The Order of Events in the Judgment

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 28, 1869

The Order of Events in the Judgment.

NUMBER EIGHT.

We have learned that there is a space of time at the beginning of the voice of the seventh angel, which is employed in closing up the work of human probation. During this period the living righteous conclude their probation, and are accounted worthy to stand before the Son of Man. Luke 21: 36. This is the time of the dead that they should be judged, i. e., the time when the righteous dead are accounted worthy of a part in the first resurrection. Luke 20: 35, 36; Rev. 11: 18. It is when the Ancient of Days sits in judgment that Christ is crowned king; and this same event takes place under the sounding of the seventh angel. Dan. 7: 9–14; Rev. 11: 15–17. This shows that the judgment scene of Dan. 7, is in the days of the seventh angel, and that the judgment of the dead here brought to view is at the Father’s tribunal. Two things next claim our attention. 1. The mighty proclamation which heralds the investigative judgment at the beginning of the voice of the seventh angel. 2. The opening of the most holy place of the heavenly temple for the session of that judgment.

The second and third woes come in consequence of the voices of the sixth and seventh angels. Rev. 8: 13. There is a short space of time between the second and third woes, and hence such space must exist between the close of the sixth angel’s voice and the commencement of the seventh. Rev. 11: 14. The termination of the hour, day, month, and year of the sixth angel, marks the conclusion of the second woe, Aug. 11, 1840, Rev. 9: 15. See the work on the “Seven Trumpets,” published at the ADVENT REVIEW Office.

At the close of the sixth angel’s voice a mighty angel descends from Heaven to herald the sounding of the seventh trumpet. He has a little book open in his hand; and he places his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, and cries with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth. Then seven thunders utter their voices, but John is forbidden to write what they utter. The angel having made proclamation to the inhabitants of the earth, lifts his hand to Heaven and swears that time shall be no longer; but that in the days of the beginning of the seventh angel’s voice the mystery of God should be finished as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. Rev. 10: 1–7.

His act of placing one foot upon the sea, and one upon the land, implies that his proclamation pertains to all the dwellers upon the globe. He cries with a mighty voice like the roar of a lion; but it is a voice that gives instruction and warning to mankind. For he has a little book open in his hand; a fact which indicates that its contents form the subject of his proclamation. When he has finished his announcement, he confirms it with a solemn oath. The words of this oath give a definite idea of the nature of his proclamation.

That it relates to the definite time of some grand event.
That this event is the sounding of the seventh angel.
That this proclamation is based upon the prophets.

The book of Daniel contains the prophetic periods which mark the very events of the seventh angel’s voice. Among the earliest of these events are the opening of the second apartment of the heavenly temple (Rev. 11: 19); the judgment of the righteous dead (Rev. 11: 18); the finishing of the mystery of God (Rev. 10: 7); and the coronation of Christ for the destruction of his enemies. Rev. 11: 15–19; Ps. 2: 6–9. The prophecy of Daniel reveals this very session of the investigative judgment, at which Christ is crowned king upon his own throne (Dan. 7: 9–14); and the final work in the Sanctuary of God for the closing up of human probation (Dan. 8: 14); and marks the very time for the beginning of this grand work.

The book of Daniel must therefore be that book out of which the angel makes his proclamation of definite time; for this book alone contains the prophetic periods, unless, indeed, we add the book of Revelation, which is but a second edition of the prophecy of Daniel. Now it is a remarkable fact that the book of Daniel was by divine direction closed up and sealed till the time of the end, when the wise were to understand. Dan. 12: 4–10. The same power which placed the seal upon it must be employed to take it off. It was by the agency of the angel of God that this book was closed up; and it is by the same means that the seal is removed. And hence when the angel descends to herald the work under the seventh trumpet, that prophecy which reveals the very events of that trumpet, and mark the time of their commencement, is open in his hand. Having made his announcement therefrom, he swears that time shall be no longer, i. e., that the events predicted shall transpire where he then stands at the end of the periods contained in the little book.

The time to the finishing of the mystery of God must be the burden of the proclamation of this mighty angel; for the oath which he utters to confirm his proclamation plainly indicates its nature. He swears that time should be no longer; but that the mystery of God should be finished in the days at the beginning of the seventh angel’s voice. But if there were a space of time between the oath and the voice of the seventh angel, the words of the oath could not be true. The time to which he swears must be the time contained in the little book, which reaches to the events of the seventh angel’s voice.

That this oath uttered by the angel with the open book relates to prophetic time, is farther evident from the record of the oath which was uttered at the time when that book was sealed up; for the man clothed in linen, standing at a time when the prophetic periods all lay in the future, solemnly attests with an oath the time contained in the sealed book. Dan. 12: 6, 7. But the angel of Rev. 10, having the book open in his hand, first proclaims their termination and then swears to the truth of his announcement. His oath marks the end of the time in question. It certainly does not mark the end of time considered as duration measured by days, or years; for the closing words of the oath speak of days yet future under the seventh angel. Nor does it mark the end of human probation; for the words of the oath place this also yet future under the sounding of the seventh angel. Verse 7.

Moreover after the eating of the book by John, who in this personates the church at the time of the fulfillment of this prophecy, he was bidden to prophecy again before many peoples and nations; a clear proof that there is a message of mercy and of warning to men after the oath of the angel that time shall be no longer. Verses 7–11. We must therefore conclude that this oath has reference to the time which the angel had announced from the book open in his hand. This oath is the complement of that in Dan. 12. In that, the man clothed in linen swears to prophetic time yet to be; in this, the angel, having made solemn proclamation from the open book, lifts his hand to Heaven and swears to the accomplishment of the time.

There is indeed a criticism on the original which gives it a very different meaning. Instead of “there should be time no longer” some render it “the time shall not yet be.” See Barnes’ Notes on Revelation, p. 290. Those who give this translation involve the action of the angel in great absurdity. They understand that the descent of this mighty angel symbolizes the reformation of the sixteenth century. And as the most prominent reformers taught that the end was not far distant (See Barnes’ Notes on Revelation, pp. 292, 293), these expositors assert that the angel swears to the error of their teaching. But this cannot be, for it makes this symbolic angel utter a solemn oath in contradiction of his own testimony.

What has been said is quite sufficient to show that the work of the mighty angel of Rev. 10 is of the same nature with that of the angel of Rev. 14: 6, 7. His message is uttered while the living are yet in probation. It is termed the everlasting gospel because it is that which contains the good news of the coming kingdom of God. Like the mighty proclamation of the angel of Rev. 10 which pertains to all the dwellers upon the globe, this also is addressed to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people. As the angel of

Rev. 10 proclaims definite time connected with the seventh angel’s voice, so this angel says with a loud voice, “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come.” There must be definite time to mark the proclamation of this angel; and as men are addressed while yet in probation, that time must be the prophetic periods of the Bible. And herein have we a parallel to the case of the angel of Rev. 10 with the open book in his hand, swearing to the fulfillment of time. That relates to the sounding of the seventh angel and the finishing of the mystery of God; this relates to the session of the investigative judgment, which, as we have seen, is the same work. As a further work of prophesying remains after the angel of Rev. 10 swears that time shall be no longer, so in Rev. 14 after the angel has announced that the hour of God’s judgment is come, the like work remains to be performed.

The period designated as the hour of God’s judgment, or the days when the mystery of God is to be finished, is not therefore ushered in by the advent of Christ, for its work is preparatory to that event. But it is announced to the inhabitants of the earth by solemn proclamation, based on definite time and confirmed by an immutable oath. The time must therefore be given rightly. Whenever, in fulfillment of Rev. 14: 6, 7, the announcement is made, “The hour of his judgment is come,” the time must be truthfully given. And certainly when the angel of Rev. 10 swears to the fulfillment of time, that time must there expire. Yet in each case there is a further work of prophesying or proclaiming truth to the children of men.

These scriptures can never have their fulfillment by a succession of time messages, each disproving the truth of its predecessor, and each being in turn disproved by the one which succeeds it. When God gives these announcements they will be rightly given, though they are to be followed by the proclamation of other truths before the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Those time-movements which follow the genuine, and which repeat themselves again and again in the persistent effort to fix the time of Christ’s advent, may possibly have some connection with the thunders which John was forbidden to write, but they never can be in fulfillment of the solemn announcement, “The hour of his judgment is come,” or of the solemn oath that time should be no longer. For these later time-movements are but a succession of efforts made to fix the definite time of Christ’s advent, though that is not revealed in the Bible, and though each movement is based upon the failure of all which have preceded it. But the genuine is given for the purpose of announcing the investigative judgment, and its truthfulness being attested by the oath of the angel, it will never be retracted to make way for successive announcements of the time of Christ’s revelation. The opening of the heavenly temple and the final work therein will be next considered.