Rise of the Dualist View of Prophetic Interpretation

[History Buff]

The dualist view of prophetic interpretation is a phrase describing a movement within our denomination that is taking root.  The traditional historicist view of prophetic interpretation is still strong within the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but dualism is also making strong inroads being preached from highly visible public teachers to the level of the local church.

Last Sabbath the teacher of Sabbath School introduced a full fledged version of dual application for the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation.  I suspect he left no doubt in anyone's mind that he had taken a dual direction from the traditional teachings of historicism.  No one spoke at all in the class, and he addressed their quietness.  I was watching online because I am not physically able to attend church right now, or I probably would have jolted out of my seat in defense of God's true foundation for rules of prophetic interpretation.

While he didn't deny the past application of the historicist view, he added an end-time interpretative method called dualism, where the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation are seen through different glasses, as though there were a new method of interpretation for these end times.  Everything prophetic was catapulted into a future fulfillment.  The dualist interpretive method has also been taught by more highly visible teachers in our church.  I like the teacher, and am very disturbed by what was presented.  I was severely depressed and crying off and on for about three days.  Couldn't eat much.  Just today I started another bout of depression and crying over this horrendously wrong method of interpretation invading the doors of our church.  I like to think this dear man does not have complete knowledge of the dangers of the dualist position.  There are now four recognized methods of prophetic interpretation, i.e., preterist, futurist, historicist, and dualist.

The BRI took a stand in a 1988 article entitled Ellen G. White and the Interpretation of Daniel and Revelation.  I present a quotation from the article for your consideration:


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 "But is the assertion true that hidden away in the writings of Ellen White we may find the seeds of a new method of interpreting Daniel and Revelation - the dual fulfillment method? Is it possible that Ellen White in fact taught and endorsed the historicist method of interpreting Daniel and Revelation and at the same time inserted statements here and there from which the church could later construct a new method of prophetic interpretation? Let us not forget the valid truth that Rome fully recognized when her Jesuit theologians proposed new methods for interpreting Daniel and Revelation: A change in method inevitably leads to a change in conclusions.
       
"In terms of prophetic interpretation the Adventist Church stands at a crossroads. The spirit of the Counter Reformation knocks on the Adventist door. The decision to open the door and to go the way an earlier Protestantism went is one option. In today's ecumenical climate the temptation to go that way is alluring. But there is valid reason why we should remain loyal to the prophetic faith of our pioneer fathers."

You may see the whole article at: [http://biblicalresearch.gc.adventist.org/documents/WhiteInterDanielandRev.htm]  This response to the crisis of dual application is most useful.

See also the article in the Adventist Review written by William Shea entitled Making Sense of Bible Prophecy. 
[http://www.adventistreview.org/2001-1513/story4-1.html]

[Soli Deo Gloria]

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You've got me curious on what this is about.   

[newbie]

You've got me curious on what this is about.   

me too 

[Larry Lyons]

You've got me curious on what this is about.   

It appears that HistoryBuff erased her post. Perhaps she will explain.

[History Buff]

It appears that HistoryBuff erased her post. Perhaps she will explain.

I have reposted the original thread and will leave it there.  I had thought there was a deplorable lack of curiosity in the topic, (Ever see Sound of Music?) but apparently I was incorrect.

[Pamela Adams]

This is one of those topics that I think I understand, but then I think i do not understand.....could you give some examples of dualism...does this in anyway give way to futurism...or are we talking about putting a spiritual application...not only am i a little bit slow...but easily confused at this point..

[History Buff]

This is one of those topics that I think I understand, but then I think i do not understand.....could you give some examples of dualism...does this in anyway give way to futurism...or are we talking about putting a spiritual application...not only am i a little bit slow...but easily confused at this point..

Outstanding question for consideration!  There are four primary methods of prophetic interpretation found today.  The preterist finds prophetic fullfillment in the past.  The futurist finds prophetic fulfillment largely in the future, although they place some fulfillments in the past with a huge gap inbetween.  The historicist (Adventistis) finds prophetic fulfillment running consistently throughout the ages with no gap, from past to present.  The dualist tries to hold on to the historicists view of prophetic interpretation while adding a futurist view in addition.  IMO they treat the historicist view as prophetic plumbing. The dualist begins to express that there is insufficient water to reach the prophetic end in our prophetic plumbing and begins to look for other sources of water to extend or even add to the plumbing.  The end result we are left with is the memory of the historicist prophetic tap and are left with the what is technically a combined historicist/futurist prophetic water supply, the futurist prophetic water being in much more abundant supply.  The dualist does not filter interpretation so much as he attempts to replace the old interpretative methods with new ones.  The historic interpretive method becomes overpowered neath the pressure of the 90% new water source.

The dualist calls their method dual application, however they apply literal dates such as 3 1/2 years to the end of time crisis.  The dualist cannot demonstrate how the end-time application fits the text of the prophecy because it doesn't fit the text.  They do not have knowledge of how to handle the rules of prophetic interpretation nor how to handle the more difficult, finer points of grammar such as the use of the antecedent and also parts of speech.  Since they don't know how to use these tools, they often will simply try to find what sounds plausible to them. 

Dualism is a term used to describe a perceived dual nature of the body/spirit or the state of the dead.  To my knowledge, this type of dualism has not entered the Adventist church.  Dualism has only entered in regard to prophetic method of interpretation entering the Adventist church.

To spiritualize a Biblical prophecy can be a way of presenting a dualist view, but not necessarily.  There are some in the church teaching that we must look through an end-time pair of glasses if you will, or that we must look into a mirror of the past to see what is going to happen in the future.  While there may be some truth to this concept, we can carry it too far.  It is okay to look at the past to get some understanding of the future and how things may happen, but it is treacherous to try to apply specific events and dates and timeframes in the end times as though they must happen in a certain way and at a certain time, that is unless you are given specific license within the text to do so.  This type of teaching does not deny the historicist method of inteprpretation, nor does it deny the teachings of the Advent pioneers.  The teacher of end-time mirror theology still puts an end-cap on the prophetic plumbing, takes a look at it as through a mirror, routes new plumbing and turns the water back on, having added a filtration system.  The same water is still available, but it is different now, having been filtered.  While it might be useful to filter water today because of the environmental pollution, we cannot treat the prophetic word in this manner and still come up with a valid interpretation. 

By running prophetic interpretation through a filter, as though we would come up with a purer understanding, we end up stripping out vital prophetic components, introducing a contamination instead of purity.

Spiritualizing prophetic interpretation where it is not clearly called for is another form of filtration which may have the same effect as the end-time looking glasses or mirror.

I hope this helps some. 

Deborah 

[History Buff]

I want to share with you more specific examples of dual application where it is hitting our church the hardest:

1.  Daniel 12:6-12  The established and demonstrable prophetic interpretation of the 1260, 1290, and 1335 days is being replaced with an end-time futurist view where the time period, when it begins is a specific period of time of 3 1/2 literal years.  There is no way to demonstrate the futurist view however, as there is the historicist view.  This view will eventually infect our understanding of the 70 week prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 if it is not corrected. 

2.  Revelation 13: 3, 12  I have heard in recent years the departure from the historic view of the deadly wound being attributed to the act of Napoleon's capture of the pope and the effective "wound" to the papacy.  It is being replaced at least in some instances with a futurist view that the deadly wound was not the capture of the papacy, but rather the unavailability of the Bible to the people.  I don't know how prevalent this teaching has become, but it was taught from a prominent Adventist leader about a year ago.

3.  Revelation 17:3-17 On Easter weekend (Sabbath), in addition to item 1 above, I heard a more established departure covering numerous areas of prophecy including the identification of the seven heads and the antichrist.  While not denying the historicist view of the past, there was the introduction of an "enlightened" view thought to be more pertinent today as we see political events transpire.  There was the overwhelming displacement of the historicist view with the futurist view.  The heads have been IMO wrongly attributed to empires where it rather clearly is demonstrated that they are forms of government within the pagan Roman system, as compared to the 10 horns which are 10 divisions of the papal Roman power.  The beast of chapter 17 is a composite beast of both pagan and papal Rome.  Because we have not stayed with the original Adventist teaching as such, and for other related reasons we have seen a continuing decline away from our hold on the historicist view of prophetic interpretation which I believe will cause many to lose the entire distinctive historicity of the 70 weeks and the 2300 years prophecies.  The presentation on Sabbath proposed the view that the last of the empires of Rev. Chapter 17 are the New World Order and Globalism.  This is a popular view today.  Yes, globalism will have a part to play, but it is not the antichrist and is not one of the heads.  We tend to stop referring as much to the papal power as the antichrist with the focus of the New World Order and globalism.  I don

[Deborah Risinger]

Indeed Deborah.......the Counter Refermation has never ended.  In our church, we just finished a study on the Counter Refermation through history.

The war behind the veil is fierce...we need to be vocal (in a kind way), yet stand in the way of those trying to destroy Truth.....I am with you...it is hard to handle at times...but God is our strength....as we appear to be stable, hopefully, people will be drawn away from the divisiveness being produced.

God Keep You Strong and Stable..."for His Name's Sake" in you: 

God's Blessings'
Deborah

[History Buff]

Indeed Deborah.......the Counter Refermation has never ended.  In our church, we just finished a study on the Counter Refermation through history.

The war behind the veil is fierce...we need to be vocal (in a kind way), yet stand in the way of those trying to destroy Truth.....I am with you...it is hard to handle at times...but God is our strength....as we appear to be stable, hopefully, people will be drawn away from the divisiveness being produced.

God Keep You Strong and Stable..."for His Name's Sake" in you: 

God's Blessings'
Deborah

Hi Deborah,

I'm glad to hear that your church is teaching the counter-reformation.  Thanks for the encouraging words.  Thanks for sharing.

[Listen]

1.  Daniel 12:6-12  The established and demonstrable prophetic interpretation of the 1260, 1290, and 1335 days is being replaced with an end-time futurist view where the time period, when it begins is a specific period of time of 3 1/2 literal years.  There is no way to demonstrate the futurist view however, as there is the historicist view.  This view will eventually infect our understanding of the 70 week prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 if it is not corrected. 

Old topic but greatly appreciated.  As many of the old topics are interesting to review.

[newbie]

Just remember, EGW says that Michael has not yet stood up...

[Tammy]

It seems that all of chapter 12 is still future except for the verses that talk about the 1290 days, etc., and those have supposedly already taken place.  Makes sense to me that they could at least have a dual application.