Lesson 22
The First Angel’s Message – Part 2
In the first part of this lesson we studied about the “everlasting gospel”, what it means to “fear God and give glory to Him”, and how to “worship Him”. As we progress in this study let us zero in on “the hour of His judgment is come” Revelation 14:7.
1. What is the time setting for this judgment hour message? Is it in the past?
Acts 17:31: “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”
Acts 24:25: “And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, . .”
[Further Study]
2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;”
2 Peter 2:4, 9 “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; . . . The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:”
Jude 6 “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.”
The apostles did not proclaim that “the hour of God’s judgment is come”. They pointed to a future time for its accomplishment.
Martin Luther (1483-1546), that great reformer of the 16th century said this, “I hope, the last day of judgment is not far, I persuade myself verily it will not be absent full three hundred years longer.” Martin Luther, Familiar Discourses, pages 7-8.
2. Can the judgment hour message be applied to the future beyond the second advent of Christ?
Revelation 14:9-10: “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.”
The third angel’s message has not yet been fulfilled, for no one has yet received the mark of the beast, or experienced the wrath of God unmixed with mercy, or been tormented with fire and brimstone. Since the second and third angels’ messages must be proclaimed before Jesus returns, the first must as well. If the time of judgment had not yet come during the days of the apostles or the reformers, and must take place in the last days just prior to the second coming of Christ, it must have reference to our present day.
3. The Bible mentions two different sanctuaries, where are they located?
Exodus 25:8-9, 40: “And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it. . . . And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.”
[Further Study]
Hebrews 8:5 “Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.”
Moses was called by God to go up into Mount Sinai to receive a detailed blueprint (pattern) of how to build an earthly (worldly – Hebrews 9:1) sanctuary that was portable, to be taken with them as they moved about.
Hebrews 9:1 “Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.”
Hebrews 8:1-2: “Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.”
Hebrews 9:24: “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.”
As the prophecy of Daniel 8:14 develops we will discover what the cleansing means, and that it cannot possibly refer to the cleansing of the earthly sanctuary, but to the heavenly. The earthly sanctuary and its services came to an end at the death of Christ, which was symbolized by the veil of the temple being torn in half from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51; Colossians 2:14). The old covenant or testament was confirmed by the blood of animals, but the new “with better sacrifices than these”, the blood of Christ (Hebrews 9:23). The new covenant/testament embraces everyone, including the Gentiles who were strangers from the old covenant made with Israel. God’s purpose for using the rituals and symbols of the Old Testament sanctuary service is as a parable of the Gospel to focus our attention on the coming of our Saviour and His ministry in our behalf.
Daniel 8:14 “And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”
Matthew 27:51 “And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;”
Colossians 2:14 “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”
Hebrews 9:23 “It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.”
4. Leviticus 16 tells about the Day of Atonement which was a “type” of the end time judgment to take place in the heavenly sanctuary. What was the purpose of this ceremony?
Leviticus 16:16: “And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.”
As this ceremony was a type or shadow of cleansing the people from sins they committed during the year, so the judgment is a literal fulfillment of how our sins and their record in heaven will be removed and “cleansed” from the heavenly sanctuary. The word atonement in Leviticus 16:16, according to Strong’s Concordance, means to cleanse, to cover, pardon, disannul, be merciful. The word judgment in Revelation 14:7 means “condemnation.” However, for those who “are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit,” there is “now no condemnation” (Romans 8:1). Therefore, the word atonement for God’s people means to be covered and cleansed from all sin, and judgment means that Jesus has already paid the price. (See John 5:24; Romans 5:18)
John 5:24 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
Romans 5:18 “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”
5. Let us focus our attention now on the prophecy of Daniel 8:14. When does the judgment begin?
Daniel 8:14: “And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”
The judgment or cleansing of the sanctuary would begin at the end of this 2300 year prophecy. Remember, one day in Bible prophecy equals one year.
Numbers 14:34 “After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.”
Ezekiel 4:6 “And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.”
6. After Daniel’s vision ended (Daniel 8:26-27), we pick it up again (Daniel 9:21-23). Does the Bible tell us when this prophecy begins?
Daniel 9:25: “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and three score and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.”
In Ezra 6:14 it speaks of a three fold decree. Of these three decrees king Artaxerxes was the last and most complete, restoring not only the building of Jerusalem, but “restoring” the Jewish state in the autumn of 457 B.C. This date can be verified by secular history.
Ezra 6:14 “And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.”
[Further Study]
Ezra 7:8, 12-13 “And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. . . . Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time. I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee.”
7. How does Gabriel begin his explanation of this time prophecy?
Daniel 9:24: “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.”
The original Hebrew for the word “determine” means “to cut off”. Seventy weeks or 70 x 7 days/years equals 490 years were to be cut off or divided from the beginning of the 2300 year prophecy. The Jewish nation had 490 years to come to repentance because of their apostasy and to prepare for the coming of the Messiah. As you read through Daniel 9 you will see other important events which are listed on the prophecy chart, all of which have been fulfilled to the letter.
8. It is a sobering thought to realize that the judgment or cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary began over one hundred fifty years ago in 1844. We are truly living in the last remnants of time. As we see the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24, and elsewhere, what should we do?
Luke 21:28: “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”
9. Through prophecy God reveals the future before it comes to pass. Why does He give us these insights?
Romans 15:4: “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”
When we see with what accuracy God’s word comes to pass it builds faith and confidence in His promises, and that by believing we might have life.
2 Peter 1:4 “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
John 20:31 “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”
An interesting note: There was a great religious awakening during the years just prior to 1844, and when the first angel’s message was being proclaimed by many Adventists (believers in the second coming of Christ) around the world. Satan brought in his counterfeit trying to cause disbelief in divine creation as the last part of Revelation 14:7 says, “Worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters”. The theory that man has evolved from lower life forms over long periods of time started gaining acceptance among many people. Charles Darwin (1809-1882), began his studies in 1831 and wrote a short statement on his theory of evolution in 1842 and a longer one in “1844”, finally publishing his book, The Origin of Species, in 1859.
“For eighteen centuries this work of ministration continued in the first apartment of the sanctuary. The blood of Christ, pleaded in behalf of penitent believers, secured their pardon and acceptance with the Father, yet their sins still remained upon the books of record. As in the typical service there was a work of atonement at the close of the year, so before Christ’s work for the redemption of men is completed there is a work of atonement for the removal of sins from the sanctuary. This is the service which began when the 2300 days ended. At that time, as foretold by Daniel the prophet, our high priest entered the most holy, to perform the last division of His solemn work—to cleanse the sanctuary.
“As anciently the sins of the people were by faith placed upon the sin offering and through its blood transferred, in figure, to the earthly sanctuary, so in the new covenant the sins of the repentant are by faith placed upon Christ and transferred, in fact, to the heavenly sanctuary. And as the typical cleansing of the earthly was accomplished by the removal of the sins by which it had been polluted, so the actual cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary is to be accomplished by the removal, or blotting out, of the sins which are there recorded. But before this can be accomplished, there must be an examination of the books of record to determine who, through repentance of sin and faith in Christ, are entitled to the benefits of His atonement. The cleansing of the sanctuary therefore involves a work of investigation—a work of judgment. This work must be performed prior to the coming of Christ to redeem His people; for when He comes, His reward is with Him to give to every man according to his works. Revelation 22:12.” Christ in His Sanctuary, pages 98-99.