CG7 on Daniel

Rebuilt Gymnasium in Sardis

It has long been my belief that CG7 seems to have little understanding of the end time prophecies. Today, I mainly wish to focus on its positions related to the Book of Daniel. Notice the following:

Daniel in a sentence: While he and his brethren are captives in Babylon, Daniel remains faithful to God under test, gains official position there, interprets the kings’ dreams, and receives four visions of wide historical/political scope to encourage God’s people under oppression. (STUDYING THE BOOK of Daniel. Copyright © 2007, Church of God (Seventh Day))

Apocalyptic: Daniel’s prophetic style named for its colorful imagery, numerics, and dramatic historical intervention seen in visions and dreams. The Book of Revelation is called the Apocalypse…

1290 and 1335 days: enigmatic numbers that extend the 1260 BASE…Fulfillment uncertain…

Most predictions in the last great prophecy (chs. 10-12) were fulfilled in ancient Persia and Greece. We wait for the grand finale (ch. 12) at Christ’s return.

(GETTING TO KNOW THE BOOK, INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY OF Daniel. Bible Advocate, January-February 1998, pp. 2,3)

Yet, there certainly is a future fulfillment of about 1/2 (or even more) of Daniel 11. Not understanding this indicates that CG7 will not be among those that are wise (cf. Daniel 12:10). To learn more about Daniel 11 and the 1290 days of Daniel 12, please see the article Who is the King of the North?. Perhaps I should mention that the above cited CG7 article never uses the term King of the North. Hence, CG7 is not likely to understand what will happen–nor believe it when we in the Living Church of God get more to hear the truth about it.

Futhermore, here is another writing that suggests that CG7 is somewhat timid in the area of prophecy:

The expression “Day of Lord,” which occurs about twenty-eight times in Scripture, is a general term used to describe God’s intervention in the affairs of people — for punishment or for blessing. Often this is accomplished through human instruments. “Day of the Lord” can certainly refer to a yet future intervention by God at Christ’s return, but it is usually used in the context of past events…

Has a prophecy already been fulfilled?

When we consider an Old Testament prophecy, we need to consider whether it is completely fulfilled in the Old Testament context, whether it was completely fulfilled in the first coming of the Messiah, or whether it was only partially fulfilled. For example, the apostle Peter proclaimed about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost: “This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people’” (Acts 2:16-21, NIV, cited from Joel 2:28-32). Do we conclude that Joel’s prophecy was completely fulfilled in Peter’s day and that the “glorious day of the Lord” was the incarnation of Jesus? Do we conclude that the grandiose language of “wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below” was figurative so as to underscore the dramatic proportions of what was happening — that the very Son of God laid aside His glory to walk in human flesh and die so that all might be saved? Or do we conclude that while Peter thought he was seeing the fulfillment, he was in fact seeing only a partial fulfillment and that the grandiose language is literal and has yet to be fulfilled in a future outpouring of the Holy Spirit and “glorious day of the Lord”?

How we answer these questions will dramatically affect how we understand New Testament prophecies and the apocalyptic material of Revelation. (Wiedenheft, RA. Important Considerations in Understanding Prophecy. Bible Advocate Press. © 2006 The General Conference of the Church of God (Seventh Day).

I agree with that last statement. But sadly, that is how the article ends and CG7 does not really say what it believes. I believe that this is part of why Jesus warned Sardis, “you will not know what hour I will come upon you” (Revelation 3:3).

Furthermore, CG7 seems to state that the Book of Revelation cannot really be understood. Notice the following article:

The Apocalypse of Jesus Christ does not just signal the end of the Bible; it discloses the very end of time. If the apparent doom it forecasts does not discourage us from further examination, then the bizarre imagery clinches it. The book is formidable, to be sure.

It is peculiar that a volume this obscure should be called Revelation…

The prophecy

The Apocalypse speaks the lyrical language of dream; our old senses cannot comprehend it. As with the seers Ezekiel and Daniel before him, what John sees defies rational explanation. (Overman, Jason. Songs of the Apocalypse. Bible Advocate Online, December 2007).

While CG7 does accept that certain prophetic events, like the return of Jesus, will take place, it seems to discount biblical prophecy. Especially Daniel. The above simply is another indication of that.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Church of God, Seventh Day: History and Teachings Nearly all COG’s I am aware of trace their history through this group. Whaid Rose is the president of the largest CG7 group (Denver). Do you know much about them?
The Sardis Church Era was predominant circa 1600 A.D. to circa 1933 A.D. Discusses early history of the Seventh Day Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, and COG-7th Day.
Why Prophecy? Because the World Will Not End Next Week Some question or downplay the role of prophecy. This article gives some of the biblical reasons what it is important and explains why the world cannot end for at least 3 1/2 years from now.