3. "Christ Is Coming! is the most comprehensive volume on last-day events in the light of the
great controversy that has ever been written. With its focus on Christ instead of the crisis, it brings
hope to the heart and refreshes the soul. .. Jack J. Blanco, Th.D.
Dean, School of Religion
Southern Adventist University
Norman Gulley's book Christ Is Coming! is a comprehensive, yet easy-to-read discussion
of the major issues regarding salvation, the understanding of Scripture, and the end-time
prophecies. Its evaluation ojthe deceptive end-time doctrines of our time is beneficial for every
reader. Its greatest contribution is the consistent application of the everlasting gospel to the
prophetic Word of God. .
. Hans K. LaRondelle, Th.D.
Professor Emeritus of Theology
Andrews University Theological Seminary
Christ Is Coming! is written to give the reader step- by-step instructions on how to prepare
for the final events in the great controversy. Gulley takes complex contemporary themes and de
velops them into a simple, concise writing style for average people...
Oliver J. McKinney
Ministerial Association Secretary
Southern Union Conference
"Ifyou are serious about watching and working while awaiting the parousia of our Lord,
Norm Gulley's thoroughgoing volume will help render the journey informed and expectant. I'll
be keeping my copy close at hand. .. Mervyn A. Warren, Ph.D., D.Min.
Chairman of Religion
Oakwood College
"The book is fragrant with hope, faith, and confidence in Christ's soon return, and I've
been deeply moved by it. Those who know and love Norman Gulley as a teacher will hear his
voice in every line, and ifthey listen carefully, they will hear Christ's voice as well...
Ed Christian, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of English and Bible
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
"One of the most popular religion classes at SouthernAdventist University is Last-Day Events,
taught by Norman R. Gulley. From years of experience and deep study he offers a unique textbook
that is for all members of the church." Leo Van Dolson, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor of Religion and
Health Evangelism
Southern Adventist University
4. "With the impressive thoroughness we've come to expect, Norm Gulley has done the Seventh
day Adventist Church and the Christian church in general a great service in preparing a textbook
on last-day events. .. . It holds a wealth of immediately relevant information that every concerned
and committed Christian will want to read." Warren Ashworth, Ph.D.
Professor of Religion
Pacific Union College
"This comprehensive volume is a must for all who want to hear the present heartbeat of
centrist Adventist eschatology. " Arthur N. Patrick, D.Min., Ph.D.
Visiting Associate Professor
Church History and Pastoral Ministry
La Sierra University
"A comprehensive and all-encompassing overview of where we are today in terms of last
day events. Dr. Gulley has written a book that all Seventh-day Adventists should read, whether
they would agree with every point or not. " Clifford Goldstein
Editor, Liberty
5. Dedication
T
his book is dedicated to all my students, past, present, and future. What
an inspiration and joy to have you in my classes! I dedicate the book to
those I have had the privilege of presenting last-day events to at camp
meetings, workers' meetings, and weekend seminars. You too were such
a blessing to me! I look forward to more. I have learned from you. Last,
I want to dedicate the book to each reader, that you may be encouraged to joy
fully face final events.
Acknowledgments
I
want to thank the Review and Herald® Publishing Association for undertaking
to publish this volume. I salute you for sensing the church needs a textbook!
sourcebook on last-day events. Special thanks are due Richard Coffen, vice
president for editorial; Gerald Wheeler, assistant vice president; Jeannette
Johnson, acquisitions editor; and Tim Crosby, editor-at-Iarge. I am grateful to
these persons and to all the team who worked so well on the project. As always,
Gerald Wheeler did excellent work in editing.
I want to thank those who gave such kind and generous endorsements of this
book. Their words are an encouragement. Above all, I want to thank my Saviour
for the many ideas that came to me while looking at last-day events from His per
spective. I have sensed His presence with me in the research and writing of this
books, and worship and adore Him for His gracious leading during the many years
of gathering and thinking through the data.
Grateful thanks to Peggy Bennett, director of libraries and her staff for obtain
ing interlibrary loan books and articles through the McKee Library at Southern
Adventist University.
6. Foreword
T
he heartbeat ofA dventism is succinctly expressed in the words of the
Hymn, "We have this hope which burns within our hearts, hope in the com
ing of the Lord."
While early A dventists eagerly g
r asped the prophecies of the Second
C oming, their focus centered not so much upon the doct
ri ne per se as on C h
r ist
Himself. It was with tears ofjoy and eager anticipation that they looked forward to
seeing their Saviour and Lord. That hope is still the spirit ofA dventism today.
A s the good news of salvation through C h
r ist alone and His soon return is broad
cast by satellite and shared with others by millions ofA dventists around the world,
the great controversy between C hrist and Satan is intensifying. Planet Earth, filled
with people for whom C hrist died, hurtles th
r ough the pre-
A dvent time zone with
comparatively few aware thatthey are heading toward the end ofhuman history. T he
faster we travel, the g
r eater our need ofthe Holy Spir
i t to help us focus on C h
r ist in
stead ofthe crisis while at the same time recognizing the hazards along the way.
Dr. Norman Gulley has provided a comprehensive, C hrist-centered volume on
end-time events, movements, and scriptural teachings crucial to our understanding
and safety. Postmodern thinking, which holds opposite values to be equally t
r ue;
spirituality without the author
i ty ofScripture; theistic evolution without 24 -hour days
ofcreation and a weekly Sabbath; worship as ente
r tainment; and appa
r itions ofMary
with supposed messages from heaven are only a few ofthe ha
z ards exposed.
While Dr. Gulley wrote Christ Is Coming! first as a textbook for Seventh-day
A dventist young people, I recommend it to all of whatever age and C hr
i stian per
suasion whose hope is the return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus C hrist.
Robert S. Falkenberg
18. Introduction
O
ur planet rushes toward its ren
dezvous with destiny. Time is
running out. Will we make it to
the third millennium? One thing
is certain. People around the
world sense that something is coming.
Never before have people around the
world had so many angel encounters.
Never before have there been so many
apparitions of the virgin Mary. Never
before have psychics become so widely
accepted. Never before has spiritualism
had such a worldwide impact, as seen in
the New Age and charismatic move
ments. Never before has the Catholic
Church had such global influence.
Never before have Christians been in a
position to dominate American politics
as in the Christian Coalition. Something
is going on behind the scenes.
Planet Earth moves like a plane
on a transoceanic flight. It has been a
long time since takeoff, and the trip
has been bumpy at times. Yet look
ahead. A dreary, dark, dense sky
threatens. Black, surly storm clouds
gather along the whole horizon. They
begin to surround and shake the
plane. No detour offers an escape
around the storm. Planet Earth must
move into it. The most stupendous
crisis of all time is about to unfold.
The early time of trouble, the great
time of trouble, and the time of
Jacob's trouble loom large ahead.
Even now turbulence batters the
planet as it enters the fringes of the
coming storm.
Recently, near the beginning of the
semester, I took a survey of some stu
dents at Southern Adventist University
who were studying last-day events.
The results showed that 49 percent
worry about the present pre-advent
judgment, 56 percent are scared oflast
day events (in fact, 41 percent would
rather die than go through last-day
events), 37 percent believe they gain
entrance to heaven through Christ's
sacrifice plus their human efforts, 50
percent are not sure they would be
saved if they died today, and yet 88
percent claimed they know Christ as a
personal friend.
That is a stunning revelation, when
you realize they represent a cross sec-
19. 24
CHRIST I s COMING !
tion of Seventh-day Adventist youth
from all over the United States and
other countries, studying a variety of
majors. They are among the final gen
eration, yet many do not want to be part
of it. Something is radically wrong
here. And who could say that the re
sults would be any better if we re
searched older people?
To be afraid of last-day events is
human. Who wants to exchange a com
paratively normal existence for what is
just ahead? Yet it will be our finest hour,
one we'll speak about forever in eter
nity, as we shall see later. It is the time
when Satan faces resounding defeat. He
knows this and is out to take over not
only the world but Christians too!
As never before, Christians need
faith: a faith that keeps a steady gaze
on the coming Christ beyond the crisis.
Christ, and not the crisis, should oc
cupy their minds. For not so much what
is coming as who is coming should oc
cupy the mind. The outcome of a foot
ball game is not over until the fourth
quarter. Satan causes havoc in final
events, but Christ will have the last
word. But that's not all. Christ will be
with His people through those final
events. He promised, "Never will I
leave you; never will I forsake you"
(Heb. 1 3 :5). His presence will mean
everything to His followers. He will do
for them what they could never do for
themselves. Many people look at final
events as if they have to go through
them alone. No wonder they remain
petrified! But Christ longs that His
people look to Him. Jesus asked if
when the Son ofman returns, would He
find faith in the earth? (see Luke 1 8:8).
Perhaps here is the problem. Few will
have the necessary faith. Faith in Him
will make the decisive, determining
difference for the journey through end
time turbulence.
In this book we will look frankly at
the coming crisis, but not apart from the
present and coming Christ. As we rapidly
move toward the third millennium, it is
time to let Christ liberate us from the
shackles of fear. Do you long to hope
again? Or even for the first time?
Since 1960 college and seminary stu
dents have taken my last-day events
class. It has been a joy to proclaim the
good news about final events through
these classes and seminars in different
parts ofthe world. My conviction is that
many Christians are far too scared of
final events. But when they hear ofcom- •
ing events in their Christ-centered con
text, fear falls away. "Then you will
know the truth, and the truth will set you
free" (John 8:32). For nearly 40 years
I've rejoiced to see thousands ofpersons
begin to hope again. I have written this
book so that you too may stop fearing
coming events. Satan is in the business of
getting Christians fixated on what is
coming instead ofon Christ.
By the way, I surveyed those stu
dents at the end ofthe semester. Ninety
six percent had lost their fear oflast-day
events. What a dramatic change
wrought by Christ! They gained free
dom to rejoice in Him and now face
final events as their privileged destiny.
So can you! May God bless you and
give you freedom too. �
Norman R. Gulley, Ph.D.
Professor of Systematic Theology
Southern Adventist University
20. Preface
B
ookshelves bulge with last-day
events books that claim to predict
the events awaiting us. They
speak about the new world order,
the New Age movement, the se
cret rapture, the alleged role ofIsrael in
the end-time, Annageddon, and the mil
lennium. Other books supposedly tell us
about life after death, with alleged re
ports from resuscitated human beings
returning to speak about what they ex
perienced. More books report on the
coming one-world government, the mil
lennial kingdom, and America's role in
final events. Reconstructionists, dispen
sationalists, and historicists all have
their own ideas.
We need to know what is out there
and how to evaluate it. This book does
some of that for you. Above all, we need
to see what Satan's strategy is through
such movements. He is using the New
Age movement, the charismatic move
ment, spiritualism, channeling, the Chris
tian Coalition, and dominionists to take
over the planet. As Christ's followers, we
need to know how the concept of process
theology undermines final events.
This book also looks at ideas that
have a definite bearing on final events.
Satan will use Sunday sacredness and
the state ofthe dead as two pillars in the
end-time. We will evaluate them.
Today many people question the con
cept of hell, the view of the immediate
survival of the soul at death, and
Darwinian evolution. As Christians, we
need to know about such debates and
the biblical answers to them. All of
these impact on last-day events. The is
sues of death and hell will fonn a part
of final events for most Christians.
Catholics add purgatory to the contro
versy. The proponents of all three con
cepts present them as final events for
the individual in a way that grabs the
focus from coming global or cosmic
final events. What does the Bible speak
about them? We need to know, so that
we have an answer to give our Christian
friends as well as having protection for
ourselves. In an unprecedented way in
the end-time Satan will confront
Christians with what seems to be their
dead loved ones.
Evolution challenges the first
21. 26
CHRIST Is COMING !
angel 's message of the book of
Revelation. Sunday directly attacks the
third angel's message. Both messages
play a central role in final events.
We'll study their meaning and expose
the counterfeits launched against them.
And we will explore the real issue in
the coming Sunday law and examine
the deeper meaning of the Sabbath for
survival through those final events.
This book will consider the importance
of the pre-Advent judgment. All these
things are vital to a preparation for
final events and to give us insight to
face them unafraid.
After looking at how to interpret
end-time events and evaluate end-time
movements and end-time doctrines, we
then take the journey through final
events. If you want to skip to the jour
ney and take that first, then come back
to the other sections, that is fine. But
much in the earlier material will help
make thejourney clearer and equip you
for the real journey just ahead. �
Unless otherwise stated, I have used the New
International Version of Scripture throughout.
23. Chapter 1
Hope for Postmoderns
T
oday we're in the midst ofa pro
found transition from what
scholars call modernity to a new
period they label as postmoder
nity. The human race has en
tered a new era that presents unpre
cedented challenges and opportunities
to our study of end-time events.
Many have attempted to describe
postmodernity. "A massive intellectual
revolution is taking place," Diogenes
Allen says, "that is perhaps as great as
that which marked offthe modem world
from the Middle Ages. The foundations
ofthe modem world are collapsing, and
we are entering a postmodern world.
The principles formed during the
Enlightenment (c. 1600- 1 780), which
formed the foundations ofmodem men
tality, are crumbling."I
Leith Anderson says, "We are ex
periencing enormous structural change
in our country and in the world
change that promises to be greater than
the invention of the printing press,
greater than the Industrial Revolution,
and greater than the rise and demise of
Communism. Our world is changing so
quickly that we can barely keep track
of what is happening, much less figure
out how to respond." 2
Defined
We begin with a simple fact:
Postmodernity comes after modernity.
The seventeenth-century Enlighten
ment, which dominated human quest
for knowledge and understanding for
200 years, launched the intellectual pe
riod we call modernity. Scientific
method brought multiplied technologi-
cal benefits, but it also negatively af
fected global ecology as well as
bringing the human race to the brink of
a nuclear holocaust. As a result, its ear
lier belief in knowledge as inherently �
good came to a shattering end. Thus,
early in the twentieth century thinkers
began to challenge the modem world
view, and it continues to be questioned.
Postmodernity is also antimodernity.
The modem worldview included the ac
ceptance of humanity'S inevitable
progress, often based on evolutionary
theory. We have now come to a genera
tion that for the first time does not see
24. 30
CHRIST I s COMING !
any inevitable better future. The opti
mism of the Enlightenment, with its
vaunted belief in human reason, has
given way to pessimism and meaning
lessness. It is as ifthe world has suddenly
awakened to a reality check. Whereas
scientific method, reason, and universal
objectivity influenced the modem world
view, postmodemity rejects scientific
method, reason, and universal objectiv
ity. The collapse of a unified, rational,
and meaningful worldview has thrown
the human race into a period in which
each person approaches reality from his
or her own particularpresuppositions and
assumptions. No single worldview pro
vides a meaningful assessment ofreality.
"Defining the idea of postmodemism,"
Gary Phillips writes, "is a bit like nailing
down JeU-O.")
Differences Between Modernity
and Postmodernity
When it comes to comparing
modernity and postmodernity, a radi
cal discontinuity overshadows the con
tinuities we do find. First, let us look at
an example of continuity. The modem
antipathy to metaphysics and the tran
scendental continues in postmodernity.
"While modernism categorically de
nies the transcendent and spends a
great deal of time and effort attempt
ing to prove that the transcendent does
not exist," William E. Brown says,
"Postmodernism confronts the tran
scendent with a yawn."4
Postmodernity especially champi
ons liberation causes. If we have no
transcendent God, then human beings
themselves have to become revolu
tionaries to bring change in their own
strength and in their own way. The
new worldview defends the marginal
ized. Yet at the same time, as Carl F.
H. Henry notes, "religion is marginal
ized and trivialized,"5 and "Postmod
ernists have genuinely given up on the
idea of absolute truth."6 What a para
dox-they have an absolute mission or
right (to liberate), yet without an abso
lute mandate or truth, which leaves
one wondering how even liberation
can be an absolute truth for them!
Modernistic philosophy shut God
out of our part of His universe. Its
closed continuum worldview rejected
any inbreaking of the supernatural
within the nonnal operation of cause
and effect. Huston Smith suggests that
the modem mind thought that "seeing
further in a horizontal direction would
compensate for loss of the vertical."
But modernistic philosophy failed to
realize that human vision on the hori
zontal plane is still confined within a
closed universe and is therefore
trapped in its own subjectivity. Smith
illustrates this vision with a line silhou
etting the Himalayan range. Modernity
grabbed both ends and pulled it into a
straight line.7
Also modernity flaunted human
reason as the savior of all human prob
lems. Such extreme rationalism was
not enlightened, although it was a
product of the Enlightenment. Post
modernists rightly question such intel
lectual arrogance, but go too far by
rejecting reason altogether.8 The solu
tion lies between the two extremes,
employing a proper use ofreason under
the guidance of Scripture to arrive at
solutions. After all, the God of all truth
invited humanity, "Come now, let us
reason together" (lsa. 1 : 1 8).
25. 3 1
HOPE FOR POSTMODERN S
Difficulties in Postmodernity
for the Study of End-time Events
Postmodernism raises major diffi
culties when presenting end-time
events. If we are to be relevant to our
generation, we must pay full attention
to the challenges that postmodernity
poses. The first thing we must keep in
mind is that we must think through
end-time events in light of the current
generation, not one that has already
gone. We must present final events
afresh for every generation. This does
not change the content, but it may
change the way we communicate it.
1. Opposed to System
How can one present a systematic
presentation ofthe journey through end
time events when postmoderns reject the
very concept of such systems? We must
realize it's one thing to reject a system,
and another thing to live a muddled life.
Often the very ones rejecting such sys
tems still organize their day, plan their
vacations, and work in a routine manner,
arriving at appointments on time.
Modem life demands schedules,
whether for travel, business, or listening
to the evening news. We find an inbuilt
orderliness in air flights (sometimes),
television programs, and the publication
of Reader's Digest, National Geo
graphic, and u.s. News and World
Report, to name a few examples.
Postmoderns oppose systems only
on the theoretical level, not everyday
life. Yet there is no advantage to reject
something at the theoretical level that
proves eminently workable in ordinary
living. We can understand why post
modems want to discard the strictures
of modernity, the science that led to
ecological and nuclear threats to the
planet, but modernity has more to it
than that. It has a good side that contin
ues in postmodernity, because life is
more orderly than the theory of post
modernity allows.
2. Opposed to a Center
Although postmoderns reject the
idea of a center in every theory, they
cannot live out the concept in practice.
If God is not the center of a person's
life, then someone or something else
will be. The Ten Commandments deal
with the problem up front. The very
first commandment says, "I am the
Lord your God, who brought you out of
Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You
shall have no other gods before me"
(Ex. 20:2, 3). The Deuteronomy ac
count repeats it (Deut. 5:6, 7).
Humans are incurably worshipers,
an important fact to remember, because
the end-time confrontation will involve
worship, and all humanity will partici
pate. The fact that human beings wor
ship stems from their creation by God
(Gen. 1 :26-3 1 ; 2:7, 20-25). God made
them for Himself. If they do not wor
ship God, they will worship some other
god or gods, which is why religion
occurs in every culture, however primi
tive or advanced. Creation has pro
grammed human beings to seek a center
to their life, to give it meaning and se
curity. Postmodernity has not lessened
the number of die-hard football and
baseball fans. Basketball still draws the
crowds, as do tennis, golf, and car rac
ing. People still seek after Hollywood
stars and praise them on Oscar nights.
And work is often central to those want
ing to get ahead, whether in profes-
26. 32
CHRIST Is COMING !
sional or business life. Thus worka
holism didn't recede with the advent of
postmodernity. The effects of Creation
and modernity still live on in spite of
postmodernism's decentering theory.
3. Opposed to Any Worldview
Unlike all prior ages, postmodernity
has no overarching worldview. Yet we
cannot possibly live up to this theoreti
cal position. Postmodernity is a revolt
expressed in many different ways. One
way occurs through liberation theology,
a quest for political power influenced by
Marxism. But even liberation theology
has a worldview, seeing God as in the
business of liberating marginalized peo
ple. Thus the concept ofliberation holds
the center ofthis worldview. This is but
one example of how a movement even
within postmodernity does have a
worldview in practice.
Modernity had both a center and a
worldview. Postmodernity has neither.
Yet, paradoxically, postmodernity finds
itself in a shrinking world that thinks
more in global terms, ranging from
economy to ecology. At the very time
when philosophy seeks to throw orderto
the winds, a global village has emerged,
demanding even greater order. To this
extent, in many areas of life, a world
view has been thrust upon the very rev
olution that abandoned all worldviews.
4. Relativism
By rejecting any system, center, or
worldview, the only option left to post
modernity was relativism. But rela
tivism means that every individual has
a right to his or her own view. The
local situation has replaced the broader
context, situation ethics usurped the
moral code, and personal preference
pushed aside values. "If it feels good"
substituted for an objective norm.
Order gives way to chaos, hope to
nihilism, and the future to the ever
present. Reality has no goal, purpose,
or fulfillment. Humanity has become
less than human.
Such dysfunctionality cannot sus
tain a viable human existence. We
want meaning in our lives. Post
modems are desperate for meaning and
a future. More than ever, they need to
know the good news about final events
on Planet Earth.
Postmodern Theory
Cannot Be Lived
Having already noticed that it is
impossible to actually live out some
postmodern theories, we now take a
closer look at this fact. Friedrich
Nietzsche ( 1 844- 1 900), father of post
modernism, proclaimed God as dead
and promoted nihilism, or meaning
lessness. Yet he discovered meaning in
a social movement of his time and pro
moted it with gusto, thus demonstrat
ing that he could not practice his own
theory. lean-Paul Sartre's ( 1 905-1 980)
world was one of meaninglessness, a
world without morals. Yet he couldn't
live up to his theory when he signed the
Algerian Manifesto, "taking a position
as though morals have real meaning."9
A. 1. Ayer suggested that only
mathematico-Iogical truths and empiri
cal truths are meaningful. All other
statements that we cannot verify by
sense data are "nonsense." Thus all
biblical statements are meaningless.
Such a view immediately confines
truth statements, or statements of
27. 33
HOPE FOR POSTMODERNS
meaning, to a very narrow slice of life.
It forces us to renounce poetry, music,
religion, and art. But how can anyone
live in such a narrowly prescribed
world? Furthennore, the theory could
not stand under its own test for a truth
statement. After all, how can we possi
bly test a theory of language that ac
cepts only mathematico-logical and
empirical statements by that standard?
Rene Descartes (1596-1650) , the
father of modernity, used the method
of doubt. David Hume (1711-1776)
took it to its ultimate conclusion, and it
plunged him into utter skepticism.
David K. Clark said that "Hume's phi
losophy left him completely in the dark
about what to think, whom to trust,
what cause to defend, or what activity
to pursue. Given modem requirements,
reason could not dispel his doubts. But
he noticed that the company of friends
put him in better spirits. So he turned to
dining and backgammon to heal his
epistemological depressions. His phi
losophy, however, proved utterly im
potent to avoid skepticism."10 Hume
needed relief from his theory, for it
simply could not be lived.
Jacques Derrida claims that "all in
terpretations are misinterpretation," and
that a text has no clear meaning. But he
jettisoned his theory once when he was
misunderstood in a debate with John
Searle. "Believing that Searle's exposi
tion of his position had been unfair to
him, Derrida could not resist saying, at
several points in his reply, that Searle
had misunderstood him and misstated
his views, even adding at one point that
what he, Derrida, had meant should
have been clear enough and obvious to
Searle. This is indeed a very far cry
CIC-2
from the claim that Derrida's essential
position cannot be stated as others can
(or that a reader should not try to grasp
the author's intent!). Derrida thus aban
dons this position, just as others do,
when he feels the need to replace a mis
statement of his view with an adequate
statement of it." I I
Stanley Fish is "one ofthe most in
fluential literary theorists" 12 and "radi
cal" reader-response theorists, focusing
on meaning in the reading community
rather than in the biblical text itself.l)
Reader-response is an important part of
the postmodern scene. Fish goes so far
as to maintain that "the text as a formal
entity does not exist apart from the
reader's interpretive act." 14 In fact,
reader-response theorists believe that
readers are coauthors with the biblical
writers, and they give to the text the
meaning it should have. That is, the text
has no real meaning in and of itself.
How could life operate on Fish's
theory? It would destroy any agree
ment on the American Constitution, for
example, or any other document, so
that every citizen could interpret it as
he or she chose. It would put the very
concept of governance in jeopardy.
Traffic signs would have no standard
meaning, and driving would be haz
ardous. Some may choose to drive on
the opposite side of the road, others
could agree that red traffic lights indi
cate that you should drive straight
through the intersection and that stop
signs would mean you have the right
of-way. Contracts would be impossible
and would bring business to a grinding
halt, for the same wording would imply
different things to different people.
If a text has no meaning in itself,
28. 34
CHRIST Is COMING !
but only in the mind of the reader, then
no language would have meaning in
and of itself either. It would exist only
in the mind of the hearer. Life would
simply break down hopelessly on these
terms, for no one could ever be sure
that he or she could communicate.
How could one order from a catalog
over the phone? How could any TV
station present the evening news? What
purpose would weather reports have?
What would an emergency 9 1 1 call ac
complish? What meaning would a doc
tor's diagnosis have? What would
university teaching accomplish? The
list is endless. It is simply impossible to
accept Fish's reader-response theory
and make sense out of life.
Limits to Pluralism
The pluralism of postmodernity
also causes chaos. As Mortimer J.
Adler reminds us in his book Truth in
Religion, "a stable and peaceful society
cannot exist under the domination of
two or more competing governments
unless one is subordinate to the
other."15 Adler shows that pluralism
has always existed when it comes to
matters of taste and is tolerable in that
context, but not in the context oftruth. 1 6
He notes that "anything that is trans
cultural is clearly in the sphere of
truth." Thus the pluralism endemic in
postmodernism cannot survive in prac
tice in certain contexts.
Opportunities in Postmodernism
for Truth
Despite all its problems, however,
postmodernism does give opportunity
for truth to regain what it lost to mod
ernism. Too often the church capitulated
to the threat from modernism instead of
resisting. The modem worldview had
more influence than the biblical world
view, and the church surrendered to it.
The tragedy is now obvious as the mod
em worldview has itselfretreated before
that of postmodernism.
1. Christianity's Capitulation
to Modernism
Postmodernism has called mod
ernism into question. Yet it is the very
modernism to which the church often
surrendered to keep its intellectual re
spectability. Since the 1 960s, in the
post-Vietnam era, many people have
turned away from the materialism of
the West to the mysticism of the East.
Some of them are seeking for what
they sense is missing in the West.
Turning to the East for fullness, they
explore Hinduism and Buddhism.
"Those dissatisfied with secular
modernity most often turn to the East
or to the distant mythic past," says
William C. Platcher. "One reason
seems to be that Christianity cannot
criticize our culture very effectively if
it has already accepted many ofthe as
sumptions ofthat culture as the price of
intellectual respectability." 17
The fact is, as Stanley Grenz
reminds us, "most major Protestant de
nominations" " 'defected' to 'mod
ernism.' " 18 Unsure oftheir own biblical
foundation, they caved in to science and
to culture. But the collapse of mod
ernism demonstrated the limitations of
science. Science cannot deal with ulti
mate or existential meanings.
"Theology need cater to our prevailing
styles of thought only if it wishes to,"
says Huston Smith. "Nothing in the way
29. 35
HOPE FOR POSTMODERN S
of evidence requires that it do so." 19
With respect to culture, I concur with
William C. Platcher that "Christianity
cannot criticize our culture very effec
tively if it has already accepted many of
the assumptions of that culture as the
price of intellectual respectability."20
Accommodation closely accompanies
the desire for acceptance. To confine
Scripture to a cultural artifact is a case in
point. Then Scripture ceases to be the
Word of God to culture. Culture judges
Scripture instead ofthe reverse.
2. More Room for Religion
Modernism stifled religion by
closing the door to the transcendent
with its rejection of metaphysics. It
confined the parameters of possible
thought and study to a closed contin
uum of cause and effect, so that it in
effect removed God from the realm of
human history. Science limited reality
to the observable, so that the religious
dimension ofhuman experience could
occupy only an interior substitute for
objective reality. Now the collapse of
this modem worldview has radically
questioned such strictures.
"In a way that has never been possi
ble in modernity, one can find philo
sophical or rational space for 'giving an
account for the hope that is in you,' "
Don R. Stiver comments. "In other
words, there is no philosophical hin
drance that a priori calls such a response
into question. And given the importance
of reason in modernity, this renewed
sense ofthe rationality of religion opens
up a new social and cultural space for
religion. In other words, if the opportu
nity can be seized, postmodernity al
lows conceptual space for religion's
stretching its arms and walking about in
a way not possible in the cramped quar
ters allowed for it since the onset of
modernity. The danger is that it may
continue to pace back and forth in its all
too-familiar constricted confines, not
knowing that the surrounding bars have
long ago rusted away."21
3. Intellectual Strength
of Christianity
Diogenes Allen, in his book
Christian Belie
fin a Postmodern World:
The Full Wealth of Conviction, speaks
of "a new openness for faith." He re
minds us that Christianity has been on
the defensive intellectually during mod
ernism. During that period many have
declared that the post-Christian age has
dawned, "on the basis of physics, biol
ogy, philosophy, psychology, sociology,
and anthropology."22
We are now in an age when philos
ophy and science, once used to attack
Christianity, now find themselves
under siege. During the reign of mod
ernism, Christianity came under severe
attack for the first time. This was a re
volt against the authority found in
church and Scripture. Human beings
became their own authority, and
human reason ruled supreme. The his
torical-critical methods of biblical
study did their devastating work on the
biblical documents. Evolutionary the
ory radically called into question the
Genesis account of Creation, and geol
ogy doubted the universal Flood story.
Human reason elevated itselfabove di
vine revelation, thus bringing God's
Word captive to humanity. But this
worldview is now collapsing.
As Allen notes: "No longer can
30. 36
CHRIST Is COMING !
Christianity be put on the defensive, as
it has been for the last three hundred
years or so, because ofthe narrow view
of reason and the reliance on classical
science that are characteristic of the
modem mentality." We have a new op
portunity to reevaluate the viability of
Christianity23 and to present final
events to a world in need.
4. Purpose in the Biblical
Worldview
Postmodemism contains much
meaninglessness and purposelessness.
If there was ever a time for us to hear
the clear purpose of the biblical world
view, it is now. Scripture tells us where
we came from, why we are here, and
where we are going, and thus answers
the three basic philosophical questions
that have interested humanity for mil
lennia. The human race needs to hear
this sure word about purpose today,
something that has everything to do
with end-time events. As George G.
Hunter rightly notes: "We have the op
portunity to reintroduce purpose to a
secular world that, because of science's
conditioning, is preoccupied with cause
and effect and blind to the issues ofpur
pose for human life and history."24
5. Foundation for Truth
Because biblical or any other texts
have no meaning in themselves to post
modems, because they have no authori
tative word to them, and because this
has left them in a morass of meaning
lessness, postmoderns wander around
aimlessly without purpose or goal. Yet
God made them in His image, with a de
sire to worship. Thus they need to hear
the certain Word of God from Scripture.
Through the Holy Spirit it will meet
their deepest needs.
Paradoxically this comes at the
time when people are standing up for
their rights in an unprecedented way.
The various liberation movements are
an integral part of postmodemity,
whether the Black, unfranchised, or
feminist movements. Yet these very
movements reach beyond the rela
tivism of culture to absolutes that be
long to the biblical worldview. Gene
Edward Veith, Jr., said it well: "Post
modernists, more than most people,
complain about how various power
structures are unfair, and they are al
ways demanding sensitivity, tolerance,
and justice. Do they not realize that
they are appealing to transcendent, au
thoritative moral absolutes?"25
Here is still another demonstration
that it is impossible to live postmod
em theory in practice. Humanity has a
reality that cannot be confined within
any passing worldview out of sync
with the biblical worldview. This fact
gives Scripture a point ofcontact even
with postmodems.
The Gospel as Transcultural,
Transgenerational
Although first given after the Fall
(Gen. 3: 1 5), the gospel is everlasting
(Rev. 14:6) and consistently the same
throughout Scripture. Christ commis
sioned His church to take this same
gospel to the world (Matt. 28: 1 8-20),
"to every nation, tribe, language and
people" (Rev. 1 4:6). Every human
being needs to hear the good news
about salvation. This presupposes that
it is possible for all to hear it, whatever
their culture or experience.
31. 37
HOPE FOR POSTMODERNS
Scripture states that "since the cre
ation of the world God's invisible qual
ities-his eternal power and divine
nature-have been clearly seen, being
understood from what has been made,
so that men are without excuse" (Rom.
1:20). Paul speaks of the Gentiles as
having "the law . . . written on their
hearts, their consciences also bearing
witness" (Rom. 2:15) . And this in
cludes postmoderns.
God made humanity in His image
(Gen. 1:26, 27), thus offering Him a
point of contact through which to com
municate. Although the Fall (Gen. 3:1-7)
and subsequent sins defaced this image,
sin has not totally destroyed it. That is
why Christ is still the light that illumi
nates everyone coming into the world
(John 1:9) . He, as Creator (John 1:1, 2;
Heb 1:1, 2) , chose to make humanity in
such a way that after the Fall it would be
still possible to reach the human race de
spite its degraded condition.
If Christ made all humanity in His
image, this includes postmodern human
beings. The longing for Himself that
Christ put into the human mind still
draws postmoderns. The conscience in
which God speaks and His voice is heard
still dwells in even those who espouse
postmodernism. Yes, postmoderns have
overthrown the unified worldview of
modernism, may be awash in a seem
ingly meaningless sea ofpluralism with
out chart or compass, have hectic,
stress-filled, and often dysfunctional
liyes, yet still they bearthe image ofGod
and have a receiver on board to hear the
good news of the gospel and end-time
events. Their case may seem hopeless,
but their very hopelessness makes them
long for hope and be open to the only
One who can bring them meaning out of
chaos. As Augustine ofHippo said, "Our
hearts are restless until they find their
rest in Thee."
The X Generation and Truth
In their book A Generation Alone:
Xers Making a Place in the World,
William Mahedy and Janet Bernardi
explain what the X generation is like.
Members of the X generation were
born between 1961 and 1981. Some so
ciologists have called it the X genera
tion because they perceived that as a
group the generation stood for nothing
and believed in nothing.26 A generation
dominated by technology, half of its
members are divorced, and one in three
have been abused. Born in the time of
President Nixon, they have never
known American's earlier trust in lead
ership. For the first time in American
history, it is the generation, for the
most part, who will not have it better
than their parents.27
Mahedy and Bernardi comment
that "Einstein's relativity theories
along with quantum mechanics and re
cent discoveries in astronomy have
rendered all previously held positions
obsolete. Reality is far more complex
than we had imagined it to be."28 While
it may be too sweeping a statement, it's
true that for some the new science has
contributed to postmodernism's inse
curity. But far more than a new way to
look at reality (for example, light as
both/either particle or wave) is the in
security produced by nuclear science.
The Xers have had a rough life and find
themselves in a rough environment.
Aloneness defines the generation. But
this is not loneliness; rather it is a life
32. 38
CHRIST I s COMING !
of actIvIty without "family and
friends." Postmodems struggle with
"issues of abandonment, alienation,
and aloneness." Their greatest need is
for a cohesive family unit,29
The Xers are a very needy group.
In fact, "Generation X has been spiritu
ally starved, emotionally traumatized,
educationally deprived, condemned to
a bleak economic future and robbed of
the hope that should characterize
youth." They live in a time when the
world has become a "global village,"
when the nightly news graphically dis
plays major problems halfway around
the world. In such a time "a great spir
itual hunger has arisen around the
world as we repudiate the moral and in
tellectual emptiness of modem life and
resist the impersonal forces of vast and
dehumanizing systems"30 Such facts
cry out for the spiritual energy that can
come only from the Word of God as it
addresses a humanity in need with a
message of hope about the end-time!
Postmodems, for the most part,
lack the spiritual life that brings lasting
fulfillment and peace. In spite of all the
relativism and dislike of systems and
objectivity, absolutes, and the transcen
dent, the needs of postmodems cry out
for the very things they have rejected.
Here again we see that they cannot live
out their own theories.
Perhaps the best way to get the at
tention of postmodems is to proclaim
the certainty ofend-time events, to give
them a goal for the future and a hope for
the present. They need to know that
Christ is coming for them, that He will
give them that which they do not have
and cannot get from the relativism and
confusion of postmodemism. End-time
events on Planet Earth can bring them
the Christ who will set them free to live
now and forever. �
I Diogenes Allen, Christian Belie
fin a Postmodern World: The Full Wealth o
f Conviction (Louisville, Ky.:
Westminster/John Knox, 1 989), p. 2.
2 Leith Anderson, A Churchf
or the 21st Century (Minneapolis: Bethany, 1992), p. 17.
) Gary Phillips, "Religious Pluralism in a Postmodern World," in The Challenge o
f Postmodernism: An
Evangelical Engagement. ed. David S. Dockery (Wheaton, Ill.: 1 995), p. 254.
4 William E. Brown, "Roots of Post-Modernism: Also Sprach Nietzsche" (professional paper read to the
Evangelical Theological Society, Southern Evangelical Seminary, Charlotte, North Carolina, Mar. 1 0, 1 995).
j Carl F. H. Henry, "Postmodernism: The New Spectre?" in The Challenge o
fPostmodernism. p. 4 1 .
6 David S . Dockery, "The Challenge o fPostmodernism," i n The Challenge o
fPostmodernism. p . 14.
7 Huston Smith, Beyond the Post-Modern Mind (Wheaton, Ill. : Theosophical, 1 989), pp. 6, 7.
• Gene Edward Veith, Jr., Postmodern Times: A Christian Guide to Contemporary Thought and Culture
(Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway, 1 994), p. 68.
9 Francis Schaefer, The Complete Works o
f Francis Schae
f
er: A Christian Worldview (Westchester, Ill.:
Crossway, 1 982), vol. I , p. 134.
1 0
David K. Clark, "Narrative Theology and Apologetics," Journal o
fthe Evangelical Theological Society 35,
No. 4 (December 1993): p. 5 1 0.
I I
John M. Ellis, Against Deconstructionism (Princeton, N.J.: University Press, 1 989), pp. 13, 14.
1
2 Anthony C. Thiseiton, New Horizons in Hermeneutics (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1 992), p. 474.
I) Ibid.. pp. 515, 5 1 6.
14 Grant R. Osborne, The Hermeneutical Spiral: A Comprehensive Introduction to Biblical Interpretation
(Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1 991), p. 378.
15 Mortimer 1. Adler, Truth in Religion: The Plurality o
fReligions and the Unity o
f Truth. an Essay in the
33. 39
HOPE FOR POSTMODERN S
Philosophy o
fReligion (New York: Macmillan, 1 990), p. 2.
,. Ibid., pp. 2-4.
1 7 William C. Platcher, Unapologetic Theology: A Christian Voice in a Pluralistic Conversation (Louisville:
Westminster/John Knox, 1 989), p. 12.
I H
Stanley J. Grenz, Revisioning Evangelical Theology, p. 25.
, � Smith, p. 146.
20 Platcher, p. 12.
2' Don R. Stiver, "Much Ado About Athens and Jerusalem: The Implications of Postmodernism for Faith,"
Review and Expositor (9 1 , 1 994): p. 94.
12
Allen, p. 2.
23 Ibid.
24 George G. Hunter III, How to Reach Secular People (Nashville: Abingdon, 1 992), p. 95.
2
l
Veith, p. 62.
2. William Mahedy and Janet Bernardi, A Generation Alone: Xers Making a Place in the World (Downers
Grove, III.: InterVarsity, 1 994), p. 1 0.
27 Ibid., pp. 14- 1 8.
2
R
Ibid., p. 42.
l� Ibid., pp. 1 9, 2 1 , 32.
30 Ibid., pp. 25, 43.
34. Chapter 2
The Larger Biblical Worldview
P
tolemy thought the universe re
volved around the earth,
Copernicus said that the uni
verse revolves around the sun.
But Einstein trashed that in
the twentieth century. His theories of
relativity broke through to a whole uni
verse in motion. The confined views of
Ptolemy, believed for almost 1 ,400
years, and of Galileo and Copernicus,
held for 400 years, are gone! Einstein's
worldview burst through the limita
tions of both like a runaway rocket.
Science will never be the same.
A vastly expanded universe with
all things in relation to each other,
moving in space, represents the present
worldview. Although the universe it
self has remained the same, the way
scientists now look at it has changed.
Because personal knowledge is theory
laden, it affects observation and needs
to be corrected by what the universe is
actually like in and of itself.
The same is true with the biblical
worldview. Most Christians come to
Scripture primarily for human salva
tion. They haven't looked beyond to
the Bible's larger worldview. Yet the
larger biblical worldview transcends
the salvation worldview. As we face
the third millennium, it is time for
Christians to grasp the cosmic contro
versy worldview that's so vital to un
derstanding end-time events.
The cosmic controversy is the con
text for all final events on Earth. If
you're familiar with this controversy,
skip down to the section "Looking
Behind the Struggles of Jesus."
The Larger Worldview of Scripture
People for the past few years have
had an amazing interest in angels, and
later we'll look into the reason for this.
But for now we want to see what
Scripture tells us about angels and the
cosmic controversy.
1. Satan and His Angels
According to Scripture
Scripture tells us more than that
God sent His Son to live and die for hu
manity. Although Christ's mission is
central in the Bible, Scripture presents
it within the context of a battle between
35. 4 1
T H E LARGER B IBLICAL WORLDVIEW
good and the evil, ofa struggle between
God and Satan. Innumerable angels
encircle the throne in heaven (see Rev.
5: 1 1 ). These beings, made a little higher
than human beings (see Ps. 8:4, 5), do
God's bidding and obey His word (see
Ps. 103:20) as "ministering spirits sent
to serve those who will inherit salva
tion" (Heb. 1 : 14). Angels help God's
followers. In fact, humans "have enter
tained angels without knowing it" (Heb.
13: 1 ), an awesome thought.
2. Looking Behind the Fall of
Adam and Eve
The salvation worldview of Scrip
ture begins in the Garden of Eden after
Adam and Eve succumbed to the
tempter, when Christ gave them the first
gospel promise (Gen. 3 : 1 5). But
Scripture penetrates beyond that
promise to the one who tempted Adam
and Eve. We note that a serpent de
ceived Eve (see verse 1 3). Who was this
serpent? Ezekiel mentions that there
was in Eden, where Adam and Eve were
tempted, an angel who came from the
exalted position as the "anointed . . .
guardian cherub" (Eze. 28: 14). The pas
sage says, "You were on the holy mount
of God; you walked among the fiery
stones, You were blameless in your
•
ways from the day you were created till
wickedness was found in you. Through
your widespread trade you were filled
with violence, and you sinned. So I
drove you in disgrace from the mount of
God, and I expelled you, 0 guardian
cherub, from among the fiery stones.
Your heart became proud on account of
your beauty, and you corrupted your
wisdom because of your splendor. So I
threw you to the earth" (verses 14-1 7).
The passage depicts Satan as origi
nally created perfect, given an exalted
position at God's throne, and it says
that he became proud and sinned in
heaven until the day came that God had
to throw him out. It does not mention
the other angels who joined him and
were also cast out, but John adds that
fact (see Rev. 12:4, 12, 1 3). This fallen
angel who appears in Eden (see Eze.
28: 1 3) is identified with the serpent of
Genesis 3:2, 1 3, 14. John concurs by
speaking ofthe old serpent as the devil
(see Rev. 20:2; 1 2:9). Having caused
angels to rebel against God in heaven,
Satan then came to earth to cause the
human race to rebel.
3. Looking Behind the Struggles
of Jesus
Scripture clearly pulls back the cur
tain and shows that the sin problem on
earth is but a small part ofa cosmic bat
tle between Christ and Satan. This
throws into clearer reliefthe meaning of
the exorcisms during Christ's lifetime
on earth. Rather than rejecting them as
some Christians have, we find them in
tegral to our understanding of a battle
between demons and Christ, or the two
sides of the cosmic controversy.
Without such a cosmic conflict we
would expect the life of Christ to have
been far different from the struggle He
had. But within the context ofa war be
tween good and evil we can understand
why demons constantly dogged His
footsteps. Mark says that Christ "trav
eled throughout Galilee, preaching in
their synagogues and driving out
demons" (Mark 1 :39). When the
Pharisees questioned if Jesus exorcised
with the power of Satan, Jesus replied,
36. 42
CHRIST I s COMING !
"If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided
against himself. . . . But if I drive out
demons by the Spirit of God, then the
kingdom of God has come upon you"
(Matt. 1 2:26-28). With reference to the
miracles of the 72 who reported to
Christ, "Lord, even the demons submit
to us in your name," Jesus replied, "I
saw Satan fall like lightning from
heaven" (Luke 1 0: 1 7, 1 8).
The Gospels report that Satan at
tacked Christ immediately following
His baptism in the Jordan river.
Evidently it was God's will that this
take place, for "Jesus was led by the
Spirit into the desert to be tempted by
the devil" (Matt. 4: 1 ). After Jesus had
fasted for 40 days and 40 nights, "the
tempter came to him and said, 'If you
are the Son of God, tell these stones to
become bread' " (verse 3). It was a
powerful temptation both to a man at
the point of death and to a God who
had the power to perform the deed!
"Then the devil took him to the holy
city and had him stand on the highest
point ofthe temple. 'If you are the Son
ofGod,' he said, 'throw yourselfdown.
For it is written: "He will command his
angels concerning you, and they will
lift you up in their hands, so that you
will not strike your foot against a
stone" ' " (verses 5, 6). When you are
emaciated and at the point of death, and
no one knows you for whom you really
are, it could be a great temptation to
test God, who had made the promise
that Satan quoted.
"Again, the devil took him to a
very high mountain and showed him all
the kingdoms of the world and their
splendor. 'All this will I give you,' he
said,'if you will bow down and wor-
ship me' " (verses 8, 9). What a temp
tation it is to one who, at the point of
death, knew that one day crucifixion
would be even worse! He came to die
to win back our world that Satan had
usurped from Him in Eden when he
tricked Adam and Eve into choosing
him as their new leader. The tempta
tion was this: "If you bow to me now,
you can get these kingdoms and avoid
the horrors ofCalvary." This last temp
tation shows insight into what the cos
mic controversy is all about-Satan
seeks to be worshiped. In other words,
he wants to take the place of God, who
alone is worthy of worship.
4. Looking Behind the
Fall of Satan
Isaiah gives further insight into
Satan's desire. "How have you fallen
from heaven, 0 morning star, son of
the dawn! You have been cast down to
the earth, you who once laid low the
nations! You said in your heart, 'I will
ascend to heaven; I will raise my
throne above the stars of God; I will
sit enthroned on the mount of assem
bly, on the utmost heights of the sa
cred mountain. I will ascend above the
tops of the clouds; I will make myself
like the Most High' " (Isa. 1 4: 1 2- 14).
Satan's rebellion was an attempt to
take God's place. He wanted to be
worshiped. Had he forgotten that
Christ created him? Now, in the
wilderness temptations, he again
wanted his Creator to worship him.
But the devil and his angels had once
been loyal angels.
Jude notes "the angels . . . did not
keep their positions of authority but
abandoned their own home" (Jude 6).
37. 43
THE LARGER B IBLICAL WORLDVIEW
Their loyalty turned to rebellion, and
they spurned their Creator, Christ, as
Judas would do later on earth. Christ
says of the devil, "He was a murderer
from the beginning, not holding to the
truth, for there is no truth in him. When
he lies, he speaks his native language,
for he is a liar and the father of lies"
(John 8:44). To pretend to be worthy of
worship was a great lie, specially when
he asked his Maker to bow before him!
5. Looking Behind the Cross
We cannot understand the mission
ofJesus if we ignore the concept of the
cosmic controversy. Not only did Satan
dog Christ with temptations throughout
His time on earth, as illustrated by the
wilderness temptations, but he also
schemed through the religious leaders
to crucify Him. John records: "The
evening meal was being served, and
the devil had already prompted Judas
Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus"
(John 1 3:2). We can only imagine how
Satan goaded the Jewish leaders and
the Romans to crucify Jesus. The
amazing thing is that even the rabble
cried out, "Crucify! Crucify!" (John
19:6), though He had healed their sick,
raised their dead, and done great things
in their midst. Why would they turn on
Him so, unless they too had become
demon possessed?
In the trials and crucifixion ofJesus
we find the climax ofthe cosmic strug
gle between Christ and Satan. The des
tiny ofthe world hung in the balance at
the cross. Although we can glimpse the
temptations He endured while He hung
on the cross, we will never fully under
stand them. Amidst the anguish and
shame of crucifixion, carrying the
crushing weight ofthe world's sin (see
Isa. 53:6), He faced derision from the
very ones for whom He was hanging
there. Was it worth it? Should He give
up? "The people stood watching, and
the rulers even sneered at him. They
said, 'He saved others; let him save
himself if he is the Christ of God, the
Chosen One' " (Luke 23:35). Every
thing was at stake now for Satan. If
Christ died triumphant, Satan was
doomed. But if he could make Christ
leave the cross or sin in one iota, his fu
ture would be secure. More than we
can ever imagine, Satan flung all his
fury at Christ hanging on the cross.
6. The Cross as the
Decisive Battle in the
Cosmic Controversy
The earliest incident about angels
mentioned in Scripture does not in
volve their helping humans, but their
participation in a fight-not on earth,
but in heaven.
"There was war in heaven. Michael
and his angels fought against the
dragon, and the dragon and his angels
fought back. But he was not strong
enough, and they lost their place in
heaven. The great dragon was hurled
down-that ancient serpent called the
devil, and Satan, who leads the whole
world astray. He was hurled to the
earth, and his angels with him. Then I
heard a loud voice in heaven say: 'Now
have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God, and the
authority of his Christ. For the accuser
of the brothers, who accuses them be
fore our God day and night, has been
hurled down. They overcame him by
the blood of the Lamb and by the word
38. 44
C HRIST I s COMING !
of their testimony; they did not love
their lives so much as to shrink from
death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens
and you who dwell in them! But woe to
the earth and the sea, because the devil
has gone down to you! He is filled with
fury, because he knows that his time is
short' " (Rev. 1 2:7- 1 2).
The same chapter mentions that the
red dragon's "tail swept a third of the
stars out of the sky and flung them to
the earth" (verse 4). The devil flings
"stars" to the earth, and Michael and
His angels hurl Satan and his followers
out of heaven. What we have here are
two moments in the battle between
Michael (Christ) and Satan. In the be
ginning Satan caused the fall of a third
ofthe angels (stars) in heaven, and later
on Planet Earth Satan worked to de
stroy humans around the world. But at
Calvary, through His death, Jesus de
feated Satan and his angels, and this
passage pictures Him as exiling them
to the earth. No wonder the immediate
response was to praise Christ for His
saving death.
7. Pentecost and the
Cosmic Battle
Jesus referred to Satan as "the
prince of this world" (John 12:3 1 ), and
Paul calls him "the god of this age"
(2 Cor. 4:4). As prince and god of our
world, he claimed the human race as
his. Christ came to earth to win back
the right to own it once more, for the
usurper Satan had wrenched it from
Him when Adam and Eve accepted
Satan, instead of Christ, as their leader
(Gen. 3: 1 -6). God has made all His
creatures, angelic and human, free to
choose. Because He had formed Adam
and Eve in the divine image (see Gen.
1 :26, 27), He could converse with
them. God respects creaturely freedom,
for He does not want us to serve Him
from fear or as automatons. Unfor
tunately, the wrong exercise of their
freedom led to the angels' rebellion.
So we cannot charge God with
causing sin. "The sole cause," says
Francis Turretin, "was the proper will
of each devil by which individuals of
their own accord turned from good to
evil." I Augustine said that "the good
and bad angels have arisen, not from a
difference in their nature and origin,
since God, the good Author and Creator
of all essences, created them both, but
from a difference in their wills."2 So a
third of the angels rebelled then, and
Adam and Eve also. Respecting the
creaturely freedom of both Adam and
Eve and Satan, God partially withdrew
His presence in response to their
choice, for Adam and Eve took Satan as
their leader in place of Christ. Satan
was the first antichrist. The Greek anti
means "in place of" as well as
"against." Satan stood in the place of
Christ as the god of our world.
Even though God withdrew His
Spirit to a degree from the human race, a
sufficient presence ofthe Holy Spirit has
always remained to lead people to Him
(cf. John I :9), but less than before the
Fall. Consequently the Holy Spirit "is
naturally not so prominent in the Old
Testament as in the New.") Only within
the context of the cosmic battle can we
really understand Pentecost. God made
human beings to be temples for the
Spirit's indwelling (see 1 Cor. 3: 16).
They needed the Pentecostal outpouring,
but that would have to wait for millennia.
![Copyright © 1998 by
Review and Herald Publishing A sociation
International copyright secured
The author assumes full re ponsibility for the accuracy of all facts and quotations as cited in thi book.
Unle s otherwise noted, Bible texts in this book are from the Holy Bible, New International
Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1 984, International Bible Society. U ed by permission ofZondervan
Bible Publishers.
Bible texts credited to Moffatt are from: The Bible: A New Translation, by James Moffatt.
Copyright by James Moffat 1954. Used by permission of Harper & Row, Publishers, Incorporated.
Scripture quotations marked NASB are from the New A merican Standard Bible, © The Lockman
Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968 1 971, 1972, 1973, 1 975, 1977.
Texts credited to NKJV are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1 982,
by Thoma elson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Bible texts credited to RSV are from the Revised Standard Ver ion of the Bible, copyright
1946, 1952, 1 971, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of
Chri t in the U.S.A. Used by permission.
Texts credited to RV are from The Revised Version, Oxford University Press, 19 1 1 .
This book was
Edited by Gerald Wheeler
Copyedited by Eugene Lincoln
Jacket de igned by Ron J. Pride
Cover photo/illustration: PhotoDisclRon J. Pride
Typeset: 1 11 1 2 Times
PRINTED IN U.S.A.
02 01 00 99 98 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Gulley, Norman R.
Christ is coming! : a Christ-centered approach to last-day event
!Norman Gulley.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical referenees.
1. Seventh-day Adventists-Doctrines. 2. End of the world.
3 . Second Advent. 1. Title.
BX6 1 54.G85 1998
236-dc2 l 98-23498
CIP
ISB 0-8280-] 335-7](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)