Seven Seals of Revelation 6 & 8:1 – First Section

The first four seals pertain to horses, symbolic of churches in the last days. In the Bible, a horse represents a church.

Song of Solomon 1:9 says, “I have compared you, my love, to my filly among Pharaoh’s chariots.”

Ephesians 5:31, 32 says, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”

• Horse = Woman. Woman = Church. Church = Protestant Churches from 1844 onward.

1^st Seal:

There is first a noise of thunder, like the 7 thunders of Rev. 10. These thunders are the 1^st & 2^nd Angel’s Messages.

Then there is a white horse that is seen and he goes forth conquering and to conquer. This white horse is the early Advent movement in North America from 1840-1844 who accepted the new truth concerning the 2300 day prophecy. They understood the 3 Angels Messages and went forth proclaiming the message to leave Babylon.

These people were given crowns when they go to the marriage. These crowns are Christ’s character.

2^nd Seal:

There is a second horse that is red colored. These are the people who heard the message, but rejected it and didn’t leave Babylon. They went from being blessed by God to being cursed. They were given a great sword, which is the Word of God.

“When faithful teachers expound the Word of God, there arise men of learning, ministers professing to understand the Scriptures, who denounce sound doctrine as heresy, and thus turn away inquirers after truth. Were it not that the world is hopelessly intoxicated with the wine of Babylon, multitudes would be convicted and converted by the plain, cutting truths of the word of God. But religious faith appears so confused and discordant that the people know not what to believe as truth. The sin of the world’s impenitence lies at the door of the church.” – GC 389.1

They make people believe their false doctrines of the Bible and kill them spiritually.

3^rd Seal:

A third horse is seen that is a black color. He that sat upon the horse held a pair of balances in his hand.

In Hebrew, the word “zugos” means bonding/yoke for slavery.

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage…Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.” – Galations 5:1, 4, 5.

Black, or darkness, means that you have an absence of light. Darkness cannot exist unless you have no light. This church had an absence of spiritual light because they neglected to accept of reject the Angel’s Messages. Christ’s light didn’t dwell in them any more because they had rejected Him and the calling to leave Babylon.

 A voice was then heard in the midst of these 4 beasts (4 seals) saying, “A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” – Rev. 6:6.

• Grain = Seed = Word of God. The word of God was scarce and hard to find.
• Oil = Holy Spirit.
• Wine = Christ’s Atoning Blood
• They were not to hurt [remove] Christ’s intercession in the holy place.

4^th Seal:

A fourth horse is seen which is a pale color. His rider’s name was Death and power was given him over a 4^th part of the earth. This horse represents the Sunday Law being instituted in the union of church and state.

“The second angel’s message of Revelation 14 was first preached in the summer of 1844, and it then had a more direct application to the churches of the United States, where the warning of the judgment had been most widely proclaimed and most generally rejected, and where the declension in the churches had been most rapid. But the message of the second angel did not reach its complete fulfillment in 1844. The churches then experienced a moral fall, in consequence of their refusal of the light of the advent message; but that fall was not complete. As they have continued to reject the special truths for this time they have fallen lower and lower. Not yet, however, can it be said that “Babylon is fallen,… because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” She has not yet made all nations do this. The spirit of world conforming and indifference to the testing truths for our time exists and has been gaining ground in churches of the Protestant faith in all the countries of Christendom; and these churches are included in the solemn and terrible denunciation of the second angel. But the work of apostasy has not yet reached its culmination. {GC 389.2} The Bible declares that before the coming of the Lord, Satan will work “with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness;” and they that “received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved,” will be left to receive “strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.” 2 Thessalonians 2:9-11. Not until this condition shall be reached, and the union of the church with the world shall be fully accomplished throughout Christendom, will the fall of Babylon be complete. The change is a progressive one, and the perfect fulfillment of Revelation 14:8 is yet future.” {GC 389.3}

5^th Seal:

The fifth seal is the judgment of the righteous dead, starting at 1844 and ending at the Sunday Law. White robes of righteousness is given to the righteous dead and the martyrs at the Marriage in the Most Holy Place, beginning at 1844.

     “Opening of the Fifth Seal.–When the fifth seal was opened, John the Revelator in vision saw beneath the altar the company that were slain for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. After this came the scenes described in the eighteenth of Revelation, when those who are faithful and true are called out from Babylon [Revelation 18:1-5 quoted] (MS 39, 1906).”  {7BC 968.5}

• From this quote, it seems to prove dual fulfillment because it says that Revelation 18 comes after the 5^th seal. Revelation 18 happens at the end of time, so it must mean that the events of the seals in Revelation 6 happen again in their second fulfillment in the last days before the second coming.

“White robes were given to each righteous dead person at the marriage in the most holy place” -Rev. 19:7, 8.

6^th Seal:

Is at the same time as plagues 5, 6, & 7. The context is God’s people being delivered and the wicked’s reaction to the glory of God.

The events in verses 12-13:

Great Earthquake: great Lisbon earthquake in 1755

Dark Day: 1780 (Tying in with the 5^th plague: kingdom full of darkness.)

(1260 Days End: 1798. Mark 13:24 “In those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light.”)

Meteoric shower: November 13, 1833.

And then in verse 15-16 is at the 7^th plague. Earthquakes shake the earth and hail stones fall from heaven. (Rev. 16:17-21.)  Men are hiding themselves from the wrath of God.

It is at midnight that God manifests His power for the deliverance of His people. The sun appears, shining in its strength. Signs and wonders follow in quick succession. The wicked look with terror and amazement upon the scene, while the righteous behold with solemn joy the tokens of their deliverance. Everything in nature seems turned out of its course. … whence comes the voice of God like the sound of many waters, saying: “It is done.” Revelation 16:17.  {GC 636.2} That voice shakes the heavens and the earth. There is a mighty earthquake, “such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.” Verses 17, 18. The firmament appears to open and shut. The glory from the throne of God seems flashing through. The mountains shake like a reed in the wind, and ragged rocks are scattered on every side. There is a roar as of a coming tempest. The sea is lashed into fury. There is heard the shriek of a hurricane like the voice of demons upon a mission of destruction. The whole earth heaves and swells like the waves of the sea. Its surface is breaking up. Its very foundations seem to be giving way. Mountain chains are sinking. Inhabited islands disappear. The seaports that have become like Sodom for wickedness are swallowed up by the angry waters. Babylon the great has come in remembrance before God, “to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.” Great hailstones, every one “about the weight of a talent,” are doing their work of destruction. Verses 19, 21. The proudest cities of the earth are laid low. The lordly palaces, upon which the world’s great men have lavished their wealth in order to glorify themselves, are crumbling to ruin before their eyes. Prison walls are rent asunder, and God’s people, who have been held in bondage for their faith, are set free.  {GC 636.3}

7^th Seal:

At the opening of the 7^th seal, there was silence in heaven for a half hour.

“Before His presence “all faces are turned into paleness;” upon the rejecters of God’s mercy falls the terror of eternal despair.  ”The heart melteth, and the knees smite together, . . . and the faces of them all gather blackness.” Jeremiah 30:6; Nahum 2:10. The righteous cry with trembling: “Who shall be able to stand?” The angels’ song is hushed, and there is a period of awful silence. Then the voice of Jesus is heard, saying: “My grace is sufficient for you.” The faces of the righteous are lighted up, and joy fills every heart. And the angels strike a note higher and sing again as they draw still nearer to the earth.” {GC 641.1} 

• This time period of half an hour is literal because prophetic time ended at 1844 so everything after that is literal.
• The 7^th seal completes the plan or redemption, being that it is the second coming.

Second Section

4^th Seal:

The name of the one who rode the horse was Death and hell followed him. He was given power over a fourth of the earth to kill with a sword, with hunger, with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

The fourth seal seems to point to the early Christian persecution, starting in the time of Nero. They threw thousands of Christians into arenas to be tortured and eaten by wild beasts. They would starve them and kill them mercilessly by the thousands.

“These persecutions, beginning under Nero about the time of the martyrdom of Paul, continued with greater or less fury for centuries…Great numbers were thrown to wild beasts or burned alive in the amphitheaters. Some were crucified; others were covered with the skins of wild animals, and thrust into the arena to be torn by dogs. Their punishment was often made the chief entertainment at public fetes. Vast multitudes assembled to enjoy the sight, and greeted their dying agonies with laughter and applause.”  {GC88 40.1}

 

5^th Seal:

In the 4th seal, we see the Christians being slain for their faith. In the 5^th seal, John was shown under the altar the souls that were slain for the word of God and for their testimony.

7SDA Bible Commentary, 778 “It appears that the symbolization of the 5^th seal was presented to encourage those who faced martyrdom and death, with the assurance that despite the seeming triumph of the enemy, vindication would ultimately come. Such an encouragement would be particularly heartening for those living in the time of the terrible persecutions of the later Middle Ages, but more especially during the time of the Reformation and after. To them, it must have seemed that the long period of oppression would never end.”

John 16:2, 3 “They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.”

But these saints were crying, How long do you not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? Judgment of dead starts at 1844 and continues to the Sunday Law. But it says, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth.” It says not judge. Is He maybe not judging them yet? Maybe this would be referring to the later executive judgment.

Verse 11 says white robes of righteousness were given to them, but then says they were to rest a little while longer because more martyrs were to be killed. There were many more Christians that gave their lives through the following centuries.    

Under the Altar

7SDA Bible Commentary, 778 “As the blood of the victims was poured our at the base of that altar (Lev. 4:7) and the life of the flesh is in the blood, so the souls of those who have given themselves in martyrdom may be thought of as being beneath the altar.”

Ex. 29:12 “…pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar.”

Gen. 4:9, 10 “Thus the blood of Abel is said to have cried to God from the ground.”

Leviticus 4:7 “And the priest shall put [some] of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which [is] in the tabernacle of the congregation; and shall pour all the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which [is at] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.”

Dual Fulfillment:

“Opening of the Fifth Seal.–When the fifth seal was opened, John the Revelator in vision saw beneath the altar the company that were slain for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. After this came the scenes described in the eighteenth of Revelation, when those who are faithful and true are called out from Babylon [Revelation 18:1-5 quoted] (MS 39, 1906).”  {7BC 968.5}

It says that John was in vision when he saw the 5^th seal being opened. From reading the quote, it seems that the words “after this” refer to the next part of his vision. John was shown the 5^th seal and after this God showed him the scenes in Revelation 18. It doesn’t seem to refer to a dual fulfillment, only the next part of his vision.

“Events in the train of prophecy that had their fulfillment away in the past are made future, and thus by these theories the faith of some is undermined.” {2SM 102.2}

“There are those who are searching the Scriptures for proof that these messages are still in the future. They gather together the truthfulness of the messages, but they fail to give them their proper place in prophetic history. Therefore such are in danger of misleading the people in regard to locating the messages. They do not see and understand the time of the end, or when to locate the messages.” {Ev 613.1}

It seems like Ellen White, herself, doesn’t endorse placing a second fulfillment upon a prophecy. I know the books of the Old Testament and the Gospels have dual fulfillment, but does that apply to Revelation?

6^th Seal:

Great Earthquake: great Lisbon earthquake in 1755

Dark Day: 1780

(1260 Days End: 1798. Mark 13:24 “In those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light.”)

Meteoric shower happens in November 13, 1833.

“In 1833, two years after Miller began to present in public the evidences of Christ’s soon coming, the last of the signs appeared which were promised by the Saviour as tokens of His second advent. Said Jesus: “The stars shall fall from heaven.” Matthew 24:29. And John in the Revelation declared, as he beheld in vision the scenes that should herald the day of God: “The stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.” Revelation 6:13. This prophecy received a striking and impressive fulfillment in the great meteoric shower of November 13, 1833.” {GC88 332.4}

“The holy places of the sanctuary in Heaven are represented by the two apartments in the sanctuary on earth. As in vision the apostle John was granted a view of the temple of God in Heaven, he beheld there “seven lamps of fire burning before the throne.” [Revelation 4:5.] He saw an angel “having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.” [Revelation 8:3.] Here the prophet was permitted to behold the first apartment of the sanctuary in Heaven; and he saw there the “seven lamps of fire” and the “golden altar” represented by the golden candlestick and the altar of incense in the sanctuary on earth. Again, “the temple of God was opened,” [Revelation 11:19.] and he looked within the inner veil, upon the holy of holies. Here he beheld “the ark of His testament,” represented by the sacred chest constructed by Moses to contain the law of God.”  {GC88 414.1}

In this quote, Ellen White says that at the 7^th seal, Revelation 8:1-5, that John   was in the first apartment of the sanctuary. This seems to mean the seven seals had to occur before 1844. In Revelation 11:19, it says that “the temple of God was opened, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament.” This is the point which the Most Holy Place was opened.

“The temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament.” Revelation 11:19. The ark of God’s testament is in the holy of holies, the second apartment of the sanctuary. In the ministration of the earthly tabernacle, which served “unto the example and shadow of heavenly things,” this apartment was opened only upon the great Day of Atonement for the cleansing of the sanctuary. Therefore the announcement that the temple of God was opened in heaven and the ark of His testament was seen points to the opening of the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary in 1844 as Christ entered there to perform the closing work of the atonement. Those who by faith followed their great High Priest as He entered upon His ministry in the most holy place, beheld the ark of His testament. As they had studied the subject of the sanctuary they had come to understand the Saviour’s change of ministration, and they saw that He was now officiating before the ark of God, pleading His blood in behalf of sinners.”  {GC 433.1} 

The quote in GC 636.2.3, talks about the final scenes of history, earthquakes and hail falling from heaven (7^th plague), but the quote doesn’t refer to men hiding themselves in mountains and calling rocks to fall on them to hide from the Lamb. It only talks about the weather, but nothing of Revelation 6:15-16.

Side NOTE:

Rev. 7:1 says, “And after these things, I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth…(verse 3) Hurt not the earth…till we have sealed the servants or our God in their foreheads.”

• Verse 1 says “After these things”. Verse 3 says to not hurt the earth until the saints are sealed. The sealing of the 144,000 is finished at the close of probation with the falling of the latter rain. Sealing the servants of God happens from the declaration of the Sunday Law until the close of probation.
• In the quote of 7BC 968.5, it says, “When the fifth seal was opened, John the Revelator in vision saw beneath the altar the company that were slain for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. After this came the scenes described in the eighteenth of Revelation, when those who are faithful and true are called out from Babylon [Revelation 18:1-5 quoted].” If the quote is interpreted as dual fulfillment, it would mean that Revelation 18 comes right after the 5^th seal in time prophecy. That means that in Rev. 7:1 when it says, “After these things [the events of the 6^th seal] I saw four angels…” it would then be interpreted that after the 6^th seal, the angels were bidden to hold back until the saints are sealed at the close of probation. This would place the 6^th seal prior to the close of probation.

Yet I found this quote: “The King of kings descends upon the cloud, wrapped in flaming fire. The heavens are rolled together as a scroll, the earth trembles before Him, and every mountain and island is moved out of its place.” {GC 641.2} When the Lamb returns (vs. 14), the heavens will open as a scroll and the earth’s surface is move out of place. This would place this part of the seal at the second coming. This is after the close of probation and the 7 plagues, so the reasoning doesn’t fit together very well.

In Revelation 5:1, John writes, “And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.”

• “He” that holds the book in his right hand is God the Father, sitting on His throne in heaven. Daniel 7:9 says, “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit.” The Ancient of Days is God the Father.

• This book is the same book that God told Daniel to seal in Daniel 12:4, “But thou O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end.” The book that was to be sealed in the 2300 Day vision of Daniel 8:26 which says, “…shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.” The 2300 days to be sealed because they relate to the period between 457 to 1844.

A sealed prophecy means that it is an unfulfilled prophecy. Daniel was told to seal up the prophecies because they were meant for the time of the end. They would be opened when they were fulfilled at the time of the end. 1844 is when the seals started to be opened, because that is when prophecy was fulfilled and Jesus entered the Most Holy Place to begin the judgment to determine who is worthy to go to the marriage. The seals are a series of events beginning at 1844 and ending at the Second Coming.

• “The book that was sealed was not the book of Revelation, but that portion of the prophecy of Daniel which related to the last days. The Scripture says, “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased” [Dan. 12:4]. When the book was opened, the proclamation was made, “Time shall be no longer.” [See Revelation 10:6.] The book of Daniel is now unsealed, and the revelation made by Christ to John is to come to all the inhabitants of the earth. By the increase of knowledge a people is to be prepared to stand in the latter days.” {17MR 6.3}
• “The prophecies present a succession of events leading down to the opening of the judgment. This is especially true of the book of Daniel. But that part of his prophecy which related to the last days, Daniel was bidden to close up and seal “to the time of the end.” Not till we reach this time could a message concerning the judgment be proclaimed, based on the fulfillment of these prophecies. But at the time of the end, says the prophet, “many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” Daniel 12:4.” {GC 355.3}
• “Revelation is a sealed book, but it is also an opened book. It records marvelous events that are to take place in the last days of this earth’s history. The teachings of this book are definite, not mystical and unintelligible. In it the same line of prophecy is taken up as in Daniel. Some prophecies God has repeated, thus showing that importance must be given to them. The Lord does not repeat things that are of no great consequence.–Ms 107, 1897, pp. 1, 2. (Search the Scriptures,” undated.) Released October 26, 1978.” {8MR 413.2}

5:2 “And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book and loose the seals thereof?

5:5 “And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

5:7 “And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.”

• Jesus, the Root of David, was the only one who could open the seals of the book.
• When He opens the seals in Revelation 6, each seal that is opened is a fulfillment of prophecy in history, an event that takes place during the time of the end.
• The sealed book of Revelation 5 is the book of redemption because it could not be opened until Christ started His work of redemption and intercession for humanity in 1844.

In Revelation 10:2, it says, “And he [God] had in his hand a little book open.” This little book the same as sealed book of Revelation 5. Revelation 10:9 says, “And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.” Rev. 10:10, “And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.”

• In 1844, the Millerite movement had interpreted the 2300-Day prophecy of Daniel 8:14 which says, “…Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” They believed that the earthly sanctuary would be cleansed in 1844 by Jesus at His Second Coming and would take all His people to heaven. The message was “sweet as honey” to them because they were excited about the message. But when the day passed and Jesus didn’t come, they were disappointed and their “belly was bitter.”

The seals of this book are opened during the time of the end, and the opening begins in 1844. 1844 is the day that they began to be fulfilled.

The first seal is opened in Rev. 6:1 (also Rev. 10:4). The noise of thunder correlates with the seven thunders of Rev. 10:4 is when the 1^st & 2^nd Angel’s Messages are being proclaimed as Jesus starts the judgment of the dead in the Most Holy Place. It is opened at the opening of the judgment in 1844.

1. Name the four kingdoms of the image that are symbolized by the gold, silver, brass, and iron.

Gold is Babylon, Silver is Medo-Persia, Brass is Greece, and Iron is pagan Rome.

2. How many kingdoms total are there in the image?  What is the difference between the feet and the rest of the image?

There are 4 kingdoms: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome.

The feet are the divided kingdoms of iron and clay, symbolizing Pagan Rome and Christianity which become mixed together before the Second Coming.

3. What is the common thread that runs through the whole image?

Each section in the image is a succeeding kingdom in history, allowed by God to rule in the world as the leading power. This image depicts the war between the laws of men and the law of God through this metaphor of the image and the stone.

4. What two things does the iron and clay each symbolize? [two things for iron; two things for clay]

Iron is a kingdom or state – system of paganism. Clay is the church or system of Christianity.

5. Who does the feet of iron and clay represent?  What parallels are there in Revelation?

Iron represents Pagan Rome, the Statescraft and Clay represents Christianity, the Churchcraft. Combining them makes an Apostate Church.

The parallels in Revelation for the feet are connected with the Scarlet colored leopard-like beast in Revelation 17. This beast symbolizes the Papacy who tries to claim supreme power over God’s Law and seeks to make the entire world follow his rules.

6. Who do the toes of iron and clay represent?  What parallels are there in Revelation?

The parallels for the toes are connected with the Lamb-like Beast in Revelation 13. This beast symbolizes Protestant America where the church is mixed with the state.

7. Why are the two entities in question 5 and question 6 both pictured as iron and clay?

Because both entities are a mixture of church and state where the government is run by the religious leaders. They will use the power of the state to accomplish what they desire. They are both partly strong and partly weak. Some are self-sufficient and some are relying on God for their strength. Religious and political system mixed together.

8. Name the two systems of the papacy.

The systems of paganism and Christianity.

9. Who are “these kings” talked about in Daniel 2:44? Where else in the Bible is there a parallel to “these kings” pictured in this verse?

The kings that are ruling during the time of the toes, being in Europe the Old World and Romanism the New World. They are the 10 kingdoms on the Leopard-like beast and the little horn immerges from the midst of them. They date pre-538 and the little horn is from 538-1798.

The parallels are Daniel 7:24 and Revelation 17:12, 14.

10.  Who is the “they” of Dan. 2:43? Who is “the seed?”  HOW does “they” mingle themselves with “the seed?”

“They” refers to the apostate Protestants. The “seed” refers to the promise of Abraham’s seed. Christ was a direct descendent of Abraham. They mingle when God’s people are still found in Babylon. There are still various churches professing the Protestant faith. At the end of time, there is a call for God’s people to come out and separate themselves. But until then, they are still found distributed throughout other churches.

11. What two things does the stone represent?

It symbolizes God’s law and also Jesus.

Daniel 7 questions:

1. Name the four kingdoms that the four beasts of Daniel 7 symbolize?

Lion = Babylon

Bear = Medo-Persia

Leopard = Greece

Great and Terrible = Pagan Rome

2. What is the difference between Daniel 7:8 and Daniel 8:9?

Verse 7:8 is decreasing the place of the Little Horn’s rising. Verse 8:9 is decreasing the origin or roots of the Little Horn.

3. What are some characteristics that Daniel 7 talks about that you could point out that demonstrates that the little horn represents the papacy?

1)      He will speak great things against the Most High.

2)      He will think to change times and [the] law.

3)      He will wear out the saints of the Most High and they will be given into his hand for a certain time.

4. This all describes things that the pope has done and contains to uphold in the papacy.

Fill in the blank:  “The prophecies present a succession of events leading down to the Opening of the Judgment. This is especially true of the book of Daniel.”   How is this demonstrated in Daniel 7?

Daniel 7 starts with the prophecy that includes the kingdom of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. Then it describes how the pope rises out of Rome, changing laws and history as he exercises power. Then in verse 10 it describes Jesus sitting on His throne. This is the Investigative Judgment.

5. What is the connection between the beast and the horn in Daniel 7:11?

The horn and the beast both refer to the papacy and the pope. The pope spoke great words, but at the second coming, the beast (pope) will be slain and destroyed.

6. That is the kingdom talked about in Daniel 7:13,14?  What is the “status” of this kingdom in this verse?

The Kingdom of Grace. Status: it was being established at that time when Jesus started work in Holy Place.

7. How could you demonstrate from this chapter that the four beasts are four kingdoms and not four kings?

In Daniel 7:17 it mentions great beasts which are 4 kings. In Daniel 7:23 it explains how the beasts equal kingdoms that are on the earth. So, this shows that kings = kingdoms.

8. Which kingdom is given to the saints in verses 18, 22 and  27?

It is God’s Kingdom of Glory.

9. How long does the little horn “bother” the saints?

For a time and times and the dividing of times. 538-1798 = 1260 days (1260 years).

10. Who are the ten horns of Daniel 7:24?

The 10 European Countries

11. What is the “time, times and dividing of time?”  Identify some other passages of scripture that are referring to the same “time, times, and dividing of time?”

It was the time which the saints were persecuted by the papacy from 538-1798.

Time = 360 days

Times = 720 days

½ of Times = 180 days

—————————-

1260 days (1260 years)

Verse: Revelation 12:14 “And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.”

Daniel 8 questions:

1. Identify the ram and the he goat of Daniel 8.  How can you demonstrate that the ram is referring to the same power as the bear of Daniel 7? How can you demonstrate that the he goat is the same as the leopard of Daniel 7?

Ram: Medo-Persia (Daniel 8:3)

He Goat: Grecia (Daniel 8:5)

Medo-Persia: In Daniel 7:5 the bear had raised itself up on one side. In Daniel 8:13 the ram had two horns and one horn was higher than the other. In Daniel 8:20 it states that the horns on the ram are “Media and Persia”.

Grecia: In Daniel 7:6 it says that the Leopard-like beast had 4 heads and dominion was given to it. In Daniel 8:5 it says that the he goat has a notable horn between his eyes and when he was strong (vs. 8), the horn was broken. Out of it came up 4 notable horns (like the leopard’s 4 heads). Both 4 heads and 4 horns represent the 4 generals that arose from the king who dies and divided Europe into 4 parts.

2. Who is the notable horn of the he goat?  The four notable horns?

The horn was the king of Grecia who was a powerful ruler of Europe. But one day he died and his kingdom was divided amongst his 4 generals into 4 parts for them to rule over.

3. Who is the host and stars being referred to in Daniel 8:10?  Who is the prince of the host in verse 11?

Stars and Host = God’s saints, the church of Christ.

Prince of Host = Jesus

4. What is the “daily” being talked about in verse 11?  How does the little horn take away the “daily?”

The daily is the Daily Mediation (continual or constant mediation). Christ is continually mediating on our behalf in the most holy place in the heavenly sanctuary. (He is the Daily Sacrifice so that we may be saved from our sins, giving sinners His righteousness to cover our unrighteousness.

At the beginning of the Dark Ages, the papacy increased in power and faith no longer rested in Christ, but transferred to the pope. The people trusted in the pope instead of Christ to receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Thus, the little horn accomplished his task in trying to remove the “daily” sacrifice of Christ.

5. Explain verse 12.

The Daily Sacrifice is Christ’s continual mediation on our behalf in the heavenly sanctuary to replace our unrighteousness with his righteousness. People replace Christ by “reason of transgression,” desiring to forget God, but still appearing to remember Him. Truth is cast to the ground. People wanted to be saved by their merits and saved in their sins.

6. What two elements does the vision include, according to verse 13?  What is the vision that is sealed up?

1) The Daily

2) The Transgression of Desolation

The Vision that was sealed is the 2300 Day Vision

7. What is the “transgression of desolation” talked about in verse 13?  What passage in the Bible could you use to support your answer?

It is the sin that Adam committed in the Garden of Eden by eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. By one man’s sin, all the human race has to suffer the consequences and results of sin.

Romans 5:14, 15 “Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.”

8. What period of time does the vision apply to, according to Daniel 8?

“The 2300 Day Vision” applied to the Time of the End.

9. How long was the vision going to be sealed?

Until the time of the end, “for many days.” It applied to the distant future, until the end of the 2300 days, at 1844.

10. ☻BONUS! Explain verse 8:23 “And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.”

“In the latter time of their kingdom” is talking about when the Jews were come to the height, and beginning to decline.

“When the transgressors are come to full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up” is talking about when the Jews had come to the height of their wickedness, God had Antiochus persecute them. Antiochus is known by historians to be full of subtilty.

11. Where in Daniel 2 can you find a similar phrasing that is found in Daniel 8:25:  he shall be “broken without hand?”

Daniel 2:34 – “cut out without hands.”

Daniel 9 questions:

1. What does the word “determined” mean?

It means “to cut off”.

2. How are seventy weeks of Daniel 9 connected to the 2300 days of Daniel 8?

They both started in 457 B.C. with the command to rebuild Jerusalem. But 70 weeks end at Stephen’s stoning and 2300 days end in 1844.

3. What was the starting point for the seventy week period? Give a scripture verse for support for your answer.

457 B.C. – Command for Jerusalem to be rebuilt.

Daniel 9:25 mentions that the 70 weeks begin with the command to restore Jerusalem.

4. What does “Messiah” mean?

“The Anointed One”. The Messiah is Jesus.

5. Why does Daniel 9:25 say “seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks” instead of just saying threescore and nine weeks?

7 Weeks: from 457 to 408 B.C. was the time of the end of the New Testament writings.

Three Score and Two Weeks: from 408 B.C. to A.D. 27, at Jesus’ baptism, were the Silent Years of Biblical history in which there is no Biblical record of what happened during that time. :

6. What does it mean when verse 27 says “in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease?

The earthly sanctuary sacrifice of the lamb in the temple was done away with because Jesus fulfilled it when He was sacrificed on the cross. The temple’s curtain was ripped from top to bottom, symbolizing that we no longer have to use the sanctuary process to have forgiveness.

7. What event is connected to the end of the seventy weeks?

Stephen’s stoning in A.D. 34.

8. Explain what it means in verse 27:  “he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week?”

There was an extra “week” after Jesus’ crucifixion until Stephen’s stoning that was an extra probation time for the Jews to accept Jesus and the true gospel He was teaching. Afterwards, the gospel went to the Gentiles.

☻BONUS QUESTIONS FOR THE INSIGHTFUL!!

1. Who is “the prince that shall come” talked about in verse 9:26?

Titus, the Roman leader.

2. What does this mean in verse 9:26:  “the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary?”

The Romans, under the conduct of Titus, destroyed Jerusalem and the sanctuary within by miseries and desolations of war because God decreed that they destroy the place and the people.

3. Who are “the desolate” referred to in verse 9:27?  What is “that determined” that “shall be poured upon the desolate?”

“The desolate” is Israel who was destroyed by the Romans.

“That determined” is a spirit of slumber, which God has determined to pour on the desolate nation, until the time draws near, when all Israel shall be saved.

Re-Do Bonus Questions:

1. Who is “the prince that shall come” talked about in verse 9:26?

He is the Messiah, Jesus.

2. What does this mean in verse 9:26:  “the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary?”

The “people of the prince” are the Jews, God’s people. The city and sanctuary that are destroyed is Jerusalem and the holy temple within the city. It was destroyed by the Romans who came through. The Jews would not accept the true gospel which Christ presented so they were let go by God and their city left desolate.

3. Who are “the desolate” referred to in verse 9:27?  What is “that determined” that “shall be poured upon the desolate?”

“The desolate” are the Jews who were left desolate after the destruction of Jerusalem. “That determined that is poured upon the desolate” is the fate of the city which was prophesied by Christ when talking with the disciples, “One stone will not be left upon another.”

(I’m still not totally sure about my answers, but I’m trying my best to understand it by myself.)

The two messages unite and the Loud Cry gives power and force to the third angel’s message. (1SG 193.2) It was an addition to the third angel’s message to give a final call to God’s people to come out of Babylon to escape her doom. (1SG 194.1)

“Then I saw another mighty angel commissioned to descend to earth, and unite his voice with the third angel, and give power and force to his message… I saw a great light resting upon them, and they united in the message, and fearlessly proclaimed with great power the third angel’s message.” {1SG 193.2}

“This message seemed to be an addition to the third message, and joined it, as the midnight cry joined the second angel’s message in 1844. The glory of God rested upon the patient, waiting saints, and they fearlessly gave the last solemn warning, proclaiming the fall of Babylon, and calling upon God’s people to come out of her; that they might escape her fearful doom.” {1SG 194.1}

2.  What are the two parts to the Loud Cry?

1) The fourth angel came down from heaven crying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” – Revelation 18: 2.

2) A voice from heaven was heard saying, “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” – Revelation 18:4.

“Of Babylon, at the time brought to view in this prophecy, it is declared: “Her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.” Revelation 18:5. She has filled up the measure of her guilt, and destruction is about to fall upon her. But God still has a people in Babylon; and before the visitation of His judgments these faithful ones must be called out, that they partake not of her sins and “receive not of her plagues.” Hence the movement symbolized by the angel coming down from heaven, lightening the earth with his glory and crying mightily with a strong voice, announcing the sins of Babylon. In connection with his message the call is heard: “Come out of her, My people.” These announcements, uniting with the third angel’s message, constitute the final warning to be given to the inhabitants of the earth.” {GC 604.1}

3.  What are the two parts to the final warning?

1) Revelation 18:1-9 (The Loud Cry)

2) The third angel’s message

“Hence the movement symbolized by the angel coming down from heaven, lightening the earth with his glory and crying mightily with a strong voice, announcing the sins of Babylon. In connection with his message the call is heard: “Come out of her, My people.” These announcements, uniting with the third angel’s message, constitute the final warning to be given to the inhabitants of the earth.” {GC 604.1}

4.  What is the difference between “Babylon is fallen” in the second angel’s message of Revelation 14, as given in the summer of 1844, and “Babylon is fallen” in the Loud Cry of Revelation 18?  [hint: what caused the fall of Babylon in 1844?]

The message of “Babylon is fallen” from Revelation 14 was given in the summer of 1844. At this time, the Protestant Churches had fallen in that they had rejected the first angel’s message and turned away from God. They had rejected His commandments and did not keep the Sabbath day holy. The message in Revelation 18 in the Loud Cry is pertaining to the time when the Protestant Churches join with the world in keeping the Sunday Law when it is inforced.  (7BC 985.3) (1MR 353.4)

“Those who rejected the first message could not be benefited by the second; neither were they benefited by the midnight cry, which was to prepare them to enter with Jesus by faith into the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary. And by rejecting the two former messages, they have so darkened their understanding that they can see no light in the third angel’s message, which shows the way into the most holy place.” {EW 260.1}

“Extravagance in the use of means, selfishness, heresies, have taken the world captive”… {7BC 985.3} …”confederating with the kings and great men of the earth.” {1MR 353.4}

5.  Babylon is become: “the habitation of devils,” “the hold of every foul spirit,” “and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.”  Explain each of these elements.

The habitation of devils: the churches have opened the door to the inhabitation and doctrines of demons, accepting doctrines that are not of Christ, but of the devil. (GC 603.2) Also, the individual members of the churches have demons dwelling within their hearts, working with supernatural agencies.

The hold of every foul spirit: the members of the churches do not have the fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patients, self-control, ect.). They possess fruits that come from Satan and the results of sin, such as pride, anger, love of self, worry, hate, envy, ect. The people do not have the spirit of Christ in their hearts, only the spirits that result from a heart filled with sin and self-love.

A cage of every unclean and hateful bird: the people in the church are represented by unclean and hateful birds. Their language and that which they put into their bodies is unholy and against God’s will. They defile themselves with things of the world. Jeremiah 12:9 says, “Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her.” Their lives are speckled, not clean and acceptable to God.

“A belief in spiritual manifestations opens the door to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, and thus the influence of evil angels will be felt in the churches.” {GC 603.2}

“Satanic agencies were incorporated with men. The bodies of human beings, made for the dwelling place of God, had become the habitation of demons. The senses, the nerves, the passions, the organs of men, were worked by supernatural agencies in the indulgence of the vilest lust. The very stamp of demons was impressed upon the countenances of men. Human faces reflected the expression of the legions of evil with which they were possessed.” {DA 36.3}

6.  List and explain the sins of Babylon, as stated in Revelation 18.

The first sin is that “all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” Babylon has become a leader for other nations in leading them away from God, to transgress God’s law. She proposed the Sunday Law and all nations followed her ruling obeying the law.

The second sin was that “the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her.” She has committed adultery by leaving Christ and finding another love; she has united with the leaders of the earth. She has made close associations and ties to the world, committing fornication with those in the world. (GC 388.2)

The third sin is that “the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.” This pertains to Babylon’s luxurious living, only looking to glorify herself and make her look good in the sight of her followers. She put herself on a pedestal to be looked upon in awe; in contrast is the true life of a Christian that is to be that of humility and service to others. Christ never exalted Himself, but made Himself low and humble, drawing all attention away from Himself and directed it towards His Father.

“The great sin charged against Babylon is that she “made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” This cup of intoxication which she presents to the world represents the false doctrines that she has accepted as the result of her unlawful connection with the great ones of the earth. Friendship with the world corrupts her faith, and in her turn she exerts a corrupting influence upon the world by teaching doctrines which are opposed to the plainest statements of Holy Writ.” {GC 388.2}

7.  When do Babylon’s sins reach unto heaven?

They reach heaven when legislation makes the law of God void and they say it’s unnecessary to keep its commandments.

“When do her sins reach unto heaven [Rev. 18:2-5]? When the law of God is finally made void by legislation.–ST June 12, 1893. ” {LDE 198.5}

8.  Why does Revelation 18 say that Babylon receives the plagues?

Because she lived a life of delicious living, exalting and glorifying her own self instead of pointing the glory to God. She lived a self-centered life instead of tending to the needs of others. She made herself as a queen instead of a humble servant and thought nothing evil should come to her because of her high position.

Revelation 18:7, “How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.”

9.  If you are honestly serving God, what difference does it make which church you belong to? [according to Revelation 18]

When the Protestant churches have their complete fall and accept the Sunday Law, God’s people will have to leave these churches to escape the judgement that will come upon the church. If they remain within the rebelling churches, they will be partaking of the wrath that is to fall upon Babylon when she disobeys God’s law and worships on Sunday. It is very important to belong to a church that keeps all of God’s commandments instead of just the ones that are convenient to them.

10.  Why are there only two distinct calls made to the churches?

The first message, “Babylon is fallen,” was to the Protestant churches who had rejected the fist angel’s message and shut out the Holy Spirit. The second call, “Come out of her my people,” was a warning to God’s followers within those churches to come out so that they would not partake in her iniquity. But this message was not completely fulfilled in 1844. Its fulfillment is still to happen in the coming future when she “makes all the nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” The work of apostasy will be complete when she declares that all nations uphold the Sunday Law. (GC 389.2) After the complete fulfillment of the message, God will come to gather His people and judgment will fall upon the churches.

“The second angel’s message of Revelation 14 was first preached in the summer of 1844, and it then had a more direct application to the churches of the United States, where the warning of the judgment had been most widely proclaimed and most generally rejected, and where the declension in the churches had been most rapid. But the message of the second angel did not reach its complete fulfillment in 1844. The churches then experienced a moral fall, in consequence of their refusal of the light of the advent message; but that fall was not complete. As they have continued to reject the special truths for this time they have fallen lower and lower. Not yet, however, can it be said that “Babylon is fallen…because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” She has not yet made all nations do this. The spirit of world conforming and indifference to the testing truths for our time exists and has been gaining ground in churches of the Protestant faith in all the countries of Christendom; and these churches are included in the solemn and terrible denunciation of the second angel. But the work of apostasy has not yet reached its culmination.”  {GC 389.2}

11.  When is the Loud Cry supposed to be given?

The Loud Cry is to be given now, in our present time, to the churches to call God’s people out of Babylon before judgment falls upon her.

“The message of the angel following the third is now to be given to all parts of the world. It is to be the harvest message. –Letter 86, 1900.”  {LDE 208.1}

12.  What is it that gives power to the Loud voice [Cry]?

The latter rain will give power to the loud cry. The Holy Spirit will come down upon God’s people, giving them new power to proclaim the final gospel message to the entire world right before the second coming and to give them strength to endure the time of trouble that will come just prior to the second coming.

“At that time the “latter rain,” or refreshing from the presence of the Lord, will come, to give power to the loud voice of the third angel, and prepare the saints to stand in the period when the seven last plagues shall be poured out.–EW 86 (1854).” {LDE 186.4}

The mediation of Christ and the perpetuity of the law of God. (4SP 275.2) Christ is ministering for us in the most holy place an our hearts and minds are pointed to the heavenly sanctuary. (EW 254.1) Also, the keeping of God’s commandments, especially of the fourth commandment. This will determine the salvation of the people on earth. (4SP 275.1)

“Those who had accepted the light concerning the mediation of Christ and the perpetuity of the law of God, found that these were the truths brought to view in the third message.” {4SP 275.2}

“As the ministration of Jesus closed in the holy place, and He passed into the holiest, and stood before the ark containing the law of God, He sent another mighty angel with a third message to the world. A parchment was placed in the angel’s hand, and as he descended to the earth in power and majesty, he proclaimed a fearful warning, with the most terrible threatening ever borne to man. This message was designed to put the children of God upon their guard, by showing them the hour of temptation and anguish that was before them. Said the angel, “They will be brought into close combat with the beast and his image.  Their only hope of eternal life is to remain steadfast. Although their lives are at stake, they must hold fast the truth.”   The third angel closes his message thus: ‘Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.’ As he repeated these words, he pointed to the heavenly sanctuary. The minds of all who embrace this message are directed to the most holy place, where Jesus stands before the ark, making His final intercession for all those for whom mercy still lingers and for those who have ignorantly broken the law of God. This atonement is made for the righteous dead as well as for the righteous living. It includes all who died trusting in Christ, but who, not having received the light upon God’s commandments, had sinned ignorantly in transgressing its precepts.”  {EW 254.1}

None could fail to see that if the earthly sanctuary was a figure or pattern of the heavenly, the law deposited in the ark on earth was an exact transcript of the law in the ark in Heaven, and that an acceptance of the truth concerning the heavenly sanctuary involved an acknowledgment of the claims of God’s law, and the obligation of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. Here was the secret of the bitter and determined opposition to the harmonious exposition of the Scriptures that brought to view the ministration of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary. {4SP 275.1}

 2. When did Jesus send the third angel’s message?

When Christ entered the most holy place to perform the closing work of the atonement. (4SP 273.1) His mediation began at the end of the prophetic days in 1844. (4SP 273.2)

“When Christ entered the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary to perform the closing work of the atonement, he committed to his servants the last message of mercy to be given to the world. Such is the warning of the third angel of Revelation 14.” {4SP 273.1}

“As foretold in the Scriptures, the ministration of Christ in the most holy place began at the termination of the prophetic days in 1844. {4SP 273.2}

3. How did the third angel light up the past, the present, and the future to the early advent believers after the passing of the time in 1844?

For the past: It cleared up their misconception of the three angel’s messages, showing them their error.  Christ was not to come reap the earth, but He was actually moving His work from the holy place in the heavenly sanctuary to the most holy place. He was beginning His work of mediation on our behalf to cover our repented sins with His own righteousness.

For the present: Christ’s mediation had begun in the most holy place. Also, they realized that they needed to keep all the commandments of God, primarily the 4th commandment, and keep Sabbath holy. Proclaiming this message was now their God-given duty.

For future: points to the time period between 1844 to the present when Christ’s mediation ends.

“After Jesus opened the door of the most holy, the light of the Sabbath was seen, and the people of God were tested, as the children of Israel were tested anciently, to see if they would keep God’s law. I saw the third angel pointing upward, showing the disappointed ones the way to the holiest of the heavenly sanctuary. As they by faith enter the most holy, they find Jesus, and hope and joy spring up anew. I saw them looking back, reviewing the past, from the proclamation of the second advent of Jesus, down through their experience to the passing of the time in 1844. They see their disappointment explained, and joy and certainty again animate them. The third angel has lighted up the past, the present, and the future, and they know that God has indeed led them by His mysterious providence.”  {EW 254.2}

4. Why does the evangelical Christian world not accept the truth of Christ’s change of ministration from teh holy place to the most holy place in 1844?

The evangelical Christians didn’t want to accept Christ’s moving from the holy place to the most holy place because if they did, they would have been obligated accept the 4th commandment

“None could fail to see that if the earthly sanctuary was a figure or pattern of the heavenly, the law deposited in the ark on earth was an exact transcript of the law in the ark in Heaven, and that an acceptance of the truth concerning the heavenly sanctuary involved an acknowledgment of the claims of God’s law, and the obligation of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. Here was the secret of the bitter and determined opposition to the harmonious exposition of the Scriptures that brought to view the ministration of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary.” {4SP 275.1}

5. How is the message of justification by faith the third angel’s message?

It points to justification by faith in our Surety. We are invited to receive His righteousness, which is made manifest by obedience to the commandments of God. We, of ourselves, have no righteousness, but by only accepting Christ’s gift of righteousness, we can be found perfect in God’s sight.

“Several have written to me, inquiring if the message of justification by faith is the third angel’s message, and I have answered, ‘It is the third angel’s message in verity.’”– Review and Herald, April 1, 1890.  {Ev 190.3}

“This message was to bring more prominently before the world the uplifted Saviour, the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. It presented justification through faith in the Surety; it invited the people to receive the righteousness of Christ, which is made manifest in obedience to all the commandments of God. Many had lost sight of Jesus. They needed to have their eyes directed to His divine person, His merits, and His changeless love for the human family. All power is given into His hands, that He may dispense rich gifts unto men, imparting the priceless gift of His own righteousness to the helpless human agent. This is the message that God commanded to be given to the world. It is the third angel’s message, which is to be proclaimed with a loud voice, and attended with the outpouring of His Spirit in a large measure. –Testimonies to Ministers, pp. 91-93. (1896).” {Ev 190.4}

6. What is the purpose of the numbering system for the angel’s messages of Revelation 14?

It was the order that they happened, the order of their rise during history.

“The three messages are but one threefold message. They are three only in the order of their rise. But having risen, they go on together and are inseparable.”  {GC 693 appendix}

7. How do the first, second, and third angel’s messages all blend into one?

The first and third messages, in reality, are the same message and the second message is pointing towards how the churches rejected the first message.  The messages are only separate in order of their use, but they actually go together as an inseparable message.

“The three messages are but one threefold message. They are three only in the order of their rise. But having risen, they go on together and are inseparable.”  {GC 693 appendix}

“THE IDEA IN REVELATION 14:8, 9 IS NOT SIMPLY THAT THE SECOND AND THIRD ANGELS FOLLOWED THE FIRST IN POINT OF TIME, BUT THAT THEY WENT WITH HIM. THE THREE MESSAGES ARE BUT ONE THREEFOLD MESSAGE. THEY ARE THREE ONLY IN THE ORDER OF THEIR RISE. BUT HAVING RISEN, THEY GO ON TOGETHER AND ARE INSEPARABLE.”  {GC 693.1}

8. How can you how that the mediation of Christ and the perpetuity of the law of God are the truths of the third angel’s message?

 At the end of the third angel’s message it references to the righteous saints. Revelation 14:12 says, “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. ” The “here” is in the most holy place where the marriage of Jesus and His church takes place. This is where it shows the mediation of Christ in our behalf in the third angel’s message. Also, the perpetuity is shown in the fact that God is unhappy about a change in His law – the people who change His law and/or keep Sunday as sabbath will receive the mark of the beast. They are rejected by God because the law never changes and the maark of the beast is the natural result for breaking the law.

9. Where is the “here”  in Revelation 14:12: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God” “and their faith in Jesus.”

It is in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary. It is where Christ is interceding on our behalf to cover our sins with His righteousness.

“The third angel closes his message thus: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” As he repeated these words, he pointed to the heavenly sanctuary. The minds of all who embrace this message are directed to the most holy place, where Jesus stands before the ark, making His final intercession for all those for whom mercy still lingers.” {EW 254.1}

10. What is the “action step[s]” for the third angel’s message?

We should “follow Christ” into the most holy place, into the marriage with Christ. (EW 256.2) We should be daily searching our hearts for unconfessed sin, humbling ourselves in order to seek to reflect His divine image. This will unite us with Christ so that we can be one with Him. (7BC 933.14)

“Many saw the perfect chain of truth in the angels’ messages, and gladly received them in their order, and followed Jesus by faith into the heavenly sanctuary.” { EW 256.2}

“In place of wrapping about us the garments of self-righteousness, we should be found daily humbling ourselves before God, confessing our own individual sins, seeking the pardon of our transgressions, and cooperating with Christ in the work of preparing our souls to reflect the divine image. Unless we enter the sanctuary above, and unite with Christ in working out our own salvation with fear and trembling, we shall be weighed in the balances of the sanctuary, and shall be pronounced wanting (MS 168, 1898). ” {7BC 933.14}

11. What are the two purposes for the warning against the beast and his image contained in the third message?

The first purpose is to warn people of God’s judgments upon them. Revelation 14:9-11 speaks about the judgment upon the wicked who follow Babylon and receive the mark of the beast.

The second purpose was to tell them about His unending mercy upon those who fear Him. Revelation 14:12, 13 speaks about how the saints who stayed true to God and kept His commandments were brought to the most holy place for the marriage with Jesus. Jesus is working in the most holy place next to His Father to petition on our behalf for the sake of our salvation. In His mercy, He places Himself in our place and trades His righteousness for our sinfulness in order that we might live in heaven. 

The first purpose is to warn people of God’s judgments upon them. Revelation 14:9-11 speaks about the judgment upon the wicked who follow Babylon and receive the mark of the beast.

The second purpose was to tell them about His unending mercy upon those who fear Him. Revelation 14:12, 13 speaks about how the saints who stayed true to God and kept His commandments were brought to the most holy place for the marriage with Jesus. Jesus is working in the most holy place next to His Father to petition on our behalf for the sake of our salvation. In His mercy, He places Himself in our place and trades His righteousness for our sinfulness in order that we might live in heaven.

12. What does it mean to receive the mark of the beast?

Those who worship the beast and his image by keeping Sunday, the first day of the week, will receive the mark of the beast.

“John was called to behold a people distinct from those who worship the beast and his image by keeping the first day of the week. The observance of this day is the mark of the beast (Letter 31, 1898).”  {7BC 979.11}

13.  Identify the following elements and how they relate to each other:  (1) fully ripe grapes  (2) winepress  (3) God’s wine  (4) God’s wrath  (5) [Babylon's own] cup  (6) trodden without the city  (7) blood came out of the city.

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

7)

In the summer of 1844

“Babylon is fallen” waas given in the summer of 1844.” – 4SP 232.1 “The second angel’s message had its initial sounding early in the summer of 1844.” – EW 304.1

2. Who did the second angel’s message have a more direct application to?

The churches in the United States who didn’t heed the warning of the first angel’s message.

“It then had  a more direct application tot eh churches of the United States.” – GC 382.3

3. Why was the second angel’s message given?

It was an announcement of the fall of the church because they rejected the first message. They had spurned God’s counsel by rejecting the Advent message. 

“When the churches spurned the counsel of God by rejecting the Advent message, the Lord rejected them. The first angel was followed by a second, proclaiming, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” [REV. 14:8] This message was understood by Adventists to be an announcement of the moral fall of the churches in consequence of their rejection of the first message. The proclamation, “Babylon is fallen,” was given in the summer of 1844, and as the result, about fifty thousand withdrew from these churches.”  {4SP 232.1}

4. What were the consequences to the churches when they rejected the first angel’s message?

The churches could not be benifited by the Second Message, nor the Midnight Cry. They were too darkened to see teh light at the Third Angel’s Message which was to lead them into teh most holy place for the “marriage.”

“Those who rejected the first message could not be benefited by the second; neither were they benefited by the midnight cry, which was to prepare them to enter with Jesus by faith into the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary. And by rejecting the two former messages, they have so darkened their understanding that they can see no light in the third angel’s message, which shows the way into the most holy place.” {EW 260.1}

5. What is the “action step” of the second angel’s message?

We are to accept the message and leave the fallen churches and go to a church that has the light. We are to leave “Babylon” and warn others to come away as well.

“THE SECOND ANGEL’S MESSAGE HAD ITS INITIAL SOUNDING EARLY IN THE SUMMER OF 1844 IN THE CALL TO THE ADVENT BELIEVERS TO COME OUT OF THE NOMINAL CHURCHES THAT HAD REJECTED THE PROCLAMATION OF THE FIRST ANGEL’S MESSAGE.” {EW 304.1}

6. When was the climatic closing up of the second angel’s message?

Right before October 22, 1844.

“THERE WAS A CLIMACTIC CLOSING UP OF THE SECOND ANGEL’S MESSAGE IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING OCTOBER 22, 1844.” {EW 304.1}

7. What was the midnight Cry?

“Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him!” It gave power to the second angel’s message.

“And I heard the voices of angels crying, ‘Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him!’”  {EW 238.1}

8. When was the Midnight Cry given?

Near the close of the second angel’s message.

“Near the close of the second angel’s message, I saw a great light from heaven shining upon the people of God. The rays of this light seemed bright as the sun. And I heard the voices of angels crying, ‘Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him!‘”  {EW 238.1}

9. What was the purpose of the Midnight Cry?

It was to enlighten God’s people to prepare them to enter with Jesus into the most holy place of teh heavenly sanctuary.

“Those who rejected the first message could not be benefited by the second; neither were they benefited by the midnight cry, which was to prepare them to enter with Jesus by faith into the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary.” {EW 260.1}

10. For those who had received the first angel’s message, how did the Midnight Cry prepare them to enter with Jesus by faith into the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary?

It lead them to search their hearts and to determine whether they relied upon God or upon the believers around them. When it came time to leave the fallen churches, their hearts were prepared and ready to break away.

“A mighty work was accomplished by the midnight cry. The message was heart-searching, leading the believers to seek a living experience for themselves. They knew that they could not lean upon one another.” {EW 238.3}

 11. Just as Jesus cleansed the temple both at the beginning and at the  end of His public ministry, so in the last work for the warning of the world, two distinct calls are made to the churches. What are the two distinct calls to the churches, and when are these two calls made?

  The second angel’s message, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen…” and the loud cry of the third angel’s message “Come out of her, my people.” The second angel’s message was preached in the summer of 1844 (GC 389.2) and the loud cry of the third angel’s message is to be proclaimed from 1844 to present time, but it will primarily be proclaimed right before the return of Christ.  (EW 304.1) 

“So in the last work for the warning of the world, two distinct calls are made to the churches. The second angel’s message is, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” And in the loud cry of the third angel’s message a voice is heard from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities (RH Dec. 6, 1892).”  {7BC 985.5}

“The second angel’s message of Revelation 14 was first preached in the summer of 1844.” {GC 389.2}

“WHILE WE UNDERSTAND CLEARLY THAT THE MESSAGES OF THE FIRST AND SECOND AND THIRD ANGELS ARE MESSAGES THAT HAVE THEIR APPLICATION TODAY, WE RECOGNIZE ALSO THAT IN THEIR INITIAL PROCLAMATION THE SOUNDING OF THE FIRST ANGEL’S MESSAGE WITH ITS DECLARATION THAT “THE HOUR OF GOD’S JUDGMENT IS COME” IS LINKED WITH THE PROCLAMATION OF THE EXPECTED ADVENT OF CHRIST IN THE 1830′S AND EARLY 1840′S.”  {EW 304.1}

“The first message is to be repeated proclaiming the second advent of Christ to our world.”  {16MR 40.2}

12. Why are there only two distinct calls made to the churches?

The first message, “Babylon is fallen,” was to the Protestant churches who had rejected the fist angel’s message and shut out the Holy Spirit. The second call, “Come out of her my people,” was a warning to God’s followers within those churches to come out so that they would not partake in her iniquity. But this message was not completely fulfilled in 1844. Its fulfillment is still to happen in the coming future when she “makes all the nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” The work of apostasy will be complete when she declares that all nations uphold the Sunday Law. (GC 389.2) After the complete fulfillment of the message, God will come to gather His people and judgement will fall upon the churches. 

“The second angel’s message of Revelation 14 was first preached in the summer of 1844, and it then had a more direct application to the churches of the United States, where the warning of the judgment had been most widely proclaimed and most generally rejected, and where the declension in the churches had been most rapid. But the message of the second angel did not reach its complete fulfillment in 1844. The churches then experienced a moral fall, in consequence of their refusal of the light of the advent message; but that fall was not complete. As they have continued to reject the special truths for this time they have fallen lower and lower. Not yet, however, can it be said that “Babylon is fallen,… because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” She has not yet made all nations do this. The spirit of world conforming and indifference to the testing truths for our time exists and has been gaining ground in churches of the Protestant faith in all the countries of Christendom; and these churches are included in the solemn and terrible denunciation of the second angel. But the work of apostasy has not yet reached its culmination.”  {GC 389.2}

Sect 1: “The 144 Thousand” (1-5)

Sect 2: “The Three Angel’s Messages” (6-13)

Sect 3: “The Great Harvest of the Wheat and the Tares at the Second Coming” (14-20)

~ Revelation 18 ~

Sect 1: “The Loud Cry of the 4th Angel’s Message” (1-8)

- subsection: “Announcing the Sins of Babylon” (18:4-8)

- subsection: “The Call: “Come our of her [Babylon], My people.”

Sect 2: “Babylon’s Judgement (9-24)

1. Who does the first angel symbolize?  (Who gives the first angel’s message?)

William Miller and the early Adventists leaders.

“To William Miller and his colaborers it was given to preach the warning.” GC 368.1

2. When was the first angel’s message first given?

In 1843 and 1844.  

“The first and second messages were given in 1843 and 1844.” CW 26.2

3. Where did the prophecy of the first angel’s message have its most direct fulfillment?

In America.

“To William Miller and his colaborers it was given to preach the warning in America. This country became the center of the great advent movement. It was here that the prophecy of the first angel’s message had its most direct fulfillment.” GC 368.1

4. Why was the first angel’s message given?

Because God’s churches had let their principles become corrupt.

“Why are the messages of Revelation fourteen given? Because the principles of the churches have become corrupted.” [Rev. 14:6-10 quoted.]  {7BC 979.1}

5. How is the first angel’s message announcing “the hour of His judgment has come,” a part of the gospel?

Because it is the message of salvation, proclaimed only in the last days. It points to Christ’s closing work as He worked for the salvation of men and should be proclaimed until Jesus ceases to intercede on our behalf in the most holy place in the heavenly sanctuary. His blood will only cover the sins we repent of.

“The announcement, “The hour of His judgment is come,” points to the closing work of Christ’s ministration for the salvation of men. It heralds a truth which must be proclaimed until the Savior’s intercession shall cease and He shall return to the earth to take His people to Himself.” GC 435.2

6. What were the consequences to the churches when they rejected the first angel’s message?

They had backslidden into worldliness and since they rejected it, they remained shut out from God and the Lord rejected them.

“The first angel’s message of Revelation 14, announcing the hour of God’s judgment and calling upon men to fear and worship Him, was designed to separate the professed people of God from the corrupting influences of the world and to arouse them to see their true condition of worldliness and backsliding. In this message, God has sent to the church a warning, which, had it been accepted, would have corrected the evils that were shutting them away from Him. {GC 379.1} When the churches spurned the counsel of God by rejecting the Advent message, the Lord rejected them.” {4SP 232.1}

7. How does the first angel’s message influence the second angel’s message?

The churches have rejected the first angel’s message so the second message is given announcing that the churches have fallen from God. The second message wouldn’t have been given if they had not rejected the 1^st message.

“This message was understood by Adventists to be an announcement of the moral fall of the churches in consequence of their rejection of the first message.” 4SP 232.1

8. How is the first angel’s message still relevant today?  

We are to still proclaim the message until Jesus ceases to intercede on our behalf  in the most holy place. The message is to be proclaimed to prepare people for the Second Coming.

“It is just as essential now as ever before that they shall be repeated to those who are seeking for the truth. …we are to sound the proclamation, showing their order, and the application of the prophecies that bring us to the third angel’s message. There cannot be a third without the first and second.” CW 26.2

“The announcement, “The hour of His judgment is come,” points to the closing work of Christ’s ministration for the salvation of men. It heralds a truth which must be proclaimed until the Saviour’s intercession shall cease and He shall return to the earth to take His people to Himself. The work of judgment which began in 1844 must continue until the cases of all are decided, both of the living and the dead; hence it will extend to the close of human probation.” {GC 435.2}

9. What is the “action step” for the first angel’s message?

We are to go out into every part of the world and proclaim this sound warning. The law and gospel should be presented as a perfect whole.

But first before we are able to proclaim the message to the world, we are to develop a fear for God in our hearts and give all our glory to Him. We are to change our own hearts before we change others.

“Go forth as His agents to sound the warning throughout the length and breadth of the earth. {ST, January 25, 1910, par. 5.} Christ and Him crucified, is the message God would have His servants sound through the length and breadth of the world. The law and the gospel will then be presented as a perfect whole.– The Review and Herald, Sept. 29, 1896.” {7ABC 458.5}

10. How does the first angel’s message, as it was perceived during the advent movement of 1840-1844, fit together with the actual content of the first angel’s message?

In 1844, the first angel’s message was seen that Jesus is coming to cleans the earth and take His followers home to heaven. In actuality, Jesus was cleansing the heavenly sanctuary in heaven and beginning the judgment time in the most holy place, interceding on our behalf.

“WHILE WE UNDERSTAND CLEARLY THAT THE MESSAGES OF THE FIRST AND SECOND AND THIRD ANGELS ARE MESSAGES THAT HAVE THEIR APPLICATION TODAY, WE RECOGNIZE ALSO THAT IN THEIR INITIAL PROCLAMATION THE SOUNDING OF THE FIRST ANGEL’S MESSAGE WITH ITS DECLARATION THAT “THE HOUR OF GOD’S JUDGMENT IS COME” IS LINKED WITH THE PROCLAMATION OF THE EXPECTED ADVENT OF CHRIST IN THE 1830′S AND EARLY 1840′S.” EW 304.1