Adventism are true and that 1844 now stands on the most unshakable of foundations.

Because conditionalism is the cornerstone of Seventh-day Adventist doctrine, I also included Tim Crosby's article on conditionalism, in what I sent to you, just in case you missed it when it was first published. I think it's fundamental and believe that no progress can be made until we deeply appreciate old light. I'm sure you appreciate this. I just sent it along for emphasis. I love it!

In hearing what Clark has said of you, I would be honored to answer any questions you might have.

Sincerely,

Eugene Shubert

COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE BOOK (POSTED BY THE AUTHOR)

1. This commentary on prophecy will disappoint many readers.
It does not explain current events as would a newspaper nor does it titillate the reader with its sketch of the future. Its purpose is to outline salvation history: to reveal what might have occurred had God’s people been faithful in the distant past, their duty to God today, and the faith that they will need to be ready for the perils of tomorrow. Its quest is to make known the strict meaning of the prophetic texts, modulo their symbolism.

2. Few will appreciate the scientific methodology.
This study does not seek to interpret prophecy so that it harmonizes with history; It does not assume that history and prophecy agree. — It does conclude however that the two are marvelously interconnected.

A Positive Review

"In every age there is a new development of truth, a message of God to the people of that generation. The old truths are all essential; new truth is not independent of the old, but an unfolding of it. It is only as the old truths are understood that we can comprehend the new. When Christ desired to open to His disciples the truth of His resurrection, He began 'at Moses and all the prophets' and 'expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself.' " (Christ's Object Lessons, p. 127). This is that kind of book.

The Master SDA Index | Everything Important