Bible Truth Versus SDA Truth: Signs of the End

Signs of Christ's Return

The sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. (Mark 13:24-26) And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. (Rev. 6:12-16)

Since Seventh-day Adventists view themselves as the focal point of Revelation, they interpret various symbols in Revelation in terms of the "Advent Movement." Thus, the "signs of the end" described in Revelation 6:12-16 (and in Jesus' Olivet discourse) are framed in terms of the SDA understanding of when the "time of the end" commenced. For SDAs, the "time of the end" began with the arrival of their church, starting in the 1840s, with the Millerite movement, which eventually evolved into Seventh-day Adventism.

The SDA prophet Ellen White claimed the prophetic signs were to appear before Christ's Second Coming and were actually literal events that occurred in 1755, 1780, and 1833:

"These signs were witnessed before the opening of the nineteenth century. In fulfillment of this prophecy there occurred, in the year 1755, the most terrible earthquake that has ever been recorded."¹

"May 19, 1780, stands in history as "The Dark Day." Since the time of Moses no period of darkness of equal density, extent, and duration, has ever been recorded."²

"In 1833...the last of the signs appeared which were promised by the Saviour as tokens of His second advent. ... This prophecy received a striking and impressive fulfillment in the great meteoric shower of November 13, 1833. That was the most extensive and wonderful display of falling stars which has ever been recorded..."³

Were these three events really a fulfillment of prophecy? Or were they just naturally occurring events with no special significance? Let us examine the evidence below.
 

1. Did the Lisbon Earthquake of 1755 fulfill Bible Prophecy?

Mrs. White claimed this earthquake was "the most terrible earthquake that has ever been recorded." In terms of destructive power, the Lisbon earthquake was neither the strongest nor the most destructive earthquake in history. Following is a list of the most destructive earthquakes in history:⁴

It is obvious that the Lisbon earthquake was not "the most terrible earthquake that has ever been recorded." The most terrible earthquake was in China in 1556, which killed nearly twelve times as many people as the Lisbon earthquake. If one were to pick any earthquake on the above list as a sign of the end, the most likely candidate might be the 2004 earthquake and tsunami in Sumatra, Indonesia, which killed approximately 300,000 people. Not only did the Sumatra earthquake kill four times as many as the Lisbon earthquake, but it occurred 249 years closer to the return of Christ!

Not only was the Lisbon earthquake not as destructive as other earthquakes, it was also less powerful. The Lisbon earthquake has been estimated to be magnitude 8.7. Following is a list of earthquakes of equal or greater magnitude that occurred since the mid-1900s:⁵

The 1960 earthquake in Chile was more than seven times more powerful than the Lisbon earthquake. This is yet another evidence that the Lisbon earthquake was neither the most powerful nor the most destructive earthquake in history.

How could the Lisbon earthquake, an event that occurred over a quarter of a millennium ago be a sign of Christ's soon return? Not only is it too far in the past to be a sign of the end, but it was less powerful and less devastating than many other earthquakes.

2. Did the Dark Day of 1780 fulfill Bible Prophecy?

Mrs. White makes the following claim about the dark day on May 19, 1780: "No period of darkness of equal density, extent, and duration, has ever been recorded".

Unlike earthquakes, dark days have not been measured for intensity, extent and duration throughout history. It is difficult to ascertain the accuracy of Mrs. White's claim that there has not been a darker day since the supernatural darkness God brought upon the Egyptians during the time of Moses. However, we do know what caused the dark day of 1780. It was caused by smoke from huge forest fires burning in the New England states combined with a dark storm front passing through the area. The darkness was limited primarily to the north-eastern area of the United States. Some within Adventist circles have raised the question as to whether this localized event was actually a fulfillment of the prophecy of Revelation 6.

There have been a number of "dark days" throughout history caused by smoke in the air. Even in recent times smoke in the air has caused localized darkness during the day, and has caused the moon to appear reddish in color. A few recent examples:

• Ash cloud from the Mt. Pinatubo Volcano in the Philippines (1991)
• Smoke from massive forest fires in Indonesia (1985-86, 1997-98)
• Smoke from massive fires in Mexico (1997-98)

Could a dark day that occurred 220 years ago and was limited to the Northeastern United States really be God's sign to this earth of His Second Coming?

3. Did the Meteor Shower of 1833 fulfill Bible Prophecy?

Mrs. White describes the meteor shower of November 13, 1833, as "the most extensive and wonderful display of falling stars which has ever been recorded".

The 1833 meteor shower was an impressive event. In 1878 the historian R. M. Devens wrote:

"During the three hours of its continuance the day of judgment was believed to be only waiting for sunrise, and, long after the shower had ceased, the morbid and superstitious still were impressed with the idea that the final day was at least only a week ahead. Impromptu meetings for prayer were held in many places, and many other scenes of religious devotion, or terror, or abandonment of worldly affairs, transpired, under the influence of fear occasioned by so sudden and awful a display."⁷

In 1863, a Yale professor named Hubert Anson Newton identified the 1833 shower as being part of a recurring pattern of meteor showers that visited the earth about every 33 to 34 years. Newton discovered that the Leonid showers began as early as 585 AD. He succeeded in tracing accounts of the Leonids for almost a thousand years. Particularly impressive displays were found to have taken place in 1533, 1366, 1202, 1037, 967, 934, and 902.

34 years prior to 1833, on November 12, 1799, Prussian scientist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt from his camp in Cumanã, Venezuela described the Leonid shower:

"no part of the sky so large as twice the Moon's diameter not filled each instant by meteors."⁸

An observer in Florida that same night noted that the meteors were "at any one instant as numerous as the stars," while at Iserstadt, Germany, "bright streaks and flashes" were seen even though day had already broken.⁹

Humboldt inquired among the South American natives and discovered that in 1766, a similar "rain of stars" had also been seen.¹⁰

In 1966, the Leonids returned with a display that rivaled the displays of 1799 and 1833. On the night of November 17th, 1966, observers in Arizona reported rates as high as 2400 per minute, or 144,000 per hour! These reported rates surpassed the highest reported rates observed in 1833 (100,000/hour).¹¹

If the Leonid meteor showers are indeed a fulfillment of Bible prophecy, then one would have to conclude that it was the 1966 shower--not the 1833 shower--that fulfilled prophecy. Not only was the 1966 shower of equal or greater intensity, but it was also 133 years closer to the return of Christ.

Were these 3 events really fulfillments of Bible prophecy?

If the events of 1755, 1780, and 1833 were indeed fulfillments of prophecy, several questions are raised:

1. Why didn't the signs produce the effect described in the Bible?

Revelation 6:15-16 describes the people who witness the signs as being panic-stricken. These people, including kings and leaders of nations, are described as running to the mountains, hiding in dens, and asking for the mountains to fall on them. There is no evidence that the signs of 1755, 1780, and 1833 produced this effect.

2. Why were the signs localized when the Bible seems to indicate a global scale?

While the signs described in the Bible appear to be global events, the three signs pointed out by SDAs were on a seemingly smaller, localized scale. The Lisbon earthquake was limited to the Iberian peninsula and Northern Africa. The dark day was seen primarily in the north-eastern United States. The Leonid meteor shower was perhaps the most widespread event, yet even it was seen only in the Western Hemisphere.

3. Why didn't those who witnessed the signs see the return of Christ?

If these signs are to be understood as signs of Christ's Second Coming then why are they not more closely connected with His return? Mark 13:24-26 seems to indicate that those who see these signs will also see Christ's return in judgment:

Then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. Mark. 13:26

To begin, there is no reason to suppose these are signs of the end of the world. In Matthew 24, the scene starts off in Jerusalem with Jesus telling the disciples that the magnificent Temple will be utterly demolished. Leaving the city, the disciples arrive at the Mount of Olives for the evening. Obviously disturbed about the destruction of their Temple, the disciples asked Jesus two questions:

"what [shall be] the sign of (1)thy coming, and of (2)the end of the world?" (Matt. 24:3)

Obviously the disciples equated Christ's coming in judgment upon Jerusalem to be the same event as the end of the world. Jesus then proceeded to explain all the events that would transpire prior to the destruction of Jerusalem. In describing Jerusalem's impending doom, he also answered their question about the "end of the world" because the destruction of Jerusalem foreshadows the end of the world. Since the context of the entire conversation, and the reason for initiating the conversation was the disciples' questions regarding the destruction of Jerusalem, once must assume that the primary emphasis of Christ's discourse was upon that subject. This does not mean that Christ was talking exclusively of the destruction of Jerusalem in His discourse, but the 70AD event is the primary focus of the talk.

Given that the primary emphasis of Jesus' prophecy was the destruction of Jerusalem, we should focus our attention on the fulfillment of these signs prior to 70 AD. Jesus said:

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. (Matt. 24:29)

Immediately after saying this, Jesus said, "Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." (Matt. 24:34) Now, some would have us believe that Jesus was a liar, and that "these things" would happen long after "this generation" passed away. On the contrary, Jesus could not have stated it any clearer: "these things"--the events just described by Him in the prior verses including the signs--would transpire during "this generation."

Signs in the Heavens - Jesus' Olivet Discourse¹²

The words "immediately after the tribulation of those days," show, that he [Jesus] is not speaking of any distant event, but of something immediately following the tribulation just mentioned, and that must be the destruction of Jerusalem. The word "immediately" is the Greek word eutheos, it means directly, at once or soon, as soon as, forthwith, immediately, shortly, straightway. Notice carefully when this takes place -- immediately after the tribulation of those days. We have seen that the tribulation happened in 67-70 AD with the destruction of Jerusalem so what ever this verse is referring to, happened immediately afterward.

If you are not familiar with the apocalyptic language of the Old Testament, you will not understand what Christ is saying here. This language is common among the Old Testament prophets. This idea is seen clearly as we look at passages where mention is made of the destruction of a state and government using language which seems to set forth the end of the world.

In Isaiah 13:1, God is talking about the judgment that is to fall upon Babylon. The word "burden" is the Hebrew word massa, an utterance, chiefly a doom. This introduction sets the stage for the subject matter in this chapter, and if we forget this, our interpretations of Isaiah 13 can go just about anywhere our imagination wants to go. This is not an oracle against the universe or world but against the nation of Babylon.

Isaiah 13:6,9-13, "Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger."

In Isaiah 13:6, 9-13, he is speaking about the destruction of Babylon, but is sounds like world wide destruction. The terminology of a context cannot be expanded beyond the scope of the subject under discussion. The spectrum of language surely cannot go outside the land of Babylon. If you were a Babylonian and Babylon was destroyed, would it seem like the world was destroyed? Yes! Your world would be destroyed.

Isaiah 13:17 is an historical event that took place in 539 BC. When the Medes destroyed Babylon, the Babylonian world came to an end. This destruction is said, in verse 6, to be from the Almighty, and the Medes constitute the means that God uses to accomplish this task. This is apocalyptic language. This is the way the Bible discusses the fall of a nation. This is obviously figurative language. God did not intend for us to take this literally. If we take this literally, the world ended in 539 BC.

In Isaiah 34:3-5, we have a description of the fall of Edom, notice the language that is used. This is Biblical language to describe the fall of a nation. It should be clear that it is not to be taken literally.

Isaiah 34:3-5, "Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood. And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment."

Let's look at other Old Testament use of this language.

Nahum 1:1-5, "The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth. The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein."

The subject of this judgment in Nahum 1:1-5 is Nineveh, not the physical world. This is the way God describes the fall of a nation. If this language describes the judgment of God on nations, why, when we come to the New Testament, do we make it be the destruction of the universe? It is only because we do not understand how the Bible uses this apocalyptic language.

Ezekiel speaks in the same manner of Egypt (Ezekiel 32:7-8):

And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD.

The prophet Daniel speaks, in the same manner, of the slaughter of the Jews by the little horn (Daniel 8:10):

And it waxed great, [even] to the host of heaven; and it cast down [some] of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.

In the prophetic language, great commotions and revolutions upon earth are often represented by commotions and changes in the heavens. None of these things literally took place!

Milton Terry said,

"From these quotations it is apparent that there is scarcely an expression employed in Matthew and Luke which has not been taken from the Old Testament Scriptures. Such apocalyptic forms of speech are not to be assumed to convey in the New Testament a meaning different from that which they bear in the Hebrew Scriptures. They are part and parcel of the genius of prophetic language."

Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) said,

"The figurative language of the prophets is taken from the analogy between the world natural and an empire or kingdom... Great earthquakes, and the shaking of heaven and earth, are put for the shaking of kingdoms, so as to distract and overthrow them; the creating of a new heaven and earth, and the passing of an old one; or the beginning and end of a world, for the rise and ruin of a body politic signified thereby. The sun, for the whole species and race of kings, in the kingdoms of the world politic; the moon, for the body of common people considered as the king's wife; the starts, for subordinate princes and great men; or for bishops and rulers of the people of God, when the sun is Christ. Setting of the sun, moon, and stars; darkening the sun, turning the moon into blood, and falling of the stars, for the ceasing of a kingdom." (Observations on the Prophecies, Part i. chap. ii)

We see this apocalyptic language used all through the book of Revelation. I believe that the book of Revelation is an expanded version of the Olivet Discourse. Notice how John used apocalyptic language. Is Revelation 6:13-17 talking about the end of the world in our future? NO! John is dealing with Jerusalem's destruction in AD 70. Look at what Jesus said as he was on his way to be crucified (Luke 23:28-30): Jesus was telling the women of His day to weep for THEMSELVES because judgment was going to come upon THEM. In Revelation 6, during the great tribulation which happened in AD 67-70, we see them crying out for the mountains to fall on them, just as Jesus said they would. This language is picturing the response of sinful man to the awful judgment of God.

The biblical evidence is overwhelming, the Olivet Discourse, in its entirety, is speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. The only thing that would make us push any of these things into the future are our own presuppositions. In this vivid picturesque language Jesus is describing Jerusalem's destruction. In AD 70, the lights went out in Israel for good. When the tribulation was over, physical Israel ceased to exist. God's people were no longer distinguished by physical birth, but by spiritual birth alone. The Old Covenant was over, and the New Covenant fully instituted.

Signs in the Heavens - Revelation 6

The language in Revelation 6 is taken from the prophet Joel, of whom the first-century Jewish readers of Revelation would have been well familiar. Joel spoke of the upcoming invasion by Assyrian armies with the same figurative and hyperbolic language that is found in Revelation 6.

Did the sun and moon stop shining, and did the earth quake when Assyria invaded Israel? No, these are figures of speech describing the upsetting of the order of things. John Calvin explains:

And then he says, "A day of darkness and of thick darkness, a day of clouds and of obscurity, as the dawn which expands over the mountains". By calling it a dark and gloomy day, he wished to show that there would be no hope of deliverance; for, according to the common usage of Scripture, we know that by light is designated a cheerful and happy state, or the hope of deliverance from any affliction: but the Prophet now extinguishes, as it were, every hope in this world, when he declares that the day of Jehovah would be dark, that is, without hope of restoration.

Then he adds, "Before their face shall the earth tremble, and in anguish shall be the heavens; the sun and the moon shall become dark, and the stars shall withdraw their brightness". The Prophet speaks here more hyperbolically...¹³

Thus we can see how the prophet Joel used figurative symbols and hyperbole to describe the changes that were to come upon Israel when they were invaded by the Assyrians. Many were killed, some were taken captive, and others fled. It was a time of terrible upheaval for the Israelites.

Joel used similar language to describe the day of Pentecost:

And it shall come to pass afterward, [that] I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: ... And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. (Joel 2:28,30,31)

This prophecy was fulfilled at Pentecost, as acknowledged by Peter who quoted Joel 2:28-31 and said "what you see this morning was predicted centuries ago by the prophet Joel." (Acts 2:16 NLT) Did the people at Pentecost literally see blood, fire, and pillars of smoke on Pentecost? Other than a lunar eclipse, these signs were not mentioned as being present. This was figurative language about the upsetting of an old world order, the end of Judaism's exclusive status as God's people, and the establishment of God's Kingdom upon this earth ruled by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Likewise, Revelation 6 speaks of the upsetting of the old world order of the Jews using the same figurative and hyperbolic language as Joel. Their world was about to be forever changed in 70 AD as their temple is destroyed, the Old Covenant is cancelled, and their holy city is destroyed and given to the gentiles to be trampled under foot until the times of the gentiles are fulfilled.
 

[no questions]
 

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