Pöhler / Maiwald "The Kingdom of God is at Hand"

Adventist Interpretations of Biblical Apocalypticism
1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-3-935480-57-4
Verlag: Theologische Hochschule Friedensau
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection

E-Book, Englisch, Band 4, 380 Seiten

Reihe: Adventistica: Studies in Adventist History and Theology - New Series

"The Kingdom of God is at Hand" - Adventist Interpretations of Biblical Apocalypticism offers nineteen papers presented at the 4th International Symposium of the Institute of Adventist Studies at Friedensau Adventist University, Germany, April 26-29, 2021. The contributions represent current Adventist scholarship from four continents: Europe, North America, Africa, and Australia. Well versed in their fields and knowledgeable about their subjects, the authors are dealing with Christian apocalypticism from biblical, historical, theological, and practical perspectives. Originating from the 19th-century Millerite movement, Seventh-day Adventism is deeply affected by apocalyptic thinking. By looking at the Adventist faith tradition from a scholarly point of view, this volume hopes to contribute to an apt assessment of apocalyptic eschatology.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Pöhler, Rolf J.

Maiwald, Kerstin

Leseproben

Future, Past, and Present: Adventist Apocalypticism Facing the Times

Abstract

From its inception, Seventh-day Adventism has displayed an apocalyptic worldview derived from Millerism and based on apocalyptic texts and books of the Bible, above all Daniel and Revelation. While still shaping Adventist teaching and evangelism, in recent decades critical questions have been raised regarding the biblical validity, theological potency, and contemporary relevance of this apocalyptic imprint. This essay reviews Adventist apocalypticism in terms of its strengths and weaknesses by looking (1) at the prospects of the world and of Adventist belief, (2) at the , esp. the early Christian and Adventist church providing insights for today, and (3) at the where apocalypticism is facing its litmus test. Apocalyptic realism-according to Pöhler – entails a radical hope that is implied in Scripture, and that is in keeping with the times.

Introduction

“We live in troubled times, one can affirm without exaggeration. Yet what are the roots of our troubles, and what might be the realistic basis for hoping that we can surmount them? How can we, as Christians, frame an honest and theologically tenable world-view to guide our lives and work in this perilous time?”1 These are the opening sentences of a recent book by Jürgen Moltmann, one of the most influential theologians of our time. Arguably, apart from the towering figure of Karl Barth, no theologian of the twentieth century has done more to direct the attention of the theological guild to the eschatological and apocalyptic character of the Bible. Moltmann’s influence on Adventist theologians has not been lost,2 while he showed himself well informed about the Adventist view on “the end.”

I am not quoting Moltmann because I fully concur with his eschatological vision; his focus on the “Coming of God”3 envisions a Spirit-guided transformation of the world into the kingdom of God rather than a history-shattering, visible, and personal of Jesus Christ. I am referring to him because the purpose of this WCC publication overlaps with my objective in this keynote address – if only in its approach, and not in its subject matter. Moltmann offers “a reassessment and reappropriation” of the legacies of modernity “in both their promising and problematic elements.”4 By contrast, it is my intention to present a reassessment and reappropriation of Seventh-day Adventist apocalypticism in both its problematic and promising features.

I will develop my thoughts in three steps. To begin with, I want to describe briefly the challenge Adventist apocalypticism is facing with regard to On the one hand, the futurity of our world is in serious danger as is becoming clearer almost every day. On the other hand, the actual unfolding of history seems increasingly to jeopardize the historic Adventist vision of the end. How will Adventism cope with the factual future? Perhaps nothing can be of greater help in the face of this mounting challenge than the willingness to learn from Both the problematic and the promising elements of our denominational history arise from its beginnings. Furthermore, the unique faith experience of the first generations of Christians provides crucial resources for dealing with the challenges of today and tomorrow. Finally, after having looked at the future as well as into the past, I will share my own view on this question with you. How can Seventh-day Adventism today align its future expectation with in the light of the past? Let us tackle these formidable questions together – humbly and confidently.

Adventist Apocalypticism Facing the Future

Already in 2018, the Managing Committee of the Institute of Adventist Studies felt that an attentive look at “Adventist Interpretations of Biblical Apocalypticism” – so the subtitle of this symposium – could contribute to dealing adequately with the challenges the church is facing in the twenty-first century. Little did we know that the COVID-19 pandemic would force us not only to postpone the symposium by a year, but also to change its format into a webinar without the pleasant personal encounters on Friedensau’s turf, as during previous conventions. On the other hand, instead of attracting about 70 people to the campus of Friedensau University, there are now almost four times more people joining us virtually from more than 30 countries and four continents. This was unimaginable to us a year ago. As a German saying goes, “Unsere Verlegenheiten sind Gottes Gelegenheiten – Our difficulties are God’s opportunities.” There is a lesson here for us.

The premillennial Adventist interpretation of apocalyptic Bible prophecies tends to paint the world in very gloomy colors without hope for any real betterment. “The world is getting worse and worse” is its mantra. Indeed, there are good reasons for this view. There is no need here to provide a list of the numerous “signs of the times” showing downward trends in the political, economic, ecological, social, ethical, and religious realms. You may have heard them in evangelistic sermons since childhood days, and you can still hear them in the Adventist World Wide Web. The COVID-19 pandemic – with its incalculable consequences for the world and the church, and the shockwaves it was spreading all over the globe – was just one of the latest auspicious occasions to repeat and revive this line of argument: The fulfillment of the “signs of the times” before our own eyes is proof that the coming of Christ is at hand, even at the door!

But this is only half the truth. The other half consists of equally numerous indications that humankind is experiencing remarkable progress in many fields; e. g., in the quality and prolongation of life and the enormous advances in technology and medicine, stirring up hope that SARS-CoV-2 and similar deadly viruses will be conquered, and that humankind will survive and even thrive in the so-called “pandemic age.” Relatively few people today – Adventists included – would want to have lived in past eras or even only a century ago. A number of us – like myself – would not be alive today without the blessings of modern, high-tech medicine. Therefore, when boon is weighed against bane on the proverbial scale, it seems to somewhat balance out. The “signs of the times” proving the world’s demise are offset by equally weighty “signs of the times” demonstrating the remarkable advancement of humankind in many areas. Thus, one can likewise argue for good reasons, “The world is getting better and better.”5

So, what of the future? The fact is that no one knows for sure. While we may fear the worst and hope for the best, there is no way for humanity to foretell with certainty what this planet and its inhabitants will yet undergo in times to come. From a purely scientific perspective, the factual end of the world is beyond question. When the battery of the sun is dead, its light will go out. To be sure, this prospect is still far away. Closer to us, the chances for slowing down, let alone stopping or even reversing, the galloping spector of climate change is doubtful, to say the least. Besides, the ecological crisis has only little effect on people because its long-term consequences are not felt strongly within one’s own lifetime. To Adventists, climate change may appear as an irreversible trend that confirms the expectation about the world’s impending doom. Traditionally, Seventh-day Adventists have paid little heed to ecological issues because their attention was, and widely still is, focused on last day events and the consummation of history. Thus, the future of the world this side of eternity has largely been regarded as the last convulsion of a doomed planet.6

The mounting crises and the precarious future of the world of nature and of people can be seen as evidence of the prevailing Adventist predictions regarding final events and the imminence of the end. “It is hard not to think that the end of all things has already begun.”7 But this, too, is only half the truth. The flip side of the coin shows an increasing divergence between certain Adventist end-time expectations and the actual prospect of their fulfillment in the assessable future. A few examples will suffice to demonstrate this point. I am aware that I am entering a minefield here where the likelihood of hitting an explosive object looms large. Adventist interpretations of Biblical apocalypticism comprise such a field. Certain Bible prophecies, predominantly from Daniel and Revelation, are interpreted and embellished by specific applications and attributions that give this end-time scenario a unique flavor not found in any other Christian denomination or tradition.8

Broadly speaking, the Adventist end-time scenario goes like this: After almost all of the “signs of the end” announcing the soon coming of Christ have been accurately fulfilled by now, the few remaining predictions will just as certainly come to pass within a short period of time. The final cosmic showdown between Christ and Satan before the will be played out on earth between mystical “Babylon” – working through the Papacy,...