p. 178 | Prophecy-No. 12 by W. H. Baisdell

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 1, 1874

Prophecy.—No. 12.

By W. H. Baisdell

With a brief examination of a few facts concerning a line of prophecy commencing with Rev. 14:6, we shall now bring this series of articles to a close. Three angels are here brought to view, each bearing a distinct message of truth to the inhabitants of earth. These messages are immediately followed by a representation of the Son of man after taking his seat on the great white cloud upon which he comes forth to reap the harvest of the earth. Verses 6–16.

Instead of wild and ferocious beasts, we here find symbols of holy angels; therefore we may rightly conclude that the work here predicted must be of an entirely different character from that of the other lines of prophecy previously examined.

We understand that each of these messages is designed to symbolize an important work and movement in which the people of God will be engaged at the time to which the prophecy relates, and it is not unreasonable to suppose that literal angels will have charge over that work. From this we may at once see that the symbols used are peculiarly appropriate.

To what period of time do these messages apply, and when may their fulfillment be properly expected?

That the last of the three applies to a period just prior to the second coming of Christ is evident from the fact that it is immediately succeeded by a representation of that event. Verses 9–16.

The message of the first angel as given in verses 6, 7, reads as follows:— “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”

This is called another angel, not because there were any in this series that preceded him, but because John had previously seen an angel flying in a similar manner. Chap. 8:13. From the fact that this angel preaches the gospel to them that dwell on the earth, we see that this must refer to a movement which takes place here on earth during probationary time.

This everlasting gospel which he preaches is the same gospel that is called, in Matt. 24:14, the gospel of the kingdom; but as proclaimed by this angel it has the additional truth that the kingdom is near at hand. An eminent writer on the prophecies says: “The burden of this angel was to be the same gospel which had been before proclaimed, but connected with it, was the additional motive of the proximity of the kingdom. No mere preaching of the gospel without announcing its proximity could fulfill this message.”

The apostles did not preach this message. They reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and a judgment to come. Acts 17:31; 24:25; and they cautioned any against entertaining the idea that the day of Christ would come till after the great apostasy and the predicted career of 1260 years of papal supremacy. 2 Thess. 2:1–4. And the prophecies upon which this proclamation is based, are closed up and sealed to the same time, 1798. Dan. 12:4; 11:31–35. The first angel’s message can therefore be given only by a class of people who live in the generation when the end is just at hand.

This message met its fulfillment in the great Advent proclamation, especially from 1840 to 1844, as set forth by William Miller and others. The class of people who fulfilled this message, showed from the prophecies by unanswerable arguments that the hour of God’s judgment was at hand. This fact they proclaimed to the world. In so doing, they were giving the first angel’s message. This message was true, and in preaching that the hour of God’s judgment was at hand, they were preaching the truth. The judgment here announced is the investigative judgment, which must take place prior to the second coming of Christ; for when he comes, the righteous dead are raised, and the righteous living are changed to immortality, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye; 1 Cor. 15:51, 52; 1 Thess. 4:16, 17; therefore it must be determined before Christ comes, who of the dead shall have part in the first resurrection, Rev. 20:4–6, and who of the living are worthy to be changed to immortality.

This work of judgment was what was announced by the angel of Rev. 14:6, 7, and this work has been going on in the courts of the heavenly sanctuary since 1844. Though this message in regard to the time when this work of judgment would commence was correctly preached by the Advent people, yet by an improper understanding of the work of judgment, and the closing work of our great High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary, they came to the conclusion that Christ would come to this earth in 1844,—an event which the message did not show would take place at that time.

The fact that they were disappointed in not witnessing the coming of Christ as they expected, affords no reason for rejecting the great truths proclaimed by them in regard to the ending of the prophetic periods, and the beginning of the work of judgment at that time. We learn that in the days when Christ was here on earth, though his disciples understood some of the great truths concerning him and his work, and though they accepted him as the promised Messiah, yet they did not understand all the truth concerning him; they did not see that he must be crucified and rise again; thus they were led to believe that when he rode into Jerusalem, he was going to be established as temporal king; Matt. 21:8, 9; but in a short time they met with a sore disappointment, when they saw him taken and crucified. But as they received further light, the subject was divested of all difficulty, and they could clearly see in what their mistake had consisted, and rejoice again in the blessed hope as the further light dawned upon their minds. Luke 24:13–53; 1 Pet. 1:3.

So in regard to the Advent movement from 1840 to 1844. Those engaged in that message understood a part of the truth concerning the setting of the judgment and the second coming of Christ—but not all; thus they came to a wrong conclusion in regard to the coming of Christ in 1844; but further light upon the subject as obtained from the Scriptures concerning the investigative judgment and the closing work of Christ in the sanctuary above, has caused those of the Advent people who have received that light to greatly rejoice in the beauty and harmony of the great truths concerning the work predicted in the three messages here brought to view.

Thus we see that this line of prophecy commences with the great Advent movement to which we have referred, and reaches to the second coming of the Son of man on the great white cloud.

The Second Angel’s Message.

“And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” Verse 8.

What is meant by Babylon? The figure is taken from the ancient city of Babylon which took its name from the confusion of tongues that occurred there. Gen. 10:10; 11:9. We therefore think it is evident that by “Babylon” is here meant the great mass of confused and corrupt Christianity, and that her fall was a moral fall, caused by rejecting the great and important truths of the first message.

One writer on this subject says: “We unhesitatingly apply the Babylon of the Apocalypse to all corrupt Christianity. The term, signifying confusion, is perfectly applicable to the many different creed-bound sects, each holding different sentiments, and all united with the world.”

The same writer also says: “It is a fact that the announcement, ‘Babylon is fallen,’ was made in 1844, and that the burden of that message, which called out fifty thousand from the different churches, closed in the autumn of 1844. This movement being local, the angel is not said to make his proclamation with a loud voice. The first and the third being world-wide messages, are said to have been given with a loud voice.”

Much testimony might be given from many leading church journals published in 1844, to show that the churches themselves were at that time conscious of their fallen condition.

We give two brief extracts on this point:—

The Christian Palladium, of May 15, 1844, speaks as follows: “In every direction we hear the dolorous sound, wafting upon every breeze of heaven, chilling as the blasts from the icebergs of the north—settling like an incubus on the breasts of the timid, and drinking up the energies of the weak; that weariness, division, anarchy, and desolation, are distressing the borders of Zion.” The Philadelphia Sun, of Nov. 11, 1844, has the following: “The undersigned ministers and members of various denominations in Philadelphia and vicinity, solemnly believing that the present signs of the times—the spiritual dearth in our churches generally, and the extreme evils in the world around us, seem to call loudly on all Christians for a special season of prayer, do therefore hereby agree, by divine permission, to unite in a week of special prayer to Almighty God, for the outpouring of his Holy Spirit on our city, our country, and the world.”

From this fallen condition they have never arisen. Pride, formality, and a love of the world, are still ruling characteristics of the mass of the popular Protestant churches of this country and the world.

This fallen condition of the churches was seen by the Advent people, and they raised the cry, “Babylon is fallen.” Thus did they fulfill the message of the second angel.

W. H. Baisdell.

(Concluded next week.)