Rebuttal to Dennis Kean on the 2300 Days, the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement (Part II)

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Dear Reader,

In part one of my rebuttal to Dennis Kean's paper on 1844 and the 2300 days, I got Dennis to admit some very interesting data. He admitted that he believes Ellen White and the SDA Pioneers had it all wrong--the order of the Sanctuary Service and the feast days that is. He pointed out to us that the Day of Atonement comes after the Feast of trumpets and that the Feast of Trumpets refers to the outpouring of the seven last plagues in Revelation. Based on this erroneous assessment, equating the seven last plagues with the blowing of the Trumpets during the Feast of Trumpets in the Sanctuary Service, Dennis concludes that we cannot be in the antitypical Day of Atonement because that comes after the Feast of Trumpets or the Seven Last Plagues in Sanctuary Service order of succession. Therefore, he concludes that 1844 was a non-event and that the cleansing of the Sanctuary and the Day of Atonement are future ONLY, and have no historic meaning in the development of Seventh-day Adventism.

Of course, this view annihilates the very fundamental doctrine of the Sanctuary Service as traditional Seventh-day Adventism has presented it, and thus the very pillar of Adventism. Yet, Dennis claims to be a Seventh-day Adventist. So let us review the real purpose and intent of the Feast of Trumpets in the typical service. For this review I am consulting a Jewish source by the name of F. C. Gilbert, who was a Jew convert to Seventh-day Adventism and a contemporary of Ellen G. White. Gilbert wrote a book on the Sanctuary Service, entitled: Practical Lessons From the Experience of Israel. Now let's see what Gilbert had to say about the meaning and intent of the Feast of Trumpets. See if you can see any typology related to the seven last plagues in Gilbert's descriptions, for Dennis Kean says that the blowing of the trumpets means the Seven Last Plagues of Revelation.

"THE IMPRESSIVENESS OF THE BLOWING OF THE TRUMPETS. 15. The Talmud teaches that the blowing of the trumpets signifies God's loud call to repentance. Since this seventh month closes up the year's work in connection with the sanctuary service, and with the harvest, how appropriate for the trumpet to blow, that the people should turn their attention more to the things of God, and prepare for the final work. Hence this is made one of the most sacred days to the Jews. They also teach that on this day three sets of books are opened,--the book of life to examine the good deeds of the people, the book of death to examine the evil deeds, and a sort of intermediary book to examine into the accounts of those whose cases are to be decided at the Day of Atonement, ten days later. The ten days following this sabbath day are called, "The ten days of repentance." The most careless and indifferent during these days devotes his time to the service of God and seeks for preparation of heart that when the Day of Atonement arrives he may receive a "seal" of life for the year to come.

(Still quoting Gilbert) THE CALL TO REPENTANCE.-- 16. Thus the blowing of the trumpets was a sort of awakening of the people to examine into their condition, and to see that their sins were all forgiven, and that they repented sufficiently to have that peace and pardon. It was a call to prayer, a call to earnest seeking of the Lord; it was a sort of preparation for judgment.
19. The trumpet of God needs to be blown in Zion (Joel 2:15-17; Zeph 1:14-16), and in the world today to call men to repentance, to prepare them for the great judgment day which the world will soon have to meet, when the antitypical Day of Atonement shall have been completed. The prophet says:

"Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins." Isa. 58:1.
End of quoting Gilbert.

So we see that the Feast of Trumpets was "an awakening" call. Does this remind you of Matthew 25 and the Midnight Cry call to awaken the 10 sleeping virgins?

Parallels of 1844 With the Feast of Trumpets

Sarah Elizabeth Peck, an SDA contemporary of Ellen White, wrote a book on the Sanctuary Service called The Path to the Throne of God. Here is what she has to say on the Feast of Trumpets:

"The most solemn of the "solemn days" when the trumpets were blown was to proclaim the approach of the day of atonement. "In the seventh month, in the first day of the month," there was to be "a memorial of blowing of trumpets." Lev. 23:24. This was ten days before the day of atonement, which came on the tenth day of the seventh month. Lev. 23:27.

This blowing of the trumpets by the priests notified the people that the day of atonement was near, and that they must hasten to confess every sin and make every wrong right. It gave everyone time to make the necessary preparation and present himself in Jerusalem at the time of the cleansing of the sanctuary, for "in that same day," Lev. 23:28-30, every case in Israel was decided. This was in type the final separation of the sinner from his sin, if that sin had been confessed; or if not, it was in type the final separation of the sinner from the house of Israel.

Antitype of the Blowing of Trumpets. The day of God's Judgment for the human race, when every individual will either be separated from his sins or cut off from the heavenly family, is the antitype of the day of atonement. According to the prophecy of Daniel 8:14, this real day of Judgment began at the end of the 2300 days, in 1844.

As in the type, ten days before "the tenth day of the seventh month," the priests blew the silver trumpets, warning everyone to get ready, so in the antitype, the judgment message began to be proclaimed [by William Miller] about ten years, "each day for a year" Num. 14:34, preceding 1844. (See Our Firm Foundation, Vol. I, p. 345). During this period of time, every Christian nation on earth heard in trumpet tones the announcement of the message of Revelation 14:6,7: "The hour of His Judgment is come!" This was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel: "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain. . .for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand." Joel 2:1. Sarah Elizabeth Peck, Path to the Throne of God, p. 174.

Ellen White said that the Midnight Cry of Matthew 25, gave power to the first and second angel's messages in awakening the people. After this awakening in 1844, there was to be a tarrying time during which the 10 virgins would fall back to sleep. How does all this jive with Dennis Kean's interpretation that the Feast of Trumpets is the Seven Last Plagues? What good will it do then to awaken people? Ellen White says that probation will be closed when the plagues begin to fall. That is no time to awaken and begin to prepare for the judgment. All who awaken at that time will be foolish virgins without oil or character, because character takes time to develop. Any discerning Christian should be able to see the folly of Dennis Kean's interpretation of the Feast of Trumpets as being the Seven Last Plagues.

Dennis also claimed in his response to part one of my rebuttal to him, that the SDA Church is now in apostasy by teaching the Abomination of Desolation which he defines as the Roman Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation or the forgiveness of sin(s) by men or church leaders. He says that the SDA church (via some members and even an SDA Preacher) is now taking on the role of forgiving sin(s). This is a most serious charge. If Dennis is correct, and Dennis' evidence suggests that it is true, then we should flee the church as fast as we can, for thus, the Abomination of Desolation, as defined by Dennis Kean, is standing in the (once) Holy Place!

Dennis also maintains that Matthew 24 applies only to the Dark Ages, and the accompanying implementation of the Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation or forgiveness of sin(s) circa 538 AD and on thru to 1517. He says:

" Though the Sacrament of Reconciliation was improvised in the fifth century, the Roman church did not have the power to enforce it until the year 538 AD when she received the power of influence over many nations."

The above statement is found in the following document: (Click) 1844 And The 2300 Days by Dennis Kean. Interestingly, true Christians during that Dark Ages era (538-1517), had to flee the abomination of desolation, which, as stated, Dennis interprets as the Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is the Catholic doctrine that man can forgive sin. According to Dennis, true Christians had to flee to the mountains and solitary places as soon as they recognized that the church taught this abominable doctrine which left the sanctuary of the Lord desolate of His presence. However, since Matthew 24 applies only to the Dark Ages, according to Dennis, they will NEVER AGAIN have to flee the Abomination of Desolation. Indeed, as Dennis maintains, one can even be a member of a church that teaches that very abominable doctrine, and need not flee. This raises a number of poignant questions:

  • Why would true Christians of the Dark Ages have to flee that abomination of desolation, and not do so since that time and in the future?

  • If true Christians can be a supporting member of a church that teaches that abomination of desolation doctrine, why not return to the church of Rome?

  • How can Dennis Kean say that the SDA church is in apostasy because, according to him, it now teaches the Sacrament of Reconciliation or forgiveness of sin by man, and still remain a member of that church?

  • How could any conscientious Christian be a supporting member of a church that he/she believed to be in apostasy by teaching the Abomination of Desolation, which, according to Dennis, is the Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation or man forgiving sin(s). Would such an one be corporately guilty of that very apostasy by membering with and supporting such a church? Of course! That is why True Christians left the Roman church during the Reformation and left her daughter churches in 1844.

If Matthew 24 applies only to the Dark Ages, and was fulfilled then, as Dennis maintains, how do we answer the following questions:

  1. What historic evidence do we have that "immediately after the tribulation of those days (Matt. 24:29), the Dark Ages, was the sun darkened, the moon failed to give her light, the stars fell from heaven, and the powers of the heavens were shaken?

  2. What evidence do we have that "immediately after" the tribulation of those days, the Dark Ages, that the Son of Man appeared coming in the clouds of heaven? (Matt. 24:30).

  3. What evidence do we have that the gospel was preached to all the world (unto all nations) during the Dark Ages, Matt. 24:14, which comes before the Abomination of Desolation standing in the Holy Place, verse 15? Keep in mind the fact that Dennis Kean teaches that Matthew 24 was fulfilled in the Dark Ages, and does not apply to our day. As preposterous as this obviously is, that is what he teaches! And what is more incredibly preposterous, he has followers who believe him. Now I know what Hitler meant when he said that the bigger the lie, the more likely it will be accepted by some.

If Matthew 24 was fulfilled anciently, in the Dark Ages, as Dennis Kean maintains, then all of the above should have been fulfilled and should be ancient history by now! It should be clear by now that Dennis Kean is one very deluded individual, teaching his own brand of pseudo-intellectualism as replacement for pillar doctrines, as prophesied by Ellen White in Selected Messages, Book I, p. 204-5, and which she elsewhere brands as false science.

Footnote: Click here for a review of the Feast of Trumpets and what occurred at that time.

Ron Beaulieu