Participants: Stephen Bohr
Series Code: ASTPP
Program Code: ASTPP000024
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00:15 Okay, let's continue our study of Revelation chapter 10.
00:20 Let's summarize once again the content of Revelation chapter 10 00:26 at the bottom of the page where it says, 00:29 "Origin, Identity, Mission, and Message of the Remnant." 00:35 I have page 11. Is that what you have? 00:37 Page 11? 00:39 Okay, here's the summary. 00:42 The mighty angel comes down from heaven to earth. 00:46 His physical characteristics are given. 00:49 He brings in his hand an open scroll. 00:53 He must have opened the scroll before he came down. 00:56 He places one foot on the sea and one foot on dry land. 01:01 He speaks with the roar of a lion. 01:04 And when he speaks, his roar echoes as seven thunders. 01:12 Then he swears an oath to the Creator stating that 01:15 time will be no longer. 01:17 He gives the book to John with instructions to eat it. 01:21 And John eats it. 01:23 Sweet in the mouth, bitter in the stomach. 01:26 Then John is told to prophesy again. 01:30 And after saying that he should prophesy again, 01:34 he is commanded to measure the temple. 01:37 And then the last point, even though it's earlier 01:41 in Revelation 10, the last point is the mystery of God 01:46 finished when the seventh angel is about to sound. 01:50 Chronologically, that comes after all of these other things. 01:53 That's why I put it last. 01:55 Who is the messenger? 01:58 This messenger is none other than Jesus Christ Himself. 02:02 So must this message be crucially important? 02:05 Absolutely. 02:06 Now let's talk about the identity of the book. 02:10 At the bottom of page 12, the identity of the book. 02:13 There is only one book in the Bible that was ever sealed 02:17 to be opened at the time of the end. 02:20 And that is the book that is referred to 02:24 in Daniel chapter 12 and verse 4. 02:26 So let's read that verse. 02:29 It says, "But you, Daniel, shut up the words, 02:32 and seal the book..." 02:35 So would people be able to understand what's in the book 02:38 until the time of the end? 02:40 No, but would it be understood at the time of the end? 02:43 Yes, because it's sealed until the time of the end. 02:48 And then it says that at the time of the end, 02:50 "many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase." 02:55 And I added there in brackets, knowledge of what? 02:58 Knowledge of what is contained in the little book. 03:01 Now the question is, what is this little book? 03:05 We just studied about it in our last session. 03:07 What is this book? 03:10 The entire book of Daniel, right? 03:13 Okay, the portion of Daniel that has to do with the 2300 days. 03:19 Which chapters are those? 03:21 Daniel chapter 8 through 12. 03:22 They all have the same central theme. 03:25 Now, the tense of the verb in Revelation 10 verse 2 03:31 is important. 03:32 Literally, the Greek word that describes the opening 03:37 of the book is in a perfect tense. 03:41 And it should be translated, that he had in his hand 03:44 the book, the one having been opened. 03:48 Which clearly indicates that before it was opened, 03:51 it was what? 03:52 Closed. 03:53 So is this the same book that Daniel 12 verse 4 refers to? 03:57 No doubt whatsoever about it. 03:59 In other words, the book was closed and then it was opened 04:03 in heaven immediately before the angel came down 04:07 to the earth and swore the oath that time would be no longer. 04:13 Now the little book of Daniel 12 verse 4 04:17 was unsealed when the judgment hour message was proclaimed 04:21 between 1798 and 1844. 04:25 Daniel 8:14 provides the judgment chronology. 04:30 Do you understand what I mean by that? 04:32 It gives you the 2300 day prophecy. 04:34 So it tells you when the judgment is going to begin. 04:36 So Daniel 8:14 gives you the judgment chronology. 04:41 And Revelation 14:6-7 gives you the judgment hour message. 04:47 So Daniel 8 tells you when and Revelation 14 tells you what 04:53 the message will be, the judgment hour message. 04:57 Ellen White in, Manuscript Releases, volume 18 page 15, 05:00 had this to say. 05:02 "It was the Lion of the tribe of Judah who unsealed the book..." 05:06 So now we know it was Jesus who unsealed it, right? 05:09 "...and gave to John the revelation of what should be 05:12 in these last days. 05:15 Daniel stood in his lot to bear his testimony..." 05:18 That is, not in person, but through his writings. 05:22 "...which was sealed until the time of the end..." 05:25 Now notice, when is it unsealed? 05:28 Notice carefully. 05:29 "Daniel stood in his lot to bear his testimony, 05:32 which was sealed until the time of the end, 05:36 when the first angel's message should be 05:38 proclaimed to our world." 05:40 So when was the book unsealed? 05:43 When the first angel's message was proclaimed. 05:46 And what does the first angel say? 05:48 "The hour of His judgment has come." 05:51 Is that the same theme as, "the Sanctuary shall be cleansed?" 05:54 Absolutely. 05:55 Now, these matters are of infinite importance 05:58 in these last days. 06:00 But while many shall be purified and made white 06:03 and tried, the wicked shall do wickedly, 06:06 and none of the wicked shall understand. 06:09 The book of Daniel is unsealed in the revelation to John 06:13 and carries us forward to the last scenes 06:17 of this earth's history. 06:19 In another statement that we find in, Great Controversy, 06:22 page 356, Ellen White explains when this book was unsealed. 06:28 It was unsealed when the judgment hour 06:30 message was proclaimed. 06:32 The 2300 day prophecy was understood. 06:35 She says this, "The message of salvation has been preached 06:39 in all ages; but this message is a part of the gospel 06:44 which could be proclaimed only in the last days, for only then 06:49 would it be true that the hour of Judgment had come." 06:52 Could Martin Luther preach, "The hour of His judgment has come." 06:55 Why not? 06:57 Because the judgment didn't begin in Martin Luther's day. 07:00 "The prophecies present a succession of events 07:04 leading down to the opening of the Judgment. 07:07 This is especially true of the book of Daniel." 07:10 Remember Daniel 7? 07:11 Lion, bear, leopard, dragon, ten horns, little horn, judgment. 07:16 So she's saying here that, "The prophecies present 07:19 a succession of events," that's Daniel 7, 07:22 "leading down to the opening of the judgment." 07:25 Which is when the Ancient of Days sits, 07:27 and the Son of Man comes to where the Ancient of Days was. 07:31 Now she continues saying, "This is true especially 07:34 of the book of Daniel. 07:35 But that part of his prophecy which related 07:38 to the last days..." 07:40 So it's not all of Daniel. 07:43 "...Daniel was bidden to close up and seal 07:45 'to the time of the end.' 07:47 Not till we reach this time could a message concerning 07:51 the Judgment be proclaimed, based on the fulfillment 07:55 of these prophecies. 07:56 But at the time of the end, says the prophet, 07:58 'many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.'" 08:01 So what is the little book that was unsealed? 08:06 It was Daniel 8 through 12. 08:08 And what is the central theme of Daniel 8 through 12? 08:12 The judgment hour message. 08:16 The 2300 days. 08:19 And in this statement that I read before 08:21 when we dealt with the little sealed book of Daniel, 08:25 Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, 08:26 volume 7 page 971, Ellen White says, "The unsealing 08:32 of the little book was the message in relation to time." 08:37 So what was the one thing that was not unsealed 08:41 until the time of the end? 08:43 The 2300 day prophecy. 08:46 That is the little book. 08:48 That's important. 08:50 Because that's the little book that John is told to eat. 08:54 It's not all of Daniel. 08:56 Daniel 1 through 7 would not have caused a disappointment. 09:00 What causes a disappointment is the 2300 day prophecy. 09:04 The time element. 09:07 Now, when was the book opened is a very important point. 09:12 It was opened for people to study and proclaim 09:15 toward the end of human history just before the seventh angel 09:19 blows his trumpet and the mystery of God is finished. 09:22 Did you catch that in the passage? 09:24 Just before the seventh angel blows his trumpet, 09:28 this angel opens the book and presents the message 09:33 from the book. 09:34 Now notice Ellen White corroborates this point 09:38 in a statement that is found in, Great Controversy, 356. 09:42 She says, "No such message..." 09:45 She's referring to Revelation 14:6-7 09:47 where it says, "The hour of His judgment has come." 09:49 "No such message has ever been given in past ages. 09:54 Paul, as we have seen, did not preach it; 09:59 he pointed his brethren into the then far-distant future 10:04 for the coming of the Lord. 10:07 The reformers did not proclaim it. 10:09 Martin Luther placed the Judgment about three hundred 10:13 years in the future from his day." 10:15 Now when was the little book opened then? 10:18 "But since 1798..." 10:23 When does the time of the end begin? 10:26 The book is to be sealed until the time of the end. 10:27 When is the time of the end? 1798. 10:31 So since 1798, the book of Daniel has been unsealed. 10:37 Did William Miller and the Millerites preach that 10:39 the judgment was upcoming? 10:41 They didn't understand what the prophecy meant, 10:44 but they were right about the chronology. 10:47 Did Joseph Wolff preach it? Yes. 10:50 How about Lacunza? He preached it. 10:53 There were many after 1798 that preached the judgment 10:56 hour message; that the judgment was about to arrive, 10:59 Jesus was soon to come. 11:01 And they studied the prophecy of the 2300 days 11:03 and they said, you know, that this prophecy 11:05 was going to be fulfilled in 1843. 11:07 And then they adjusted it to 1844. 11:11 So the little book, before Jesus descended with the book 11:15 and told John to eat it, the book was unsealed in heaven. 11:19 And the date of its unsealing was in 1798. 11:22 Is that point clear? 11:25 Now, this message was to be a global extension, right? 11:30 This global message is presented, now listen to this, 11:34 is presented symbolically at the beginning of the chapter. 11:39 What is the symbol that is used to indicate 11:41 that it's going to be universal? 11:43 The feet of the angel are placed on the sea and on the land. 11:48 Is that a symbolic portrayal of the message going 11:51 to the whole world? 11:53 Yes. 11:54 But at the end, it uses literal language and explains 11:59 what it means to have the foot on the sea and on the land. 12:03 John is told to prophecy to what again? 12:08 To people, nations, tongues, and kings. 12:13 So placing the foot on the sea and on the land 12:15 means a universal message. 12:17 And then this is explained when he's told to prophesy again. 12:22 This time there's not a foot on the sea and on the land. 12:24 This time it explains what that means. 12:27 People, nations, tongues, and kings. 12:31 Now notice what Ellen White had to say in volume 2 of, 12:34 Selected Messages, pages 107 and 108. 12:38 "The message of Revelation 14 proclaiming that the hour of 12:41 God's judgment is come is given in the time of the end; 12:45 and the angel of Revelation 10 is represented as having 12:49 one foot on the sea and one foot on the land, 12:52 showing that the message will be carried to distant lands, 12:57 the ocean will be crossed, and the islands of the sea 13:00 will hear the proclamation of the last message 13:03 of warning to our world." 13:05 In other words, the foot on the sea and on the land 13:08 refers to the global reach of this message. 13:13 It could also mean that the message is going to the 13:17 old world and to the new world. 13:20 Because in Revelation, there is a beast that rises from the sea. 13:24 That's Europe. 13:25 And there's another beast that rises from the earth. 13:28 That's the United States. 13:30 So in other words, the message is to go to the new world 13:32 and to the old world. 13:33 And interestingly enough, the act of planting the feet, 13:37 according to Deuteronomy 11:24, means that you're staking 13:41 that ground and you're saying, "This is mine." 13:44 You can read that text. 13:46 God says, "Wherever you plant your feet, that will be yours." 13:49 So Jesus is staking claim to the earth by the judgment 13:54 that He's going to perform. 13:56 So far so good? 13:58 Okay, now let's talk about the seven thunders. 14:02 You notice that when He comes down with the open book, 14:05 suddenly Jesus roars like a lion. 14:09 And when He roars, you hear seven thunders come out. 14:15 In other words, the echo of His voice is seven thunders. 14:19 Now what are these seven thunders? 14:22 Well, we need to go to John 12:28-29. 14:26 These were not just noise. 14:29 The thunders were not just thunders like, you know, 14:32 on a rainy day, you know, when you have a thunder storm. 14:35 The thunder doesn't have any rhyme or reason, 14:37 it's just noise. 14:38 But the seven thunders, when the lion rages and roars, 14:44 when Jesus roars like a lion, He actually speaks 14:47 an intelligible message. 14:50 And the echo is the thunders. 14:53 Now what are the seven thunders? 14:54 Well, we need to go back to John 12:28-29 14:58 where thunders are explained. 15:02 It says there, now Jesus is close to the point of His death, 15:06 and He actually speaks to His Father and He says, 15:10 "'Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 15:14 "Father, save Me from this hour?" 15:16 But for this purpose I came to this hour. 15:20 Father, glorify Your name.' 15:22 Then a voice came from heaven, saying, 15:24 'I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.'" 15:29 Could the voice be understood? 15:32 Was the message understandable? 15:34 It most certainly was. 15:35 But now notice how the people reacted. 15:38 "Therefore the people who stood by and heard it 15:40 said that it had thundered. 15:45 Others said, 'An angel has spoken to Him.'" 15:49 So did the thunders have an intelligible message? 15:53 Were they spoken words? Yes. 15:55 There was something that Jesus spoke when He came down 15:58 with the open book. 16:00 And the thunders, the peals of thunder, 16:03 were the echo of the words that He spoke. 16:09 Now let's notice several important points. 16:11 John understood what the thunders uttered, 16:15 and was about to write... 16:16 Remember we read this? 16:19 ...but was forbidden by the angel to write 16:21 what the thunders uttered. 16:23 So did John understand that the thunders were intelligible? 16:26 Absolutely. 16:29 The little book was open, which means that its message 16:32 could be studied and understood, right? 16:34 On the other hand, what the thunders uttered could be 16:37 understood by John, but he was forbidden to write it out. 16:41 So you have the little book that's open, 16:42 it can be understood, but you have the thunders 16:46 that utter words and John is told, 16:48 "This is not to be understood right now." 16:51 The message uttered by the mighty angel was given to John, 16:55 and then the message was sealed. 16:59 The book was unsealed, but what the thunders uttered was sealed. 17:02 Are you with me? 17:05 The events that the thunders uttered, very important point, 17:10 must have transpired sometime between 1798 and 1844 17:16 because they occurred after the book was opened in 1798 17:21 and before the angel swore the oath in 1844. 17:27 Are you following my point? 17:29 Yeah, He opened the book in 1798. 17:32 He descends with the book in His hand. 17:35 Then He utters His voice and you have the seven thunders. 17:38 And that is before He says that time will be no longer. 17:41 And He says time will be no longer in 1844. 17:44 There would be no more prophetic dates after that. 17:47 We're going to study this a little bit further on later. 17:52 So this is happening somewhere between what? 17:55 Somewhere between 1798 and 1844. 18:01 Now according to Ellen White, the seven thunders 18:05 uttered a delineation of events that would transpire 18:08 between 1842 and 1844. 18:12 In other words, what the thunders uttered 18:14 were events that took place between 1842 and 1844. 18:17 Some people are making the thunders future. 18:21 They are Seventh-day Adventist futurists. 18:24 There is no necessity to make the thunders future. 18:29 The spirit of prophecy is clear about when 18:32 these thunders uttered. 18:33 It was between 1798 and 1844. 18:35 More specifically, between 1842 and 1844. 18:41 She seems to indicate that the thunders announced 18:44 that the Millerites would suffer a disappointment 18:47 when Jesus did not come as expected about the year 1843 18:51 and in the spring of 1844. 18:54 So basically, what the thunders uttered 18:56 was that there was going to be a disappointment. 19:02 Was it good for the people to know that? 19:05 Was it good for the Millerites to know that they were wrong 19:08 about the chronology? 19:10 No it wasn't. 19:11 It wasn't good for them to know that at that point 19:13 between 1842 and 1844. 19:17 Let's notice what Ellen White says about this, 19:19 why the thunders were sealed, what the voice said was sealed. 19:25 The Millerites did not need to know that 19:28 at that particular point. 19:30 And let's notice the reason why. 19:34 Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, volume 7 page 971. 19:39 "The special light given to John which was expressed 19:41 in the seven thunders was a delineation of events 19:47 which would transpire under the first and second 19:50 angels' messages." 19:52 Do you know when the first and second angels' 19:55 messages were proclaimed? 19:56 1842 to 1844. 19:58 So did the thunders sound already? 20:01 Yes they did. 20:03 And now notice, "It was not best for the people 20:06 to know these things..." 20:09 John knew. 20:11 But John was told, "Seal it. 20:14 Don't explain it." 20:15 "It was not best for the people to know these things..." 20:19 For what reason? 20:21 "...for their faith must necessarily be tested." 20:28 Now there's another couple of statements, 20:29 really eye opening statements, by the spirit of prophecy. 20:33 One of them is in, Early Writings, 235-236. 20:36 You're aware that the Millerites set a couple of dates 20:39 before October 22, 1844. 20:42 First they thought He was going to come about the year 1843. 20:46 Then they said in the spring of 1844. 20:48 And then they realized in the summer of 1844 20:51 that Jesus did not come in the spring, 20:54 because the Day of Atonement was not in the spring. 20:56 It was in the fall. 20:58 That's called, the seventh month movement. 21:00 Samuel Snow preached at a camp meeting, 21:03 and he said, "Hey, you know, we were expecting Jesus 21:06 to fulfill the Day of Atonement in the spring. 21:08 But the Day of Atonement was not in the spring, 21:10 it was in the fall. 21:12 And so you have the midnight cry, the awakening, 21:15 in the summer of 1844. 21:19 Notice what Ellen White says about 21:21 these first disappointments. 21:23 Not the great one, but the first two. 21:26 "I saw the people of God joyful in expectation, 21:30 looking for their Lord. 21:33 But God designed to prove them. 21:35 His hand covered a mistake in the reckoning 21:38 of the prophetic periods." 21:44 Isn't that interesting? 21:49 And what was the mistake? 21:51 They said 1843 because they did not reckon the year zero. 21:58 You see, 1 BC jumps to 1 AD. 22:01 There's only one year between 1 BC and 1 AD, 22:04 but they counted 1 BC and 1 AD as two years. 22:08 That's why they came to 1843. 22:13 They should have counted it only as one. 22:15 Because from 1 BC to 1 AD, there's one year. 22:19 Now notice, she continues saying, "Those who were 22:24 looking for their Lord did not discover this mistake, 22:28 and the most learned men who opposed the time 22:30 also failed to see it. 22:32 God designed that His people should meet 22:34 with a disappointment. 22:37 The time passed, and those who had looked with 22:39 joyful expectation for their Saviour were sad and 22:42 disheartened, while those who had not loved the 22:45 appearing of Jesus, but embraced the message through fear, 22:48 were pleased that He did not come at the time of expectation. 22:52 Their profession had not affected the heart 22:55 and purified the life. 22:57 The passing of the time was well calculated 22:59 to reveal such hearts. 23:01 They were the first to turn and ridicule the sorrowful, 23:04 disappointed ones who really loved the appearing 23:07 of their Saviour. 23:08 I saw the wisdom of God in proving His people 23:10 and giving them a searching test to discover those who would 23:14 shrink and turn back in the hour of trial." 23:18 So basically, the seven thunders uttered that there would a 23:22 disappointment, they would miscalculate 23:23 the prophetic periods. 23:27 And God told John, "Don't explain it." 23:30 There's a second statement, Early Writings, 236. 23:34 She says, "Those faithful, disappointed ones, 23:37 who could not understand..." 23:40 Why could they not understand? 23:42 Because the thunders were what? 23:43 Sealed. 23:45 They could not understand. 23:47 "...why their Lord did not come, were not left in darkness. 23:50 Again they were led to their Bibles to search 23:52 the prophetic periods. 23:53 The hand of the Lord was removed from the figures, 23:57 and the mistake was explained. 23:59 They saw that the prophetic periods reached to 1844, 24:02 and that the same evidence which they had presented 24:05 to show that the prophetic periods closed in 1843, 24:08 proved that they would terminate in 1844." 24:14 Now some have misunderstood an Ellen White statement 24:17 where she appears to state that the thunders 24:19 will sound in the future. 24:21 She wrote this quotation in 1900. 24:24 So presumably, the thunders had not yet uttered their voice 24:28 at that time. 24:31 See, people are sometimes careless in the way that they 24:34 handle the writings of Ellen White. 24:37 They say she wrote in 1900 that the thunders are future. 24:40 So they could not have been fulfilled between 1842 and 1844. 24:45 But you have to look at this carefully. 24:47 Here's the quotation. 24:50 "After these seven thunders uttered these voices, 24:53 the injunction comes to John, as to Daniel, 24:57 in regard to the little book: 'Seal up those things 25:01 which the seven thunders uttered.'" 25:04 Now listen carefully. 25:06 "These relate to future events..." 25:13 Future events from whose time? 25:16 From the time of Daniel and John. 25:18 There's the key. 25:20 Not future from 1844. 25:23 And you're going to see that clearly. 25:25 "These relate to future events which will 25:28 be disclosed in their order. 25:30 Daniel shall stand in his lot at the end of the days. 25:33 John sees the little book unsealed." 25:35 So from whose perspective is this being seen? 25:38 From the perspective of John. 25:40 It says, "Then Daniel's prophecies have their 25:44 proper place in the first, second, and third angels' 25:47 messages to be given to the world. 25:49 The unsealing of the little book was the message 25:52 in relation to time." 25:55 Now the crucial question here is this, 25:57 where the seven thunders going to utter events 26:00 that were future from the time frame of Daniel and John 26:03 or from the time frame of Ellen White? 26:07 A careful reading of the quotation reveals 26:10 that the seven thunders are future from the time frame 26:13 of Daniel and John, not from the time frame of Ellen White. 26:17 The sentence before the quotation is the key. 26:23 Before the quotation that I just read from. 26:26 Ellen White says, "After these seven thunders 26:29 uttered their voices, the injunction comes to John, 26:34 as to Daniel, in regard to the little book: 26:38 'Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered.'" 26:42 So from which perspective are you to see the 26:44 seven thunders future? 26:46 From the time period of John and Daniel 26:49 or from 1900? 26:52 From John and Daniel. 26:53 The context of Ellen White's statement makes this 26:55 absolutely crystal clear. 26:57 Now let's talk about the oath. 27:00 So the angel utters his voice; seven thunders sound. 27:05 He's told, "Seal it. 27:07 It's not good for the people to understand this at this point." 27:09 So there was going to be a disappointment. 27:12 They were going to misunderstand some chronological details, 27:15 and they were going to be disappointed. 27:17 Why would God do that? 27:18 Because He wanted to sift those who truly loved the Lord 27:23 from those who did not love the Lord. 27:27 You say, "Why would He do something like that?" 27:29 Well let me ask you something. 27:31 Did Jesus choreograph the triumphal entry into Jerusalem? 27:37 Did He tell the disciples to go get a donkey? 27:40 Did He sit on it? 27:42 Did He allow the people to proclaim Him, 27:43 "Oh, Hosanna in the highest. 27:45 The king of the Jews." 27:48 Did Jesus know that they were severely wrong 27:51 in their understanding? 27:54 So why didn't He say something? 27:57 Because it was necessary to reveal who was who. 28:02 Are you with me? 28:04 When the crisis came, what happened? 28:07 There was a sifting. 28:09 And those who were faithful remained. 28:11 And the hypocrites were shaken out. 28:14 So if Jesus could do it at the triumphal entry, 28:18 why couldn't He do it here to show who was sincere 28:22 and who was not sincere in the Millerite movement. 28:25 Now let's talk about the oath. 28:26 Are we doing well so far? 28:28 Okay, the oath. 28:30 After the angel had descended with the open book, 1798, 28:35 and the thunders had uttered their voices, 1842 and 1843, 28:41 and actually up to the spring of 1844, 28:43 an announcement was made with an oath 28:46 that prophetic time would be no longer. 28:49 When was that oath made? 28:51 1844. 28:54 Why would the voice say that time will be no longer? 28:59 What time was that referring to, the oath, 29:02 time will be no longer? 29:04 Which prophetic time, specifically? 29:07 The 2300 days. 29:09 In other words, after Daniel 8:14 is fulfilled 29:14 in 1844, there will be no more prophecies 29:16 having to do with time. 29:18 And we have all kinds of Adventist futurists 29:23 who are re-applying the 1260, 1290, 1335. 29:27 Some of them are re-applying the 2300 days and they're saying 29:30 the 42 months are future. 29:32 It's amiss. 29:35 And what it does is it dilutes the true meaning 29:39 of Bible prophecy. 29:43 Now, after the angel descended then with the open book, 1798, 29:49 the thunders uttered their voices, 1842 to 1844, 29:54 at least the spring of 1844, an announcement was made 29:57 with an oath that prophetic time would be no longer. 29:59 That would be 1844. 30:02 It is obvious that the declaration, 30:05 "time will be no longer," cannot have been made 30:08 by the angel before the 42 months, 1260 days, 30:13 three and a half times, three and a half days, 30:15 and 2300 days were fulfilled. 30:18 Is that clear? 30:22 Ellen White explains in, Selected Messages, 30:25 volume 2 page 108, "This time, which the angel declares with 30:30 the solemn oath, is not the end of this world's history, 30:35 neither of probationary time, but of prophetic time, 30:40 which should precede the advent of our Lord. 30:43 That is, the people will not have another message 30:46 upon definite time." 30:49 Now what part of that don't you understand? 30:52 "After this period of time, reaching from 1842 to 1844, 30:57 there can be no definite tracing of the prophetic time. 31:00 The longest reckoning reaches to the autumn of 1844." 31:05 She also says in volume 2 of, Selected Messages, page 108, 31:12 "This message announces the end of the prophetic periods. 31:15 The disappointment of those who expected to see our Lord in 1844 31:19 was indeed bitter to those who had so ardently 31:22 looked for His appearing. 31:23 It was in the Lord's order that this disappointment 31:26 should come, and that hearts should be revealed." 31:30 Now how do we know, aside from what the 31:32 spirit of prophecy says... 31:33 Because she says that this is not the end of probationary time 31:37 and it is not the end of time in terms of the second coming. 31:41 How do we know from the Bible that this is talking about 31:43 a different kind of ending of time, that time will be 31:46 no longer, and it's not talking about chronological time? 31:51 Two things that we need to take into account. 31:53 Very important. 31:55 This announcement is made during the period 31:58 of the sixth trumpet. 32:00 And Jesus does not come to take over His kingdom 32:03 until the seventh trumpet. 32:06 So could, "time will be no longer," 32:08 be the end of the world? 32:11 No, because the end of the world comes in the seventh trumpet. 32:15 But it's at the sixth trumpet that the angel says that 32:17 time will be no longer. 32:19 So it has to be a different kind of time than the end of time, 32:22 as we refer to it. 32:25 And even more importantly, after the announcement was made 32:28 that time will be no longer, John was instructed 32:31 to prophesy again. 32:33 How could he do this if the world had come to an end? 32:39 Is that clear? 32:41 How could he prophesy again if time had come to an end? 32:46 History. 32:47 It must mean that the time that would be no longer 32:51 has to be a different kind of time. 32:56 The translation in most versions, "there should 32:59 no longer be any delay," is incorrect. 33:04 In the book of Revelation, the word, "chronos," "time," 33:09 is used three other times. 33:12 And in none of them can the word be translated 33:15 in such a way as, "delay." 33:19 The word, "time," appears in at least thirty places 33:22 in the New Testament, but not once is it translated, "delay," 33:25 by modern versions except in this verse. 33:32 That's pretty telling, isn't it. 33:34 The New Testament has a way of expressing, "delay." 33:40 For example, in Matthew 24:48, the word, "chronizo," is used 33:45 of the unfaithful servant who says, "My master is delayed." 33:49 So if John had wanted to express delay, he had a 33:51 Greek word that he could have used to express delay. 33:56 It simply means, "time will be no longer." 33:59 It's not talking about the end of the world 34:01 or the end of probationary time. 34:02 It's talking about prophetic time. 34:05 No more time periods having to do with prophecy, 34:08 in other words. 34:10 Now Ellen White has consistently warned us not to set dates 34:16 and not to establish time. 34:21 Notice this statement on page 17 of your syllabus. 34:25 "Dear brethren, the Lord has shown me that the message 34:27 of the third angel must go and must be proclaimed to the 34:30 scattered children of the Lord, 34:32 and that it should not be hung on time; 34:35 for time never will be a test again. 34:38 I saw that some were getting a false excitement 34:40 arising from preaching time, 34:42 that the third angel's message was stronger than time can be. 34:46 I saw that this message can stand on its own foundation, 34:49 and that it needs not time to strengthen it, 34:53 and that it will go in mighty power, and do its work, 34:56 and will be cut short in righteousness." 34:59 That's in, Review and Herald, July 21, 1851. 35:03 In, Selected Messages, volume 2 page 84, she says, 35:05 "There will always be false and fanatical movements 35:08 made by persons in the church who claim to be led by God; 35:11 those who will run before they are sent, 35:14 and will give a day and date for the occurrence 35:16 of unfulfilled prophecy. 35:18 The enemy is pleased to have them do this, 35:20 for their successive failures and leading into false lines 35:24 cause confusion and unbelief." 35:28 Pretty clear, right? 35:33 Now both oaths... 35:35 There's one in Daniel 12:7 and Revelation 10 verse 6. 35:37 ...begin with an angel swearing in the name of the eternal God 35:41 who lives forever and ever, but Revelation adds 35:44 that God is the Creator of heaven and the 35:46 things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, 35:49 and the sea and the things that are in it. 35:52 This description, listen carefully, this description 35:56 of the Creator clearly links the little book episode 36:00 of Revelation 10 with the first angel's message 36:04 where a call is made to worship Him who made heaven and earth, 36:07 the sea, and springs of waters. 36:11 So do you know where the message is to prophesy again? 36:15 It's the first angel's message. 36:19 Thus the prophesying again of verse 11 is directly linked 36:22 with the first angel's message. 36:24 God's end time remnant will make a direct appeal 36:28 for people to worship the Creator. 36:31 This appeal to the Creator in Revelation 10 verse 6 is a 36:34 clear allusion to the fourth commandment of God's law, 36:38 and ultimately to the institution of the Sabbath 36:41 at creation. 36:45 Now let's talk about the mystery of God. 36:48 Is the mystery of God going to be finished shortly before 36:50 the seventh trumpet blows? 36:52 Yes. 36:53 In the seventh trumpet, Jesus takes over the 36:55 kingdoms of the world. 36:57 You're aware of that. 36:58 That's when He empirically takes over the kingdoms of the world. 37:01 But shortly before the seventh trumpet blows, 37:04 when Jesus takes over the kingdom at His coming, 37:07 the mystery of God is finished. 37:10 Now what is the finishing of the mystery of God? 37:14 Well, let's go to the paragraph, the last paragraph on page 17. 37:20 What the text is saying is that the declaration 37:23 that time will be no longer is made during the period of 37:25 the sixth trumpet, but the mystery of God 37:28 will not be finished until the seventh trumpet 37:30 is about to begin to sound. 37:32 So is there a period of time between when time is no longer 37:36 and when the mystery of God is finished? 37:38 Absolutely. 37:40 This clearly shows that the end of prophetic time 37:43 comes during the sixth trumpet and before the seventh. 37:49 Now the question is, what is the mystery of God? 37:52 We're running short on time, so let me just synthesize 37:57 what the mystery is. 37:59 Do you know what the mystery is, the mystery of God? 38:02 It's the preaching of the gospel. 38:05 The gospel is the mystery hidden from ages past. 38:10 You can read it in Romans 16:25-27. 38:15 Ellen White adds her testimony in, Signs of the Times, 38:18 March 25, 1897, where she says that the incarnation 38:22 is a mystery. 38:24 The union of divinity with humanity is a mystery, 38:28 and it was hidden from eternal ages. 38:31 And then she says at the end of this quotation, 38:34 "And this wonderful mystery, the incarnation of Christ 38:36 and the atonement that He made, must be declared 38:39 to every son and daughter of Adam, whether Jew or Gentile." 38:44 So what is the mystery of God? 38:47 The proclamation of the gospel. 38:50 What is going to happen shortly before the 38:54 seventh trumpet sounds? 38:57 The mystery of God is going to be finished. 38:58 What does that mean? 39:00 The preaching of the gospel is going to come to an end. 39:04 Does probation close before the seventh trumpet? 39:09 Yes or no? 39:10 You caught the nuance. Yes it does. 39:15 Because it says, the mystery of God is finished 39:18 when the seventh trumpet is about to sound. 39:23 If the mystery of God is the preaching of the gospel, 39:26 that means that the preaching of the gospel 39:28 will be finished shortly before the seventh trumpet sounds 39:33 when Jesus comes to take over the kingdom. 39:36 Is that clear? 39:41 Now, Revelation 22:10-12 has the clear sequence. 39:48 Notice. 39:50 We have three points of time in these verses. 39:53 "And he said to me, 'Do not seal the words of the 39:55 prophecy of this book...'" 40:00 So if the book isn't sealed, can a message come from the book? 40:04 Can people understand the message? 40:06 Is probation still open? 40:08 Yes. 40:10 "He said to me, 'Do not seal the words of the 40:12 prophecy of this book,'" which is the preaching 40:14 from the little book, "for the time is at hand." 40:18 What time is at hand? 40:20 When probation will close and the mystery of God 40:22 will be finished. 40:24 And what will happen when that takes place? 40:26 "He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; 40:30 he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; 40:32 he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; 40:35 and he who is holy, let him be holy still." 40:38 And then after that declaration is made, 40:42 only then does Jesus say, "And behold, I am coming quickly, 40:46 and My reward is with Me, to give to every one 40:49 according to his work." 40:50 Do you see three points of time there? 40:52 A message is coming from the little book, 40:55 or from the book of Revelation. 40:56 The book is open. 40:57 People can be saved. 40:59 But the time is near when the declaration would be made 41:03 that he who is filthy will still be filthy, 41:06 and he that is holy will still be holy. 41:09 And then after that, Jesus comes to reward His servants; 41:12 which is the seventh trumpet. 41:14 He comes to take over His kingdom 41:16 and give the kingdom to His people. 41:20 Now do we have the same sequence in Daniel chapter 7? 41:24 Of course we do. 41:26 The Ancient of Days goes in heaven, He sits, 41:33 the judgment sits, the books are opened. 41:36 Jesus comes to the Father. 41:38 And what is Jesus given in heaven? 41:40 A kingdom. 41:42 And then it says the time came when He took over the kingdom. 41:47 And He gives the kingdom to His people. 41:50 So you have the three points of time 41:53 in Daniel chapter 7 as well. 41:55 Now, John is a representative person. 42:00 We're going to talk about the eating of the book now. 42:05 These words are from William Shea who was my teacher 42:08 at the seminary many years ago. 42:11 He wrote on Revelation 10. 42:12 And notice what he says. 42:14 "John lived at the beginning of the Christian era 42:18 when he received this vision. 42:21 But the prophetic scene itself looks down toward the 42:24 end of time long after John's death." 42:30 Do you understand that point? 42:33 Would John be alive during the period of the sixth trumpet 42:36 towards the end of human history? 42:38 No. And yet he's told to eat the book. 42:40 It's going to be sweet and then bitter. 42:43 "He should, therefore, be taken as a representative 42:47 of those who will bear the final message. 42:51 The party was acting out under those circumstances. 42:55 It would have been physically impossible for John to have 42:57 born this message to all the groups he was told to address. 43:03 We may look, therefore, for a group or movement 43:05 to fulfill this commission in the end time." 43:11 Is that clear? 43:13 John has to be a representative person. 43:17 Because this is happening during the period of the sixth trumpet 43:19 right before the seventh trumpet when the world ends. 43:23 So how could John, during the period of the sixth trumpet, 43:27 be eating the book if he died in the first century 43:31 or maybe early in the second century? 43:33 He couldn't. 43:35 So he has to be representative of the people of God. 43:41 Now let's notice the chiastic structure of Revelation 10:9-11. 43:45 You remember, I mentioned the order; 43:47 bitter, sweet, and then sweet and bitter? 43:49 Now you're going to see the reason why. 43:52 You see, A-B-C has it's equivalent in C-B-A. 43:57 This is the chiasm. 44:01 In the A line, the angel tells John to take the 44:04 scroll and eat it. 44:08 He's told, "It will be bitter in your stomach." 44:11 That's the B line. 44:13 And the C line says, "In your mouth, it will be..." What? 44:17 Sweet as honey. 44:20 Then you have the C line in reverse order, 44:23 "It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth." 44:27 B, "It was bitter in my stomach." 44:32 And then, "You must prophecy again." 44:35 So what does it mean, "to eat the scroll"? 44:39 It means, to prophesy again. 44:42 To assimilate it, and then prophesy. 44:45 Are you with me? 44:46 I'm going to prove it to you. 44:48 The chiastic structure is important 44:51 because it shows that John eating the scroll in verse 9A 44:55 is the same as uttering a prophesy from it in verse 11. 44:59 Thus when John ate the scroll, a message came out from it 45:03 the first time. 45:04 But it became necessary for the message to be preached again 45:07 from the same scroll. 45:09 It is very clear that the episode that deals with the 45:12 eating of the book precedes Revelation 10 verse 7 in time. 45:18 Correct? 45:20 Because 10 verse 7, the mystery of God is finished. 45:22 So the eating of the book has to have happened before that. 45:26 How do we know that this is the case? 45:28 The reason is obvious. 45:30 After John eats the little book, he is told to prophesy again 45:33 and to measure the temple. 45:34 If the mystery of God, which is the preaching of the gospel, 45:37 had already been finished and probation had closed, 45:40 what good would it do to prophesy again... 45:47 ...about the contents of the book 45:49 and to talk about the investigative judgment? 45:53 So verses 8 through 11 take us back to events that occurred 45:57 between verses 6 and 7. 45:59 Now sit down and examine this. 46:01 Look at the chart that I mentioned to you. 46:04 The chart. 46:07 Now let's talk about the bitter/sweet experience. 46:10 What is the little book again? 46:14 What does the little book contain? 46:17 It's the prophesy of the what? 46:19 Of the 2300 days. 46:21 When do the 2300 days end? 46:24 October 22, 1844. 46:25 What is the central theme? 46:27 The judgment. 46:30 The content of the little book causes 46:32 a bitter/sweet experience. 46:34 Sweet at first, but then bitter in the aftermath. 46:38 We have already identified the book as the portion of Daniel 46:41 that has to do with the 2300 days and the judgment. 46:45 This must mean that the message of the judgment 46:48 would be sweet at first, and then would become bitter. 46:52 Somehow, the message of the judgment in this little book 46:55 would be sweet, and then it would become what? 46:58 Bitter, because that's what the book contained. 47:01 That the eating of the scroll, this is important, 47:03 that the eating of the scroll means two things. 47:08 First of all, it refers to the assimilation of the message. 47:11 It means, to assimilate the message. 47:14 Secondly, it means to share it with God's people. 47:17 This is corroborated by the closest biblical parallel 47:21 in Ezekiel 3:1-4 where the prophet is told to eat 47:25 the scroll, and then he is ordered to go and share 47:28 the message with Israel. 47:30 Notice Ezekiel 3:1-4. 47:33 "Moreover He said to me, 'Son of man, eat what you find; 47:37 eat this scroll...'" 47:39 So that's assimilating the message, right? 47:41 Eat the scroll, eat the message. 47:43 And then it says, "...and go, speak to the house of Israel." 47:48 Does that fit the chiastic structure? 47:51 He told, "Eat the scroll." 47:53 And then He says, "You must prophesy again." 47:56 So eating the scroll means, eating the scroll 47:58 and sharing the message. 48:01 So it says, "Moreover He said to me, 'Son of man, 48:03 eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go and speak 48:06 to the house of Israel.' 48:07 So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll. 48:10 And He said to me, 'Son of man, feed your belly, 48:12 and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.' 48:15 So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness. 48:18 Then He said to me, 'Son of man, go to the house of Israel 48:21 and speak with My words to them.'" 48:26 Is that a helpful passage? 48:29 In Scripture, the words of God are described as being sweet. 48:34 We are told that the manna was sweet like honey. 48:36 And the manna represents the Word of God. 48:41 Now notice what Ellen White had to say 48:44 about the sweetness of the book. 48:47 She says, "The comprehension of the truth, 48:51 the glad reception of the message, 48:54 is represented in the eating of the little book. 48:57 The truth in regard to the time of the advent of our Lord 49:00 was a precious message to our souls." 49:05 But then it became bitter. 49:08 In closing, let me read you a few statements 49:10 from some of the pioneers. 49:13 Hiram Edson. 49:16 You know who Hiram Edson was? 49:18 He's the individual who had the insight that Jesus had moved 49:22 from the Holy to the Most Holy Place 49:25 the day after the disappointment. 49:27 He says, "We confidentially expected to see Jesus Christ 49:30 and all the holy angels with Him, 49:33 and that His voice would call up Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 49:36 and all the ancient worthies, and dear friends which had 49:40 been torn from us in death, and that our trials and 49:44 sufferings with our earthly pilgrimage would close 49:47 and we should be caught up to meet our coming Lord 49:50 to be forever with Him to inhabit bright golden mansions 49:53 in the golden home city prepared for the redeemed. 49:57 Our expectations were raised high. 50:00 And thus, we looked for our coming Lord until the clock 50:02 tolled twelve at midnight. 50:05 The day had then passed. 50:07 And our disappointment became a certainty. 50:10 Our fondest hopes and expectations were blasted. 50:13 And such a spirit of weeping came over us 50:16 as I never experienced before. 50:19 It seemed that the loss of all earthly friends 50:22 could have been no comparison. 50:25 We wept and wept till the day dawned." 50:27 The people loved the Lord, folks. 50:30 "I mused in my own heart saying, 'My advent experience has been 50:34 the richest and brightest of all my Christian experience. 50:37 If this had proved a failure, what was the rest of my 50:40 Christian experience worth? 50:43 Has the Bible proved a failure? 50:45 Is there no God? 50:46 No heaven? No golden home city? 50:48 No paradise? 50:50 Is all this but a cunningly devised fable? 50:53 Is there no reality to our fondest hope 50:56 and expectation of these things?' 50:58 And thus, we had something to grieve and weep over 51:02 if all our fond hopes were lost. 51:04 And as I said, we wept till the day dawned." 51:11 Can you sense the bitterness? 51:14 Washington Morse, another one of those who experienced 51:16 the disappointment. 51:18 This is in, The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, 51:20 May 7, 1901. 51:23 He says, "The passing of the time was a 51:24 bitter disappointment." 51:26 Notice his terminology, "It was a bitter disappointment." 51:29 "True believers had given up all for Christ 51:33 and had shared His presence as never before. 51:36 The love of Jesus filled every soul. 51:38 And with inexpressible desire, they prayed, 'Come Lord Jesus, 51:42 and come quickly.' 51:43 But He did not come. 51:45 And now to turn again to the cares, perplexities, and dangers 51:49 of life in full view of jeering and reviling unbelievers 51:54 who scoffed as never before was a terrible trial 51:58 of faith and patience. 51:59 When Elder Himes visited Waterbury, Vermont 52:04 a short time after the passing of the time 52:07 and stated that the brethren should prepare for 52:09 another cold winter, my feelings were almost incontrollable. 52:14 I left the place of meeting and wept like a child." 52:20 Sweet in the mouth, bitter in the stomach. 52:24 William Miller said, "It passed. 52:27 And the next day it seemed as though all the demons 52:30 from the bottomless pit were let loose upon us. 52:35 The same ones, and many more, who were crying for mercy 52:39 two days before were now mixed with the rabble 52:45 in mocking, scoffing, and threatening 52:47 in a most blasphemous manner." 52:54 You remember the triumphal entry in the times of Christ? 52:58 You know, people say, "Adventists, their church 53:01 is based on a disappointment." 53:06 No problem for me. 53:09 Because the Bible predicted the disappointment. 53:12 Didn't the Bible predict the disappointment? 53:14 Of course it did. 53:16 We can look back and hind sight is 20/20. 53:21 We say, yeah we started with a disappointment. 53:24 Even though the Adventist church didn't exist at that time. 53:26 Yeah, our movement began with a disappointment. 53:29 But you know what? 53:30 So did the Christian church. 53:35 Had Jesus tried to tell the disciples that He was 53:37 going to Jerusalem, He was going to suffer, 53:39 and He was going to die, and He was going to resurrect 53:41 the third day? 53:43 Did He say that explicitly. 53:45 Unambiguously, Jesus said it. 53:49 At the triumphal entry, did Jesus allow them 53:51 to put Him on a donkey? 53:53 To parade Him through... 53:55 Kings sat on donkeys to be paraded through the city 53:59 and to be proclaimed king. 54:00 Oh wow. 54:02 Did Jesus know that they were going to be 54:04 severely disappointed, bitterly disappointed? 54:07 Yes. Did He know that they misunderstood 54:09 the event that was going to happen? 54:11 The timing was right. 54:13 Because Jesus was going to fulfill the Passover. 54:17 But the event was wrong. 54:20 Were they severely disappointed? 54:23 Absolutely. So what happened? 54:24 Afterwards they studied Scripture. 54:27 And they discovered the reason of the disappointment. 54:31 And as a result, they founded the Christian church. 54:36 So what's the difference between that and what happened in 1844? 54:42 They also were wrong about the event. 54:44 And they were right about the timing. 54:48 The idea of the coming of Jesus was also sweet. 54:52 Oh how they longed for the King to come 54:54 and sit on the throne in Jerusalem. 54:57 But they misunderstood prophecy. 55:00 Not the timing, but the event. 55:04 And as a result, when Jesus did not fulfill prophecy 55:06 the way they thought, they were bitterly disappointed. 55:11 But after the disappointment, the disciples gathered together 55:14 and studied the Bible. 55:16 Prophecies. 55:18 And they said, "Hey, we were wrong about the event. 55:23 Jesus was not going to sit on the throne of David. 55:26 He really, the cross was His spiritual throne. 55:31 We understand now," they said. 55:33 And so they founded the Christian church. 55:40 And then they went out and they prophesied again 55:44 with a new enlightenment. 55:46 So if you say that the Adventist church cannot be the 55:49 true church of God, the remnant of God, 55:51 because it started with a disappointment, 55:53 then you have to discard the whole Christian church. 55:57 Because the Christian church also started 55:59 with a disappointment. 56:00 In fact, do you know something? 56:01 Every time that Jesus begins a new work in the Sanctuary, 56:04 there's a disappointment. 56:10 You say, "Really?" 56:12 Yeah. 56:14 Were the disciples disappointed when Jesus went to heaven? 56:18 Yeah, they said, "Are you going to restore the 56:19 kingdom to Israel now?" 56:20 Jesus said, "Bye." 56:24 But then they studied prophesy and they understood. 56:29 Was there a disappointment of John the Baptist 56:32 and the message he presented concerning the Messiah? 56:35 Oh yeah, he thought that the Messiah was going to 56:37 sit on the throne in Jerusalem. 56:39 And he ended up in prison disappointed. 56:42 But then he started studying prophesy. 56:44 And the angels came and explained prophesy, 56:45 he said, "Now I understand." 56:48 Every time Jesus begins a new work in the Sanctuary, 56:50 there's a disappointment. 56:53 So don't allow people to intimidate you by saying, 56:56 "Oh you Adventists, you began with a disappointment." 56:58 Smile and say, "Yes we did. 57:02 But today we're not disappointed. 57:05 Because we have not believed cunningly devised fables." 57:09 And then explain to them these things that we've studied 57:12 from Daniel and from Revelation chapter 10. 57:16 And people will marvel at the divine origin of the 57:20 Seventh-day Adventist Church. 57:21 This is not any church. 57:23 This is a prophetic church. 57:26 This is a church that originated in prophesy 57:28 and its destiny is bathed in prophesy. 57:32 And the devil knows it. 57:33 And that's why he's distracted the church 57:35 to preach evangelical messages instead of preaching 57:39 the distinctive present truth message of the Adventist church. |
Revised 2015-07-27