Friday Morning Manna December 28, 2018
Nathaniel Fajardo Email: [email protected]
The ‘Mystery of God is Finished Up’ During the Seventh Trumpet– the Climactic Point of the Great Controversy!
Before zeroing into seventh trumpet, we must bear in mind this bigger picture: the seven trumpets are mated with the prophecies of Daniel chapters 2 and 7. Uriah Smith says: “The blowing of the trumpets by the seven angels comes as a complement to the prophecy of Daniel 2 and 7, beginning with the breaking up of the old Roman Empire into its ten divisions. In the first 4 trumpets [which we covered in past issues], we have a description of the special events which marked Rome’s fall.”- Daniel and the Revelation, p. 475.
“[Rev.10: 1 quoted] In this scripture we have another instance of in which the consecutive line of thought is for a time interrupted. Revelation 9 closed with the events of the sixth trumpet [or the second “woe.”] The sounding of the seventh trumpet is not introduced until we reach Rev. 11: 15. All of chapter 10 and a part of chapter 11, therefore, come in parenthetically between the sixth and seventh trumpets. That which is particularly connected with the sounding of the sixth trumpet is recorded in chapter 9. The prophet has other events to introduce before the opening of another trumpet, and takes occasion to do it in the scripture whichintervenes in Revelation 11: 15. Among these is the prophecy of chapter 10 [which we covered in past issues of this series].”- Ibid, p. 519.
Footnotes, Exhaustive E. G. White Commentary of Revelation, Vol. 2, p. 773, says:
“The sense of the passage is that at the time of the seventh trumpet the mystery of God is to be completed. In God’s plan this event was to follow upon the proclamation that ‘there should be time no longer.’ (verse 6) . . . .The seventh trumpet marks a distinct climactic point in the great controversy between Christ and Satan, as revealed by the proclamation of the voices in heaven at that time (ch. 11: 15). . . . ‘The mystery of God.’ For comment on the on the word ‘mystery’ see Rev. 1: 20; cf. on Rom. 11: 25. Jesus used a similar phrase, ‘the mystery of the kingdom of God’ (Mark 4: 11), and Paul also speaks of ‘the mystery of God’ (Col. 2: 2) and ‘the mystery of Christ’ (Col. 4: 3). The mystery of God, that which He reveals to His children, is His purpose for them—the plan of redemption. Compare 1 Tim. 3: 16; 6T 19.
“His servants the prophets.’ The declaration and exposition of the mystery of God (see the foregoing on ‘the mystery of God’ has ever been the burden of His servants the prophets in their messages to men (see on Rom. 3: 21).”
Hereunder are some enlightening passages explaining what the “mystery of God” comprehends from the pen of the inspired writer: p. 774:
“The incarnation of Christ is a mystery. The union of humanity with divinity is a mystery indeed, hidden with God, ‘even the mystery which hath been hid for ages’ [Col.___). It was kept in eternal silence by Jehovah, and was first revealed in Eden, by the prophecy that the Seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head, and that he should bruise His heel. To present to the world this mystery that God kept in silence for eternal ages before the world was created, was the part that Christ was to act in the work He entered upon when He came to this earth. And this wonderful mystery, the incarnation of Christ and the atonement that He made, must be declared to every son and daughter of Adam, whether Jew or Gentile. His sufferings perfectly fulfilled the claims of the law of God. None of the apostles [including Peter, nor even of the highest of angels] could have filled the deficiency, had there been any.”- Ellen G. White, Signs of the Times, Mar. 25, 1897.
“No finite mind can fully comprehend the existence, the power, the wisdom, or the works of the Infinite One. Says the sacred writer: ‘Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell [sheol, the grave]; what canst thou know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.’ Job 11: 7-9, KJV. The mightiest intellects of earth cannot comprehend God. Men may be ever searching, ever learning, and still there is an infinity beyond.”- PP 116.
“It takes all of eternity to unfold the glories and bring out the precious treasures of the Word of God. Do not let any living man come to you and begin to dissect God’s Word, telling what is revelation, what is inspiration and what is not, without a rebuke. Tell all such they simply do not know. They simply are not able to comprehend the things of the mystery of God. What we want is to inspire faith. We want no one to say, ‘This I will reject, and this I will receive,’ but we want to have implicit faith in the Bible as a whole and as it is.” – 7BC 919.
The Mystery of Godliness, 1 Tim. 3: 16. “It will be profitable to contemplate the divine condescension, the sacrifice, the self-denial, the humiliation, the resistance the Son of God encountered in doing His work for fallen men. Well may we come forth from contemplation of His sufferings exclaiming, ‘Amazing condescension!’ Angels marvel, as with intense interest the watch the Son of God descending step by step the path of humiliation. It is the mystery of godliness [___]. It is the glory of God to conceal Himself and His ways, not by keeping men in ignorance of heavenly light and knowledge, but by surpassing the utmost capacity of men to know. Humanity can comprehend in part, but that is all that man can bear. The love of Christ passes knowledge [Eph. 3:__]. They mystery of redemption will continue to be the mystery, the unexhausted science and everlasting song of eternity. Well may humanity exclaim, Who can know God? We may, as did Elijah, wrap our mantles about us, and listen to hear the still small voice [ ].”- Bible Echo, Apr. 30, 1894.
7T 29. “To rescue us He descended from one humiliation to another until He, the divine-human, suffering Christ, was uplifted on the cross to draw all men to Himself. The Son of God could not have shown greater condescension than He did; He could not have stooped lower. This is the mystery of godliness, the mystery that has inspired heavenly agencies so to minister through fallen humanity that in the world an intense interest will be aroused in the plan of redemption. This is the mystery that has stirred all heaven to unite with man in carrying out God’s great plan for the salvation of a ruined world.” – Ibid, Testimonies, Vol. 7, p 29.
“The gospel dispensation is the last period of probation that will ever be granted to men. Those who live under this dispensation [all of us now] of test and trial and yet are not led to repent and obey will perish with the disloyal . . .
Uriah Smith says: p. 525:
“The Seventh Trumpet. – “[Rev. 10: 7 quoted]. The seventh trumpet is not that which is spoken of in 1 Corinthians 15: 25 as thelast trump, which wakes the sleeping dead; but it is the seventh of the series of seven trumpets, and like the others of this series, occupies prophetic days (years) in sounding. In the days when he [the 7th angel] shall begin to sound, not in the very beginning of his sounding, but in the early years of his sounding, the mystery of God shall be finished.
“From the events to take place under the sounding of the seventh trumpet, its beginning may be located . . . . at the close of the prophetic periods in 1844. Subsequent to that date the mystery of God is to be finished. The great event, whatever it is, is right upon us. Some closing and decisive work, with whatever of importance and solemnity it bears in its train, is near at hand. There is an importance connected with the finishing of any works of God. Such an act marks a solemn and important era. Our Savior, when dying upon the cross, cried, ‘It is finished.’ John 19: 30. When the great work of mercy for fallen man is completed, it will be announced by a voice from the throne of God, proclaiming in tones like thunder the solemn sentence, ‘It is done!’ Rev. 16: 17. It is therefore no uncalled-for solicitude which prompts us to inquire what bearing such events have upon our eternal hopes and interests. When we read of the finishing of the mystery of God, we ask what that mystery is, and in what it’s finishing consists.
“ ‘The Mystery of God.’ – A few direct testimonies form God’s word, which has been given as a lamp to our feet, will show what this mystery is. [Eph. 1: 9, 10 quoted]. Here God’s purpose to gather together all things in Christ is called the ‘mystery’ of His will. [Eph. 6: 19 quoted}. Here the gospel is declared plainly to be a mystery. In Colossians 4: 3, it is called the mystery of Christ. [Eph. 3: 3, 6 quoted]. Paul here declares that the mystery was made known to him by revelation, as he had before written. In this he refers to his Epistle to the Galatians, where he recorded what had been given him ‘by revelation,’ in these words: [Gal. 1: 11, 12 quoted]. Here Paul tells us plainly that what he received through revelation was the gospel. In Ephesians 3: 3, he calls it themystery made known to him by revelation, as he had written before. The Epistle to the Galatians was written about A.D. 54, and that to the Ephesians about A.D. 65.”- ibid, pp. 525, 526.
“The Mystery of God is the Gospel. In view of these testimonies, few will be disposed to deny that the mystery of God is the gospel. It is the same, then, as if the angle had declared, ‘In the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, thegospel shall be finished.’
“But what is the finishing of the gospel? Let us first inquire for what is was given. It was given to take out from the nations a people for God’s name. (Acts 15: 14.) Its finishing, must, as a matter of course, be the close of this work.” Q. When will it be finished? A. “It will be finished when [1] the number of God’s people is made up, [2] when mercy ceases to be offered, and [3] probation closes.
The Seventh Trumpet Began Sounding in 1844. “The subject is now before us in all its magnitude. Such is the momentous work to be accomplished in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, whose trumpets notes have been reverberating though the world since the memorable epoch of 1844! God is not slack. His work is not uncertain. Are we ready for this issue?” – p. 527.
p. 542: `[Verse 14 quoted]. The Trumpets Resumed. The series of seven trumpets is here again resumed. The second woe ended with the sixth trumpet, August 11, 1840, and the third woe occurs under the sounding of the seventh trumpet, which began in 1844.
“Then where are we? ‘Behold,’ that is to say, mark it well, ‘the third woe cometh quickly.’ The fearful scenes of the second woe are past, and we are now under the sounding of the trumpet that brings the third and last woe. Shall we now look for peace and safety, a temporal millennium, a thousand years of righteousness and prosperity on earth [taught by some mainstream denominations known as premillennialism, see Hal Lindsey, etc.] Rather, let us earnestly pray the Lord to awaken a slumbering world!”- p. 543.
‘[Verse 15 quoted]. From the fifteenth verse to the end of the chapter, we seem to be carried over the ground three distinct times from the sounding of the seventh angel to the end. In the verses here quoted, the prophet glances forward to the full establishment of the kingdom of God. “- p. 543.
Having now received more enlightenment from the seven trumpets, we have no more excuses for failing to see the awesomely solemn nature of the third angel’s message entrusted to us. It was launched in 1844 by the first and second angel’s messages, boosted with sounding of the seventh and last trumpet– the last of the three woes. It is earth’s last message of hope before the door of probation forever closes! (Continued next week)