Synopsis of the Present Truth

CHAPTER 6. The Messages of Revelation Fourteen

Having seen that the cleansing of the sanctuary is a work of Judgment, a key is placed in our hands for an explanation of the messages of Revelation 14. The first message, verses 6, 7, is symbolized by an angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth, saying with a loud voice, “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his Judgment is come; and worship him that made heaven and earth, and the sea and the fountains of waters.” SYNPT 39.1

QUESTIONS ON CHAPTER SIX.
1. How does the subject of the sanctuary help us to understand the three messages of Revelation 14?
2. By what is the first message symbolized?
3. What does he have to preach?
4. What are his words?
5. What is the cope of this message?
6. What is the burden of its announcement?
7. What are we therefore to look for?

Let us see what we are warranted to expect from the terms of the message, that we may know what to inquire for as a fulfillment. The scope of the message is the gospel either as a whole or in some of its special phases; and the burden of its announcement is that the hour of God’s Judgment is come. Some Judgment work connected with the gospel we are therefore to look for. But the gospel brings to view no work of this kind except that connected with the close of the probation of the human race, near the end of time. Still it cannot be any phase of the Judgment after probation has ended; for two other proclamations to men follow it before the Lord appears as symbolized by one like the Son of man on the white cloud. Verse 14. It can therefore be no other than the work of investigative Judgment which we have seen takes place above, as the sanctuary is cleansed, immediately preceding the coming of Christ. And further, it is a time message, based on the prophetic periods; for it announces the hour of God’s Judgment come, and must consequently bring us to the commencement of that work. SYNPT 39.2

QUESTIONS ON CHAPTER SIX.
8. What Judgment is brought to view by the gospel?
9. Can this be any Judgment that takes place after probation ends?
10. Why?
11. What therefore is the nature of this Judgment, and when and where does it take place?
12. What is the nature of this message, and on what is it based?
13. To what must it bring us?
14. Was this message given by the apostles or reformers?
15. Can such a message be given till we reach the last generation?
16. What did the apostles say about the Judgment? References.
17. How far off did Luther think it was from his day?
18. What has our own generation witnessed?
19. What was this movement?

With these data before us, where shall be look for that message? We need not stop even to inquire if it was given by the apostles, or the reformers, or any class of religious teachers previous to our own day; for if given at any time before the last generation it would not be true. The apostle reasoned of a Judgment to come, Acts 17:31; 24:25; and it is recorded of Luther that he thought the day of Judgment was about 300 years distant from his day. But our own generation has witnessed such a proclamation as the message announces. In the great Advent movement of 1840 to 1844 and onward, the fulfillment is seen. SYNPT 40.1

QUESTIONS ON CHAPTER SIX.
20. On what was this Advent movement based?
21. What was its extent?
22. What relation has this angel to the angel of Revelation 10?
23. Where is the evidence of this found?
24. From what does this angel utter his oath?
25. In what condition is the little book?
26. What book is probably intended by this?
27. What directions had been given in regard to this book?
28. How long was it to be closed up and sealed?
29. What is shown by the fact that the angel now has the book open?
30. What does this angel proclaim?
31. What is the proclamation of Revelation 14:6, 7?
32. This being the same angel, what relation does the hour of God’s Judgment have to the finishing of the mystery of God?

This movement was one of the right nature: it was based on the prophetic periods, and proclaimed time. It was of sufficient extent: it went to every missionary station on the globe. See Exposition of Matthew 24. This angel of Revelation 14:6 is the same as the angel of Revelation 10. Evidence of this is found in the chronology of this latter movement, the nature of the message, and the terms in which the proclamation of this angel is uttered. Revelation 10:6. But this angel utters his oath on the authority of a little book which he has in his hand open. This is unquestionably the book which Daniel had been told to close up and seal to the time of the end, and the fact that the angel now had it in his hand open, shows that his message is given this side of the time of the end. He proclaims the end of prophetic time, and following that the finishing of the mystery of God. In Revelation 14:6, 7 it is the finishing of the prophetic periods, and then the hour of God’s Judgment. The finishing of the mystery of God, and the hour of God’s Judgment, therefore, occupy the same time and bring to view the same work, - a work to be fulfilled in the cleansing of the sanctuary, commencing in 1844 and now going forward. SYNPT 41.1

QUESTIONS ON CHAPTER SIX.
33. In what is this work to be fulfilled?
34. When did it commence?
35. How does locating the first message affect the others?
36. Has the second message received a marked fulfillment?
37. What is the symbol taken to represent Babylon?
38. Why does not this woman, or Babylon, represent the wicked world?
39. Of what is a woman the symbol?
40. Is Babylon confined to any one church, and why?
41. What must be included under this term?
42. What does the term Babylon mean?
43. From what is it derived?
44. What is the great fault charged upon Babylon?
45. What is meant by the wine of the wrath of her fornication? (The word rendered “wrath” has also the definition of “violent passion,” which rendering would make the prophet’s figure more consistent.)

Having located the first message, the others must follow in order. The second has received as marked a fulfillment as the first. Babylon is brought to view under the symbol of a woman in Revelation 17:5. This does not mean the wicked world, or worldly powers; for the woman is seated upon a beast which represents the civil power. Verse 3. A woman is the symbol of a church; a lewd woman representing a corrupt or apostate church, Ezekiel 16; and a virtuous woman, a pure church. Revelation 12:1. But Babylon is not confined to any one church; for this woman of Revelation 17:5 has daughters of the same character with herself. Parity of reasoning would lead us to include under this term all heathen systems of religion, as well as portions of the so-called Christian world. Babylon means mixture and confusion. The name is derived from Babel, where God rebuked men’s impious attempt to build a tower to Heaven, by confounding their language. The great fault here charged upon Babylon is that she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, or corrupted them with her false doctrines. SYNPT 42.1

The fall of Babylon is not the loss of temporal power by the papacy, nor the destruction of the city of Rome. For the papacy does not lose her temporal power because she made the nations drink of her false doctrines; but that is the very means by which she obtained and so long held it. And it cannot mean the destruction of Rome; for Babylon is where the people of God are largely represented. Revelation 18:4. But this has never been true of Rome, and especially it was not when the second message of Revelation 14 was given. And, secondly, it is after Babylon’s fall that the people of God are called out, which would be an absurdity if applied to fall and burning of Rome. And, thirdly after the fall Babylon fills up with hateful birds and foul spirits, which makes the application to the destruction of Rome still more ridiculous. SYNPT 43.1

QUESTIONS ON CHAPTER SIX.
46. Why is not the fall of Babylon the loss of temporal power by the papacy?
47. Why can it not mean the destruction of the city of Rome?
48. When are God’s people called out?
49. What happened to Babylon after her fall?
50. What, therefore, must be the nature of her fall?
51. To what portion of Babylon must this proclamation apply?

The fall of Babylon is a moral fall, as is shown by Revelation 18:1-3. But, the proclamation of this fall being connected with the great Advent movement of our own days, it must apply to some portion of Babylon which was at that time in a condition to experience a moral change for the worse. But this announcement, Babylon is fallen, could not then be said of the heathen world, which has for ages been lost in darkness and corruption; nor of the Romish church, for that has for generations been as low as it is possible for any organization, religious or secular, to descend. It must therefore have reference to those classes who have partially come out from Romish errors, but stopped short of receiving all the light that was offered them. This is true of the great mass of Protestant sects. They ran well for a season, and had a large measure of the graces of the Holy Spirit and the blessing of God to witness to what truth they were willing to receive. But their theology is still hideously deformed by enormous errors drawn from Rome, which they refuse to abandon. A reception of the first message would have healed their divisions and made a beginning of the work of correcting their errors. We know this from the effect it did have on those who received it, who came from all these denominations. But they rejected the message, and shut it out of their houses. The cry was then raised, Babylon is fallen: and although the distinctive call of Revelation 18:4, “Come out of her my people,” which we apply to the future, was not given, yet some 50,000 persons did come out from the theological bondage to which they were subjected, an earnest of a still greater separation to take place, as we believe, in the near future, when Revelation 18:2 is more completely fulfilled in them, and the cry of verse 4 shall be given. SYNPT 43.2

QUESTIONS ON CHAPTER SIX.
52. What must be said of the great mass of the Protestant sects?
53. What condition is their theology still in?
54. What would the first message have done for them?
55. How do we know this?
56. How did they treat the message?
57. What cry was then raised?
58. What was the result?
59. What do we look for in the future?
60. What has marked the condition of these churches since 1844?

This state of religious declension among the popular churches has been a marked condition with them since 1844. The most devoted among them saw and deeply deplored it then. See testimonies in work entitled, The Three Messages. Their condition in this respect has not improved since; and the spasmodic and emotional efforts of a Knapp, Hammond, Moody, and other modern revivalists, are not affording any permanent improvement. There is an advance truth for this age, and no permanent work of religious reform can be accomplished except in connection therewith. SYNPT 44.1

QUESTIONS ON CHAPTER SIX.
60. What has marked the condition of these churches since 1844?
61. Have they themselves admitted and deplored it?
62. Has their condition improved since?
63. What can be said of the efforts of modern revivalists?
64. Where only can we look for permanent religious reformation?
65. What is the burden of the third message which follows?
66. Against what does it utter its warning?
67. Can this message be understood?

The third angel followed them; and now the message deepens into a most close and pointed warning, and a denunciation of wrath more terrific than anything elsewhere to be found in the Bible, against uniting with anti-Christian powers in the last work of opposition against God, upon which they will embark before the end. It is announced with a loud voice that if any man worship the beast or his image, or receive his mark in his forehead or hand, he shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation. The terms here employed are without dispute highly figurative; and hence many conclude at once that they cannot be understood. But surely God would never announce judgments so terrible as these and then clothe the warning in such terms that it could not be understood, and so men not know whether they were exposing themselves to the punishment or not. This is certainly the last message to go forth before the coming of Christ; for the next scene is one like the Son of man coming on a white cloud to reap the harvest of the earth. None but Christ does this. This message consequently reaches to the close of probation; and whoever is giving the true Advent message, will be urging upon the people a warning of this nature. If we have reached the last days and the coming of Christ is at the doors, the time has come for this message. It is due. Yet there are those who will presume to call themselves Adventists, and proclaim the coming of Christ very near, who entirely ignore this message, leave it out of their preaching, and profess to know nothing about it. Are such standing in the light and giving the true message? Assuredly not. SYNPT 45.1

Seventh-day Adventists claim to be giving this message. People have a right therefore to demand of us an explanation of the terms and figures employed in the message; and we stand ready to give it. This is the burden of our work, to warn against the worship of the beast, and urge in contrast obedience to God. An exposition of the symbols introduced, involves an examination of Revelation 12 and 13. SYNPT 46.1

QUESTIONS ON CHAPTER SIX.
68. What relation has this message to the coming of Christ?
69. To what point must it reach?
70. Is this message now due?
71. What will that people be doing who are giving the true Advent message?
72. What do S. D. Adventists claim?
73. What have people a right to demand of us?
74. What is the burden of our work?
75. Where do we look for an explanation of the symbols of the message?