Adventist Church Unveils Nebuchadnezzar Statue in Dominican Republic

By Bernardo Medina and Inter-American Division staff

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Dominican Republic pointed to the Scriptures by unveiling a statue of King Nebuchadnezzar as referenced in Daniel 2 in the city of San Juan de la Maguana.

Hundreds of church members attended the special program with the presentation of the 10.4-foot (3-meter) statue created by nationally recognized artist Freddy Alcantara in the city’s central park.

Alcantara is an Adventist member and was contracted by the church to make the statue.

“We want to call the attention of people to the Word of God,” said Cesario Acevedo, president of the church in the Dominican Republic, during the ceremony. “We want to awaken curiosity and share with them the great truths illustrated through Nebuchadnezzar’s prophetic dream.”

Onlookers witnessed drama performances where young Adventist illustrated the great world empires represented in the statue, the fall of the empires, and the Second Coming of Jesus.

The statue event represents a new strategy by local church leadership.

“We have to create new methods, new ways, that allow us to reach the people with the message,” Acevedo said.

The statue was originally designed in concrete, but a fiberglass version displayed during the event will be easier to transport to cities around the country for a continuation of the demonstration aimed at pointing onlookers to the prophetic message in the Bible. A statue representing the four beasts in the book of Daniel are being planned for later this year.

“This is a wonderful way to integrate our young people in the missionary work,” said Carlos Rilio, youth ministries director for the church in the Dominican Republic. “They have the talents and the capabilities to connect other young people to the truth.”

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Dominican Republic has nearly 312,000 members worshiping in 1,277 congregations.