Here is a link to a response by the BRI on "Ellen G. White and the Interpretation of Daniel and Revelation":

http://biblicalresearch.gc.adventist.org/documents/WhiteInterDaniel&Rev.htm

This is where we can examine and discuss the information provided in the above link.

Two thumbs up from this corner. They could have expounded a bit more on the origins of the futurist and preterist schools of thought, seemed to me; since those were dreamed up by two Jesuits, Alcazar and Ribera. But that's a minor quibble, such info is available elsewhere.

I liked the way they answered the dual-fulfillments theory.

There is definitely a end-time fulfillment of many of the prophecies in Revelation that, for some reason, have been declared to have been fulfilled in the past by most of us SDAs.

It sure makes Bible study easier to just lean on others' Bible work.

For one example:
While admitting that the 2 Witnesses can refer to the Old and New Testaments of the Bible in many instances, it cannot be the complete fulfillment. The complete fulfillment will definitely be future.

Ok: I'll bite, Daniel: How will the Two Witnesses prophecy be fulfillied again?

Ohayo Ikan-san (good morning),
Here's your sandwich

Please keep in mind that i DO agree that the traditional interpretation of the two witnesses is correct - for the people who were waiting for their Lord to come in 1843/4. However, i would like to raise some points showing the final fulfillment is yet future to 2004.

William Miller has several rules for interpreting prophecy in "Views of the Prophecies and Prophetic Chronology Selected from Manuscripts of William Miller with a Memoir of His Life", and this one (#13) is especially relevant to my interpreting the two witnesses differently from tradition.

quote:

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To know whether we have the true historical event for the fulfilment of a prophecy. If you find every word of the prophecy (after the figures are understood) is literally fulfilled, then you may know that your history is the true event. But if one word lacks a fulfilment, then you must look for another event, or wait its future development. For God takes care that history and prophecy doth agree, so that the true believing children of God may never be ashamed

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Let's look at it. Revelation 11. First of all, the timing is way off for this to have happened in the 1700s. The timing for chapter 11 is DURING the 7 angels blowing their trumpets. This particular event is the SECOND woe. Speaking in 2004, have the other events like the hail and fire mingled with blood (8:7), a great mountain burning with fire being thrown into the sea and a third of the sea becoming blood (8:8), or even the first woe of the 5 months of nasty little stinging things (9:1) already happened?
11:3 Please notice, they only prophesy 1260 days (or years if that is the interpretation), then they are finished.
11:5 Many people even today hurt the Bible with spurious translations etc. but i haven't heard of anyone being burnt. And no, this isn't talking about burning them when Jesus comes back, because many of those who despised and hurt the Bible have died peacefully.
11:6 Notice it says: "in the days of their prophecy". Again, is this supposed to mean that their prophesying ended in 1798???
11:7 Has the Bible finished it's testimony??? Has the beast ascended out of the bottomless pit yet?
11:8 Was our Lord crucified in Paris?
11:9,10 Not very many peoples or nations saw the dead bodies of the Bible in the 1700s.
11:10 Lots of wicked men lived between 538 and 1798 who weren't tormented at all by the Bible.
11:11 Did the Bible not have any Spirit of Life for 3 1/2 years in the 1700s???
11:12 How many people saw the Bible going up to heaven in the 1700s?
11:13 Did a tenth of Paris fall in an earthquake around 1798? Did those left give glory to God??
11:14 If this was finished in 1798 or so, then we should look for the 3rd woe coming quickly. Has it come?

So just applying William Miller's own rules for interpreting the Scriptures, we see that the two witnesses prophecy has not been fulfilled yet here in 2004.

Any comments about this would be highly appreciated.

Danielw-san,

I was wondering if you might share your perspective as to the description of the "two-witnesses" of Revelation 11:4 and the vision shown to the prophet Zechariah in Zech 4:3, 11-14.

Bob,

Taking the two references separately, Zech. points to the need for the Spirit of Prophecy, while the other, Rev. 11:4 points to a movement that is (to my understanding) yet future, but both very much related.

Just my looking at the references in EGW's work, We are told.

1, the ten virgins got their extra oil from Zech. 4. While all had lamps, the five wise had a vessel containing extra oil. (See Matt. 25. Christ Object Lesson, 406, Plus)
2. The G.C. 266 points out the olive trees are the old and new testament
3, The Pipes which the oil flows through are human instrumentalites, (prophet messengers) that gather the oil and pour it into the bowl. TM 510
4, The "Oil" from the olives trees is messages sent to the bowl. 4 BC. 1180
5, The tubes feeding the lamp is the ministry gathering present truth to feed the flock. EW.63,49. Christ Object Lessons 418.
6, The Lamp is the church Rev. 1:19,20.
7, The bowl and lampstand are gold, showing there is no error found with in.

A message that comes from any direction than from the Golden bowl would contain error, common fire being fed to the church. Such would receive the punishment of Nadab and Abihue.

This short study can be found by looking in the SCripture index of Ellen G. Whites Writings.

Henry.

The two witnesses Zechariah saw while in vision are: "the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth."

It seems obvious that these are two "beings" as they "stand".

Danielw,

Would you not conclude that the similarities in both descriptions would lead you to believe that they are the same beings?

Yes, it does seem that the 2 witnesses in Zechariah are the same 2 witnesses in Revelation 11.