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Chapter
50
The First Angel's
Message
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Has God appointed the day
of judgment?
"Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world
in righteousness." Acts 17:31.
To whom has this event
been made known?
"Surely the Lord God will do nothing but He revealeth His secret
unto His servants the prophets." Amos 3:7.
Where is the announcement
of the judgment made?
"Saying with
a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment
is come." Rev. 14:7.
What does
the angel preach who makes this announcement?
"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the
everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every
nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." Rev. 14:6.
By what is this angel
accompanied before his work is accomplished?
"And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen...
And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, 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." Rev. 14:8-10.
What will be the effect
of the united work of these three messages?
"And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to
Him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in Thy sickle, and reap: for the time is
come for thee to reap,. for the harvest of the earth is ripe." Rev.
14:15. (See Matt. 13:39.)
What takes place in
connection with the harvest?
"And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud One sat
like unto the Son of man, haying on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a
sharp sickle." Rev. 14:14.
What was the appearance
of an angel seen by John, as recorded in chapter ten?
"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." Rev. 10:1.
What did he hold in his
hand?
"And he had in his hand a little book open." Rev. 10:2.
And what did the angel
do?
"And he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,
and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth." Rev. 10:2, 3.
What was the burden of
this message?
"And the angel which I saw stand upon 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." Rev. 10:5, 6.
The book in the hand of
the angel, from which he proclaimed this time message, was said to be
"open." When was the only sealed book of the Bible, that contained
definite time, to be opened?
"But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the
time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be
increased." Dan. 12:4.
What does the prophet
Daniel say about the judgment?
"I beheld till the thrones were cast down. I and the Ancient of
days did sit,... thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times
ten thousand stood before Him: the judgment was set, and the books were
opened." Dan.7:9, 10.
What did Daniel see the
little horn (Roman Church) do after the judgment opened?
"I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the
horn spake." Dan. 7:11.
When did the angel say
this judgment work, called the cleansing of the sanctuary would commence?
"And he said unto me, Unto two thousand three hundred days; then
shall the sanctuary be cleansed." Dan. 8:14.
What did John do with the
little book given him by the angel? And what effect did it have upon him?
"And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and
it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was
bitter." Rev. 10:10.
What was symbolized by
his eating the book?
"Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat
this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel." Eze. 3:1.
Were not the disciples
disappointed in their expectations concerning Christ's work at His first advent?
"When they therefore were come together, they asked of Him, saying, Lord,
will thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" Acts
1:6. See also Luke 24:19-21.
NOTE. - The
disappointment of the disciples of Christ did not prove His mission false. As He
rode into Jerusalem amid the shouts of "Hosanna!" from the delighted
disciples, who supposed He would then take the throne of David and commence His
reign, the Pharisees asked Him to rebuke the disciples. But Christ answered:
"I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would
immediately cry out" (Luke 19:40). And why? Because the prophecies relating
to His earthly work had predicted this entry into Jerusalem (Zech. 9:9), and it
must be fulfilled, even should the stones be caused to fulfill it. Then the Lord
in this event suffered His disciples to be disappointed; and yet they were
fulfilling prophecy. When Israel left Egypt, under the impression that they
would in a few days, at farthest, enter the promised land, they, too, were
disappointed. But that did not disprove the divine call of Moses, nor show that
the departure from Egypt was not ordered by God. In every great movement which
God has inaugurated among His people, He has suffered disappointment to come, in
order to test the faith of those engaged in it. It was so in the cases of
Elijah, Jonah, and others. And so it was in 1844. God suffered His people to
misapprehend the intent of the prophecy, and thus their faith was tested. The
disappointment was due, not to an error in locating the beginning or the end of
the 2300 days, but in the nature of the event to occur at the end of
those days. They supposed the cleansing of the sanctuary meant the purifying of
the earth by fire, at the coming of Christ.
What did the lord say
should afterward be done?
"And He said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many
peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings." Rev. 10:11.
What message was
immediately to follow the proclamation of the judgment?
"And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is
fallen." Rev. 14:8. For explanation of this message, see the next chapter
(51).
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