Controversy continues to rage in certain circles of contemporary Adventism regarding how the classic Adventist end-time scenario, based on Scripture and the writings of the Spirit of Prophecy, relates to the various cultural and political crosscurrents of our time. Even some who don’t question the fundamentals of classic Adventist eschatology still insist that present threats to religious liberty and the Christian faith in general are quite different, at least to a large degree, from the ultimate threats described in the inspired writings involving the final persecution of God’s saints and the Sabbath/Sunday issue. Such persons tell us that regardless of what is coming in the future, such movements as “neo-paganism” and secularism represent by far the present danger to society as a whole and the church in particular.
Any number of issues arising from these controversies can prove distracting from the main issue, and the present article will try as much as possible to eschew these distractions. What is imperative is to keep our focus on the inspired lodestar, the unerring standard of prophetic expectation and moral priority, as articulated in the Bible and the writings of Ellen G. White.
Not a Secular Threat
Some may argue as to whether globalism or nationalism—the latter applying primarily to certain contemporary movements in the United States—constitutes the most obvious threat in today’s world to religious freedom and the Christian message. Without question, the forces depicted as dominant in the context of the last days, in such sources as the book of Revelation and The Great Controversy, will exercise global power. And certainly the second beast of Revelation 13, identified by Ellen White as the United States of America [##1|Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 440.##], will possess sufficient power to compel the world to follow the first beast in this chapter, identified by the inspired pen as the papacy (Rev. 13:12) [##2|——The Great Controversy, p. 439.##].
But in the course of history, global ambitions on the part of a particular nation are nearly always preceded by inordinate national pride, often called nationalism. Certainly this was true in the last century with such nations as Germany and Japan. But regardless of whether one views the events foretold in Revelation 13 as involving nationalism, globalism, or a blend of the two, most assuredly the forces described in this chapter cannot be labeled secular. The medieval papacy symbolized by the composite beast of Revelation 13:1-10 was certainly not a secular power, and it is papal power and influence that the second beast (the United States) will establish on a global scale at the close of human history. America, according to this chapter, “causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed” (Rev. 13:12).
Moreover, the power exercised by the second beast of Revelation 13 will be attended by supernatural signs and miracles:
And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.
And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast, saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword and did live (verses 13-14).
Echoing the words of Scripture, Ellen White explains how this working of miracles will bring about the threefold union of Catholicism, apostate Protestantism, and spiritualism:
Through the agency of spiritualism, miracles will be wrought, the sick will be healed, and many undeniable wonders will be performed. And as the spirits will profess faith in the Bible, and manifest respect for the institutions of the church, their work will be accepted as a manifestation of divine power.
The line of distinction between professed Christians and the ungodly is now hardly distinguishable. Church members love what the world loves and are ready to join with them, and Satan determines to unite them in one body and thus strengthen his cause by sweeping all into the ranks of spiritualism. Papists, who boast of miracles as a certain sign of the true church, will be readily deceived by this wonder-working power; and Protestants, having cast away the shield of truth, will also be deluded. Papists, Protestants, and worldlings will alike accept the form of godliness without the power, and they will see in this union a grand movement for the conversion of the world and the ushering in of the long-expected millennium [##3|——The Great Controversy, pp. 588-589.##].
Some have lately alleged that Ellen White’s statement above that “church members love what the world loves and are ready to join with them” [##4|——The Great Controversy, p. 588.##], proves the dominance of secularism at the time being foretold. But one need not be secular to be worldly. One can practice any number of worldly lifestyles and still profess belief in the fundamentals of Christianity. The present political climate in America has brought to the fore certain so-called Christians who proudly wear the badge of their faith while simultaneously living lives directly at odds with what they claim to believe.
But ultimately, whether one applies the label of nationalism, globalism, or some combination of these to the events foretold in Revelation 13, the label secularism is quite out of place. “Godless global elites,” to use the language some now are using, are not in focus here. Christian global elites would be far more in sync with the portrayal of events in these passages. The secular mind doesn’t accept the reality of miracles, and the ubiquitous presence of such phenomena in the context of the end-times is simply not compatible with a secular worldview. The above statement is clear that Satan and his demons will work miracles at this time, and the same book affirms the presence of such activity in the eschatological witness of God’s people as well [##5|——The Great Controversy, p. 612.##].
Disbelief in the supernatural won’t be an option then. Only two options will confront the world at that time, both of them supernatural.
Confronting Societal Evils
“But,” some ask, “What are we to do with present evils in our contemporary society? Regardless of what is to come in the future, isn’t it our job to confront the sins we presently encounter in the world of today?”
None should doubt that confronting contemporary evils is the duty of the Christian in every age. But two questions arise so far as such evils are concerned. One is the question of how such evils are to be defined. The other is the question of how such evils should be addressed.
First and foremost, the written counsel of God must be the exclusive lodestar of Christian guidance (Isa. 8:20; Acts 17:30). Neither culture (whatever label it wears) nor extra-Biblical ideologies should drive the Christian’s moral agenda. If a particular practice or mindset is to be denounced as wrong, this is the role of the inspired text, not the common wisdom or best judgment of any particular tradition or group in society.
Second, the condemnation and prohibition of evil does not always lie within the purview of civil authority. Choices of a strictly conscientious and/or consensual nature which contradict the Word of God should be addressed within the setting of evangelism and moral suasion, not by the coercive arm of the secular state. Christians do not endorse evils of this nature when they agree to tolerate their free exercise in a non-theocratic society, any more than they endorse theological error when they affirm the right to religious freedom in a free country on the part of those believing such error. One can refute such evils and errors through the spreading of the gospel and the power of conversion while simultaneously acknowledging that in a free society such options cannot rightly be restricted. The United States of America is not Old Testament Israel, medieval Europe, or Puritan New England.
Rejecting the Conspiratorial Worldview
Too much of today’s culture-war conservatism is driven by unproved, often baseless conspiracy theories, many of which have no foundation in the predictions of the Bible or the Spirit of Prophecy writings. Those of this mentality believe global governments and the mainstream media to be captive to such powers, thus necessitating a retreat on the part of those desirous of resisting such control into isolated silos of allegedly “safe” information. But the assumption that human events are controlled and manipulated by secret forces capable of imposing uniform compliance on a nearly unobstructed, unimagined scale is neither required by, nor congruent with, the forecasts of the inspired pen regarding history’s final drama.
Ellen White is clear that it is public pressure, not secret manipulation by some powerful cabal in the shadows, that will bring about the establishment of the image to the beast and the enforcement of Sunday observance [##6|——The Great Controversy, p. 592; Prophets and Kings, p. 606.##]. Unseen conspiracies need not be cited as the cause of either current or future moral problems. Regardless of who controls mainstream media outlets, their reporting still confirms on a regular basis the fulfillment of inspired prophecy. The proclamation of God’s end-time message need not be bolstered, much less established, by a worldview that lacks inspired support, is logically untenable, and which thoughtful minds will justifiably dismiss as absurd.
The conspiratorial worldview is indispensable to the notion in certain circles of a secular rampage against Christianity as the alleged ultimate danger in today’s America and the larger world. Reject the premises of this worldview, and the paradigm which sees Christendom as under siege by secularism will dissipate. By contrast, the paradigm found in the inspired writings regarding the Antichrist coalition of the last days necessitates no reliance on presuppositions of this nature. Those forces that will one day set up the image to the beast foretold in Revelation 13 will be visible and verifiable. And with the supernatural signs that will accompany this movement, and God’s people also, the logic at the root of secularism will be utterly demolished.
Conclusion
Ultimately, of course, the world’s evil is not what God awaits. Rather, it is the perfecting of His Son’s character on the part of His saints (II Peter 3:10-14; I John 3:2-3). The four angels of Revelation 7 are restraining the winds of strife so that God’s servants can be sealed (verses 1-3), a process which involves the purification of heart and life through the indwelling Holy Spirit (Eph. 3:16-21; 4:30). Everything we see in the outside world, regardless of how apparently bad, must be viewed as subject to this ultimate divine restraint on account of the spiritual readiness God is seeking from His people.
Time alone will tell, of course, but I believe the events of this past week in the United States offer evidence of God’s restraining hand on the winds of strife (Rev. 7:3). Those forces in America seeking religiously-imposed intolerance have suffered a serious blow—temporary perhaps, but significant. The striving faithful must avail themselves of the time thus provided, for none know just how long this probation will linger.
REFERENCES
1. Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 440.
2. Ibid, p. 439.
3. Ibid, pp. 588-589.
4. Ibid, p. 588.
5. Ibid, p. 612.
6. Ibid, p. 592,607; Prophets and Kings, p. 606.
Pastor Kevin Paulson holds a Bachelor’s degree in theology from Pacific Union College, a Master of Arts in systematic theology from Loma Linda University, and a Master of Divinity from the SDA Theological Seminary at Andrews University. He served the Greater New York Conference of Seventh-day Adventists for ten years as a Bible instructor, evangelist, and local pastor. He writes regularly for Liberty magazine and does script writing for various evangelistic ministries within the denomination. He continues to hold evangelistic and revival meetings throughout the North American Division and beyond, and is a sought-after seminar speaker relative to current issues in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He presently resides in Berrien Springs, Michigan