[Bates’ Pamphlet #2] Second Advent Way Marks and High Heaps

FOURTH WAY MARK. COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE

“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 the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture” (no mercy with it as in instances before.) This is the third message given by all the messengers that fully believed Babylon had fallen in Revelation 14:9-11. They showed up the awful plagues that would befall all those that held, or again received the mark of the beast in any way connected with fallen Babylon, and is in substance the same as chap. 18:4. “And I heard another voice from Heaven, saying, come out of her my people that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Now if we have proved that mystery Babylon, the antitype of literal Babylon, which signifies confusion and mixture, represents the organized Churches of all descriptions, divided into three parts, Revelation 16:19, viz: Roman, Greek, and Protestant. Then is it not clear that this call from Heaven “comes out of her my people,” is a message delivered by messengers calling on God’s people to come out of these Churches. BP2 65.3

Respecting these three Angels. Angel signifies a messenger or one sent by God, spiritual beings whom he makes use of as his ministers to execute his orders. See Hebrews 1:7, 14. Psalm 104:4. Revelation 15.8, seems to be that class which he employs to execute his judgments. BP2 66.1

In the second and third chap. of Rev. they are the Ministers or Messengers of the Churches, 1-20. And so in the 14, as I have shown, the first three angels are men preaching to men, delivering the last messages which God has in store for this wicked world. In 25th Math. we read that the Devil also has his angels or executors of his wicked purposes. BP2 66.2

It is also obvious that these Angels, said to be flying through the midst of heaven, are men delivering their message to us here on the earth’s surface. Moses says, “God made the firmament and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. And God called the firmament Heaven. Genesis 1:7, 8. In the 20th v. says, “let the waters bring forth them that have life, and fowls that may fly above the Earth in the open firmament of Heaven.” Here we have it explained that every where above the earth and waters, is called the firmament, and the firmament is called Heaven. Then God’s living people live in the first Heaven, heavenly places in Christ. Ephesians 1:3, 20, and 2:6; Hebrews 12:22. See 2nd Peter 3rd chap.5,7,10-12. David in 19 Psl, 1st v. speaks of the starry Heaven, second above the first. Paul says, Paradise, that is the Heavenly Jerusalem, is in the third Heaven, which is the sanctuary. The Prophet says “he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from Heaven did the Lord behold the earth. Solomon says the Heaven of Heavens. Now see his people in the first BP2 66.3

Heaven just above the earth, and the whole subject is clear, that Angels flying through the midst of Heaven preaching the Gospel, are no more nor less than men burdened with a message and are pained to be delivered. Our business then is with the Protestant Church, for it will be admitted by all that the Roman and Greek Church are corrupt and anti-Christian. BP2 67.1