Hans K. LaRondelle

the Bible is unique; there is no other book like it on earth. It has been given not only to enlighten the mind but to educate the whole man—mind, heart, and will; to give him "in­struction in righteous­ness: that the man of God may be perfect,…

THE widespread confusion evident among Christians when it comes to interpreting Biblical prophecies with regard to last-days events is largely owing to lack of a clearly defined set of Biblical principles of prophetic interpretation.…

Before the Psalms can be applied sermonically to the church today, a responsible exegesis of the texts must be undertaken; that is, each psalm must be understood first in its own religious-historical setting in the life and worship…

Dispensational writers are sufficiently committed to the hermeneutic of literalism that even if the result is a dichotomy or dissection of Israel and the church, it is accepted and defended for the sake of literalism. "If the dispensational…

The doctrine of the church is of decisive importance in dispensationalism.

According to C. C. Ryrie, the church is "distinct from Israel and not a new spiritual Israel." ¹ God has two different purposes and programs for…

Ecclesiology, or the doctrine of the church, is said to be the "touchstone" or decisive test of dispensationalism.¹ Charles C. Ryrie argues that the church is distinct and separate from Israel in two respects: (1) in the church…

Dispensationalism as a system of Scripture interpretation can best be understood against the background of its historical rise in the nineteenth century. John N. Darby (1800-1882), one of the chief founders of the Plymouth Brethren Movement…

The last chapter of the Old Testament contains a remarkable prophecy. It is remarkable not only be cause it is God's final warning message to His ancient covenant people but be cause it contains the basic elements of a last warning message…

Several lines connect John's apocalyptic vision of the millennium in Revelation 20 with the prophetic and apocalyptic eschatologies of the Old Testament. Indeed, our Christian understanding of the three visions incorporated in Revelation…

The term millennium does not occur in the Bible. By itself the word denotes merely a certain stretch of time—one thousand years—without any religious qualification. However, in the last Bible book such a period is endowed with a…

Do the words of Christ in Matthew 24:15-30 predict a religious persecution of Jews in the modem state of Israel within seven years after the church has been raptured from earth to heaven? Yes, say dispensationalists, pointing to the Saviour's…

Despite major differences in interpretation, both dispensationalists and non dispensationalists agree on one point regarding the seventy-weeks prophecy of Daniel 9—its importance. Says dispensationalist Alva J. McClain, "Probably no single…

The interpretation of Jesus' prophetic discourse, recorded by the Synoptic Gospels in Mark 13, Matthew 24, and Luke 21, contains a fundamental problem: How are the two major events about which the disciples ask the destruction of Jerusalem…

Martin Buber once objected to the Christian faith: "We still live in an unredeemed world!" When Christ exclaimed on His agonizing cross, ' 'It is finished!' ' He did not mean to suggest that Gods plan of salvation for man and the world was…

The Biblical concept of a millennium is found exclusively in Revelation 20, and John's vision of a thousand-year reign of the saints as a feature of that millennium is described in no more than three verses of Revelation 20. These verses…

This volume is scheduled as the first in a series on Studies in Adventist Ecclesiology by the Biblical Research Institute (BRI) of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. The director of the BRI, Ángel M. Rodríguez, writes in the…

As the end of another millennium approaches, apocalyptic fever will spread like the plague throughout Christendom. The most prevalent symptom will be manifested in an outbreak of books about an impending doom associated with the day of the…

The book of Revelation portrays the final enemy of God and His faithful covenant people as the harlot "Babylon" (Rev. 17:1-6). God will judge and defeat her, just as He brought about the fall of ancient Babylon. Old Testament symbolism is…

Salvation, or redemption, is the central concern of the Bible. Biblical history shows that the entire human race needs salvation, because sin as self-centeredness and rebellion against God is a universal phenomenon.…

There is joy in discovering the architectural design of John's Apocalypse. This hidden design cannot be discerned by the usual approach of dissecting the book into separate parts or chapters. The book of Revelation…

Seventh-day Adventists saw in the historic earth quake of Lisbon, Portugal, on November 1,1755, a fulfillment of the sixth seal of Revelation 6:12-17. They further accepted the "inexplicable" darkening of the sunlight…

Faith in Jesus as the Messiah of Israel's prophecies is an essential qualification for the Christian interpreter of the Old Testament. Those interpreters who cannot see Christ at the heart of the Old Testament writings are not able to explain…

After predicting a large falling away from the faith and great distress for His followers, Jesus announced that cosmic events would take place with such dramatic effect that "the heavenly bodies will be shaken" (Matt. 24:29; Mark 13:24; Luke…

On October 31,1517 Luther posted his 95 theses on the door of the Wittenberg Castle Chapel to challenge some of the teachings of the Catholic Church. With that, the Protestant Reformation was born.

That is,…

The climactic event of biblical verity is the Second Coming, when Christ returns to judge the world and to vindicate both His dead and living elect.

The common creed of Western Christianity, the Apostles'…

The apostolic church lived in expectation of Christ's return in glory and power. Paul defined Christians as those who experience the grace of God, live a sanctified life, and "wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation…

The Apocalypse builds on the truth that God sent His Son to testify of I His true character. John underscores the vital importance of the testimony that Jesus gave before the court tribunals of both Jews…

Note: Part 2 of a three-part series on keys for understanding the book of Revelation. Part 3 will appear in the May issue of Ministry.

In the first article (January 2003) we noticed that John alluded…

Editorial note: This is, the first in a three-part series. Parts 2 and 3 will appear in the March and May issues of Ministry.

Revelation is the most difficult of all New Testament…

Historicism is a concept of prophetic interpretation. It needs to be defined carefully before we can discuss its validity and boundaries. LeRoy E. Froom provides us one definition of historicism: "the progressive…

Seventh-day Adventist Statement of Faith #19: The Sabbath. "The beneficient Creator, after the six days of Creation, rested on the seventh day and instituted the Sabbath for all people as a memorial of Creation. The fourth…

Editorial note: This article is a condensed, edited combination of two chapters from Dr. LaRondelle's upcoming book on biblical covenants titled Our Faithful Creator. Watch for informa tion in Ministry and elsewhere as…

Typology is as old as the Old Testament itself. The prophet Hosea promised the backslidden tribes of Israel that their covenant God would re-enact the ancient Exodus deliverance to renew His covenant with them:

An enormous tension with a potential for serious conflicts exists between the Old and the New Testaments. Historically this tension has resulted in different kinds of doctrinal systems. The first extreme decision…

What is the role of Israel in biblical prophecy? The question assumes urgency in view of continuous presentation in some circles that the present-day state of Israel has a definite role defined in…

In the last century, many Protestant believers came to recognize that liberal theology had lost the concept of divine revelation in Holy Scripture.¹ At the same time, the one-sided view of Protestant orthodoxy that revelation…

How can a ruler remain sensitive to the needs of his people, wise in his decisions, humble in the exercise of his power, and committed to peace and justice throughout his country?

The same way that a preacher can remain vital in…

From the outset, Protestantism was fragmented into different confessions of faith, each having its own center of interest in a special truth. Orthodoxy or pure doctrine was the primary concern of the Protestant confessions in both the Lutheran…