Region
Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia.
The Officers
Andrew Pack, President
Jordan Scheetz, Vice-President
Mark Bradley, Secretary-Treasurer
2026 Northwest Region Meeting Overview
DATE: Saturday, February 21, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Doors open at 8:30 a.m.
Place: Western Seminary—5511 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland, OR 97215.
Meeting Information: Northwest Region Program
Plenary Speaker:
Dr. Kevin Chen is Professor of Old Testament at Gateway Seminary in Ontario, CA. He holds a Ph.D. in biblical studies from Gateway Seminary. His M.Div. is from Western Seminary, where he has also served as an adjunct instructor. His academic training and main research interests focus on the Pentateuch, intertextuality, Old Testament theology, and Daniel. He is the author of several books, including Daniel in the Asia Bible Commentary Series (Langham, 2025); Wonders from Your Law: Nexus Passages and the Promise of an Exegetical Intertextual Old Testament Theology (IVP Academic, 2024); and The Messianic Vision of the Pentateuch (IVP Academic, 2019).
Before joining the Gateway faculty in 2024, Dr. Chen taught for five years at Christian Witness Theological Seminary, a Chinese seminary in San Jose, CA. Before that, he taught for nine years at Union University in Jackson, TN. His prior teaching experience in a Christian liberal arts university and a Chinese seminary have resulted in additional interests, such as the integration of faith and learning as well as Chinese theological education. A native of San Jose, CA, Kevin was an electrical engineer in Silicon Valley for three years before quitting to pursue seminary studies full-time. He is married to Joyce, and they have one daughter and one son.
Title of Dr. Chen’s 2026 ETS NW plenary presentation (in two parts): “‘In the End of Days’: A Strategic, Eschatological Intertext in The Law, Prophets, and Writings”
Abstract: Over the past century, English translations have gone from translating the Hebrew phrase beacherit hayamim (“in the end of days”) eschatologically every time, to eschatologically almost all of the time, to now seemingly a judgment call each time between the generic future and the eschatological future. What happened? This two-part presentation will first explain what led to this gradual shift in translation, highlighting that one of factors is confessional in nature, unbeknownst to most Bible readers today. Second, this presentation will draw together the best existing arguments to maintain the traditional eschatological understanding of beacherit hayamim. Third, this presentation will advance the discussion by pointing out the intertextual relationships between the OT texts that have this phrase, explaining the influence of this intertextuality on the determination of its meaning, and demonstrating the additional support this influence gives to the eschatological interpretation of the phrase. In other words, beacherit hayamim is a strategic intertext in the Law, Prophets, and Writings, and a study of its meaning should account for this as part of standard investigation into its usage.
Map to Western Seminary: