FRIDAY MORNING MANNA
August 14, 2015
Nathaniel Fajardo
Bible Numerology: NUMBER THREE – Part XI
TIME-SETTING AFTER 1844 HAVE, AND WILL ALL FAIL IN TIME PREDICTIONS
And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire. And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth . . . .And the angel which I saw stand on the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by him that liveth forever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer.” Revelation 10: 1-6, K.J.V. (Compare to verses 1-11; ch. 14: 6-12; Daniel. 12: 4-13)
“Progress does not consist in increasing truth, but in liberating it from its veils.”- Tolstoy.
The mighty angel–Christ Himself. “The mighty angel who instructed John was no less a personage than Jesus Christ. Setting His right foot on the sea, and his left on the dry land, shows the part which He is actingin the closing scenes of the great controversy with Satan. The position denotes His supreme power and authority over the whole earth. The controversy has waxed stronger and more determined from age to age and will continue to do so, to the concluding scenes when the masterly working of the powers of darkness shall reach their height. Satan, united with evil men, will deceive the whole world and the churches who receive not the love of the truth [see 2 Thess. 2: 9-12, K.J.V.] But the mighty angel demands the attention. He cries with a loud voice. He is to show the power and authority of His voice to those who have united with Satan to oppose the truth.
Revelation 10: 3, 4: “After these seven thunders* uttered their voices, the injunctions come to John as to Daniel in regard to the little book. ‘Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered. These relate to the future events which will be disclosed in their order. Daniel shall stand in his lot at the end of the days. John sees the little book [the book of Daniel unsealed by the 1798]. Then Daniel’s prophecies have their proper place in the first, second, and third angels’ messages to be given to the world [see Rev. 14: 6-12]. The unsealing of the little book was the message in relation to time.
“The books of Daniel and Revelation are one. One is a prophecy, the other a revelation; one a book sealed, the other a book opened. John heard the mysteries which the thunders uttered, but he was commanded not write them.
*The seven thunders.- “The special light given to John which was expressed in the seven thunders was a delineation [representing, portraying, or describing lines, sketches, or words of events] which were to transpire under the first and second angel’s messages. It was not best for the people to know these things [at that time], for their faith must be necessarily tested. In order of God, most wonderful and advanced truths would be proclaimed. The first and second angels’ messages were to be proclaimed but no further light was to be revealed before these messages had done their specific work. [This demands that we clearly understand what transpired during the historical proclamation of the first and second angel’s messages and its purposes in the following issues.] This is represented by the angel standing with one foot on the sea, proclaiming with a solemn oath that time should be no longer.
“This time, which the angel declares with a solemn oath, is not the end of the 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 prophetic time. The longest time reckoning reaches to the autumn [October] of 1844.
“The angel’s position, with one foot on the sea, the other on the land, signifies the wide extent of the proclamation of the message. It will cross the broad waters and be proclaimed in other countries, even to all the world. The comprehension of truth, the glad reception of the message, is represented as eating of the little book [of Daniel]. The truth in regard to the time of the advent of our Lord was a precious message to our souls.’ (MS 59, 1900).” –E. G. White Bible Commentary on Revelation, Vol. 7, pp. E. G. White, pp. 971-2.
“Time has not been a test since 1844, and it will never be again a test. The Lord has shown me that the message of the third angel [Rev. 14: 9-12] must go, and be proclaimed to the scattered children of the Lord,but it must not be hung on time. I saw that some were getting a false excitement, arising from preaching time;but the third angel’s message is stronger than time can be. I saw that this message can stand on its own foundation and needs not time to strengthen it: and it will go on in mighty power, and do its work, and will be cut short in righteousness [Rom. 9: 28].”- Ibid, Early Writings, pp. 74, 75 (see also pp. 243-4)
“The majority of Adventists [generic term for all churches/denominations of mainstream Christianity who believe in the second time] rejected the truths concerning the sanctuary and the law of God, and many also renounced their faith in the advent movement and adopted unsound and conflicting views of the prophecies which applied to that work. Some were led into the error of repeatedly fixing upon a definite time for the coming of Christ. The light which was no shining on the subject of the sanctuary should have shown them that no prophetic period extends to the second advent; that the exact time of the second advent is not foretold [
Matt. 24: 27, 36; Acts 1: 6, 7]. But, turning from the light, they continued to set time after time for the Lord to come, and as so often they were disappointed.
2 Thessalonias 2: 1-12. “When the Thessalonian church received erroneous views concerning the coming of Christ, the apostle Paul counseled them to test their hopes and anticipations carefully by the Word of God. He cited them to prophecies revealing events to take place before Christ should come, and showed that they had no ground to expect Him in their day. ‘Let no man deceive you by any means’ (2 Thess. 2: 3), are his words of warnings. Should they indulge expectations that were not sanctioned by the Scriptures, they would be led to a mistaken course of action; [1] disappointment would expose them to the derision of unbelievers; and [2] they would be in danger of yielding to discouragement and would be [3] tempted to doubt the truths essential for their salvation. The apostle’s admonition to the Thessalonians contains an important lesson for those who live in the last days. Many Adventists have felt that unless they could fix their faith upon a definite time for the Lord’s coming, they could not be zealous and diligent in the work of preparation. But as their hopes are again and again excited, only to be destroyed, their faith receives such a shock that it becomes well-nigh impossible for them to be impressed by the great truths of prophecy.
“The preaching for a definite time for the [pre-advent or investigative] judgment, in the giving of the first message*, was ordered of God. The computation of the prophetic periods on which the message was based, placing the close of the 2300 days in the autumn of 1844, stands without impeachment. The repeated efforts to find new dates for the beginning and close of the prophetic periods, and the unsound reasoning necessary to sustain these positions, not only lead minds away from the present truth, but throw contempt upon all efforts to explain the prophecies. The more frequently a definite time is set for the second advent, and the more widely it is taught, the better it suits the purposes of Satan. After the time has passed, he excites ridicule and contempt of its advocates, and thus casts reproach upon the great advent movements of 1843 and 1844. Those who persist in this error will at last fix upon a date too far in the future for the coming of Christ. Thus they will be led to rest in a false security, and many will not be left undeceived until it is too late. [1 Thess. 5: 1-3].
*The prophecy of the first angel’s message, brought to view in Revelation 14, found its fulfillment in the Advent movement of 1840-1844. In both Europe and America, men of faith and prayer were deeply moved as their attention was called to the prophecies, and, tracing down the inspired record, they saw convincing evidence that end of all things was at hand.”
“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 their past experience, they would have seen the salvation of God. If all who had labored unitedly in the work of 1844, had received the third angel’s message and proclaimed it in power of the Holy Spirit [the latter rain], the Lord would have wrought mightily with their efforts. A flood of light would have been shed upon the world. Years ago 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 because of unbelief.’ Heb. 3: 19. Because of their backsliding and apostasy they perished in the desert. 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 [in the seven last plagues, Rev. 15, 1,2, 6-8; 16: 1-21].”- Ibid, Great Controversy (1911), Pacific Press Publishing Association, pp. 456-8. (Continued next week)