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As Adventist, we were taught that the first beast of Rev. 13, is the Papacy, and the second beast from the earth is the US. This I assume you believe, which I believe to be incorrect based on a valid interpretation of apocalyptic prophecy.
Our early founding fathers believing in the return of Christ in 1844, believed that all of Revelations prophecies had to be fulfilled. We as Adventist have owned up to the fact that our founding fathers were wrong in believing the return of Christ in 1844, but are reluctant to reconsider other prophetic interpretations that were excepted based on the same bias.
One hundred and eighty two years have passed since the great disappointment, did that mark the end of any progressive truth from on high, or are we to believe that God will reveal more light as needed as we draw nearer to closing events. I believe in the latter, since creation God has continued to reveal more of Himself according to His timing and will continue to do so throughout eternity.
Since our earlier interpretation of Revelation was excepted, God has revealed greater light as to the laws of interpretation He built into apocalyptic prophecy and has made these know to those who have ears to hear, and likely to experience their actual fulfillment, for their salvation will depend on weather they except or reject the “Mark of the Beast”. Therefore, it is most important that we understand Revelation correctly, in which valid laws of interpretation are essential.
Please consider the following laws;
Rule one: Each prophecy has a beginning point and an ending point in time, and the events within each prophecy occur in the order in which they are given. This chronological behavior may sound simple, but it has profound ramifications. Consider the results of violating this behavior. If the events given within a particular prophecy do not occur in the order given, who has the authority to declare the order of events? Does anyone other than God have the authority to change the order that He created? When the fulfilled elements in Daniel and Revelation are aligned with widely published historical records, the validity of Rule One proves true every time! The prophecies in Daniel began unfolding more than 2,600 years ago. Some of the prophecies in Revelation began unfolding 2,000 years ago. These lengthy periods of time contain a sufficient sample to validate the four rules that spring from Daniel’s architecture.
Rule Two: A prophecy or prophetic element within a prophecy is not fulfilled until all of the specifications are met. This includes the order of the events given within the prophecy. (Fulfillment)
Rule Three: Apocalyptic language can be literal, symbolic, or analogous. To reach the intended meaning of a passage, the student must consider (a) the context, (b) the use of parallel language in the Bible, and (c) a relevant text that defines the symbol if an element is thought to be symbolic. (Language types)
Rule Four: The presence or absence of the Jubilee Calendar determines how God measures time. If a prophetic time period occurs during the operation of the Jubilee Calendar (1437 B.C. - 1994), time is translated as a day for a year; otherwise, translation is not permitted. (Timing)
The main pillar which our early church fathers believed in support of the “ Mark of the Beast” being Sunday worship was that the first beast of Rev. 13 was the papacy. Using what I and others consider to be valid laws of interpretation which God has since revealed, I will explain why I think that interpretation is incorrect.
First let me show you that we as Adventist do not understand rule one, that chronology within apocalyptic prophecy “is a law, thus it has no exceptions.” The following quote is taken from our SDA Bible Commentaries, vol., 7, pg. 787. Pertaining to Rev. 8: 3-5. “According to the view that Seventh-day Adventists have favored, the cessation of the angel’s ministry at the altar of incense is symbolic of the end of the ministration of Christ for mankind, the close of probation. The voices, thunderings, lighting, and earthquake that ensue when the angel cast the censer into to the earth describe events to take place at the end of the seventh trumpet…”
Please bear with me for it is critical that we understand what will happen when this prophecy is fulfilled in the future. The services conducted daily at the alter of incense in the earthly tabernacle pointed back in time when Jesus stepped between His Fathers wrath to destroy Adam and Eve the very day they ate of the forbidden fruit. (Gen. 2: 16, 17) On that day Jesus agreed to the Father’s plan of salvation, which if He, Jesus were to fulfill all that the Father required of Him, Jesus could save Adam and Eve and their offspring from eternal death. Since that day Jesus has been standing between the Fathers wrath and sinful mankind, corporate atonement, for our fallen world . Likewise (Jh. 3:16) is a corporate reference of God’s love for mankind. While corporate atonement is ongoing we as individuals have our life span to choose to either worship God or not. However, (Rev. 8:2-5) informs us that when the service at the altar of incense in heave ceases then the Fathers wrath will be poured out upon the earth. The Good news is probation does not close for individuals. Just as it was in the time of the earthly sanctuary, as the final day of probation was drawing to a close for Israel each year on the Day of Atonement, trumpets sounded morning and evening throughout the camp to warn the living that now was the final moments to get right with God, least they be cut off from the camp.
Therefore, when the chronology of Rev. 8 is correctly understood as it is given, and is being fulfilled in the future, corporate atonement ends, before the trumpets sound, and the Fathers wrath will follow immediately with the seven trumpet judgements, a time when the living will be judged, will they choose the salvation of Jesus or not, for by the end of the seventh trumpet probation closes.
But how will people know when this corporate atonement ends? Because God being merciful, has linked heavenly events with earthly events so that students of prophecy can understand what is taking place in heaven should they witness the earthly events linked to them. When the censor is case down to the earth, prophecy reveals there will be a chronological order of world wide events, as all must be informed. There will be literal voices, thunderings, lightning, and an earthquake. Has these literal world wide events been recorded to date in historical journals. No! Therefore, corporate probation has not ended, nor has the trumpet judgements begun, as our founding fathers believed.
However, the Millerites believed that the trumpets of Rev, 8 and 9, must be fulfilled before 1844, researched historical records to find events that seemed like logical fulfillments. These fulfillments we hold to this day. They believed that the first trumpet sounded between 395-419 A.D. and the seventh opened in 1844. Does this interpretation harmonize with the earthly sanctuary model, in which the trumpets sounded nine days prior to the day of atonement, the close of probation? No. Have billions of people since the sounding of the first trumpet in 395 A.D. been made aware that salvation was soon to close? No. So what purpose has the trumpets served based on the Millerites interpretation????
Now consider the effects the trumpets judgements will have when they sound in their proper chronological order within Revelations story, during the final days of probation. First trumpet: meteorite shower that burns up a third of the earth. Second trumpet judgement: asteroid impacts an ocean, one third of the sea life is destroyed and a third of the ships. Third trumpet judgement: another asteroid hits a continent, which will cause earth’s titanic plates to shift, causing earthquakes around the world and spilling toxic waste buried deep within the earth, leaching into aqua steams and poisoning one third of our drinking water. Thus millions will die drinking polluted water. Fourth trumpet: mega tons of ash and soot from the previous three trumpets will be swept up into our jet streams which circle the earth and prevent one third of the sun and stars from giving forth their light. Crops will fail to mature and world wide famine will occur
These trumpet judgments are designed by God to bring the fear of an Almighty God to the minds of every living individual, because He wants them to know that the end of life as we have experienced it is over,
therefore, choose to worship Him or suffer the seven last plagues poured out without mercy, and eternal death.
Satan clearly understands prophecy, thus understands that God will release him and his angels during the fifth trumpet and allow him to kill a third of mankind during the sixth. Of course since these prophecies were given to John , Satan has been misleading millions into invalid interpretations to cover up his appearance. We as Adventists believe that Satan and his angles will appear on earth in the end, but have no prophecy indicating when, nor his plans. Would it not be out of character for God to reveal the greatest deception of all time, Satan masquerading as God and demanding worship or death? For certain God has, but Satan has convinced millions it is the pope who is the Antichrist, the man of sin.
The first beast of Rev. 13, comes along in Revelations story after corporate atonement ends in Rev. 8:2-5,
and the first four trumpet judgements has put the earth in survival mode. The first of the three angles messages will be proclaimed during this time in fulfillment of prophecy. It states: “Fear God [literally] and give Him glory, for the hour [time] of His judgment [of the living] has come.” Certainly under these world wide conditions the first angels message will make more sense and have a greater impact on mankind then previously understood by our church in it’s early years.
Satan who has been standing on the shore of the sea [multitutes and nations] will witness the world reeling from the first four trumpet judgements, and seize the opportunity to raise up the sea beast of Rev. 13. It will consist of seventeen players. Seven heads, the seven major religions of the world. The one head/religion whose fatal wound is healed “before” this composite beast appears. The ten horns are ten kings, or world leaders. They were first mentioned in (Dan. 2:42-44) and would rule at the time of Christ coming. John describes the beast as looking like a leopard, bear, and lion, symbolizing this beast would be multinational, from former kingdoms. And that the dragon/satan will give it his power and great authority for forty two literal months as his puppet government of church and state.
To determine the timing when this beast appears one must factor in all the details given and omit nothing. This is not difficult to determine but rather difficult to accept. The sea beast appears after the head with the fatal wound has been [pasttense] healed. That head or religion is the papacy and the wound was inflicted in 1798 after ruling over Europe for 1260 years during the dark ages, according to (Dan. 7:24,25) Too, after it appears in the future after the four trumpets have destroyed a third of the earth, it is then given forty two months to rule. According to the fourth rule given above, these forty two months are literal, since the prophecy will be fulfilled after the expiration of the Jubilee calendar in 1994.
At the sounding of the fifth trumpet God releases satan and his angels out of the spirit realm to appear on earth. And in Rev. 13:11-18, the timing is after the sea beast appears, Lucifer will put on a glorious show to deceive most of the world into believing that he is Almighty God, even calling fire down from heaven.
During this time, Jesus will allow Lucifer and his demons to torture non-religious people for five literal months. This torture will cause some people to embrace the gospel of Jesus.
During the sixth trumpet, having convinced millions he is Christ, satan orders earth’s inhabitants to set up an image to the first beast. This image will be a one world church/state. Since he the Christ and now upon the earth, there can only be one religion and one God, who will rule over the earth as king of kings and lord of lords. His forces will kill a third of the remaining people on earth who oppose him by implementing his mark, “the mark of the beast.” God will allow this because if forces more of the living to choose whom they shall worship, Satan of Christ. At the time when this mark is being implemented survival on earth is dire being into the trumpet judgments now for over two years, food will be rationed and now the only ones who will be able buy or sell will be those receiving satan’s mark 666 on their right hand or in their foreheads if they are satan’s leaders, the rest will be killed. At the same time the third angles message will go out warning people, “ If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they too, will drink the wine of god’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath.”
The seventh trumpet brings the end of probation and is followed by the seven last plagues, effecting those who received satan’s mark.
It is my prayer that you will give considerable thought to what I have posted here and the fact that chronology has been followed to determine the timing of the various events that God has predetermine must take place in order that the everlasting gospel goes out into all the world, before probation comes to its close, and that nobody will be unaware.
Our early founding fathers believing in the return of Christ in 1844, believed that all of Revelations prophecies had to be fulfilled. We as Adventist have owned up to the fact that our founding fathers were wrong in believing the return of Christ in 1844, but are reluctant to reconsider other prophetic interpretations that were excepted based on the same bias.
One hundred and eighty two years have passed since the great disappointment, did that mark the end of any progressive truth from on high, or are we to believe that God will reveal more light as needed as we draw nearer to closing events. I believe in the latter, since creation God has continued to reveal more of Himself according to His timing and will continue to do so throughout eternity.
Since our earlier interpretation of Revelation was excepted, God has revealed greater light as to the laws of interpretation He built into apocalyptic prophecy and has made these know to those who have ears to hear, and likely to experience their actual fulfillment, for their salvation will depend on weather they except or reject the “Mark of the Beast”. Therefore, it is most important that we understand Revelation correctly, in which valid laws of interpretation are essential.
Please consider the following laws;
Rule one: Each prophecy has a beginning point and an ending point in time, and the events within each prophecy occur in the order in which they are given. This chronological behavior may sound simple, but it has profound ramifications. Consider the results of violating this behavior. If the events given within a particular prophecy do not occur in the order given, who has the authority to declare the order of events? Does anyone other than God have the authority to change the order that He created? When the fulfilled elements in Daniel and Revelation are aligned with widely published historical records, the validity of Rule One proves true every time! The prophecies in Daniel began unfolding more than 2,600 years ago. Some of the prophecies in Revelation began unfolding 2,000 years ago. These lengthy periods of time contain a sufficient sample to validate the four rules that spring from Daniel’s architecture.
Rule Two: A prophecy or prophetic element within a prophecy is not fulfilled until all of the specifications are met. This includes the order of the events given within the prophecy. (Fulfillment)
Rule Three: Apocalyptic language can be literal, symbolic, or analogous. To reach the intended meaning of a passage, the student must consider (a) the context, (b) the use of parallel language in the Bible, and (c) a relevant text that defines the symbol if an element is thought to be symbolic. (Language types)
Rule Four: The presence or absence of the Jubilee Calendar determines how God measures time. If a prophetic time period occurs during the operation of the Jubilee Calendar (1437 B.C. - 1994), time is translated as a day for a year; otherwise, translation is not permitted. (Timing)
The main pillar which our early church fathers believed in support of the “ Mark of the Beast” being Sunday worship was that the first beast of Rev. 13 was the papacy. Using what I and others consider to be valid laws of interpretation which God has since revealed, I will explain why I think that interpretation is incorrect.
First let me show you that we as Adventist do not understand rule one, that chronology within apocalyptic prophecy “is a law, thus it has no exceptions.” The following quote is taken from our SDA Bible Commentaries, vol., 7, pg. 787. Pertaining to Rev. 8: 3-5. “According to the view that Seventh-day Adventists have favored, the cessation of the angel’s ministry at the altar of incense is symbolic of the end of the ministration of Christ for mankind, the close of probation. The voices, thunderings, lighting, and earthquake that ensue when the angel cast the censer into to the earth describe events to take place at the end of the seventh trumpet…”
Please bear with me for it is critical that we understand what will happen when this prophecy is fulfilled in the future. The services conducted daily at the alter of incense in the earthly tabernacle pointed back in time when Jesus stepped between His Fathers wrath to destroy Adam and Eve the very day they ate of the forbidden fruit. (Gen. 2: 16, 17) On that day Jesus agreed to the Father’s plan of salvation, which if He, Jesus were to fulfill all that the Father required of Him, Jesus could save Adam and Eve and their offspring from eternal death. Since that day Jesus has been standing between the Fathers wrath and sinful mankind, corporate atonement, for our fallen world . Likewise (Jh. 3:16) is a corporate reference of God’s love for mankind. While corporate atonement is ongoing we as individuals have our life span to choose to either worship God or not. However, (Rev. 8:2-5) informs us that when the service at the altar of incense in heave ceases then the Fathers wrath will be poured out upon the earth. The Good news is probation does not close for individuals. Just as it was in the time of the earthly sanctuary, as the final day of probation was drawing to a close for Israel each year on the Day of Atonement, trumpets sounded morning and evening throughout the camp to warn the living that now was the final moments to get right with God, least they be cut off from the camp.
Therefore, when the chronology of Rev. 8 is correctly understood as it is given, and is being fulfilled in the future, corporate atonement ends, before the trumpets sound, and the Fathers wrath will follow immediately with the seven trumpet judgements, a time when the living will be judged, will they choose the salvation of Jesus or not, for by the end of the seventh trumpet probation closes.
But how will people know when this corporate atonement ends? Because God being merciful, has linked heavenly events with earthly events so that students of prophecy can understand what is taking place in heaven should they witness the earthly events linked to them. When the censor is case down to the earth, prophecy reveals there will be a chronological order of world wide events, as all must be informed. There will be literal voices, thunderings, lightning, and an earthquake. Has these literal world wide events been recorded to date in historical journals. No! Therefore, corporate probation has not ended, nor has the trumpet judgements begun, as our founding fathers believed.
However, the Millerites believed that the trumpets of Rev, 8 and 9, must be fulfilled before 1844, researched historical records to find events that seemed like logical fulfillments. These fulfillments we hold to this day. They believed that the first trumpet sounded between 395-419 A.D. and the seventh opened in 1844. Does this interpretation harmonize with the earthly sanctuary model, in which the trumpets sounded nine days prior to the day of atonement, the close of probation? No. Have billions of people since the sounding of the first trumpet in 395 A.D. been made aware that salvation was soon to close? No. So what purpose has the trumpets served based on the Millerites interpretation????
Now consider the effects the trumpets judgements will have when they sound in their proper chronological order within Revelations story, during the final days of probation. First trumpet: meteorite shower that burns up a third of the earth. Second trumpet judgement: asteroid impacts an ocean, one third of the sea life is destroyed and a third of the ships. Third trumpet judgement: another asteroid hits a continent, which will cause earth’s titanic plates to shift, causing earthquakes around the world and spilling toxic waste buried deep within the earth, leaching into aqua steams and poisoning one third of our drinking water. Thus millions will die drinking polluted water. Fourth trumpet: mega tons of ash and soot from the previous three trumpets will be swept up into our jet streams which circle the earth and prevent one third of the sun and stars from giving forth their light. Crops will fail to mature and world wide famine will occur
These trumpet judgments are designed by God to bring the fear of an Almighty God to the minds of every living individual, because He wants them to know that the end of life as we have experienced it is over,
therefore, choose to worship Him or suffer the seven last plagues poured out without mercy, and eternal death.
Satan clearly understands prophecy, thus understands that God will release him and his angels during the fifth trumpet and allow him to kill a third of mankind during the sixth. Of course since these prophecies were given to John , Satan has been misleading millions into invalid interpretations to cover up his appearance. We as Adventists believe that Satan and his angles will appear on earth in the end, but have no prophecy indicating when, nor his plans. Would it not be out of character for God to reveal the greatest deception of all time, Satan masquerading as God and demanding worship or death? For certain God has, but Satan has convinced millions it is the pope who is the Antichrist, the man of sin.
The first beast of Rev. 13, comes along in Revelations story after corporate atonement ends in Rev. 8:2-5,
and the first four trumpet judgements has put the earth in survival mode. The first of the three angles messages will be proclaimed during this time in fulfillment of prophecy. It states: “Fear God [literally] and give Him glory, for the hour [time] of His judgment [of the living] has come.” Certainly under these world wide conditions the first angels message will make more sense and have a greater impact on mankind then previously understood by our church in it’s early years.
Satan who has been standing on the shore of the sea [multitutes and nations] will witness the world reeling from the first four trumpet judgements, and seize the opportunity to raise up the sea beast of Rev. 13. It will consist of seventeen players. Seven heads, the seven major religions of the world. The one head/religion whose fatal wound is healed “before” this composite beast appears. The ten horns are ten kings, or world leaders. They were first mentioned in (Dan. 2:42-44) and would rule at the time of Christ coming. John describes the beast as looking like a leopard, bear, and lion, symbolizing this beast would be multinational, from former kingdoms. And that the dragon/satan will give it his power and great authority for forty two literal months as his puppet government of church and state.
To determine the timing when this beast appears one must factor in all the details given and omit nothing. This is not difficult to determine but rather difficult to accept. The sea beast appears after the head with the fatal wound has been [pasttense] healed. That head or religion is the papacy and the wound was inflicted in 1798 after ruling over Europe for 1260 years during the dark ages, according to (Dan. 7:24,25) Too, after it appears in the future after the four trumpets have destroyed a third of the earth, it is then given forty two months to rule. According to the fourth rule given above, these forty two months are literal, since the prophecy will be fulfilled after the expiration of the Jubilee calendar in 1994.
At the sounding of the fifth trumpet God releases satan and his angels out of the spirit realm to appear on earth. And in Rev. 13:11-18, the timing is after the sea beast appears, Lucifer will put on a glorious show to deceive most of the world into believing that he is Almighty God, even calling fire down from heaven.
During this time, Jesus will allow Lucifer and his demons to torture non-religious people for five literal months. This torture will cause some people to embrace the gospel of Jesus.
During the sixth trumpet, having convinced millions he is Christ, satan orders earth’s inhabitants to set up an image to the first beast. This image will be a one world church/state. Since he the Christ and now upon the earth, there can only be one religion and one God, who will rule over the earth as king of kings and lord of lords. His forces will kill a third of the remaining people on earth who oppose him by implementing his mark, “the mark of the beast.” God will allow this because if forces more of the living to choose whom they shall worship, Satan of Christ. At the time when this mark is being implemented survival on earth is dire being into the trumpet judgments now for over two years, food will be rationed and now the only ones who will be able buy or sell will be those receiving satan’s mark 666 on their right hand or in their foreheads if they are satan’s leaders, the rest will be killed. At the same time the third angles message will go out warning people, “ If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they too, will drink the wine of god’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath.”
The seventh trumpet brings the end of probation and is followed by the seven last plagues, effecting those who received satan’s mark.
It is my prayer that you will give considerable thought to what I have posted here and the fact that chronology has been followed to determine the timing of the various events that God has predetermine must take place in order that the everlasting gospel goes out into all the world, before probation comes to its close, and that nobody will be unaware.
