Chain of Events

This may not be all the truth which is revealed in these Scriptures, for it is only one man’s understanding of the words, but my prayer is that it may be of help for us to understand what is to be.

Revelation 12: — a new line of prophecy commences

a woman clothed with the sun [the Sabbath-keeping church of Christ covered in His righteousness, Malachi 4:2], and the moon under her feet [she stands on the Old Testament promises, Psalm 89:34-37], and upon her head a crown of twelve stars [the disciples, Revelation 1:20]:

2 And she being with Child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered [October 4BC (Christ’s birth) – October 27AD (His baptism)].

and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven [the fallen angels], and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her Child as soon as it was born. [See note 2]

5 And she brought forth a man Child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron [Psalm 2:7-9]: and her Child was caught up to God, and to His throne [June 31AD. See John 20:17, Acts 1:9].

6 And the woman [the Sabbath-keeping church, eventually] fled into the wilderness [the majority of God’s people remained outside of Europe], where she has a place prepared of God [they went to the eastern nations], that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days [1260 years, 538AD to 1798AD, see note 3].

7 And there was [a] war [of words] in heaven: Michael [the Son of God] and His angels fought against the dragon [compare Revelation 19:11-16]; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth [after the events of Calvary], and his angels were cast out with him. [See note 4]

10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven [this is NOT an earthly message], “Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brothers and sisters is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives to the death [during the 1260 years, Daniel 11:33-35]. 12 “Therefore rejoice, you heavens, and you that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time [the time of the end from 1798 onwards, Daniel 11:40].”

13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast to the earth, he [again] persecuted the woman which brought forth the man Child [because of a revival, Revelation 10:8-11. See note 5]. 14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle [she did not have these in verse 6], that she might fly [very swiftly] 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. [This is literal time – three and one half years, see note 6.]

15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood [a worldwide persecution] after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood [many martyrs, see note 7]. 16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth [through great calamities, see note 8], and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth [the calamities will create diversions for a while].

17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed [the survivors, see note 9], which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. [Revelation 19:10.]

[In connection with this time of the end prophecy in verse 14, John’s attention was directed to:-]

1 And I [John the revelator] stood upon the sand of the sea [between two groups of people, represented by the water and the earth], and saw a beast [a large animal, a picture of Satan’s earthly kingdom] rise up out of the sea [a heavily populated area, Revelation 17:15], having seven heads and ten horns [a repeat of Revelation 12:3], and [this time] upon his horns [which are smaller powers] ten crowns [they will be in charge when this vision is fulfilled], and upon his heads the name of blasphemy [it is not a good creature].

Revelation 17:

12 And [the angel said] the ten horns which you saw are ten kings [small powers], which have received no kingdom as yet [but they have that position in the vision of chapter 13]; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast [it will be their turn to control Satan’s kingdom].

13 These have one mind [a common aim], and shall give their power and strength to the beast [will use his power for their own ends]. 14 These shall make war with the Lamb [bring in religious persecution, therefore they are religious groups, see note 10], and the Lamb shall overcome them: for He is LORD of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

15 And he [the angel] says to me [John], “The waters which you saw, where the whore [the main false religious system which is separate from the horns] sits [on the back of the beast, 17:3], are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues [so the beast/waters means the general population, aka “the laity, or congregation”].

16 And the ten horns which you saw upon the beast, these shall [eventually] hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire [by killing her priests], 17 for God has put in their hearts to fulfil His will [this prophecy], and to agree, and give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled [and the false religious system comes to an end. See note 11 for context.]

2 And the beast which I saw was like to a leopard [in its body], and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon [Satan, Revelation 12:9] gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. [It will be similar to a combination of the nations of Daniel chapter seven.]

3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death [by the sword of the Spirit (about 1804 when the British and Foreign Bible Society was formed to send the Bible to the world) — Ephesians 6:17] and [after a time] his deadly wound was healed [How? By offering alternative versions of the Bible with major errors in them]: and [then] all the world wondered after the [new manifestation of the] beast [in a religious way, 2 Corinthians 11:13-15].

4 And [by this] they worshipped the dragon [Satan] which gave power to the beast. And they worshipped the beast, saying, “Who is like to the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” [He must be of God! He looks and talks religious.]

2 Thessalonians 2:

1 Now we beseech [beg] you, brethren, by the coming of our LORD Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together to Him [1 Thessalonians 4:15-18], 2 that you be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by Spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. [God was warning them not to be fooled by urgent messages of the end of the world being near, or that Christ was coming soon! Not even if it was given by well-meaning Christians. Maybe we should take note today?]

3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a [worldwide] falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God [this cannot be just the papacy because that church has been exposed for centuries, and this is a whole world falling away which will take a period of time].

5 Remember you not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? [See Daniel chapter 11 for some details.] 6 And now you know what withholds [what’s going on] that he might be revealed in his time.

7 For the mystery of iniquity does already work [it has always been working, but it will become worldwide in the last days]: only He who now lets [holds him back] will let [control], until He be taken out of the way [until God has to step back, as it were].

8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed [by his actions], whom the LORD shall consume with the spirit of His mouth [the truth, Revelation 19:15], and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 Even Him, whose [second] coming is AFTER the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved [they rejected it].

11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion [by no longer opposing Satan’s way], that they should believe a lie [they want it that way]: 12 that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

5 And [then] there was given to him [the seven-headed beast — by whom?] a mouth [a new symbol] speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given to him to continue forty-two months [three and a half literal years, see note 6 again].

6 And he opened his mouth [through the ten horns] in blasphemy against God [a counterfeit work], to blaspheme His name [His character], and His tabernacle [His work in heaven], and them that dwell in heaven.

7 And it was given to him [through the ten horns] to make war with the saints [on earth], and to overcome them [as Christ was apparently overcome at Calvary]:

and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations [the people of the world]. 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world [this is to be a worldwide phenomenon].

[All this happens before the second coming. While it is going on the people of God will be doing their bit! 2 Thessalonians 2:9.]

Revelation 18:

1 And after these things [John’s attention was now directed to another area] I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.

2 And he cried mightily [in warning before and after these events] with a strong voice, saying, “Babylon the great [more than ordinary Babylon] 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. 3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth [the politicians of the world] have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth [the multinationals] are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.”

4 And I heard another Voice from heaven [this is NOT an earthly call], saying, “Come out of her, My people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues. 5 For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double to her double according to her works: in the cup which she has filled fill to her double. 7 How much she has glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she says in her heart, ‘I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow .’

8 “Therefore shall her plagues [5, 6, and 7 of the seven last plagues] come in one day [24 hours, see note 6 yet again], death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the LORD God who judges her.” [see note 12].

10 He that leads into captivity shall go into captivity: he that kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints [they won’t do either for they don’t believe in the use of force in religion].

11 And I beheld another beast [another animal picture] coming up out of the earth [a sparsely populated area]; and he had two horns like a lamb [at first], and [then] he spoke as a dragon [in satanic ways through the legal system, note 13].

12 And he exercises all the power of the first beast before him [in his sight], and causes the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed [the second animal leads back to the first situation of church/state combination, not just the woman, the papacy].

13 And he [the second nation] does great wonders [by Satan’s power], so that he makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14 and deceives them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do [they are real miracles not manmade impostures, because Satan is doing them] in the sight of the [first] beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth [all the peoples of the world], that they should make an image [a copy] to the [first] beast [this is a third animal symbol], which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

15 And he had power to give life to the image of the beast [the worldwide copy of the Catholic church/state situation], that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed [religious laws with death penalties].

16 And he [the image/copy] causes all [the world], both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark [a false understanding] in their right hand [it pays them to], or in their foreheads [they believe the lie of church/state combination]: 17 and that no man might buy or sell [a restrictive decree], save he that had the mark, or the name [character] of the [image] beast, or the number of his name. [See note 14.]

Let him that has understanding count the number of the [name, or character, of the image] beast: for it is the number of man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.

1 And I [John] looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand [the whole living church], having His Father's name written in their foreheads [like the mark, only this time it is the truth].

2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters [many people], and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps. 3 And they [the 144,000] sung as it were a new song before the throne [of God], and before the four beasts [the animals which picture God’s people], and the elders:

Ezekiel 10:

14 And every one [of the beasts – the Christians] had four faces [to picture their diversity]: the first face was the face of a cherub [an angel], and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

15 And the cherubims were lifted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar [these also picture the Christians]. . .

18 Then the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house [the temple], and stood over the cherubims.

and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty-four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth [for it is the song of their experience].

4 These are they which were not defiled with women [false religions]; for they are virgins [have never lost or given away their Christian innocence].[1]

These are they which follow the Lamb wherever He goes [they have always, and will ever, only have one Leader]. These were redeemed from among men [not the grave], being the firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.

5 And in their mouth was found no guile [no trickery]: for they are without fault before the throne of God. [Psalm 24:3-6.]

First, chapters 1-11, which finish with the second coming, and second, chapters 12-22, part of which we are studying.

7. Then we should read the rest of the chapters (19-22) which deal with events which occur after the second advent.

“In contrast to those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus, the third angel points to another class, against whose errors a solemn and fearful warning is uttered: ‘If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God.’ Revelation 14:9, 10.

“A correct interpretation of the symbols employed is necessary to an understanding of this message. What is represented by the beast, the image, the mark?

“The line of prophecy in which these symbols are found begins with Revelation 12, with the dragon that sought to destroy Christ at His birth. The dragon is said to be Satan (Revelation 12:9); he it was that moved upon Herod to put the Saviour to death. But the chief agent of Satan in making war upon Christ and His people during the first centuries of the Christian Era was the Roman Empire, in which paganism was the prevailing religion. Thus while the dragon, primarily, represents Satan, it is, in a secondary sense, a symbol of pagan Rome.” Back

“The beast that was” — this was the time when Satan ruled through his earthly nations (crowns on the heads).

Acts 4:

“Babylon is said to be ‘the mother of harlots.’ By her daughters must be symbolized [the Protestant] churches that cling to her doctrines and traditions [especially Sunday], and follow her example of sacrificing the truth and the approval of God, in order to form an unlawful alliance with the world.”

“The casting down of Satan as an accuser of the brethren in heaven was accomplished by the great work of Christ in giving up His life. . . .”

“In carrying out his enmity to Christ until He hung upon the cross of Calvary, with wounded, bruised body and broken heart, Satan completely uprooted himself from the affections of the universe. It was then seen that God had in His Son denied Himself, giving Himself for the sins of the world, because He loved mankind. The Creator was revealed in the Son of the infinite God. Here the question, ‘Can there be self-denial with God?’ was forever answered. Christ was God, and condescending to be made flesh, He assumed humanity and became obedient unto death, that He might undergo infinite sacrifice.”

“Christ bowed His head and died, but He held fast His faith and His submission to God. ‘And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.’ Rev. 12:10.

“Satan saw that his disguise was torn away. His administration was laid open before the unfallen angels and before the heavenly universe. He had revealed himself as a murderer. By shedding the blood of the Son of God, he had uprooted himself from the sympathies of the heavenly beings. Henceforth his work was restricted. Whatever attitude he might assume, he could no longer await the angels as they came from the heavenly courts, and before them accuse Christ's brethren of being clothed with the garments of blackness and the defilement of sin. The last link of sympathy between Satan and the heavenly world was broken.

“Yet Satan was not then destroyed. The angels did not even then understand all that was involved in the great controversy. The principles at stake were to be more fully revealed.

“And for the sake of man, Satan's existence must be continued. Man as well as angels must see the contrast between the Prince of light and the prince of darkness. He must choose whom he will serve.” Back

“I saw that God had children who do not see and keep the Sabbath. They have not rejected the light upon it. And at the commencement of the time of trouble [which is still in the future], we were filled with the Holy Ghost as we went forth and proclaimed the Sabbath more fully [how do we do that?].

“This enraged the churches and nominal Adventists [of that future time], as they could not refute the Sabbath truth [Hebrews 4:1-11]. And at this time God's chosen all saw clearly that we had the truth, and they came out and endured the persecution with us. I saw the sword, famine, pestilence, and great confusion in the land. The wicked thought that we had brought the judgments upon them, and they rose up and took counsel to rid the earth of us, thinking that then the evil would be stayed. [See 1 Kings 18:17.]

“In the time of trouble we all fled from the cities and villages, but were pursued by the wicked, who entered the houses of the saints with a sword. They raised the sword to kill us, but it broke, and fell as powerless as a straw. Then we all cried day and night for deliverance, and the cry came up before God. . . .”

“And at the commencement of the time of trouble, we were filled with the Holy Ghost as we went forth and proclaimed the Sabbath more fully. . . .

“'The commencement of that time of trouble,' here mentioned, does not refer to the time when the [seven last] plagues shall begin to be poured out, but to a short period just before they are poured out, while Christ is in the sanctuary. At that time, while the work of salvation is closing, trouble will be coming on the earth, and the nations will be angry [See Revelation 11:18], yet held in check so as not to prevent the work of the third angel [Revelation 7:1-3]. 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.” Back

Revelation 10:

“This time, which the angel declares with a solemn oath, is not the end of this world's history, neither of probationary time, but of prophetic time, which should precede the advent of our Lord. That is, the people will not have another message upon definite time. After this period of time, reaching from 1842 to 1844, there can be no definite tracing of the prophetic time. The longest reckoning reaches to the autumn of 1844.”

The history of ancient Israel is a striking illustration of the past experience of the Adventist body.

God led His people in the advent movement, even as He led the children of Israel from Egypt. In the great disappointment their faith was tested as was that of the Hebrews at the Red Sea. Had they still trusted to the guiding hand that had been with them in their past experience, they would have seen the salvation of God.

If all who had labored unitedly in the work in 1844, had received the third angel's message and proclaimed it in the power of the Holy Spirit, the Lord would have wrought mightily with their efforts. A flood of light would have been shed upon the world. Years ago [this was written in 1888!] the inhabitants of the earth would have been warned, the closing work completed, and Christ would have come for the redemption of His people.

It was not the will of God that Israel should wander forty years in the wilderness; He desired to lead them directly to the land of Canaan and establish them there, a holy, happy people. But “they could not enter in because of unbelief.” Hebrews 3:19. Because of their backsliding and apostasy they perished in the desert, and others were raised up to enter the Promised Land.

In like manner, it was not the will of God that the coming of Christ should be so long delayed and His people should remain so many years in this world of sin and sorrow. But unbelief separated them from God. As they refused to do the work which He had appointed them, others were raised up to proclaim the message. In mercy to the world, Jesus delays His coming, that sinners may have an opportunity to hear the warning and find in Him a shelter before the wrath of God shall be poured out. Back (a - back) (b - back)

Revelation 6:

9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10 and they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O LORD, holy and true, do You not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?”

11 And white robes were given to every one of them [in the judgment which began in 1844];

and [then] it was said to them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brothers and sisters, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

“Many will be imprisoned, many will flee for their lives from cities and towns, and many will be martyrs for Christ's sake in standing in defense of the truth. — 3SM 397 (1889).

“There is a prospect before us of a continued struggle, at the risk of imprisonment, loss of property, and even of life itself, to defend the law of God. — 5T 712 (1889).

“Men will be required to render obedience to human edicts in violation of the divine law. Those who are true to God will be menaced, denounced, proscribed. They will be ‘betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends,’ even unto death. — PK 588 (c. 1914).

“We are not to have the courage and fortitude of martyrs of old until brought into the position they were in. . . . Should there be a return of persecution there would be grace given to arouse every energy of the soul to show a true heroism. — OHC 125 (1889).

“The disciples were not endowed with the courage and fortitude of the martyrs until such grace was needed. — DA 354 (1898).”

“As enmity is aroused in various places against those who observe the Sabbath of the Lord, it may become necessary for God's people to move from those places to places where they will not be so bitterly opposed.

“God does not require His children to remain where, by the course of wicked men, their influence is made of no effect and their lives endangered. When liberty and life are imperiled it is not merely our privilege, it is our positive duty to go to places where the people are willing to hear the Word of life and where the opportunities for preaching the Word will be more favorable. — Ms 26, 1904.

“‘They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.’ John 16:2.”

“Every individual in our world will be arrayed under one of two banners. . . {Mar 199.1} (also Letter 30a, 1892, IHP 48).

“The two armies will stand distinct and separate, and this distinction will be so marked that many who shall be convinced of the truth will come on the side of God's commandment-keeping people. When this grand work is to take place in the battle, prior to the last closing conflict, many will be imprisoned, many will flee for their lives from cities and towns, and many will be martyrs for Christ's sake in standing in defense of the truth. {3SM 397.4} {Mar 199.2}

“By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy [Sunday sacredness] in violation of the law of God, our nation [the United States] will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. . . . {5T 451.1} {Mar 199.3}

“As the approach of the Roman armies was a sign to the disciples of the impending destruction of Jerusalem, so may this apostasy [the final Sunday law] be a sign to us that the limit of God's forbearance is reached, that the measure of our nation's iniquity is full, and that the angel of mercy is about to take her flight, never to return. The people of God will then be plunged into those scenes of affliction and distress which prophets have described as the time of Jacob's trouble. The cries of the faithful, persecuted ones ascend to heaven. And as the blood of Abel cried from the ground, there are voices also crying to God from martyrs' graves, from the sepulchers of the sea, from mountain caverns, from convent vaults: 'How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?' {5T 451.2} {Mar 199.4}

“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 [the loud cry of the third angel], when those who are faithful and true are called out from Babylon.” {7BC 968.5} {Mar 199.5}

"‘The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul’."

" ‘He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome [painful] pestilence. He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.' Psalms 121:5-7; 91:3-10.

“Yet to human sight it will appear that the people of God must soon seal their testimony with their blood as did the martyrs before them. They themselves begin to fear that the Lord has left them to fall by the hand of their enemies. It is a time of fearful agony [but it is now after the close of probation for the world – they just don’t know it]. Day and night they cry unto God for deliverance. The wicked exult, and the jeering cry is heard: ‘Where now is your faith? Why does not God deliver you out of our hands if you are indeed His people?’ But the waiting ones remember Jesus dying upon Calvary's cross and the chief priests and rulers shouting in mockery: ‘He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He be the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.’ Matthew 27:42. Like Jacob, all are wrestling with God. Their countenances express their internal struggle. Paleness sits upon every face. Yet they cease not their earnest intercession.”

“If the blood of Christ's faithful witnesses were shed at this time [after the close of probation], it would not, like the blood of the martyrs [especially those who died during the loud cry], be as seed sown to yield a harvest for God. Their fidelity [faithfulness unto death] would not be a testimony to convince others of the truth; for the obdurate [obstinate] heart has beaten back the waves of mercy until they return no more. If the righteous were now left to fall a prey to their enemies, it would be a triumph for the prince of darkness.

“Says the psalmist: ‘In the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me.’ Psalm 27:5. Christ has spoken: ‘Come, My people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity.’ Isaiah 26:20, 21. Glorious will be the deliverance of those who have patiently waited for His coming and whose names are written in the book of life.”

“We will not be able to meet the trials of this time without God. We are not to have the courage and fortitude of martyrs of old until brought into the position they were in. . . . We are to receive daily supplies of grace for each daily emergency. Thus we grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and if persecution comes upon us, if we must be enclosed in prison walls for the faith of Jesus and the keeping of God's holy law, ‘As thy days, so shall thy strength be’." Back

Matthew 24:

7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers [many different] places.

9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and you shall be hated of all nations for My name's sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

“God allows men a period of probation; but there is a point beyond which divine patience is exhausted, and the judgments of God are sure to follow. The Lord bears long with men, and with cities, mercifully giving warnings to save them from divine wrath; but a time will come when pleadings for mercy will no longer be heard, and the rebellious element that continues to reject the light of truth will be blotted out, in mercy to themselves and to those who would otherwise be influenced by their example.

“The time is at hand when there will be sorrow in the world that no human balm can heal. The Spirit of God is being withdrawn. Disasters by sea and by land follow one another in quick succession. How frequently we hear of earthquakes and tornadoes, of destruction by fire and flood, with great loss of life and property! Apparently these calamities are capricious outbreaks of disorganized, unregulated forces of nature, wholly beyond the control of man; but in them all, God's purpose may be read. They are among the agencies by which He seeks to arouse men and women to a sense of their danger.” Back

“Soon we heard the voice of God like many waters, which gave us the day and hour of Jesus' coming. The living saints, 144,000 in number, knew and understood the voice, while the wicked thought it was thunder and an earthquake. When God spoke the time, He poured upon us the Holy Ghost, and our faces began to light up and shine with the glory of God, as Moses' did when he came down from Mount Sinai. {CET 58.1}

“The 144,000 were all sealed, and perfectly united. On their foreheads was written, "God, New Jerusalem," and a glorious star containing Jesus' new name. At our happy, holy state the wicked were enraged, and would rush violently up to lay hands on us to thrust us into prison, when we would stretch forth the hand in the name of the Lord, and they would fall helpless to the ground. Then it was that the synagogue of Satan knew that God had loved us who could wash one another's feet, and salute the brethren with a holy kiss, and they worshiped at our feet.”

Your brothers and sisters that hated you, that cast you out for My name's sake, said, “Let the LORD be glorified:” but He shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.

6 A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that renders recompense to His enemies. 7 Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child [just one “fit” man (the 144,000), Leviticus 16:21].

Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as [after] Zion travailed, she brought forth her [other] children [the resurrected ones]. 9 “Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth?” says the LORD: “shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb?” says your God.

“In the visions of the prophet, those who have triumphed over sin and the grave are now seen happy in the presence of their Maker, talking freely with Him as man talked with God in the beginning. ‘Be ye glad,’ the Lord bids them, ‘and rejoice forever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying’." (Isa. 65:18, 19). . . .

“As the prophet beholds the redeemed dwelling in the City of God, free from sin and from all marks of the curse, in rapture he exclaims, ‘Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her.’ (Isa. 66:10).” Back

“What is it that gives its kingdom to this power? Protestantism [one of the horns], a power which, while professing to have the temper and spirit of a lamb and to be allied to Heaven, speaks with the voice of a dragon. It is moved by a power from beneath.”

“ ‘These have one mind.’ There will be a universal bond of union, one great harmony, a confederacy of Satan's forces. ‘And shall give their power and strength unto the beast.’ Thus is manifested the same arbitrary, oppressive power against religious liberty, [against] freedom to worship God according to the dictates of conscience, as was manifested by the papacy, when in the past it persecuted those who dared to refuse to conform with the religious rites and ceremonies of Romanism.

“In the warfare to be waged in the last days there will be united, in opposition to God's people, all the corrupt powers [of the world] that have apostatized from allegiance to the law of Jehovah. In this warfare the Sabbath of the fourth commandment will be the great point at issue; for in the Sabbath commandment the great Lawgiver identifies Himself as the Creator of the heavens and the earth.”

“Through the two great errors, the immortality of the soul and Sunday sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his deceptions. While the former lays the foundation of spiritualism, the latter creates a bond of sympathy with Rome. The Protestants of the United States will be foremost [first, so that’s where we should have our attention] in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism; [then] they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union [the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, Revelation 16:13], this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.” [Then the whole world will follow.]

“We must soon wrestle with the powers of the land, and we have every reason to fear that falsehood will gain the mastery [Revelation 13:7]. We shall call upon our churches in the name of the Lord to view this struggle in its true light. It is a contest between the Christianity of the Old and New Testaments, and the Christianity of human tradition and corrupt fables.

“This contest is to decide whether the pure gospel shall have the field in our nation, or whether the popery of past ages shall receive the right hand of fellowship from Protestantism, and this power prevail to restrict religious liberty. . . . The message must go broadcast, that those who have been imperceptibly tampering with popery [and Protestantism], not knowing what they were doing, may hear. They are fraternizing with popery by compromises and by concessions which surprise the adherents of the papacy. . . .

“God has children, many of them, in the Protestant churches, and a large number in the Catholic churches, who are more true to obey the light and to do [to] the very best of their knowledge than a large number among Sabbathkeeping Adventists who do not walk in the light. The Lord will have the message of truth proclaimed, that Protestants may be warned and awakened to the true state of things, and consider the worth of the privilege of religious freedom which they have long enjoyed.” Back

“and is not” — then there would come a time when there would be no great earthly leader (no crowns), neither civil nor religious.

1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me [John], saying to me, “Come here; I will show to you the judgment of the great whore [the major religious opposition to Christianity] that sits upon many waters [nations]: 2 with whom the kings of the earth [the politicians] have committed fornication [unlawful unions of religion and state], and the inhabitants of the earth [the ordinary folk] have been made drunk [confused] with the wine [doctrines] of her fornication.”

3 So he carried me away in the spirit [in vision] into the wilderness [a place of no authority]: and I saw a woman [a religious person] sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns [and no crowns]. . . .

7 And the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? [Why are you puzzled?] I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns.

8 The beast that you saw was [in full control once], and is not [when this vision is fulfilling]; and shall [after that time] ascend out of the bottomless pit, and [eventually] go into perdition [nothingness]: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. [The Christians won’t have any problem seeing it for what it is.]

9 And here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are [also] seven mountains, on which the woman sits [Rome sits on seven hills]. 10 And there are seven kings [controlling powers in Satan’s kingdom]: five are fallen [are in past history], and one is [this vision will be fulfilled under this head – the present time], and the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space [in the future before handing over to the eighth head].

11 And the beast that was, and is not [now in charge of the world], even he is the eighth [the new manifestation when religion is revived and all unite], and is of the seven, and goes into perdition [with them, Daniel 2:35.].

12 And the ten horns which you saw are ten [minor] kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour [when they get their crowns] with the beast.

“and shall ascend” (Revelation 17:8) — the beast’s last period of control will be when the religions rule the world (crowns on horns). Back

When the sun goes out in plague #5 of the seven last plagues, (Revelation 16:10), the remnant of the waters “above the firmament” (Genesis 1:7) which have been orbiting the earth since the Flood (at that time the sun only reduced in power), begin to fall in the form of large hailstones, becoming part of plague #7 (Revelation 16:21). They arrive near the end of the day.

Job 38:

22 [The Son of God asked Job] “Have you entered into the treasures of the snow? Or have you seen the treasures of the hail, 23 which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?”

Plague #6, (Revelation 16:12) is the peoples of the religions (the ten horns plus the whore) turning on their religious leaders and killing them. The “waters” of Babylon “dry up” and no longer support the false system.

“With shouts of triumph, jeering, and imprecation [cursing], throngs of evil men are about to rush upon their prey [some of the 144,000], when, lo, a dense blackness, deeper than the darkness of the night, falls upon the earth [the 5^th of the seven last plagues].

“Then a rainbow, shining with the glory from the throne of God, spans the heavens and seems to encircle each praying company. The angry multitudes are suddenly arrested. Their mocking cries die away. The objects of their murderous rage are forgotten. With fearful forebodings they gaze upon the symbol of God's covenant and long to be shielded from its overpowering brightness. . . .

“In the midst of the angry heavens is one clear space of indescribable glory, whence comes the voice of God like the sound of many waters, saying: ‘It is done.’ Revelation 16:17.

“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 [the seventh plague].’ 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. . . .

“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. . . .

“They [the spiritual leaders of great Babylon] have endeavored to compel God's people to profane His Sabbath. Now they are condemned by that law which they have despised. With awful distinctness they see that they are without excuse. They chose [knowingly] whom they would serve and worship. ‘Then shall ye return [see again (apart from Calvary)], and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not’.” Malachi 3:18.

“The enemies of God's law, from the ministers down to the least among them, have a new conception of truth and duty. Too late they see that the Sabbath of the fourth commandment is the seal of the living God. Too late they see the true nature of their spurious sabbath and the sandy foundation upon which they have been building. They find that they have been fighting against God. Religious teachers have led souls to perdition while professing to guide them to the gates of Paradise. . . .

“When the voice of God turns the captivity of His people, there is a terrible awakening of those who have lost all in the great conflict of life. While probation continued they were blinded by Satan's deceptions, and they justified their course of sin. . . .

“The people see that they have been deluded. They accuse one another of having led them to destruction; but all unite in heaping their bitterest condemnation upon the ministers. Unfaithful pastors have prophesied smooth things; they have led their hearers to make void the law of God and to persecute those who would keep it holy. Now, in their despair, these teachers confess before the world their work of deception. The multitudes are filled with fury. ‘We are lost!’ they cry, ‘and you are the cause of our ruin;’ and they turn upon the false shepherds.

“The very ones that once admired them most will pronounce the most dreadful curses upon them. The very hands that once crowned them with laurels will be raised for their destruction. The swords which were to slay God's people are now employed to destroy their enemies. Everywhere there is strife and bloodshed [Euphrates is “dried up”].

“‘A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations, He will plead with all flesh; He will give them that are wicked to the sword.’ Jeremiah 25:31. For six thousand years the great controversy has been in progress; the Son of God and His heavenly messengers have been in conflict with the power of the evil one, to warn, enlighten, and save the children of men. Now all have made their decisions; the wicked have fully united with Satan in his warfare against God. The time has come for God to vindicate the authority of His downtrodden law. Now the controversy is not alone with Satan, but with men. ‘The Lord hath a controversy with the nations;’ ‘He will give them that are wicked to the sword.’

“The mark of deliverance has been set upon those ‘that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done.’ Now the angel of death goes forth, represented in Ezekiel's vision by the men with the slaughtering weapons, to whom the command is given: ‘Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.’ Says the prophet: ‘They began at the ancient men which were before the house.’ Ezekiel 9:1-6. The work of destruction begins among those who have professed to be the spiritual guardians of the people. The false watchmen are the first to fall. There are none to pity or to spare. Men, women, maidens, and little children perish together.

“‘The Lord cometh out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.’ Isaiah 26:21. ‘And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold everyone on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor.’ Zechariah 14:12, 13.

“In the mad strife of their own fierce passions, and by the awful outpouring of God's unmingled wrath, fall the wicked inhabitants of the earth — priests, rulers, and people, rich and poor, high and low. ‘And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried.’ Jeremiah 25:33.”

“‘And he had two horns like a lamb.’ The lamblike horns indicate youth, innocence, and gentleness, fitly representing the character of the United States when presented to the prophet as ‘coming up’ in 1798.

Among the Christian exiles who first fled to America and sought an asylum from royal oppression and priestly intolerance were many who determined to establish a government upon the broad foundation of civil and religious liberty. Their views found place in the Declaration of Independence, which sets forth the great truth that ‘all men are created equal’ and endowed with the inalienable right to ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’ And the Constitution guarantees to the people the right of self-government, providing that representatives elected by the popular vote shall enact and administer the laws. Freedom of religious faith was also granted, every man being permitted to worship God according to the dictates of his conscience. [This meant that no religion was to be favoured above another. Contrary to much expressed opinion, the United States of America was NOT founded as a Protestant nation!]

“[However,] Republicanism [no king] and Protestantism [no dominant church] became the fundamental principles of the nation.

“These principles are the secret of its power and prosperity. The oppressed and downtrodden throughout Christendom have turned to this land with interest and hope. Millions have sought its shores, and the United States has risen to a place among the most powerful nations of the earth.

“But the beast with lamblike horns ‘spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed; . . . saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.’ Revelation 13:11-14.

“The lamblike horns and dragon voice of the symbol point to a striking contradiction between the professions and the practice of the nation thus represented. The ‘speaking’ of the nation is the action of its legislative and judicial authorities [senate and courts]. By such action it will give the lie to those liberal and peaceful principles which it has put forth as the foundation of its policy. The prediction that it will speak ‘as a dragon’ and exercise ‘all the power of the first beast’ plainly foretells a development of the spirit of intolerance and persecution that was manifested by the nations represented by the dragon and the leopardlike beast.

“And the statement that the beast with two horns ‘causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast’ indicates that the authority of this nation is to be exercised in enforcing some observance which shall be an act of homage to the papacy.” Back

“I saw all that ‘would not receive the mark of the Beast, and of his Image, in their foreheads or in their hands,’ could not buy or sell. [REV. 13:15-17.] I saw that the number (666) of the Image Beast was made up [it is progressive because it is the “number” of his “name” or character]; [REV. 13:18.] and that it was the Beast that changed the Sabbath, and the Image Beast had followed on after, and kept the Pope's, and not God's Sabbath. And all we were required to do, was to give up God's Sabbath, and keep the Pope's, and then we should have the mark of the Beast, and of his Image.” Back

[1] They may have been members of false religions at times, but always they have followed the leading of their Saviour, and as He has called upon them they have moved from organisation to organisation. Only He has ever had their love and they will be His “bride”. The rest of the redeemed, the resurrected ones, will be the “guests” at the wedding. Matthew 22:10. Click number to return

1. Paganism	6. Buddhism
2. Islam	7. Eastern catholic (Greek and Russian)
3. Hinduism	8. Shintoism
4. Confucianism	9. Taoism
5. Protestantism	10. Judaism