Bulletin of Prophetic Historicism

20 September 2017                                                                   Editor and Proprietor

                                                                                                  Edwin de Kock

Bulletin #33                                                                                       

The editor/proprietor assumes responsibility for his own contributions. He is not, however, responsible or liable for the ideas expressed in pieces by other writers, also sometimes mentioned or cited.

                              Shortchanging Norman Gulley

     This brings me back to the wonderful book by Dr. Norman Gulley, actually his whole set of four on Systematic Theology printed by Andrews University. At the moment I am reading volume 4, The Church and the Last Things. I love and recommend it warmly to anyone who sincerely wants to know the real Bible truth about end-time events. Two “pictures” I picked up from it recently really bear imagining. Christ, instead of having suffered for us once for all, and sitting at the right hand of the Father and interceding as our high priest, can according to catholic belief be jerked from heaven many times daily by an earthly priest somewhere wanting to serve the waver (the cookie god) to somebody! Imagine that!! The other picture I have is their invention of purgatory, which is unbiblical, and according to their own telling is a most dreadful place, but Norman imagined it as a looong, biiigg car wash. The person dies in a big muddy mess and then is whisked to this car wash, where after a long time, perhaps even half drowned, he arrives sparkling clean in heaven to be welcomed by Mary. So, according to false beliefs everybody has a second chance and goes to heaven! Unfortunately not, but Satan does not mind how many lies he sells and how many he can lead to perdition: the more the merrier!

      Norman Gulley’s masterful books can be bought from Andrews University Press, or  local ABC. It is recommended by both Dr. Gerardt Damsteegt and JoAnn Davidson of Andrews. But the recommendations in this printed volume and those on the website of Andrews University have some amazing, even if small, differences. Drs. Damsteegdt and Davidson we could not find, but we did notice that the fulsome praise by some theologians, even in other denominations, has been strangely muted or eliminated.  I just wonder why.

     The Evil that Men Do Lives After them – How did Shakespeare know that precisely? Who would have imagined that the repeated assertions by the late Dr. B. in his newsletters that two professors at Andrews were the greatest Biblical scholars in the church in order to sell their books as well as his own, would have such a lasting effect? One got a promotional position to Loma Linda, while the other was apparently tasked with doing the whole study on the book of Revelation for the Andrews Bible Commentary! Please tell me that this is not so.                                           

     No doubt you may also have been troubled by the many winds of strange doctrine and the lack of piety in some of our churches. It also seems to me that prophecy is now being pushed onto the back burner or hushed up as something to be ashamed of if not outright made to serve a lie. Historicism (prophecy being fulfilled by actual historically verifiable facts) is really outmoded and needs to be thrown on the trash heap, some say.* I’ve heard of pastors explicitly asking visiting speakers not to make statements which could embarrass or frighten any visitors who might be attending by referring to beasts in prophecy, the Spirit of Prophecy, or even by quoting the 4th commandment in full! Some pastors actually feed the poor sheep dry hay, laced with the arsenic of false influences. No wonder we have such a sickly church! Friends, some of our pastors here, in Italy, Poland, and Hungary are in such ecumenical friendship with the Roman hierarchy that they worship and eat together. Their photos can clearly be seen on the internet, but thank God for those who still lift up the trumpet and call out God’s children, even from that same church. God still has many of children there and He calls them. Remember, He is mighty to save to the uttermost, and that Martin Luther came from that denomination.  *Please make sure you get A More Sure Word of Prophecy for yourself and your best friends.

     Apparently at least one person even hopes the pope will be converted and go to heaven. Even if this were to happen, what about the large number of princes of the church who co-reign with him? The Italian solution would at once be applied, as we know might have happened to the hapless pope who had spoken up about wanting to fix up some shady financial dealings of the Vatican Bank.

     Recently Ria read an interesting book which purported to put the thinking straight of those who believe in the rapture, and ticked off  Hal Lindsey for adjusting his false time prophecy, and the millionaires of the Left Behind Series for their bloodthirstiness and false interpretations. The rapture is a li and many will be lost, but unfortunately it seems the authoress also did not believe in a God who could foretell the future, or whose promise to take us up to the mansions up in heaven, would not really do it. Her kind of reasoning was apparently used in her class lectures, in which she stresses the Lamb power, not the lion of the tribe of Judah. He only threatens and there will not be any waters turning to blood, or any of those horrible things of the seven last plagues. I had thought the poor doctor could have benefited from Edwin’s latest little book A More Sure Word of Prophecy, which I planned to send to her. But then I noticed that she belonged to and a got money from the Evangelical Lutherans for visiting Israel during her Sabbatical and was probably as convinced as those who had signed the agreement of cooperation with the papacy in 1994, that we should all work together ecumenically, love and treasure the earth because it is going to be our final destination, and we are mistaken if we look to its being in the sky. So no heaven as we had been told since we were little. So very disappointing!

     Recently a theology student remarked that this 666 book of  Edwin’s is the best to hit the shelves in a 100 years. *If you have this book, and do not quite know where to start, begin with Appendix 1 at the back of Volume 3. If you do not have the book yet, please let us know. But really I would like to add Dr. Gulley’s books there on your book shelf too.

     The latest Adventist World briefly wrote about a small group in Poland, if I remember correctly, acting out Martin Luther and fixing his thesis against indulgences to their church door. What a wonderful example, I thought. Would it not be worth emulating in all our churches? Has anybody come across a brief script worth sharing anywhere?  Do you know of anything? Fortunately there are some independent ministries that we know of planning something special to celebrate Luther’s 500 years: Dr. Walter Veith and also Reinhardt Stander of South Africa undertook and recorded Reformation trips to Germany; Secrets Unsealed is planning a weekend near their headquarters; a Scandinavian Br. Struckness has a good awareness campaign in a number of languages, also English, which unfortunately needs lots of editing, but which is in recognizable English. New Life Mission has excellent articles on their nlmoffice@newlifemission1986.org. Today we got a letter from Carter Report, in which he warns that the separation between church and state is in jeopardy. If you know of anybody else we would love hearing about them. This is to protest loudly that THE REFORMATION is NOT DEAD! Please pray for all these ministries.

     Ria has been thinking for a long time how wonderful it would be if we as a church were more historically aware. In the Bible the Israelites were to keep their history alive by repeating the tale of their deliverance from Egypt at least once a year at their festivals, and in the NT this method was used by Stephen and Paul. What can we learn from God’s leading in the time of the judges and the kings? All this was written for us upon whom the end of the ages is coming so fast. Let us celebrate the Reformation, instead of joining Babylon. Call out from her all God’s children. Let Sabbath sermons deal with the faithfulness theme, show films or do re-enactments at AYnot only of the reformers, but also our own pioneers. When last did you hear about how God has led in our history as Adventist Protestants? There are so many wonderful DVDs now available, for instance God’s Outlaw, Luther, Wycliff, John Huss, Miller, the Whites, Joseph Bates, etc.  Keepers of the Flame, made in Australia, the Reformation Rekindled by Walter Veith and now Enmity from Amazing Discoveries.  Even the children’s stories could be about specific Adventist events, the great disappointment, and how God has led through his servant, Ellen G. White mightily.  So many wonderful mission stories have been and are being written. Friends, Jeff Reich tells about his projects in his magazine and videos. In addition Jeff has a whole series of children’s books in his store specially written about the great reformers and mission miracles. I often wish I had the money to buy all those I see in Jeff’s catalog! There is also Adventist Frontier Missions in their magazine and also DVDs. If you would like any of the wonderful modern-day Acts of the Apostles, just ask for Jeff’s latest catalog, or that of Orion Publishing. These are also offered online. Making Waves of Adventist World Radio with Jim Ayre also feature many inspiring accounts of what God is doing in other countries. There is no need to do a Bedtime Story anymore. Jesus wants to come, but we must not forget how He has led in our past, or deny him now or ever in the future.

                                         Web Site Linkage

     Many more details about Edwin’s publications, our activities, and previous Prophetic Bulletins appear on our Web site: www.propheticum.com. Ria hopes to put some biographical pieces on it soon. During the years she has written some such pieces that friends found interesting. She is the one who checks the number of viewers and finds pleasure in these, hoping some will translate into orders, of course. We can be contacted by e-mail at edwdekock@hotmail.com, or snail-mailed to Edwin de Kock, 12916 Los Terrazos Boulevard, Edinburg, Texas 78541, U.S.A. Please, as a huge favor, help us promote these doctrinally and prophetically sound books through your recommendations, personally or by e-mail. If you have a Web site, kindly mention us there and supply a link to our Web site.