2010 article from Jewish Telegraph newspaper article on Jim Fleming

[Kevin H]

https://www.jewishtelegraph.com/prof_68.html

 

Here is an article from 2010 about Methodist archaeologist Dr. Jim Fleming, who I had the privilege of studying with in Israel in 1983-84 Christmas break, and who I attend lectures and listen to recordings and read notebooks when I can. He was a major influence on my life and though. I hope you enjoy this!!! Despite being a Methodist, he would fit in with Adventist groups. His thought is very much like the thinking from my professors at Atlantic Union College. I hope you enjoy this!!!

[phkrause]

I guess you took classes from Dean Davis and Rick Trott??

[Kevin H]

Sadly I didn't. Dean Davis took over the classes that George Rice taught, and I already had them from Dr. Rice. (I would have loved to have taken the classes from both of them as they were both fantastic professors!!!) I heard a DVD of a class by Dr. Davis on Galatians which was fantastic. There was a lot of comments on what a perfect replacement Dr. Davis was for Dr. Rice and how he fit equally well into the AUC theology.  Of course I knew Rick Trott, but he was the school chaplain and the only class I was aware of him teaching was an introduction Bible class for non-Adventists or Adventists graduates from public schools. 

[GHansen]

Like the idea of having a special Bible class for non SDA attending an SDA college. A Muslim lady attending a class on Revelation, immediately left the school and the community after the instructor rehearsed the traditional SDA understanding of Revelation 9. When I mentioned this to the instructor, he was deeply saddened.  He said he didn't even know she was a Muslim.

 

[phkrause]

On 5/18/2022 at 9:52 PM, Kevin H said:

Sadly I didn't. Dean Davis took over the classes that George Rice taught, and I already had them from Dr. Rice. (I would have loved to have taken the classes from both of them as they were both fantastic professors!!!) I heard a DVD of a class by Dr. Davis on Galatians which was fantastic. There was a lot of comments on what a perfect replacement Dr. Davis was for Dr. Rice and how he fit equally well into the AUC theology.  Of course I knew Rick Trott, but he was the school chaplain and the only class I was aware of him teaching was an introduction Bible class for non-Adventists or Adventists graduates from public schools. 

Dean Davis is retired now and lives in Georga and sorry to say Rick Trott passed away a few years ago!! I used to go to there Sabbath School class!!

[Kevin H]

On 5/19/2022 at 8:24 AM, GHansen said:

Like the idea of having a special Bible class for non SDA attending an SDA college. A Muslim lady attending a class on Revelation, immediately left the school and the community after the instructor rehearsed the traditional SDA understanding of Revelation 9. When I mentioned this to the instructor, he was deeply saddened.  He said he didn't even know she was a Muslim.

 

That is so sad. I'm so glad that AUC had that class. Also, in the regular Bible classes we did not spent that much time on how we applied the text over history, but mostly focused on the time period. Such as for Daniel, we studied in the context of his students shortly after Daniel's death (which appears in Chapter 1) and how would the text be understood as compiled in the early Persian rule for the exiles getting ready to go home. First, how Daniel was hoping that the exile could have ended in a second great exodus lead by the Messiah. But then the word that this was not going to happen, so how to prepare for the Messiah over the 70 weeks of years.

The book seemed like a false prophecy when Zerubbabel did not restart the David kingship, and the book was probably forgotten until the persecution of Antiochus when the book was pulled of the shelf and gave comfort to those in persecution. Some margin notes from that time was probably added to the text.  But Daniel's students did not see Antiochus, nor the Pope. We apply the book to the Pope through analogy. 

Likewise, in Revelation, we studied in how it could have been fulfilled in the time of John and Domination. Also, when it comes to the trumpets; the professor pointed out that Elder Smith wrote before Mrs. White got her visions on the last day events, and thus did not have her later insights. Also, they shared both direct and indirect quotes that Mrs. White understood the trumpets to be future; corresponding to what she calls the little time of trouble leading to both the final outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the close of probation. The 7 last plagues are based on trying to force us to give up something in our principles, or wanting to force others to give up something in their understanding. Liberty of conscience is the major issue. The possibility of Sunday Laws will somehow give Christian world the test (indicating other similar events for non-Christian societies. I'm wondering if the conflict between sharing the land, or trying to conquer the land by one side or the other might at least play a role if not the text for that special piece of property about 150 miles long and 50 miles wide). 

But again, we studied Revelation in the context of the time it was written, then made some applications for over history and the future, but the idea that the trumpets being future did not bring up the application of Revelation 9 in an anti-Muslim way.