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June 2010 These Times 1

2 These Times June 2010

ContentsEditorial

Facing Life’s Recordere are two aspects of the investigative judg-ment, one following the other—the judgment forthe dead and the judgment for the living. We knowthat the judgment for the dead began in 1844. But,what is the judgment of the living? When does itbegin? e answer will startle you.

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The man 666, Priest or President?We have been taught that the number 666 appliesto the pope. e Spirit of Prophecy attaches thenumber to someone else.

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The Dangers of Meat EatingIf you are still using flesh, then this article willshow you the physical and spiritual implications.

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The Intriguing 144, 000is subject is crucial for every Seventh-day Ad-ventist to understand. A proper understanding ofthis topic will help you to have a closer walk withJesus.

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A Great Unexpected HarvestWhat is the “Harvest”? And when is it to takeplace? Most Seventh-day Adventists believe it takesplace at the second coming of Christ, but is thiswhat the Bible teaches about this important sub-ject? Let us candidly revisit this topic and learn thereal truth.

Sister Head Deacon is busily preparing for her houseparty in the evening. e Florida hurricane centerblasts out a warning on TV: a serious, radar-de-

tected hurricane is on its way and would arrive in a fewhours by nightfall in Miami, Dade. Now this is preciselythe region where our popular sister lives. Poor SisterDeacon! She has set her heart on this party and invited alot of guests. Must she allow anything to interrupt herspecial party. No, no. it is simply not fair! e warningcontinues: Everyone is advised to securely bar up win-dows and get to a shelter before sunset.

Well believe it or not, Sister Head-Deacon rises to thechallenge. She turns off the TV –enough of bad news.She is going to party it out! Like a good, modern Adven-tist she is determined to have her fun. As the saying goes,“Eat and drink; for tomorrow we die.” Well most likelySister Head Deacon did not have to wait till the morrowto die. e storm was more severe than she thought!

Are you dear reader related to Sister Deacon? Doesany of her family go to your church? Are there manychurch members as foolish as beloved Sister Deacon,spiritually speaking? Are not many of us, popular pro-fessed Adventists doing the same thing? Spiritually par-tying away, while a great and dreadful hurricane is aboutto overtake the Laodicean church?

Really, is there a spiritual hurricane coming? And isthere a real judgment for us, considering that we are allsaved by grace, and that Christ did it all on the cross?Here is what the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy radars havedetected.

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat ofChrist; that every one may receive the things done in hisbody, according to that he hath done, whether it be goodor bad.” 2Co 5:10.

“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but aerthis the judgment: Heb. 9:27.

And what about the divine hurricane? Confirmed bymany bible meteorologists, here are three by way of ex-ample:

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before thecoming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: Andhe shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, andthe heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come andsmite the earth with a curse.”Mal. 4:5.

“e great day of the LORD is near, it is near, andhasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD:the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. at day is a dayof wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wastenessand desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a dayof clouds and thick darkness, … And I will bring distressupon men, that they shall walk like blind men, becausethey have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shallbe poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.” Zep.1: 14-17.

“And the kings of the earth, and the great men, andthe rich men, and the chief captains, and the mightymen, and every bondman, and every free man, hid them-selves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; Andsaid to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide usfrom the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and fromthe wrath of the Lamb:” Rev. 6:15-17. See also Joel 2:1-2.

Dear reader, you can be like popular and foolish Sis-ter Head Deacon or you can choose to be a candidate forthe 144,000 who follow the Lamb whithersoever hegoeth. Like the wise virgins, you can fill up your lampwith the extra oil of Prophetic and Present Truth accom-panied by the Holy Spirit. e typical Laodicean says thathe is “rich and increased with goods and has need ofnothing.” He believes that he does not need any moretruth or prophecies. Spued out of Christ’s mouth, howwill such be able to stand in the great and dreadful day ofthe Lord? Please therefore follow the counsel of God’sservant: “Let us strive with all the power God has givenus to be among the 144,000.” SDA Bible Commentary,vol. 7A, p. 970. LET THIS MAGAZINE HELP YOU BEHURRICANE PROOF!!


Hurricane Ready!

Editorial


Because of their erroneous belief that God’s thronehas always been in the sanctuary and that Christaer ascending on high sat there at the right hand

of His Father, men have put forth every effort possible toprove that Christ entered “within the veil” immediatelyaer He le His disciples. . . .We must therefore diligentlyentreat the Lord for the promised Comforter to lead usinto all truth, and to save us from being presumptuousand from blindly taking things for granted and formingconclusions without digging beneath the surface.

Earthly Things Reveal Heavenly ThingsSince earthly beings, themselves having never been in

heaven, are naturally strangers to heaven’s realities (1Corinthians 2:9), then in order for God to make heav-

FacingLife’sRecord

A glance at theInvestigative

Judgment


enly truth known unto them, He must reveal it by meansof earthly realities with which they are familiar. Hencethrough the sanctuary work on earth is seen the sanctu-ary work in heaven (Hebrews 9:1-9). Indeed, the sanctu-ary above being the pattern of the one below, the servicesof the former are therefore definitely revealed in the serv-ices of the latter. And the fact that the earthly sanctuarywas appointed as a place for confession and for forgive-ness of sins, shows that the throne-room in the heavenlysanctuary is only temporary. From it, while sin exists, theLord carries on the work of removing from the universesin and sinners. And this light in turn clearly shows thatnot until aer sin came into the universe could the sanc-tuary congruously have existed in heaven.

“I looked,” exclaimed the Revelator about 96 A. D. ,upon being shown the throne in the sanctuary, “and be-hold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voicewhich I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking withme; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew theethings which must be hereaer. And Immediately I wasin the spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, andone sat on the throne . . . and there were seven lamps offire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spir-its of God. . . . And before the throne there was a sea ofglass like unto crystal: and round about the throne, werefour beasts full of eyes before and behind. . . . And I sawin the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book . .. And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under theearth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.. . And one of the elders saith unto to me, Weep not: be-hold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David,hath prevailed to open the book . . . and in the midst ofthe elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, havingseven horns and seven eyes. . .” Revelation 4:1-2, 5- 6, 5:1,3, 5, 6.

Here is brought to view a two-fold scene. On the one

hand, before the throne are the “seven lamps burning”and the “Lamb as it had been slain,” showing that thethrone was “set” there to serve in time of probation. elight from the candlestick represents the light of truth inthe church [Revelation 1:20] while the blood of the Lambis atoning for sinful beings. On the other hand, upon thethrone sits the Ancient of days, the Judge, surrounded bythe jury of twenty-four elders plus the angelic witnesses,“ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands ofthousands” of them, plus the four beasts (who, being “re-deemed” “out of every kindred, and tongue, and people,and nation”—Revelation 5:8, 9,—are therefore symboli-cal of the saints,— all those whose sins will be blottedfrom the books of records—just as the beasts of Daniel 7are symbolical of all the kingdoms which will perish intheir sins), with the Lamb, our Advocate, in the midst.All this shows a combined mediatorial-judicial work.

Christ’s Work in the Most Holy Began After theFall of Papal Rome

Now so far, we see that when John in vision beheldthe door—the veil—as it opened to the Most Holy apart-ment of the heavenly sanctuary, 1 he was permitted tolook within, and that the things which he saw, were totake place “hereaer” from his time; showing therebythat at the time of his vision (about 96 A. D. ) the MostHoly apartment was closed. In addition to this, we shallnow see from Daniel’s prophecy that the judgmentthrone was set up in the Most Holy apartment of theheavenly sanctuary aer the “little horn” of Daniel 7came up.

“I considered the horns,” says the seer, “and, beholdthere came up among them another little horn, beforewhom there were three of the first horns plucked up bythe roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like theeyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. I beheld

And the fact that the earthly sanctuary was appointed as a placefor confession and for forgiveness of sins, shows that the throne-

room in the heavenly sanctuary is only temporary. From it, whilesin exists, the Lord carries on the work of removing from the uni-

verse sin and sinners.


till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of daysdid sit, Whose garment was white as snow, and the hairof His head like the pure wool: His throne was like thefiery flame, and His wheels as burning fire. A fierystream issued and came forth from before Him, thou-sands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times tenthousands stood before Him: the judgement was set, andthe books were opened.” Daniel 7:8 -10.

ese verses reveal that aer “the judgment was set,and the books were opened,” “the Son of man,” Christ,was then “brought” to a position, not at “the right handof God,” “the Ancient of days,” but “near before” Him(Daniel 7:8-10, 13).

Both John’s and Daniel’s visions reveal that the thronein the sanctuary was not there from the beginning of thecreation of God; or from the days of Moses; or yet fromthe hour that Christ ascended on high; or even from thedays of pagan Rome; that, indeed, it was not “set up”until aer the fall of pagan Rome, when the “littlehorn”[the Papacy—between 538 A.D. - 1798] of the non-descript beast came up—in the days of EcclesiasticalRome (Daniel 7:7-12, 21, 22). Elsewhere than in thesanctuary, therefore, is God’s Eternal throne room.

Which Throne Did Stephen See?Because the sanctuary throne was not in existence in

the days of the early Christian church, therefore thethrone upon which Stephen saw Christ at the “right handof God” (Acts 7:56) could not have been in the sanctuary,wherein is the “sea of glass,” but rather in Paradise,whence flows the “river of water of life,” and on eitherside of which is “the tree of life. “ Revelation 22:1, 2.

Very obviously, therefore, the throne which Stephen sawis “the throne of God and of the Lamb,” the throne per-manent and eternal. Round about this glory-seat are nobeasts, no witnesses, no jury, and before it is “no candle,”

and no blood to be offered. In short, it stands, not in thesin-laden sanctuary, but in Paradise. It is the sovereignadministrative throne, from which the Infinite eternallygoverns His immortal sinless beings!

To this throne, then, which is from everlasting toeverlasting, Christ ascended and thereat sat down at theright hand of His Father until the time came when, infulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy and of John’s revelation,sometime aer the little-horn power came into existence,both He and His Father moved to the sanctuary throne.2

Upon the latter He does not sit as a king at the right handof God; but rather before it does He stand both as a sacri-ficial lamb (Revelation 5:6), and as an intercessor(Daniel 7:13) pleading for sinful human beings. Hence,His mediatorial work began first in the Holy, then theMost Holy.

Type Meets AntitypeIn the earthly sanctuary the high priest (typifying

Christ) officiated first in the holy apartment throughoutthe year, then upon the day of Atonement, the day ofcleansing the sanctuary and judging the people, he offici-ated in the Most Holy for one day only. is twofoldservice signifies that in the heavenly sanctuary, the HighPriest, Christ, must necessarily first officiate in the holyapartment up to the antitypical day of Atonement, thenduring that day, He must officiate in the Most Holyapartment, before the throne. us the earthly services,too, repudiate the idea that Christ entered the Most Holyapartment of the heavenly sanctuary immediately aerHis ascension.

From the foregoing facts, clear and distinct, the only

tenable conclusion to be drawn is that Christ, immedi-ately aer His ascension, rather than entering within theveil in the sanctuary, sat down at the right hand of HisFather, in Paradise, and from there carried on His work

From the foregoing facts, clear and distinct, the only tenable con-clusion to be drawn is that Christ, immediately aer His ascension,rather than entering within the veil in the sanctuary, sat down atthe right hand of His Father, in Paradise, and from there carried

on His work in the holy apartment of the sanctuary.

in the holy apartment of the sanctuary. “. . . We havesuch a high priest, Who is set on the right hand of thethrone of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of thesanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lordpitched, and not man.” Heb. 8:1,2.

What is the Judgment for the dead?e Judgment as you know is in two separate and dis-

tinct sections, one following the other—the judgment forthe dead first, and the Judgment for the living last. . . .Our part of the judgment message since 1844 has been,as you know, to proclaim the Judgment for the dead, notfor the living as yet. What is the Judgment for the dead?

We have been taught by Inspiration that it is to sepa-rate the good from the bad, not bodily, but in books, be-cause before the resurrection, the dead have no being or“portion” in any thing that is done under the sun.” (Ec-clesiastes 9:5, 6) is judgment work is to enable the an-gels to know who is to come up in the first resurrection,in the resurrection of the holy ones (Revelation 20:4, 5,11 - 14), and who is to come up in the second resurrec-tion, in the resurrection of the unholy ones [Revelation20:5, 13, 14]. . .us it is that Inspiration calls the judg-ment work, “the cleansing of the sanctuary” (Dan. 8:14);that is, each professor of religion that ever died since thebeginning of sin, is now judged and the case of each de-cided either to bring him up in the first resurrection or inthe second; either to blot out from the record the nameof each impenitent sinner, or to blot out for ever from theBook the sins of each penitent sinner. is has beenHeaven’s work since the year 1844, and every informedSeventh-day Adventist knows it.

Are You Ready for the Judgment of the Living?What is the judgement for the living? And what hap-

pens with the righteous, and what happens with thewicked, aer they are judged? e fact that the messageof the Judgment of the living is by far more widelytreated by all the Bible prophets than is the Judgment forthe Dead, is in itself proof positive that it is supremelyimportant. I can, however, treat of it only [now] verybriefly. . . As shown before, in the judgment for the dead,the sinners are separated from the righteous in booksonly, but in the judgment for the living the sinners andthe righteous are bodily separated one from the other asInspiration through the prophet Ezekiel [in chapterNine] explains.

Ellen White wrote about Ezekiel Nine: “Study theNinth Chapter of Ezekiel, these words will be literally ful-filled 3. . . Here we see that the church—the Lord’s Sanc-tuary—was the first to feel the stroke of the wrath of God4 . . . . e angel is to place a mark upon the forehead ofall who are separated from sin and sinners, and the de-stroying angel will follow, to slay utterly both old andyoung 5 . . . . Angels keep a faithful record of every man’swork, and as judgment passes upon the house of God,the sentence of each is recorded by his name, and theangel is commissioned to spare not the unfaithful ser-vants, but to cut them down at the time of slaughter.” 6[see also, judgment begins at God’s house,—I Peter 4:17;the Lord’s suddenly coming to His temple—Malachi 3:1 -3, the separation of the wheat and tares—harvest—Matthew 13:30, 40,41].

All these scriptures and many more, my friend, referto the purification of the church, to the great and dread-ful day of the Lord (Malachi 4:5), to the Judgment for theliving and the gathering of the saints—the “harvest” ofwhich every prophet has written, some more and someless.

—Editors

Excerpts from e Judgement and the Harvest, pp. 12 -20,and Jezreel Letters, No. 2, pp. 2 - 9 Brackets added.

1 Early Writings, p. 42, E.G. White2 Ibid p. 54, 553 Manuscript Releases, Vol. 1, p. 260, E.G. White4 Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, p. 211, E.G. White5 Ibid p. 5056 Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 1, p. 198


In giving the parable of the wheatand tares our Savior said to letthem both grow together up to

the harvest. (Matthew 13:30). ismandate is clear and emphatic; letthe good and bad remain togetheruntil the time of separation. Butwhat is the harvest? When is it totake place?

For most Seventh-day Adventiststhe answer is a foregone conclusion;it takes place at the second comingwhen Jesus takes the righteous toglory for a thousand years and thewicked are le here below in theirgraves. Aer all, didn’t Christ say theHarvest is the “end of the world?”Furthermore, didn’t Ellen White alsotell us that the wheat and tares willbe to together until the close of time.

Yes, it is true that this is the stan-dard teaching of the church. Butsomehow we have misunderstoodthe subject of the harvest?

It is true that Jesus’ return in theclouds brings about a separation, butit is not the same one of Matthew 13.Now before you relegate this idea tothe realm of absurdity, please give ita fair hearing. We are confident thatif you stay with it, you will see clearbiblical and Spirit of Prophecy evi-dence that the Harvest of Matthew13 takes place before the final closeof probation and the falling of theseven last plagues—which is, ofcourse, before the second coming.Keep in mind the injunction of theApostle Paul who told us to: “Proveall things; hold fast that which isgood.” (I essalonians 5:21) eservant of the Lord instructed us to:“take pains to hear the reasons amessenger may give,” 1 and that weshould remember that “we havemany lessons to learn, and many,


HarvestUnexpected

AGreat

many to unlearn.” 2 So let us go right to the Scripturesand refresh our memories with the parable.

A Man Planted a Field“Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, the

kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowedgood seed in his field. But while men slept, his enemysowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.”Matthew 13:24, 25.

Aer the servants realized their neglect they came tothe owner and asked, “Sir, didst not thou sow good seedin thy field? From whence then have it tares?” (Verse 27).e Master told them an enemy had done it. eyseemed anxious to uproot the weeds, but the wise ownertold them to wait lest they accidentally pull up somegood while trying to root out the bad. (Verses 28, 29).en the owner added something further which is cru-cial to our understanding the subject. He said: “let bothgrow together until the harvest, and in the time of har-vest I will say to the reapers, gather ye together first thetares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gatherthe wheat into my barn.” (Verse 30).

e disciples later asked him what the parable meant.

Verses 36 - 40 gives us the interpretation of the variousparts of the parable. Christ Himself is the owner, or hewho planted the good seed (verse 37), the field is theworld, the good seed represents the righteous, and thetares represent the bad or unfaithful. (Verse 38). Verse 40tells us that the enemy is the Devil, the harvest is the endof the world, and the reapers are the angels.

The End of the World, What Does That Mean?e primary misunderstanding comes in with the in-

terpretation of the phrase, “the harvest is the end of theworld.” (Verse 39). e term, “end of the world,” seems tosuggest the second coming when Christ will return totake his children home to glory. But in truth, the expres-sion just means “the last days” or “latter days”, or “thetime of the end.” Take for example, Hebrews 9:24 -26.“For Christ is not entered into the holy places made withhands, which are the figures of the true; but into heavenitself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. Noryet that he should offer himself oen, as the high priest

entereth into the holy place every year with the blood ofothers. For then must he oen have suffered since thefoundation of the world but now once in the end of theworld hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice ofhimself.”

Here the Bible tells us that Christ moved into theMost Holy Place in the end of the world. Now we knowthat this event took place in 1844, yet Paul referred to itprophetically as the “end of the world.” Certainly thiscould not be the day when Christ will return in theclouds! us the phrase points to the “last days” or “thetime of the end” (Daniel 12:4). It is similar to our sayingthat December is the end of the year. Jesus was simplytelling His disciples that the harvest was not to be in theirdays but in the time of the end.

The Harvest Ends With the Close of Probatione term harvest itself point to a time before proba-

tion closes, a time when people can be saved. Jesus inspeaking about the preaching of the gospel, sent his dis-ciples out to work for souls, then declared that the har-vest is truly great, but the laborers are few” (Luke 10:1,2). Clearly this is speaking about souls during probation-

ary time. Jeremiah puts it this way: “e harvest is past,the summer is ended and we are not saved.” (Jeremiah8:20). Inspiration establishes the fact that this prophecy isfulfilled at the final close of probation. Ellen White says:“At the day of judgment there comes to the lost a full re-alization of the meaning of the sacrifice made on Calvary.. . . ey think of the high, pure association it was theirprivilege to gain. But it is too late. e last call has beenmade. e wail is heard: ‘the harvest is past, the summeris ended, and we are not saved.’” 3

e fact that the wicked cry out that the harvest ispast and as a result they are lost, indicates that they couldhave been saved during the time of harvest. Again, it re-veals that the harvest is a time when people can be saved.When Christ returns, the wicked will not be crying out,the harvest is past and that they could have been saved athis coming! Besides, they will be in their graves and re-main as such for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:5).

So the harvest will end at the final close of probationwhen our High Priest throws down the censer and pro-


The harvest is a time when people can be saved.

nounces those solemn words: “He that is unjust, let himbe unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthystill, and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still:and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” is is the sameperiod of which Amos spoke: “Behold, the days come,saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land,not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hear-ing the words of the Lord. And they shall wander fromsea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shallrun to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall notfind it.” Amos 8:10, 11.

We must say it again, based upon the aforementionedevidence, the harvest will end when all of God’s peopleare brought into the “barn” or church of Christ, proba-tion closes for everyone, and the plagues begin to fall.And, remember that the falling of the seven last plaguesis before the second return of Christ. Now that we knowwhen the harvest will end, we want to know when will itbegin?

When Does the Harvest Begin?e answer is found in verse 30 which we quoted ear-

lier. Perhaps we should look at it again for emphasis. “Letboth grow together until the harvest: and in the time ofharvest I will say to the reapers, gather first the tares, andbind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheatinto my barn.”

Did you read carefully what the Scriptures told us?e wheat and tares grow together “until” or up to theharvest, but “in the time of harvest,” that is, when theharvest time begins, God will send his reapers, the an-gels, to remove the tares and destroy them, “first.” Godmust first uproot and destroy the tares before the wheatare put into his barn. Put another way, the harvest willbegin when the “children of the wicked one”—the mereprofessors, the unconverted or those who are not doersof the word, are eliminated from the field. Remember,the harvest ends with the final close of probation, but be-gins when the unconverted are removed and then con-tinues with a mass ingathering of the wheat who are

placed into God’s barn. In other words, brothers and sis-ters, there must be a separation before the final close ofprobation in the field of God. e children of the wickedone must be gotten rid of before the gathering of thewheat. But from where are the tares to be uprooted andthe wheat garnered? Of course, they both grow in thefield.

What is the Significance of the Field?“‘e field,’ Christ said, ‘is the world.’ But we must un-

derstand this as signifying the church of Christ in theworld. e parable is a description of that which pertainsto the kingdom of God, his work of salvation of men; andthis work is accomplished through the church. True, theHoly Spirit has gone out into all the world; everywhere itis moving upon the hearts of men; but it is in the churchthat we are to grow and ripen for the garner of God.” 4

Clear it is that the wheat and tares grow in thechurch. But what church are we speaking about? Well, ithas to be the church of the last days. e church in thetime of the end or “end of the world.” at church ofcourse, is our beloved Seventh-day Adventists brethren.e harvest, then, will begin with the separation amongthose who hold to the faith of the ird Angel’s Message.Put another way, it will begin with us. e first thing theangels of God will do is remove the unconverted fromamong the faithful in the field, the church. Brothers and

sisters, this is absolutely imperative to understand! Doyou get the lesson? No wonder the Apostle wrote, “Judg-ment must begin at the house of God.” (1 Peter 4:17). Sobefore the gospel can be preached with the miraculouspower of the Spirit of God, and the ingathering the greatharvest of souls, (Matthew 24:14, Revelation 18: 1 - 4) theSeventh-day Adventist Church must be purified by theremoval of the unconverted in its midst. at may beshocking, but that is what the Scriptures are telling us.

More ProofLet us look at Matthew 13: 40, 41. “As therefore the

tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in


So before the gospel can be preached with the miraculous power of theSpirit of God, ... the Seventh-day Adventist Church must be purified by

the removal of the unconverted in its midst.

the end of this world. e Son of Man shall send forth hisangels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom allthings that offend, and them which do iniquity.”

is text is typically explained to be the second ad-vent of our Christ. But it cannot be. It actually applies tothe same separation of the tares from the wheat in thechurch. Why? Because if you compare this text withMatthew 24:30, 31, which undeniably refers to the sec-ond coming, you will notice a significant difference. No-tice that in verse 31, it tells us that Christ sends “hisangels with a great sound of the trumpet, and they shallgather together his elect from the four winds, from oneend of heaven to the other.” Did you catch the differ-ence? In Matthew 13: 41, the angels take away the un-faithful out of “His kingdom” or His church, leaving therighteous. Whereas Matthew 24:31, the angels gather ortake the righteous and leave the wicked. e Matthew 13separation takes place in the church of Christ, but theseparation at His second coming takes place in the world.ey are two different events. e first, the purifying ofHis church, takes place before the final close of proba-tion, while the second at His second coming; at whichtime the “elect” are taken to heaven for a thousand yearsand the wicked le in their graves. us there are twojudgements. e first is for Seventh-day Adventists, thesecond takes place in the world in the form of the sevenlast plagues and the destruction at the second advent. Sothere is a probation for the church and another for theworld.

In Harmony with the Spirit of ProphecySome may be concerned about several of Ellen

White’s statements that appear to contradict the idea thatthe harvest is not the second coming. Let us look brieflyat three of the most common ones.

“e tares,” says Sister White, “and the wheat are togrow together until the harvest; and the harvest is theend of probationary time.” 5

Yes, according to this statement the harvest is the endof probationary time, taking place at, not aer, the closeof probation. e harvest, in other words, is a part ofprobationary time. It is the last part of it. us, she is inperfect harmony with what the Bible says and what wehave studied. So the harvest is the last portion of man’sprobationary time. at last portion will begin with theseparation in the church and end with the completion of

the gospel.“He [Christ] has said that false brethren will be found

in the church till the close of time.” 6ere is no contradiction here either. Are we not liv-

ing in the close of time as we have already discussed. Sothe expression should not be taken to mean just the sec-ond coming of the Lord.

Here is the third. “When the work of the gospel iscompleted, there immediately follows the separation be-tween the good and the evil, and the destiny of each classis forever fixed.” 7

is statement definitely is referring to the separa-tion that will take place aer probation closes and culmi-nates with the second return of Christ. But there is noproblem here because the separation at the second com-ing does not obviate the prior separation of the wheatand the tares. In other words, the separation mentionedin this statement, is not referring to the harvest ofMatthew 13; they are two different events as we men-tioned previously.

How is the Separation to Take Place?e Scriptures tell us that the separation of the tares

from the wheat will be done by the angels, not men. “ework of separation is given the angels of God, and notcommitted into the hands of any man.” 8 And where dowe find a description of this judgment or separation?Please study Ezekiel Chapter Nine. We cannot now godeeper into the topic, but consider this reference of EllenWhite: “Study the ninth chapter of Ezekiel, these wordswill be literally fulfilled.” 9

Now you see the subject of the harvest clearly. Ponderit. Pray about it, and get ready for it. Will you be readywhen the angels come to “sever the wicked from amongthe just”? Something to think about.1 Counsels on Sabbath School Work, pp. 28 -31, E.G. White 2 Counsels to Writers and Editors, p. 37, E.G.White3 Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 7, p. 16, E.G. White4 Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 70, E.G. White5 Ibid 726 Ibid 737 Ibid 1238 Testimonies to Ministers, p. 47, E.G. White9 Manuscript Releases, Vol. 1, p. 260, E. G. White



His bulletproof motorcareases its way throughcrowded streets to the ap-

plause of thousands jostling for aglimpse at the aged but celebratedand pious patriarch. With compas-sionate eyes and a warm smile hewaves slowly at his admirers. eroar of the hordes of spectators tellus that it is always a pomp and cere-monious occasion when Pope Bene-dict visits a city. Kings, queens,presidents and prime ministers payhim homage.

But outside of the cheers andveneration of the white-haired andwhite-robed viceregent of Rome,others view him with grim suspicion.It is more than skepticism and mis-givings. ey have always seen a dif-ferent side of the benevolentpeacemakers. To them he does notrepresent the hope of a better world,but a villain of huge proportions car-rying a legacy of malfeasance,stained with the blood of millions ofjust souls and a millennia plus of sac-rilege—the Antichrist of Antichrists.ese opponents of Rome follow along train of Protestants: Martin

Luther, John Bunyan, and countlessothers, who challenged the Pontiffsand condemned them as Paul’sprophetic “man of sin,” 1 and the fu-ture despot of globalism.

Seventh-day Adventists, based onthe prophecy of Revelation chapterthirteen, share these views. Officiallywe teach the resurgence of Romansupremacy, and that the world, in-cluding the United States of Amer-ica, will pay explicit veneration toboth the Papacy and its religious in-stitutions, particularly, Sunday ob-servance. We say that this act willestablish the Pontiff as the undis-puted head—the man who bears themystical number 666 and who willthreaten all opposers with the pain ofdeath.

Could we have been wrong?ere are other candidates for

this position of “world despot.” ereare the world economic and politicalelites, the numerous religious heav-ies, countless spiritualists and gurus,not to mention Communism. (Don’tlet anyone fool you, Communism isnot really dead—but that’s another

study). It all depends from whosevantage point you view the subject.Admittedly, the idea that the Papacyis the 666 appears logical but is it re-ally biblical?

ere is no contesting the sordidand barbarous history of Ecclesiasti-cal Rome. Who can deny thegrotesque crusades, the inquisition,and the St. Bartholomew massacre.And yes, the Bible plainly revealsthat there will be a replication of theinternational church-and-state ruleof the Middle Ages, along with itstrain of “intolerance and persecu-tion.”2 But could it be that we havebeen mistaken about the Papacy’srole for the future? Is it possible thatwe have misunderstood the biblicalrecord concerning the identity of the666? Could it be that the 666 is notthe pope aer all?

Hopefully you don’t mind yourviews being challenged. Well, weshouldn’t. Inspiration tells us that:“We have many lessons to learn andmany, many to unlearn.”3 Further-more, says the servant of the Lord,“ere is need of a much closerstudy of the word of God; especially

Man66e

Priest or P


should Daniel and the Revelationhave our attention as never before inthe history of our work. We mayhave less to say in some lines, in re-gard to the Roman power and thepapacy; but we should call attentionto what the prophets and apostleshave written under the inspiration ofthe Holy Spirit of God.” 4

Interesting? Why don’t werestudy the subject—although inbrief—the Scriptural record in re-gards to the subject. We need toknow the truth so we can be pre-pared.

The First BeastIn Daniel Chapter 7, we are told

of the four ancient world powers—Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, andRome (Pagan and Papal)—lion, bear,leopard, and non-descript beast, re-spectively. In Revelation Chapter 13,verses 1 -10, we have the descriptionof a ten-horned, seven-headedcrowned beast, who came out of thesea having the mouth of a lion, thefeet of a bear, body of a leopard, andthe ten horns of the Non-descriptbeast.

“And I stood upon the sand of thesea, and saw a beast rise up out of thesea, having seven heads and tenhorns, and upon his horns tencrowns, and upon his heads thename of blasphemy. And the beastwhich I saw was like unto a leopard,and his feet were as the feet of a bear,and his mouth as the mouth of alion: and the dragon gave him hispower, and his seat, and great au-thority. And I saw one of his heads asit were wounded to death; and hisdeadly wound was healed: and all theworld wondered aer the beast. Andthey worshiped the dragon whichgave power unto the beast: and theyworshiped the beast, saying, who islike unto the beast? Who is able tomake war with him?”

e composite make-up of thebeast is a faithful witness that he is adescendant and melting pot of theancient empires. e beast’s forty-two month period (verse 5)—1260years—538 A.D. to 1798 A.D. falls inthe time of ecclesiastical or PapalRome; whereas its wounded state(Rev. 13:3), symbolizes it during theProtestant period. In other words,

the beast represents three periods:e period prior to the wound, theperiod during the wound, and theperiod aer the wound is healed.us this conglomerate beast, coversthe history of the Papacy and Protes-tantism.

Moreover, the ten horns or kingsof Daniel’s fourth symbolical beast—Rome—were crownless. Why? Be-cause the popes had theauthority—they had the rulership.e crowns of the Leopard-like,however, show that he represents theperiod in which the kings took backtheir crowns—rulership. us, John’sbeast reveals a world aer the fall ofthe Papacy where the nations regaintheir civil powers and independence.is again is showing that the Leop-ard-like Beast prefigures the worldprimarily aer the collapse of theVatican in 1798. is is just moreproof that the beast is a symbol ofthe world we live in today.

Now, looking at the heads, we seethat one was wounded but laterhealed. It is commonly understoodthat the one wounded head is a clearsymbol of the Papacy who received

66 President?

its fatal blow during the Protestantreformation culminating in the ar-rest of an already weakened Rome.So if one head is a religious body,then the other six unharmed headsmust be other religious bodies—churches, if you will. e numberseven shows “completeness”, compre-hensiveness.5 In short, it means thatthe heads portray Christendom in itsentirety, and the horns being ten,portray the civil governments thatwere at one time under the rule ofRome, but were later freed. usboth horns and heads must representthe world today, particularly westernsociety, just as how Daniel’s fourbeasts represented the world in theirday. In other words, this first beast ofRevelation 13 could not representthe Papacy alone, but a universal sys-

tem led by Western ideals of whichthe Papacy is only a part.

In summary, this multi-headed,multi-horned beasts, must representa world comprised of many Chris-tian churches and nations, born anddeveloped out of the struggles of theDark Ages and Papal Rome; a worlddominated by Catholicism, Protes-tantism, Democracy, and Capitalism.

If this sounds like Western cul-ture, you’re right! Is it not true thatour present world is led by the West?Western culture, the culture whichbroke away from Rome, now indoc-trinates the world. Generally speak-ing, everyone covets western

lifestyle. No wonder the Leopard-likeBeast boasts: “Who is like unto thebeast? Who is able to make war withhim?” (Verse 4). at is why theBible says that “all the world won-dered aer the beast”, [the system].(Verses 3, 4).

Revelation 13, verses 11 -18, de-scribes the second beast in this chap-ter:

The Second Beast“And I beheld another beast com-

ing up out of the earth; and he hadtwo horns like a lamb, and he spakeas a dragon. And he excerciseth allthe power of the first beast beforehim, and causeth the earth and themwhich dwell therein to worship thefirst beast, whose deadly wound washealed. . .he causeth all, both small

and great, rich and poor, free andbond, to receive a mark in their righthand, or in their foreheads: And noman might buy or sell, save he thathad the mark, or the name of thebeast, or the number of his name.Here is wisdom. Let him that hathunderstanding count the number ofthe beast: for it is the number of aman; and his number is Six hundredthreescore and six.” (Verses 11, 12, 15- 18.)

It is well known, particularly inAdventist circles, that this two-horned non-royalist power repre-sents our blessed country, the UnitedStates of America.6 No doubt you’re

also familiar with the reasons. Unlikethe first beast, he comes from theearth, the new world. e twocrownless horns show two non-roy-alist two-party government based onits Republican and Protestant ideals.e lamb-like appearance forecastsyouthful innocency—establishedupon the principles of peace and lib-erty. And his having the power todictate who should buy and whoshould not, shows that he representsa nation that leads in controlling theworld’s wealth and industry.

Having only two horns, not ten,the beast therefore depicts a local,not a universal government. Never-theless, he will influence all Chris-tendom to “make an image to thebeast, which had the wound by asword, and did live.” at is, he will

engineer a worldwide governmentset-up, re-enthroning the principlesof the church-state rule of PapalRome; a system now characterizedby Catholicism, apostate Protes-tantism, and Capitalism. In otherwords, the world will copy the Leop-ard-like beast. (Verse 12) Put still an-other way, it means that America willurge the world to reestablish anapostate religious-political systemaer the model of Western societywith principles imaging those of theDark Ages. (Verse 12). Note that itdid not say that the Two-hornedbeast urged the world to worship the“head”—the Papacy, but the“beast”—


America will urge the world to reestablish an apostate reli-gious-political system aer the model of Western society

with principles imaging those of the Dark Ages.

the system—which is: Catholicism,apostate Protestantism, and Capital-ism, topped off with Spiritualism!is is when, “Protestantism shallstretch her hand across the gulf tograsp the hand of the Roman power,when she shall reach over the abyssto clasp hands with spiritualism,when, under the influence of thisthreefold union, our country shallrepudiate every principle of its Con-stitution as a Protestant and republi-can government. . .” 7

The “Beast” and the “Man”Now that we have looked at the

context of Revelation 13, we are nowbetter prepared to identify the 666.“Here is wisdom,” says the Scrip-tures. “Let him that hath under-standing count the number of thebeast: for it is the number of a man;and his number is Six hundredthreescore and six.” (Verse 18).

To identify this “man,” we mustidentify the “beast”—the power the“man” represents and leads. us wemust ask, to which power is Verse 18referring? e Leopard-like or theTwo-horned? Look at it again! Notethat it did not say, count the numberof the beast with the wound! Orcount the number of the beast whichhad his deadly wound healed! It juststates, “count the number of thebeast.” Whenever the Bible refers tothe Leopard-like beast, it alwaysmentions the wound! (See verses 3,12). In contrast, “the beast” withoutmention of the wound, is the Two-horned Beast or the Image Beast.” Sothe beast or power in verse 18 is theTwo-horned or the United States ofAmerica—not the Papacy!

Furthermore, if this is not so,why so many symbols for the Pa-

pacy? We have the little horn ofDaniel 7. We say that the Leopard-like Beast, the 666, the Woman ofRevelation 17, the seven heads onwhich she sits, and the Scarlet-col-ored Beast are all symbols of Rome!Why? What about the rise and fall ofProtestantism? What about the riseof Western culture? What about ourpresent world? Why would Godleave them out?

Still skeptical? Consider the fol-lowing inspired references: “ispower is the last that treads down thetrue church of God and as the truechurch is still trodden down, andcast out by all Christendom, it fol-lows that the last oppressive powerhas not ‘come to his end;’ andMichael has not stood up. is lastpower that treads down the saints isbrought to view in Rev. 13:11 -18.His number is 666. . .” 8

“I saw that the number (666) ofthe Image Beast [the two-horned]was made up; and that it was thebeast [Leopard-like] that changedthe Sabbath, and the image Beast hadfollowed on aer, and kept the Pope’sand not God’s Sabbath.” 9 Bracketsadded.

e first statement was made byJames White but in conjunction withEllen White. e second is hers.Note that they do agree and make avery pungent point: at the number666 is the power found in verses 11 -18, which is the Two-horned or theUnited States—otherwise known asthe “Image Beast.” So the number666 is not on the Leopard-like Beastwho is found in verses 1 - 10 of Rev-elation 13 and who changed the Sab-bath during the Dark Ages, but onthe “Image Beast who followed. isis clear, logical, and biblical! Aer all,

the context of verses 11 -18, revealthe identity and work of the UnitedStates, not the Leopard-like!

us the “man” who stands at thehead of the United States at the timeof the fulfillment of this prophecywill bear the enigmatic number“666,” not the Pope! Yes, the Bibledoes state that America will payhomage to the Leopard-like Beast,but, we have already seen that theLeopard-like Beast is not the Papacyalone, but in fact, represents theWestern world model or system.Again, the Bible did not say thatAmerica will tell the world to wor-ship the “head” but the “beast”—thesystem! e truth is that the Pa-pacy will never again rule like shedid in the Middle Ages. at’s right!Never! Her time for dominance isover. Yes, she will be influential. Yesshe will probably gloat over the hom-age paid her through a Sunday law,however, she will never again sit atopthe world. About now, you’re proba-bly saying that old ideas die hard.Well, that may be true, but don’t keepthem alive.

“I saw that the two-horned beast,”wrote Ellen White, “had a dragon’smouth, and that his power was in hishead, and that the decree would goout of his mouth. en I saw theMother of Harlots; that the motherwas not the daughters, but separateand distinct from them. She has hadher day, and it is past, and herdaughters, the Protestant sects, werethe next to come on the stage and actout the same mind that the motherhad when she persecuted the saints. Isaw that as the mother has been de-clining in power the daughters hadbeen growing and soon they will ex-ercise the power once exercised by


the mother.” 10

Obviously the Enemy wants us tofocus in one direction while he at-tacks from another. While we tracethe Papacy’s every move, the realdanger lurks behind us, waiting tosnag our unwary souls into hishoned claws.

“All who will not bow to the de-cree of the national councils,” theservant of the Lord continued, “andobey the national laws to exalt theSabbath instituted by the man of sin,to the disregard to God’s holy day,will feel, not the oppressive power ofpopery alone, but of the Protestantworld, the Image of the Beast.”11

The History of the NumberNow you’re saying, fine, but why

does the Latin numerals on thePope’s title Vicarius Filii Dei add upto 666? A fair question indeed. Butperhaps we have forgotten that thisphenomenon is replete throughoutthe long history of paganism, astrol-ogy, and witchcra. e numbers 6,36 and 666 are sacred in these cir-cles. So why would it be strange forthe Pope’s title to equal 666 when thePapacy is itself fraught with Pagan-ism!

Furthermore, there are countlessnames that numerically compute to666—it is not restricted to the Popealone! XIUN, one of the names forthe Sun-god in Greek, numericallyadded to 666.12 e Mythologicalbird of the Egyptians, Phoenicians,and many of the Indian tribes of

North America, was the Phoenix,worshiped as the bright and morningstar. In Egypt it was the representa-tion of the nocturnal symbol of theSun-god Osiris. In Greek translitera-tion, the Phoenix was spelled theFENEX, whose numerical valueequaled 666.13 An ancient Greekname for Satan was TEITAN, whichequals 666 in its numerical values.Even the original Roman numerals,IVXLCD, also equaled 666.

Astrologers commonly used 6,36, and 666 for their divinations.“ey invented magic charts. . . Likethe roulette wheel. e charts weredivided into 36 numbered divisions.

ere were six columns in all direc-tions with the numbers 1 to 36placed inside the entire chart. Anydirection you add the columns, theyadd to 111. ere are six squares ineach column and six times 111equals 666. If you add all the num-bers from 1 to 36 they will also addto 666. . . the number 666 was thesummary number of the sun-god,because it was his sacred number asthe Ruler of the Zodiac.”14

e Bible places the number onthe Two-horned Beast—the UnitedStates, not the Papacy. So the prevail-ing belief that the number 666 is thenumerical identification of someother power is the spawn of thePrince of Darkness, and is calculatedto conceal if possible, the identifica-tion of this two-horned power. Godplaces the number on the UnitedStates, and there we must leave it.15

us e Beast’s civil authority—the man 666—combined with theFalse Prophet’s supernatural power,points to a union of beast andprophet—an affiliation of state andof church representatives. Togetherthey, leading the United States, willcontrol the world’s politics, econom-ics, and religion, and will seek tocompel all to bow to the “Image ofthe Beast.”

Maybe we need to look less at thePope and more at ourselves andapostate Protestantism. No wonderInspiration intimated that if we stud-ied Daniel and Revelation moreclosely, we “may have less to say insome lines, in regard to the Romanpower and the Papacy.”16

—Editors

1 2 essalonians, 2: 3.2 E. G. White, e Great Controversy, p . 442.3 E. G. White, Counsels on Sabbath School Work,p. 37.4 E. G. White, Testimonies to Ministers andGospel Workers, p. 112.5 E. G. White, Acts of the Apostles, p. 585.6 E. G. White, e Great Controversy, pp. 440 -442.7 E. G. White, Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5,p. 451.8 James White, A Word to the Little Flock, pp. 8,9.9 E. G. White, Ibid. p. 1910 E. G. White, Spalding-Megan Collection, “Copyof ree Visitors.”11 E. G. White, Selected Messages, Book Two, p.380.12 Higgins, Anacapypsis, Vol. 2, p. 210.13 Mythology of All Races, Vol. 12, p. 54.14 W. J. Sutton, e New Age Movement and theIlluminati 666, pp. 66, 67.15 V. T. Houteff, e World Yesterday, Today, andTomorrow, p. 2716 E. G. White, Testimonies to Ministers andGospel Workers, p. 112


e Bible places the number on the Two-horned Beast—the United States, not the Papacy.

While many are aware ofthe fact that meat eatingis associated with cardio-

vascular disease, and cancer, theymay not be cognizant of the full ex-tent of the problem. Medical scienceis now proving that a flesh fooddiet—red meat, fish, and chicken,etc.—is specific in the leading causesof sickness and death in our country.is rogues’ gallery of modern illsincludes heart disease, cancer, dia-betes, arthritis, Alzheimer, strokes,hypertension, and many others.While many factors contribute tothese maladies, including an excessconsumption of sugar and junk food,lack of fresh fruits and vegetables,and exercise, the consumption of ahigh protein meat and animal-fatdiet is a primary contributor. NowOsteoporosis can be added to thelong list of afflictions associated withmeat consumption.

e United States has an ex-tremely high rate of this progressivebone-thinning disease which affectsat least 25 million, 80% of themwomen. Brittle, chalky bones cancause chronic back pain, fracturedhips, spines and limbs and a host ofother problems. Bone loss in the jaw-bones and tooth sockets (pyorrhea)is especially prevalent, causing looseteeth and receding gums—a majorcause of tooth loss in adults. Whatcauses this painful, disabling, fre-quently occurring, socially costly

metabolic disease? A dietary cal-cium deficiency comes to mind first.However there is more to the storythan this.

Medical scientists have shownthat the typical American high meatdiet actually flushes calcium rightout of the body. An article in theAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutri-tion, June, 1974, points out that ithas been known for more than half acentury (almost 70 years now) that ahigh protein meat diet increases theamount of urinary calcium.

Bogert, Briggs and Calloway,writing in Nutrition and Physical Fit-ness, explain that when too muchmeat and other high protein foodsare eaten, sulfuric, phosphoric andother acids are produced. e bodyseeks to neutralize these excess acidsby drawing on the alkali reserves—calcium and other alkaline or base-forming elements of the body. esealso include magnesium, zinc, boronand other minerals involved in thehealth of the bones and teeth.

e American Journal of ClinicalNutrition, March 1983 reported theresults of the largest study of bonedensity in the U.S. Researchers atMichigan State and other major uni-versities found that, by the age of 65:

Male vegetarians had an averagemeasurable bone loss of 3%.

Male meat-eaters had an averagemeasurable bone loss of 7%.

Female vegetarians had an aver-

age measurable bone loss of 18%.Female meat-eaters had an aver-

age measurable bone loss of 35%.ese and similar findings were

confirmed and reaffirmed in a reportfrom the ird International Con-gress on Vegetarian Nutrition, March1997, held at Loma Linda University.Researchers pointed out that thelower the dietary protein (especiallyanimal protein) and the lower thesalt intake, the less dietary correctionand the more efficient the calcium inthe diet becomes, because on a low-protein, low salt diet, less calcium islost in the urine compared to the losson a high-meat, high salt diet. eexcess sulfur amino acids in animalprotein compromise calcium bal-ance. For each hamburger eaten, ap-proximately 23 milligrams ofcalcium are lost in the urine.

More confirmation is found in areport published in the Lancet, byseveral medical scientists, comment-ing on work sponsored by the U.S.Department of Health and HarvardUniversity. ey called the associa-tion of meat-based diets with the in-creasing incidence of osteoporosis“inescapable.” e more proteinyou use, the more calcium you loseand osteoporosis may be the result.

By Suzanne Sutton


DangersMeat Eating

of

And I saw another angel as-cending from the east, hav-ing the seal of the living

God: and he cried with a loud voiceto the four angels, to whom it wasgiven to hurt the earth and the sea,“Saying, Hurt not the earth, neitherthe sea nor the trees, till we havesealed the servants of our God intheir foreheads.

“And I heard the number of themwhich were sealed: and there weresealed an hundred and forty and fourthousand of all the tribes of the chil-dren of Israel.” Rev. 7:2-4.

Is it important to study this con-troversial subject? e Spirit ofProphecy says to us:

“Strive with all the power Godhas given us to be among the144,000” (e Review and Herald,March 9, 1905 “is sealing of theservants of God,” the Lord revealed,“is the same that was shown toEzekiel in vision.” — Testimonies ToMinisters, p. 445. (Read Ezekiel 9).

And in amplification of the sub-ject the messenger wrote: “Especiallyin the closing work for the church, in

the sealing time of the one hundredand forty-four thousand who are tostand without fault before the throneof God, will they feel most deeply thewrongs of God’s professed people.”— Testimonies, Vol. 3, p. 266.

Accordingly, the marking takesplace in the church because of “theabominations” practiced in hermidst. Hence, the removal of thosewho foster the abominations is herclosing work, not the world’s. …

And how can one escape theslaughter unless one knows what thesealing, marking, is, when it is, andwhere it is to be?

Since, as we have previously seenfrom the Spirit of Prophecy, the seal-ing and the slaughter take place inthe church during the closing workfor her, they could not antedate thepresent time. And the prophecy itselfshows that the sealing must begin ata time when her spiritual life is at itslowest ebb, when she is polluted withsin — according to Ezekiel 9, whenher iniquity is exceedingly geat. Forit is her defiled condition that causesa Holy God to do in her midst the

work of marking, sealing the saints,and of doing away with the sinnersamong them.

How did she start to reach thiscondition? — e servant of theLord sadly answers:

“e church has turned backfrom following Christ her Leader,and is steadily retreating towardEgypt. Yet few are alarmed or aston-ished at their want of spiritual power.Doubt and even disbelief of the testi-monies of the Spirit of God, is leav-ening our churches everywhere.” —Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 217.

“…Men and women are in thelast hours of probation, and yet arecareless and stupid, and ministershave no power to arouse them; theyare asleep themselves. Sleepingpreachers preaching to a sleepingpeople!” — Testimonies, Vol. 2, p.337.

Indeed, “the conviction is gainingground in the world that Seventh-day Adventists are giving the trum-pet an uncertain sound, that they arefollowing in the path of worldlings.”— Testimonies To Ministers, p. 86.


Intriguing144,000

e

Understanding this subject will help to deepen your relation with Jesus

For all these and for other rea-sons, some of which we know not, apure and Holy God is “whetting hissword in Heaven to cut” down thosewho do not sigh and cry. “Oh thatevery lukewarm professor could real-ize the clean work that God is aboutto make among his professed peo-ple!” — Testimonies, Vol. 1, p. 190.

“Mark this point with care: osewho receive the pure mark of truth,wrought in them by the power of theHoly Ghost, represented by a markby the man in linen, are those ‘thatsigh and that cry for all the abomina-tions that be done’ in the church.” —Testimonies, Vol. 3, p. 267.

Necessarily, “while the investiga-tive judgment is going forward inheaven, while the sins of penitent be-lievers are being removed from thesanctuary, there is to be a specialwork of purification, of putting awayof sin, among God’s people uponearth.” — e Great Controversy, p.425.

“…en I saw another mightyangel,” she continues, “commissionedto descend to the earth, to unite hisvoice with the third angel, and givepower and force to his message.Great power and glory were im-parted to the angel, and as he de-scended, the earth was lightenedwith his glory.... is messageseemed to be an addition to the thirdmessage....” — Early Writings, p. 277.

And “only those,” avers the Spiritof Truth, “who have withstood temp-tation in the strength of the MightyOne will be permitted to act a part inproclaiming it [the ird Angel’sMessage] when it shall have swelledinto the loud cry.” — e Review andHerald, No. 19, 1908.

Why are the sinners taken from


“Strive with all the power Godhas given us to be among the

144,000.”

among the righteous before the earthis lightened with the glory of theangel? — Because “one sinner maydiffuse darkness that will exclude thelight of God from the entire congre-gation.” — Testimonies, Vol. 3, p.265.

Obviously, then, the closing mes-sage for the world is proclaimed bythe faithful only, and God’s peopleduring the plagues are apart bythemselves with no unfaithful amongthem.

Do The 144,000 Ever Die?How did Ellen White see and de-

scribe them? “e living saints, 144,000 in

number.” Early Writings, p.15If evidence can be brought to

view that the 144,000 (in number)lived before the seventh plague, thenwe have positive proof that the144,000 never die. Great Contro-versy, page 649: “And they sing ‘anew song’ before the throne, a songwhich no man can learn save the144,000. It is the song of Moses andthe Lamb,—a song of deliverance.None but the 144,000 can learn thatsong; for it is the song of their expe-rience,—an experience such as noother company have ever had....eyhave seen the earth wasted withfamine and pestilence, the sun hav-ing power to scorch men with greatheat, and they themselves have en-dured suffering, hunger, and thirst.”Here is a positive statement that the144,000 lived in the time of thefourth plague, the sun having powerto scorch men with great heat. “Andthe fourth angel poured out his vialupon the sun; and power was givenunto him to scorch men with fire.”Rev. 16:8. is is the fourth plague.

How could they (144,000) gothrough the fourth plague if the spe-cial resurrection of the Sabbathkeepers (those who died under thethird angel’s message) did not takeplace until about the end of the sev-enth plague? If “they have seen theearth wasted with famine and pesti-lence and they themselves have suf-fered hunger and thirst”, they musthave lived through all the plagues.

Will Sister White Be With The144,000?

Sister White was taken in visionto one of the planets which hadseven moons, where she met goodold Enoch. is place was so beauti-ful and her desire for it so keen, shebegged the angel to let her stay.“en the angel said, ‘You must goback, and if you are faithful, you,with the 144,000 shall have the privi-lege of visiting all the worlds andviewing the handiwork of God’.” SeeEarly Writings, page 40. ere is nocontradiction in this statement, forthe angel told her that she, with the144,000, meaning she is one withthem but not one of them. She willdoubtless be with them for she maybe termed as the mother of them(being the messenger and founder ofthis movement), nor can we supposethey will sing the song of Moses andhe (Moses) not be there. Becausethey are the 144,000, a special com-pany with a special experience, is noreason why others could not travelwith them, for undoubtedly Abra-ham, Isaac, and Jacob will be withthem, being the fathers in type. Whatobjection could be made if otherswould journey with them? We maysuppose that Jesus would give to allthe redeemed at least one trip to the

other worlds.

What Kind Of Seal Is It?Reference is made in Testimonies

to Ministers, page 445. e subject isabout the sealing of Revelation 7, the144,000. We quote: “is sealing ofthe servants of God is the same thatwas shown to Ezekiel in vision.” Nowif the sealing of the 144,000 of Reve-lation 7, is the same as Ezekiel 9, inorder to find the kind of sealing it is,and the time of its beginning, wemust study Ezekiel 9:1-9:

“He cried also in mine ears with aloud voice, saying, Cause them thathave charge over the city to drawnear, even every man with his de-stroying weapon in his hand. And,behold, six men came from the wayof the higher gate, which lieth to-ward the north, and every man aslaughter weapon in his hand; andone man among them was clothedwith linen, with a writer’s inkhorn byhis side: and they went in, and stoodbeside the brazen altar. And theglory of the God of Israel was goneup from the cherub, whereupon Hewas, to the threshold of the house.And He called to the man clothedwith linen which had the writer’sinkhorn by his side; And the Lordsaid unto him, Go through the midstof the city, through the midst ofJerusalem, and set a mark upon theforeheads of the men that sigh andthat cry for all the abominations thatbe done in the midst thereof. And tothe others He said in mine hearing,Go ye aer him through the city, andsmite: let not your eye spare, neitherhave ye pity: Slay utterly old andyoung, both maids, and little chil-dren, and women: but come not nearany man upon whom is the mark;


and begin at my sanctuary. enthey began at the ancient men whichwere before the house. And He saidunto them, Defile the house, and fillthe courts with the slain: go ye forth.And they went forth, and slew in thecity. And it came to pass, while theywere slaying them, and I was le,that I fell upon my face, and cried,and said, Ah Lord God! wilt thou de-stroy all the residue of Israel in thypouring out of thy fury uponJerusalem? en said He unto me,e iniquity of the house of Israeland Judah is exceeding great.”

It is positive that the sealing ofthe 144,000 is Ezekiel 9,—the separa-tion (siing in the church—the godlyfrom the ungodly). Volume 1, page181: “I asked the meaning ofthe shaking I had seen,and was shown thatit would becaused by thestraight testi-mony calledforth by thecounsel ofthe TrueWitness totheLaodiceans.”Read the en-tire page. Notethe shaking be-gins aer the straighttestimony of the “TrueWitness” is come.

The Two SealsIs the Sabbath the seal of the

144,000? ose who died under thethird angel’s message, keeping theSabbath, are sealed with the Sabbathtruth, but the 144,000 never die.While they must keep Sabbath and

have that seal, they must sigh and cryfor the abominations that are in thechurch, for otherwise they can notreceive the mark by the angel withthe writer’s inkhorn of Ezekiel 9,which is the seal according to Testi-monies to Ministers, page 445; Vol-ume 5, pages 210-16; Volume 3,pages 266-7. e 144,000 having thisseal are also marked (sealed) by theangel of Revelation 7, which is thesame as the one of Ezekiel 9. In otherwords, it may be termed a doubleseal.

Ezekiel 9 Is Not A Sabbath Sealis sealing of the 144,000 is not

a Sabbath seal. However, those whoare sealed must be Sabbath keepers.

It is a seal, or mark, that sepa-rates the two classes in

the church, andthose who are

sealed, ormarked arenot markedbecausethey keepSabbathonly, butbecause

they sigh andcry for all the

abominationsthat are done in

the church. So boththe sealing and the slaugh-

ter are in God’s church, and not inBabylon, or in the world. It is only inJerusalem, and Judah, the house ofIsrael (the church). “Judah” in Ezek.9:9 refers to those in office, for Judahoccupied the office of the Levitesaer the tribe of Levi was carriedaway. ere is not a thought aboutthe world or the ungodly. When the

marking (sealing) is finished, the fivemen with the slaughter weaponsbegin with the ancient men whichwere before the house, meaning theguardians of the spiritual interest ofthe people. See Volume 3, pages 266,267, and Volume 5, pages 210-212.

We quote Volume 5, page 211:“e ancient men, those to whomGod had given great light, and whohad stood as guardians of the spiri-tual interests of the people, had be-trayed their trust. ey had taken theposition that we need not look formiracles and the marked manifesta-tion of God’s power as in formerdays. Times have changed. esewords strengthen their unbelief, andthey say e Lord will not do good,neither will He do evil. He is toomerciful to visit His people in judg-ment.” Volume 3, page 265: “But ifthe sins of the people are passed overby those in responsible positions, Hisfrown will be upon them, and thepeople of God, as a body, will be heldresponsible for those sins.”

So the subject of the 144,000,with its interrelated subjects cominginto clear, harmonious focus, showsthat the eleventh-hour call for labor-ers in the Lord’s vineyard is now inprogress, and that now is the time to“strive with all the power God hasgiven us to be among the 144, 000.”— e Review and Herald, Mar. 9,1905.

—Editors


Do you feel exhausted most of the time, even afteryou’ve had a good night’s sleep? Do you havethat burned out, down and out feeling? Perhaps

you feel malaise—like you don’t want to do anything butlay in bed. Perhaps it is that constant tension in the neckand shoulders. The reason could be fatigue. There aremyriads of reasons for this common but distressing syn-drome. Some are physiologically induced, such as withmenopause or anemia. Typically, though, fatigue is dueto a list of more common challenges and often have their

roots in emotional-mental factors.We all know that excessive physical activity, poor diet,

and too much mental work can lead to fatigue, but didyou know that excessive fear, worry, boredom, compul-sions, depression, bitterness, anger, jealousy, resentment,noise, lack of organization, etc., can also lead to this per-vasive problem of modern society?

If you are suffering from fatigue, here are some safeand effective treatments that could be helpful until youlocate and eliminate the cause of the problem.

Set aside a regular time each day for prayer, BibleStudy, and communion with the Creator; this will be apotent stress reliever.

Deep breathing exercises improve the oxygen supplyto the brain, and in turn to the entire body. Standing up-right with hands on your hips in a well ventilated roomor out-of-doors, take deep slow breaths, as if to fill thelungs from the bottom up. Take as complete a breath aspossible, hold to the count of 20, exhale completely andhold for a count of ten. This may be repeated 20-40times, three times a day.

Ice-cold foot baths are stimulating. Ice cubes? Weknow, it doesn’t sound inviting, but its effective. Sit on

the edge of the tub and run cold water over your feet andankles. As your tolerance for cold increases, add icecubes to a tub of water two to four inches deep and placeyour feet in the ice water for 30 seconds to 3 minutes.Dry the feet well after removing them from the water.The feet should be warm before the foot bath is begun.Rubbing the feet may assist in tolerating the cold.

Alternating hot and cold showers change the distribu-tion of blood throughout the entire body. The hot waterpulls blood from the internal organs to the skin, the colddrives that inward deeper into the tissue, releasing toxinsand quickening the circulation. Showers give a mechani-cal stimulation that tub baths do not provide.


OvercomeFatigue

How to

The salt glow skin rub is often invigorating. Stand ina tub of hot water. Moisten the hands and body withwater, dip hands into a container of salt and rub the skinbriskly. Shower to remove salt from the skin.

The cold mitten friction is carried out by dipping awash cloth or mittens in the cold water and briskly rub-bing the body, refreshing the cloths as they warm up.Start at the head and progress downward toward the feet.The body should be warm before beginning the treat-ment.

Abdominal cold packs and cold showers have beenshown to be more effective in relieving fatigue than rest.Blood pulled from other parts of the body brings glu-cose, oxygen and other fatigue-relieving compounds anduseful host chemicals into the area. Temperatures of thecold packs should range from 45 to 50 degrees F. It is rec-ommended that the Cold packs be left in place for aboutten minutes. Showers consist of ten minute sprays at 55to 60 degrees F.

Heat treatments are helpful for those suffering fromchronic fatigue, but should not be prolonged. Prolongedheat has a depressing effect that can worsen fatigue. Fiveto six minutes may be sufficient to start vigorous sweat-ing, then the treatment should be concluded with a coldtreatment—a cold shower, cold towel rub, wet sheet rub,or salt glow. The purpose of the treatment is to stimulatecirculation and eliminate toxins from the skin.

Outdoor life is beneficial to the fatigue sufferer.Breathing devitalized, deoxygenated indoor air deprives

the body of oxygen.Respiratory exercises are often helpful in increasing

energy levels. While walking, try to inhale for five steps,then exhale for six steps. Take slow, deep breaths, at-tempting to fill and empty the lungs as completely aspossible.

Another method of exercising the lungs is to take adeep breath and read out loud as long as possible with asingle breath. With time the lung capacity will increase.

Allopathic medications are not the solution to fa-tigue. Many physicians almost instinctively prescribesedatives or antidepressants which only compound theproblem. Instead try herbs such as: Valerian root, scull-cap, peppermint, ginkgo, catnip, camomile or rosemary.

Other supplements can be beneficial, such as: Vita-mins C, E and the entire B-complex family, and beepollen.

In general, eat a balanced vegetarian diet of mostlyfruits and vegetables and drink large amounts of freshjuiced vegetables, such as carrots, celery and lettuce.

Try it! You’ll feel better!

—Editors


please write to us at the folowing address: SDA Prophetic Ministry, PO Box 119,Mountain Dale NY 12763. You can also request these resources by visiting ourweb site at www.sdaPropheticMinistry.org or you can call 845 434-5282.

This audio study of Zechariah 6 will showyou the struggle that is waging within theSDA church that will culminate in a changeof leadership just before the “Loud Cry”.

To request your free copy of these must have audio CD’s,

Learn about this most crucial topic of the144,000 - Who are they? Can you be a partof this special group of people? Learn whatwill happen to those who are not a part ofthis group.

We are very familiar with the ancientprophecy of Daniel 2, but is the stone reallya picture of Jesus? Where did the stonecome from? And why does the stone growinto a mountain? This CD will answer theseimportant questions.

Did you know that the Lord is about tocleanse the SDA church by removing theunfaithful from its mist? And that this purifi-cation takes place before Jesus comes thesecond time? Request this invaluable CD tolearn how.

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