CURRENT SCHEDULE
A Study of the Apocalypse
September 16: Current Adventist Views of Revelation - Jim Walters Jim’s survey includes Pastor Randy Roberts’ recent sermon series on Revelation
September 23: The Return of Joshua Himes - Bill Shull Himes is recognized as one of five founders of 19th century Adventism, and may be the most pivotal figure. Here he’s come back in 2023 and reflects on his life and work.
September 30: We begin the study of Bart Ehrman’s Armageddon: What the Bible Really Says About the End
September 30 Apocalyptic Anxieties with Presenter Sheryll Prinz-McMillan
Preface: Ehrman’s personal pilgrimage through Revelation hermeneutics Chapter 1 “The End is Near” - (The dominance of dispensationalism in modern Revelation interpretation) The emergence of Darbyism, Whisenant, Hal Lindsey, and the reaction to historical criticism.
October 7 “Whither the 3 Angels?” with Warren Trenchard - Chapter 2 “The Most Mystifying Book of the Bible” - A Summary of the Apocalypse – Use of “slave” (not “servant”); recipients of message: the Seven Churches (real churches known to him), Ch. 1 Summary – The First Vision (of Christ, the key to all the rest); Ch’s 2, 3: Letters to the 7 churches; Ch’s 4, 5: The Throne Room of God and the Lamb; Ch’s 6-16: The Heaven-Sent Disasters; Ch’s 17-20: The Fall of Babylon Ch’s 21-22: The New Heavens, Earh and Jerusalem
October 14 - Presenter Lee Greer - Chapter 4 Real-Life Consequences of the Imminent Apocalypse: Four Case studies from American religion (The Great Disappointment/Millerism; The Disaster at Waco; US Policy on Israel; The Environment, Climate and the imminent return of Jesus
October 21 - Presenter Paul Herrman - Chapter 3 A History of False Predictions – Early Fathers, Papius, Hyppolytus, Vitorinus, Augustine (dominant, metaphorical view), Joachim of Fiore, Futurism, Christian Zionism, John and Lewis Way, dispensational premillennialism (Scofield Bible, Darby, Rapture and Dispensational takeover)
October 28 Chapter 6 The Lamb Becomes a Lion: Violence in the Book of Revelation - Joshua and Jesus; Stories of Gods Wrath: the prophets, Amos, Hosea, the OT in sum. Violence in Revelation; The Wrath of the Lamb who was slain; Several passages of extreme horror; Symbolic Violence?
November 4 - Presenter Kendra Haloviak Valentine Chapter 5 How To Read the Book of Revelation – How an Apocalypse works; the Apocalyptic Vision of Daniel 7; Interpretation; Describing “Apocalypse” – Revelation as Apocalypse; The Fatal Flaw of Futuristic Fantasies: Locusts from the PT (Revelation 9); A Historical Approach – The Whore of Babylon (Revelation 9) The Beast of the Sea (Revelation 13) More Historical Riches: The Other Beast of Revelation 17
November 11 Chapter 7 The Ideology of Dominance: Wealth and Power in Revelation Revenge Wealth in the Teachings of Jesus (Jesus didn’t mean it, did he?) Wealth in the Book of Revelation Jesus’ Views of Domination; How Jesus’ Teachings made a Difference: The Christian Ideology of Service, Domination in the book of Revelation – Service or Domination
Chapter 8 – The Apocalypse of John and the Gospel of Jesus - The coming destruction: John and Jesus - Imitating Jesus – But Which One? (Schweitzer) A loving peaceful Jesus of the Gospels or a wrathful vengeful Jesus of the Apocalypse?
Additional Reading For This Study
This list is focused on this particular study and may be added to during the series.
Joshua Himes - SDA Encyclopedia Entry by Douglas Morgan
Joshua Himes - Wikipedia Entry
Warren C. Trenchard, Revelation 14:6-12 In Its Context Unpublished Paper at Papers/Essays €Warren C. Trenchard warrentrenchard.com
Moore, Stephen D., Empire and Apocalypse, Postcolonialism and the New Testament, Vol. 12 of the series “The Bible in the Current World” This is a clear discussion by a leading biblical interpreter of the ways of looking at the text in our era. The meaning of postmodern, deconstruction, postcolonial - these central ways of understanding our world provide a view to understanding the Bible, including the Apocalypse.
Anthony Aveni, Apocalyptic Anxiety: Religion, Science, and America’s Obsession with the End of the World This book was referred to by Sheryll Prinz-McMillan in her presentation. Aveni uses the Millerite movement to illustrate his major point, not as exception but an illustration of a broader obsession with millenial thinking in America.
Background Reading on Biblical Interpretation Relevant to this Series
Kendra Haloviak Valentine on Biblical Interpretation - Part 1 (As Explained by David Larson)
Part 2 (as Explained by David Larson)
This series is an excellent general introduction to Biblical interpretation; the world of the text, behind the text, and in front of the text. The modern, the post-modern. Haloviak Valentine will present on November 4. Larson is a clear and helpful teacher in his explanations.
Sabbath Seminars
Room 3208
Centennial Complex of Loma Linda University Sabbath Morning 10:30-12:30